CELEBRATING ALL THINGS BARBECUE
Darren and Sherry Warth clock about 35,000 miles on the road and about 20,000 miles in the air every year on the national competition barbecue circuit. What started as a hobby in 2003 quickly developed not only into the Iowa’s Smokey D’s BBQ team, but also three restaurants in Des Moines, Iowa.
No matter if the cooking is in the restaurant or in a competition, you just have to be consistent, Darren Warth said. “You also have to be lucky.”
The Warths and about 50 competition teams will see if luck is on their side this weekend at Sonny’s Smokin’ Showdown at the Camping World Stadium complex in Orlando. The event will bring together pitmasters for an invitationonly barbecue competition today. The next day barbecue fans can enjoy a festival featuring music and kid-friendly activities.
The teams, hailing from as far as Australia and as close as Lakeland, will cook up chicken, ribs, brisket, pork and a mystery meat that will be revealed at the event.
The Warths cook “politically correct barbecue” at competitions to appeal to the potentially wide range of preferences from the judges. The ’cue needs a good balance of flavors — not too spicy or sweet.
“The judges could be beerdrinking guys that like spicy food or Grandma [who] doesn’t like spice at all,” Darren Warth said.
Each team had to qualify as a grand champion at another competition to be invited to Sonny’s event. That’s part of the Showdown’s appeal for Jim Elser of Sweet Smoke Q in Lakeland.
“You compete with the best to see where you fit in,” he said.
Elser finished third and fifth in the first two years of the festival. He would like to bump that up this year.
The former mechanical engineer is in his ninth year on the national circuit. Elser always loved to cook and figured his barbecue would be better than the fare he found at local events.
His strategy is to make sure the flavor pops for the judges, who will be only taking a few bites of each submission.
The payday for the Smokin’ Showdown appealed to Elser. The competitors will be gunning for a piece of the $68,000 prize pool — the grand champion will win $20,000.
The public will have their own opportunity to learn and enjoy some barbecue during the all-day event on Saturday. The move from the Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens in Sanford to the Orlando stadium has allowed for more educational pieces to be added to the festival, said Showdown co-organizer Montana Coleman.
A cooking demonstration will be held roughly every hour starting at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday with experts such as chef Jeff Adema from The Polite Pig in Disney Springs and Bryan Mroczka, Sonny’s BBQ’s head pitmaster.
Vendors will be on hand, selling grilling equipment, sauces and barbecuing tools.
“We’re working to bridge the gap between barbecue and the consumer and educate [guests] more,” said Barbara Latimer, co-organizer of the event.
This is all in addition to live music with country artists Rodney Atkins and High Valley, a kid’s zone and doughnut- and ribeating contests.
“We tried to create this barbecue festival that appealed to everyone,” Coleman said. “Family, children, adults.”