Regional barbecue tourney kicks off w/ BBQ Blues Night at Kenyon Noble
Fire up the grill and break in those tastebuds for the 2018 Montana Pitmaster Classic. The official State BBQ Championship returns to Bozeman’s Kenyon Noble Lumber & Hardware on Friday and Saturday, August 24th–25th.
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 turn their cash into BBQ Chips ($1 per chip) to sample the goods straight from the Pitmasters’ grills – all for a great cause! A large percentage of all proceeds from the Montana Pitmaster Classic will directly benefit the Gallatin Valley YMCA and the greater community.
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.
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, Napoleon and Big Green Egg will be on hand to showcase their grills, reveal new products, offer live demonstrations, host educational classes, and teach new and innovative ways to produce great barbecue. 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 and open to the public.
The Montana Pitmaster Classic is a community event sanctioned by the Kansas City BBQ Society. Professional and amateur contestants from the Northwest and Canada will compete for the Montana State Championship of BBQ in the categories of chicken, pork ribs, pork and brisket. The overall highest scorer in all categories will become the Grand Master of the tournament and state champion, making them eligible for the Kansas City Royal (one of the biggest barbecue competitions in the world). Last year’s winner, Montana Outlaw BBQ, placed 12th in pork and 10th overall, and are geared up to compete at the Montana Pitmaster Classic again this year! 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. •