SMOKING THE COMPETITION
Sooner State knows Jack about plucking victory from a pit
Clark Crew BBQ, of Yukon, earned the title at the Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue
ILYNCHBURG, TENN. — t's official, the road to championship barbecue runs through Oklahoma.
For the second consecutive year, and the sixth time overall, the grand champion at the annual Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue competition is a team from Oklahoma.
Clark Crew BBQ, of Yukon, earned the title this year at the 31st Annual Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue in Tennessee over the weekend.
Travis and Kimberly Clark will
share the $25,000 prize with their team, and join last year's champs Butcher BBQ, of Chandler/Wellston, to keep bragging rights in Oklahoma another year.
“World Champions — pretty dang cool,” Travis Clark said. “Just proud of my team, that's about all I can say. There are a lot of people that play a part in what we do, and we are so appreciative of all of them. What a way to end the year! Now we have to get the doors open on our new restaurant!”
And that new restaurant could be open as soon as next month.
When Clark and his crew haven't been busy prepping for The Jack, they've been renovating the former Macaroni Grill at 3510 NW Expressway to become the first Clark Crew BBQ Restaurant. In January of 2018, Clark was hired as National Pitmaster of Famous Dave's of America Inc.
The deal made him responsible for menu innovation and maintenance for Famous Dave's, which is based in Wisconsin, 180 or so locations across 33 states. It also opened the door for him to conceive and execute an original concept of his own, which is Clark Crew BBQ.
Sources tell me Clark Crew will offer steaks and chops on top of upscale expressions of classic barbecue.
The Clarks, transplants from southernwestern Kansas, began competing in 2013. At the time, Travis was a senior tech for ONEOK. Since they started competing, Clark Crew has piled up more than 650 top-10 finishes, including the overall title at the 2017 American Royal World Series of Barbecue.
At this year's Jack Invitational, a combined 99 domestic and international teams from countries including Austria, Australia,
Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom convened in Lynchburg to compete.
Domestic teams earned their invites by winning a state championship against at least 25 teams, or a competition of at least 50 teams. Invites are automatic for winners of Memphis in May, American Royal Open or Houston World's Championship Bar-B-Que.
Teams compete in seven categories: Pork Ribs, Pork Shoulder/Butts, Beef Brisket, Chicken, Dessert, Cook's Choice, and Jack Daniel's Sauce.
Last year, David Bouska's Butcher BBQ team took brought home the bacon. His son Levi Bouska is owner operator of the Butcher BBQ Stand in Wellston, which has now expanded dramatically since the victory.
Previous grand champions from Oklahoma were Donny Teel, Bart Clarke, Paul Schatte and Joe Davidson.
For a full rundown of this year's results and past winners, go online to www. jackdaniels.com/en-us/bbq.
Congratulations to the Clark family on bringing the gold back to Oklahoma.
New pizza concept
The Hal Smith Restaurant group's place in the restaurant marketplace grew by one concept in September when it introduced Notorious P.I.E. to downtown Norman at 305 E Main St.
Managing partner Brandon Kistler teamed with former Mimi's Pizza owner James Clifford to offer pizza by the slice, salads and sandwiches.
This makes the second pizza concept for HSRG, following Upper Crust. It's the group's second original concept of the year behind El Huevo, which also hatched in Norman.
I finally made my way to downtown Norman on Monday to sample the menu, which features $3 and $4 slices and 18-inch specialty pies.
Tried some slices, each with a well-made crust that carried cheese, sauce and toppings with aplomb. The crust edge was tasty enough to pinch free and dip in one of the myriad of dipping sauces available.
Recently, I've been hit with a spate of requests looking for a pie that mirrors the classic fried pepperoni pizza at The Nomad. Looks like I might've found it in the Big Peppa, which is not only smothered in pepperoni but further adorned with bits of fried pepperoni.
I Dip, U Dip, We Dip is topped with roast beef, cremini mushrooms and roasted onions and served with au jus. Clever pie for a place that also specializes in
Chicago-style Italian roast beef sandwiches. And a good pie, to boot. However, I look forward to a return visit for a shot at that sandwich.
Also had a caesar salad, which was exemplary. The dressing leaned a little lighter than standard caesar fare, which was welcome with all that naughty pie hanging about.
The bar is a prominent member of the Notorious P.I.E property. It's where you'll find Pineapple Froze, Coconut Pink Lemonade, an Old World Old Fashioned and an Italian Margarita.
The bar also keeps highoctane punch on hand. Derby Boombastic has Four Roses bourbon, Bitter Truth Falernum, grapefruit and lemon juices. Tornadocane is a combination of two kinds of rum, pineapple, cranberry and lime juices and splash of ginger beer.
Plenty of craft and local beer is also available, along with enough wine to wash down a couple of pizzas or a basket of munchables. Vegans and those with gluten allergy are well covered in the 85-seat space, which also has about 60 more seats if you count the covered patio and lounge.
The restaurant opens at 11 a.m. daily, and closes at 9 p.m. Sunday and 10 p.m. the rest of the week. For more information, go online to www.notoriouspienorman. com.