Barbecue cook-off celebrates success

To barbecue connoisseur Scott McDaniel, the organization for North Augusta's Hammin & Jammin Barbecue Cook-off was only matched by the tastes and smells of pork roasts and ribs slow cooking Saturday.

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Chris Thelen/Staff

Buddy Lamb works the grill for the Grinnin' and Grillin' Gurus team. The event also featured live music throughout most of the weekend, ending in a performance by country star Aaron Tippin.

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Chris Thelen/Staff

Shad Johnson, of North Augusta, checks out the grill during the first Hammin & Jammin Barbecue Cook-off, which was held at the Hippodrome in North Augusta.

"They crossed every t and dotted every i," he said.

The cook-off, held at the Hippodrome in North Augusta, went surprisingly smoothly for a first-time event, organizers and cookers said.

Forty-five teams had been barbecuing since Friday night in hopes of being named the winner Saturday - an honor that drew the respect of fellow cookers and a $1,400 prize.

Team BBQ Barn, of North Augusta, took first prize in boston butts, and Team Wando, of Wando, S.C., won in ribs.

Dennis Murphy, the president of the event's sponsor, the North Augusta Sertoma Club, attributed the success of the event in part to the size of the venue. The size of the outdoor area allowed organizers to give each team more room to cook than most similar events provide. The covered area provided ample room for the concerts, too.

Mr. Murphy said the organizers also wanted to make sure the cooks were happy.

"All the cookers were very impressed with how they were treated," he said.

Mr. McDaniel, who participated on the Smoke Shack Barbecue team, competes in more than a dozen barbecue contests each year. He said members of the club had called him several months ago while the event was still in the planning stages to ask him what he expected as a cook.

He said one thing that sets this event apart from other barbecue contests he's participated in was that the public could try the fare.

There is one thing he hopes they will try next year.

"I would like to see them do a people's choice next year," he said.

Mr. Murphy said there were few problems with the event.

"Splendid," he declared it. "It exceeded all of our expectations."

Reach Lisa Kaylor at lisa.kaylor@augustachronicle.com