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Taste buds wanted

by JEFF SELLE/jselle@cdapress.com
| August 9, 2014 9:00 PM

COEUR d'ALENE -Organizers of the Smoke on the Water State BBQ Championship are seeking judges for the competition that will be held at McEuen Field later this month.

"We've only got one or two more spots for competitors," said Debbie Wilson, executive director of the Panhandle Parks Foundation. "But we need more judges, so Greg Prado is putting together a training class."

Judges can get officially certified for a year to judge professionally sanctioned barbecue competitions. The cost of the class is $60, but judges can then judge at any sanctioned competition on the Pacific Northwest Barbecue Association circuit. Typically there are more than 30 a year.

Students will receive a judge card and a judge badge will be issued by mail after completion of the class.

"Please be advised there will be an abundance of meats to be sampled during the class," according to a flier for the event.

The class will be held in the grand pavilion at McEuen Field from 5 to 10 p.m., Aug. 22. For more information on the class, email Mayben Amos at Mayben Amos: mamos@pnwba.com mamos@pnwba.com.

The competition will take place Aug. 23-24 with 30 teams of pitmasters squaring off for a piece of the $5,000 prize money.

In order to qualify for grand champion, each team must cook chicken, pork butt, pork ribs and beef brisket. Each of those four categories will have eight winners, with first place winning $225 down to eighth place winning $20.

The team with the highest combined score of all four categories will win grand champion, which pays $900 and earn state championship bragging rights.

The grand champion will also get an invitation to the Jack Daniels World Championship Invitational Barbecue Competition in Lynchburg, Tenn. later this fall, and the American Royal Invitational in Kansas City, Mo., also to be held later this fall.

Cooks will load in and start cooking Saturday, and turn in their meats for judging Sunday. The meats will be judged on appearance, taste and texture.

"We are still working things out on the sampling," Wilson said, but added it looks the foundation may sell tickets and attendees can give those tickets to the teams they want a sample from.

Teams can choose to give out samples or not.

Wilson said she is still looking for vendors who want to participate in the street fair portion of the event. She said there already a couple of food vendors, and barbecue-related vendors.

"I am looking for the jewelry makers and face painters now," she said, adding there is no limit to the number of vendors she is seeking.

Food vendors pay $250 for the two days, and non-food vendors pay $200 a space.

"We also have five different bands lined up for music," she said, adding the event is shaping up nicely.

"Now that the competition is sanctioned and it will happen year after year, this could become a pretty big draw for Coeur d'Alene," she said.

For more information contact Wilson at the Panhandle Parks Foundation at 446-4813 or visit the website at www.panhandleparksfoundation.org.