BBQ competition kicks off with blues night starring Andre Floyd
Fire up the grill and break in those tastebuds for the 2021 Montana Pitmaster Classic. The official State BBQ Championship returns to Bozeman’s Kenyon Noble Lumber & Hardware Friday and Saturday, August 27th and 28th.
The weekend kicks off with a Bozeman BBQ & Blues Night on Friday from 5–8pm. The evening will feature a variety of competing teams serving specialty foods with the live blues of Andre Floyd setting the mood for this great family gathering. Attendees will sample the goods straight from the Pitmasters’ grills – all for a great cause! A large portion of proceeds will directly benefit the Gallatin Valley YMCA.
Andre Floyd is Montana’s original blues artist with a number of original recordings to his credit, including Project 2o12 and Lapis. He has toured his brand of rockin’ blues around the world, working with the likes of Taj Mahal, Edgar Winter, Corky Siegel (of the legendary Siegel – Schwall blues band), and many more. Floyd is a cultural minister of the arts in Western Montana and regularly tours with his band Mood Iguana, both regionally and nationally.
photo by Bob Allen
Then, join in for the BBQ Pro Day on Saturday from 1–4pm to check out the biggest names in barbecue. Professional grillmasters from Weber, Traeger and Big Green Egg will be on hand to showcase their grills, reveal new products, give live demonstrations, host educational classes, and teach innovative ways to produce great barbecue with ease. This year will also feature a special appearance by World Champion Pitmaster Doug Scheiding of Traeger Pro and Rocket Scientist. He will be sharing his tips and tricks for top-notch, wood-fried BBQ. After the competition, sample what the teams turned in and see what real competition barbecue tastes like. Stick around until 4:30pm to see who will be crowned this year’s Montana Pitmaster Champion! This all-ages afternoon is free of admission and open to the public. Food available for sale and sample.
The Montana Pitmaster Classic is a community event sanctioned by the Kansas City BBQ Society. Governor Bullock officially endorsed the event as the official State BBQ Championship in 2017. Professional and amateur contestants from the Northwest and Canada will compete for the Montana State Championship of BBQ in the categories of chicken, ribs, pork and brisket. The overall highest scorer in all categories will become the Grand Master of the tournament and state champion, granting eligibility in the Kansas City Royal. The Montana Pitmaster Classic is a two-day nonprofit event created to increase awareness of the competitive world of barbecue.
Kenyon Noble Lumber & Hardware is located at 1243 W Oak St. in Bozeman. Learn more about the weekend of events by visiting www.montanapitmaster.com. •
