Momma didn't raise a dummy.
I had my windows down as I approached the Jefferson City Jaycees Fairgrounds on Friday afternoon.
Why wouldn't I? Because, the annual Capital City Cook-Off Buck-a-Bone competition was at the fairgrounds. And anyone who knows the competition knows it's not just about flavor. It's also about the nose.
The fragrance pulsing from the fairgrounds was mouth- watering.
The music was't too bad either. Dave Baker Band played in the background.
And whoooeee! There was some good barbecue there.
In fact, judges weighed each pork rib's tenderness and flavor, and gave the top prize to FCS Financial for its ribs. The second-place finisher was MRA Construction/2-Guys-1-Can. The third-place finisher was Political Pork (Chris Wrigley, the former owner of Zesto's, who is no stranger to great barbecue).
The annual fundraiser returned Friday afternoon to the Jefferson City Jaycees Fairgrounds. Thirty-three teams had signed up for the saucy competition. These guys and gals took the event seriously, while raising money for the Special Learning Center. The center serves more than 800 children through therapy programs, special-education classes, childcare and other services, said Stephanie Johnson, executive director.
Revenue generated Friday night was expected to push the total raised for the SLC in 19 years over the $250,000 mark, she said.
Pit masters began firing up their cookers about 6 a.m., Johnson said.
Each team was responsible for cooking up 33 pork rib slabs. Yes, it was a lot, but 700 people were expected to attend the event.
"It is going to be a packed house," Johnson said.
Before the festivities started, a class of students from the SLC visited with the pit masters, she added.
"We wanted the folks that are grilling all day to meet some of the children, and see who they were raising money for," she said. "Jackson (Skain) was showing them how he does wheelies. It was so cute."
They got to knuckle-bump and sing a song.
When the children got off the bus, one little girl puckered her nose and asked what the smell was, Johnson said.
"Jackson looked up at her and said, 'It's barbecue!'" she said.
The event included raffles for a pellet barbecue pit, a signed Travis Kelsey jersey, a Weber grill and some Cardinals swag.
Paul Gerling, senior accounting manager at Hawthorn Bank, said the competition is real. However, he wasn't worried about beating all the other grill masters.
"We just want to beat all the other banks," Gerling said.
"They know what's up," said Tyler Brown, commercial loan officer and grill team member. "We're doing a sweet and salty barbecue. This is our first time cooking as a team together, so we combined our flavors."
Jason Hurst, with the Gier Oil Eagle Stop team, said folks at Gier love supporting the community and the SLC, and they love barbecue.
"Our barbecue is top five," Hurst predicted. "We've got a little sweet with a little tang at the end. We've morphed from sweet to a little sweet and tangy."