Seaford Resident Cooks Up BBQ Competition

Hot dogs and hamburgers are not the only thing cooking on Seaford resident James Liquori’s grill.

Liquori, otherwise known as the “pitmaster,” always had a passion to cook on the grill. He became interested in competing after reading a Newsday article about a barbeque competition called Grill Kings. But before he could compete with the professionals he had to get a bit more practice.

 “I started out cooking for my family and friends in my backyard and asked for their opinion,” he said. “They would tell me what they like and don’t like.”

 As a spectator, Liquori learned from the masters about cooking techniques as well as learning the difference between a gas grill he was used to and a smoker. Ever since then, the pitmaster now slowly cooks meat with coal and wood in a smoker rather than from a gas grill.

The Seaford resident armed to perfect his craft by buying his first smoker, the Char-Broil Silver, and started to purchase different rubs and sauces to experiment which flavors work best on the meats.

Liquori practiced for years before feeling confident enough to enter a barbeque competition. Having his wife pick out the name of the team, the Smoke ‘n Barrel Competition BBQ Team, he entered the Battle of the BBQ Brethren in 2010.

At first, Liquoiri was hesitant to enter the competition due to the fact he was only a one-man-band. However, he managed to pull together two members of his family, his step-father Chris and Uncle Lenny to participate.

“I have to say we did pretty well in our first competition. We placed fourth out of 37 teams and won our first trophy,” he said. “At that point I knew this is something that I love and will continue to do for a very long time.”

Although the competition can be pricey with buying their own products, transporting equipment, traveling expenses and the entry fee being around $200 to $250, Liquori believes it’s all part of a great experience.

“We have to buy our own meats, sauces and rubs,” he said. “It can be an expensive weekend but it’s a lot of fun and definitely worth it.”

Depending on the competition, there can be anywhere between 30 to 75 teams looking to take the number one spot. Liquori said one competition upstate had approximately 100 teams competing.

The competition takes place over the course of two days and separated into four categories; chicken, ribs, pulled pork and brisket.

“The competition is usually on a Saturday and we start cooking chicken at noon, the ribs around 12:30, the pork at 1 and then the brisket at 1:30,” Liquori said. “We leave the brisket to cook overnight and there’s an award ceremony on Sunday.”

The teams are rated on a number scale from one to nine; one being disqualified for not finishing in time and nine being exceptional.

“There are certified judges at the event and they base their decision on a number of things; taste texture and appearance,” said Liquori. “In the end, teams can win cash, prizes, awards, a smoker or trophies.”

For the last four months, Liquori’s team has been brushing up on their cooking skills to prepare for the 2011 competition season. The team plans to compete in 10 to 12 events this year, most of which are on Long Island and upstate.

The team’s main mission is to take home their first Grand Champion trophy. The next competition on their agenda is March 26 at Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn. More information on the Smoke ‘n Barrel’s schedule can be found at the team’s website.

 Liquori is also having a one-day barbeque class on April 3 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. to demonstrate on all different aspects of barbeque competition. Those interested in singing up for the can visit http://thesmokenbarrel.blogspot.com/.