American Royal Weekend Roundup

By OWEN MORRIS

I went down to the Royal Saturday night to see what was cooking and check up on who-did-how in the invitational. My bus driver (hey, I practice what I preach and took the shuttle) said that Friday night had been “crazy busy” including a couple of out-of-control people on his bus who left “souvenirs” on some of the seat backs. Saturday, he said, was slow. I was the only bus rider he had all night.

At the Royal, a sizable crowd was milling around in front of the food stands and watching the band but there were very few people in the barbecue lot. As I explained in the Pitch Forks newsletter last week, the health department does not allow these barbecue teams to give out samples, so unless you’re invited to the party of 400-plus participants, you’re out of luck.

The eight barbecue teams I talked to weren’t thinking about the crowds. They were all focused on the open that was coming up Sunday morning.

A quick overview: The barbecue is actually two different events. The invitational is held Saturday; securing an invitation usually involves placing high in a regional competition or having professional credentials. This year 108 teams competed in the invitational. The Sunday competition is open to anyone regardless of experience or credentials. Around 500 teams compete in the open. All teams that compete in the invitational may compete in the open (most do) but not vice-versa.