Band & BBQ at the Point
2011
champ Blue Chip BBQ
returns to defend KCBS title
Music,
food, fun come
to Carrolltons Point Park
By
Helen E. McKinney
Contributing Writer
CARROLLTON, Ky. (September 2012) Blue Chip
BBQs bragging rights as Grand Champion of the 2011 Bands &
BBQ at the Point event will soon be challenged. The team held off stiff
competition last year and will soon give it another try before giving
up its Grand Champion title to make another barbecuers dream come
true.
Barbecue is my passion, said Blue Chip BBQ team member Charlie
Jackey. I take it very seriously. When Im not competing
Im doing practice cooks and making adjustments to my rubs, sauces
and timing. Barbecue has turned into a year-round hobby for me.
Blues
Musical Lineup
Friday,
Sept. 7
7 p.m.: Greg Schaber Band
9:30 p.m.: Inner City Blues Band
Saturday, Sept. 8
1 p.m.: Saloonatix
5 p.m.: Tattoo Babylon
7:30 p.m.: Pork Pie James Blues Band
Information: (502) 732-7036
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Competing is also a family affair for Jackey. His team
members are comprised of himself (Pit Master), his wife, Rhonda, son,
Jeremy, and brother-in-law, Dennis Cheatham.
We started competing late in the 2009 season, doing only two competitions.
To date, we have competed in 27 competitions, said Jackey.
Last year, Blue Chip BBQ entered 12 competitions. The team finished
in the top 10 overall 10 times and had 26 top-10 category finishes.
Jackey had been smoking barbecued meats for about 12 years when I
saw some of the results of the BBQ competitions on the Internet and
wanted to try it. So when we saw the Franklin, Ky., competition, we
jumped in.
Blue Chip BBQ participates in six to eight competitions per year. According
to Jackey, the best aspect is meeting new friends and the challenge
of cooking not only against good barbecue cooks, but also against the
elements and having to make adjustments on the run so that you make
your turn-ins on time.
All members are from the Louisville area. They compete as a team part-time
because each holds full-time jobs. They also handle some small catering
and vending jobs.
They began the 2012 competition season in May in Liberty, Ind., at the
Smoke on the Water event. The team finished eighth overall out of 31
teams and took first place in the Pork category.
Barbecuers from far and wide will converge on Carrollton on Sept. 7-
8 to take part in Bands & BBQ at the Point, an event sanctioned
by the Kansas City Barbeque Society. Its serious business for
the competitors but also offers a fun time with lots of great food and
music for everyone else.
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Photo
provided
Blue
Chip BBQ team consists of
(from left) Jeremy Jackey, Dennis
Cheatham and Charlie Jackey.
|
Last year, we had 17 competitors, said Rhonda
Riley, director of Carrollton-Carroll County Tourism. We thought
that was pretty good for a first-time event.
Awards will be given out in four cooking categories: Chicken, Pork Ribs,
Pork and Brisket. Prizes also include singling out Best Sauce and Anything
Butt. Prize amounts total $7,500 and will be split out over 10 places
with trophies and ribbons.
The BBQ competition is being sponsored by the Carroll County Tourism
Commission. This will be the third year for the event but second year
that it will be sanctioned by the KCBS.
A lot of competitors do this on a regular basis and wanted it
to be KCBS sanctioned so they can compete in bigger contests,
Riley said. If they score so many points, they can move on in
the competitions. They are big in Tennessee and areas like that. Barbecue
competitions are really growing.
As a state championship event, winners names go into a drawing
for the chance to compete this fall in the Jack Daniels World Championship
Invitational Barbeque Championship in Lynchburg, Tenn.
Theres nothing like getting a call on a first place category
win, which makes all the work and practice worth it, said Jackey.
Blue Chip BBQ will compete in the Jim Beam BBQ Classic in Springfield,
Ky. in late August.
The barbeque competitors really enjoy what they do, Riley
said. Theyre all great people.
Riley said the Tourism Commission got a lot of ideas from the Madison
Ribberfest barbecue competition, held Aug. 17-18 in nearby Madison,
Ind. Madison was very helpful in guiding us on how to go about
this, she said.
And just like Ribberfest, Bands & BBQ at the Point will include
music. Entertainment will kick off on Friday at 7 p.m. with the Greg
Schaber Band, who performed last year. Following Schaber will be the
Inner City Blues Band from Columbus, Ind.
Due in part to the KCBS sanctioning, We wanted to focus more on
barbecue, but still have nice music, too, said Riley.
Back to September 2012
Articles.