A perfect venue for a great contest

TRES PINOS, California -- The West Coast BBQ Championship had everything going for it:  weather, location, food, and friends.

Perfect weather

The weather was just about perfect – foggy in the morning, which soon burned off, leaving a nice sunny afternoon with a slight cooling breeze.

Venue

The venue was a picnic area outside the grandstand for the San Benito County Fair horse racing arena.  There were picnic tables and plenty of shade from what looked to be oak trees.  It was a perfect setting for a midsummer's cookout.  It was so relaxing just being there that it was tempting to just sit back and relax and forget about cooking.

Judge's dinner

Of course, plenty of cooking did go on, starting on Friday evening when the judges decided that "turnabout is fair play" and cooked dinner for the teams.  The tri-tip, beans, salsa, cole slaw, potato salad and garlic bread were so good there were no leftovers.  An impressive array of wines and beer was also provided.  After dinner, the cook's meeting was held and each team received a pair of 20-pound bags of Lazari lump charcoal.

Even hot showers

Saturday morning, I took advantage of the hot water showers and started the day nice and refreshed.  For some reason, being in such an idyllic setting made the cooking and preparing the entries seem less of a scramble.  My brother and his family visited the contest from Santa Cruz and were impressed with some of the cookers they saw, especially Gene Goycochea's big Klose pit and the Pork Belly Bandits new red trailer.  They also commented on how the competitors were really serious, but the cooks were also supportive of one another during the awards and applauded for each other.  Saturday morning, Phillip (the young member of my team) was invited to watch the Model Railroad Club at the Fairgrounds, and he really enjoyed watching as the trains were put through their paces. 

Bluegrass Festival visitors

Several groups of people from the Bluegrass Festival also visited the contest area, and many of the barbecue cooks and volunteers visited the festival, and all the cooks could hear the music at the contest site.

All in all, I would have to say that a good time was had by all who attended.

Related story:

News about the West Coast Barbecue Championship