Adding Value to Oklahoma

FAPC to host Certified Barbecue Judging class

STILLWATER, Okla. – The Food & Agricultural Products Center, located on the Oklahoma State University campus, is hosting a class to teach participants how to judge barbecued meats. The event will take place April 28 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the 2nd floor of the FAPC.

In addition to gaining valuable judging experience and improving their taste-testing skills, participants will receive a certified judging manual and earn a judging badge, said Chuck Willoughby, FAPC business planning and marketing specialist.

“Barbecue is really big in Oklahoma,” Willoughby said. “There are a lot of great barbecue sauces in the market, including well-established Oklahoma brands such as Head Country and newer ones like Pistol Pete’s BBQ Sauce.”

Ed Roith of the Kansas City Barbeque Society will teach the Certified Barbecue Judging Class. The KCBS is the world’s largest barbecue and grilling association sanctioning 150 contests across the United States each year, according to the KCBS.

The cost for the event is $50 for KCBS members and $75 for nonmembers. The nonmember fee entitles the participant to a one-year membership in the KCBS.

To register for the event, complete the form on the reverse side and send it in, call or e-mail Karen Smith at (405) 744-6071 or karenl.smith@okstate.edu, or register online at www.fapc.biz/pages/bbqclass.htm. The registration deadline is April 16.

“The FAPC has worked with more than 30 Oklahoma brands of barbecue sauce – all very good tasting and of high quality,” Willoughby said. “Many Oklahoma grocers will carry up to 10 or 12 Oklahoma brands outnumbering the national brands on the shelf approximately 4-to-1.”

These local brands, while typically costing more than the national brands, appeal to local consumers’ tastes and preferences, Willoughby said.

“There is a love affair between local brands and the typical grill master or smoke king in Oklahoma,” Willoughby said. “This event should appease everyone’s appetite for good barbecue and teach the fine intricacies of judging barbecued meats.”

The event is co-sponsored by the Oklahoma Pork Council, Oklahoma Poultry Federation and Oklahoma Beef Council.

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CONTACT:
Chuck Willoughby
Business Planning and Marketing Relations Manager
Robert M. Kerr Food & Agricultural Products Center
148 FAPC
Stillwater, OK 74078
Phone: 405-744-6071
Fax: 405-744-6313
E-Mail: chuck.willoughby@okstate.edu

Oklahoma State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture, State and Local Governments Cooperating. The Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service offers its programs to all eligible persons regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, disability, or status as a veteran, and is an equal opportunity employer.


RESOURCES
  Download .pdf version
 
  Certified Barbecue Judging class Web site
 
  Oklahoma Pork Council
 
  Oklahoma Poultry Federation
 
  Oklahoma Beef Council
 

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