Photos and story by Rick Hiduk
One would think that even people driving past LazyBrook Park in Tunkhannock Township on Sept. 14 were tantalized by the smell of barbecue in the air. Thirty-nine teams vied for bragger’s rights in three esteemed categories for the seventh year in a row as Williams conducted its annual BBQ cook-off to benefit area United Way agencies.
Thousands of ticket-holders, many of them employees of natural gas companies and their partners, assembled under three giant tents, where they sampled beef brisket, pulled pork and ribs. Among them were also official and elite judges representing the events biggest sponsors. Additional vendors of products and services utilized in the gas fields hosted exhibits and games.
In the end, Williams Companies public outreach coordinator Tammy Bonnice estimated that the total amount raised would be close to $90,000, which is matched dollar-for-dollar by Williams, amounting to about $180,000 before being divided among United Ways in Susquehanna, Wyoming counties, and the United Ways of the Wyoming Valley and Broome County, NY.
While the VIP judges meandered from one cooking team to another, taking into account not only the appearance, flavor and texture of their offerings but also their ambiance and showmanship, three “elite” judges gauged the final products via blind taste tests. They selected the team representing Hague Equipment as best in both the brisket and pulled port categories, and a team called the Meat Puppets (below) as number one for ribs. The Meat Puppets also won over the VIP judges with their ribs, as well as their pulled pork. The VIP judges gave the win for beef brisket to Repsol 2 (above).
General ticket holders voted with cash, knowing that the money they put into containers at each serving table would also go to the United Ways. They selected the Cleveland Brothers team (top) as People’s Choice Winner, dropping more than $5,000 at their booth alone. Also judging barbecue were Sen. Lisa Baker, Rep. Jonathan Fritz, and Wyoming County commissioners Judy Mead and Tom Henry.
Additional photos by Rick Hiduk from the Williams BBQ Cook-Off:
Photo of writer Rick Hiduk by Bonnie Morris:
