Taste for yourself how yummy kosher barbeque can be, listen to live music – and let your kids enjoy a bunch of special activities – at the 4th Annual Atlanta Kosher BBQ Competition & Festival, presented by the Atlanta lodges of the Hebrew Order of David. More than 5,000 visitors are expected again this year to sample the brisket, ribs, chicken and beans of 25 teams – made up of professionals and enthusiasts – from as far away as New York.
Kosher barbeque competitions are growing in popularity in North America as Jewish communities embrace both the preparation and taste of barbeque that follow the rules of kashrut. Teams will be judged on their preparation of ribs, brisket, chicken and beans. Contestants don’t have to be Jewish to enter, but they do need to follow the rules of kashrut under the supervision of local authorities. Atlanta is part of the National Kosher BBQ Circuit that includes Birmingham, Kansas City, Memphis, Charlotte, Chicago, San Antonio, Dallas, and two in the New York City – with Toronto joining next year.
Contestants have several hurdles in a kosher barbeque. For example, kosher meat is saltier than non-kosher meat due to the process of its “koshering.” Contestants need to take this saltiness into account when preparing the sauces and rubs that they use to season their meat. Also, the laws of kashrut prohibit the mixing of meat and dairy products. Another other twist for a kosher BBQ competition is the timing. Because of the Jewish Sabbath, contestants need to prepare their entries under rabbinic supervision – provided by the Atlanta Kashrut Commission for this event – on the Thursday preceding the competition. The meat is then locked in a refrigerated truck and delivered to the teams after the Sabbath. Smokers are lit around midnight and cooking takes place throughout the night.
But when the sun comes up and 11 a.m. rolls around, you’ll just be interested in a good time. Start with the tasting tickets. They cost $1 apiece, and you must redeem a ticket for each taste of brisket, ribs, chicken and beans. Tastings for each item in the competition start as soon as that item is submitted to the judges. You can buy tickets online or at the event. Once you have tickets, you’ll need to watch the activity. When you start to see representatives from each time scurrying to the table outside the judges’ tent, you’ll know that the sampling is underway.
If the tastings don’t fill you up – well, they’re not designed to replace lunch – food and drinks will be available for purchase. You’ll need tickets for purchases from our food vendors, including our HOD Pitmaster and Big Green Egg. You could also cart off a brand new Big Green Egg, if you hold the winning raffle ticket.
Kids will probably want lunch or a snack after working up an appetite in the Sunburst Bin Cleaning Kids Zone, also sponsored by Sandy Springs Dunwoody Macaroni Kid, which will feature activities with Circus Camp, face painting, inflatables brought to you by College Hunks Hauling Junk, and activities from the B’nai Torah Preschool.
You can enjoy your food and your breaks with performances by Hello, Goodbye, Peace and other artists brought you by the Atlanta Jewish Music Festival.
With all the food and fun, it’s important to remember that The Atlanta Kosher BBQ Competition is also a community-wide fund-raiser the HOD lodges. Proceeds from the event will be donated by the HOD lodges to Atlanta-area charities: The Weinstein Hospice, Gift of Life, I Care Atlanta, Cobb County Police K-9 Unit, and JScreen.
You can stay up to date on all the BBQ happenings by visiting – and contributing to – our Facebook and following us on Twitter.
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LIKE THIS ARTICLE: Sandy Springs Dunwoody Macaroni Kid is a free weekly newsletter and website focused on fun family events and information in Sandy Springs, Dunwoody, Chamblee, and Doraville. We gather together all kinds of local family events and activities each week, and add useful information about classes, family-focused businesses, book and product reviews, recipes, crafts, school and camp guides and more. We proudly serve families in Sandy Springs, Dunwoody, Chamblee, and Doraville! Sandy Springs Dunwoody Macaroni Kid is full of useful local information like this PLUS tons of kid-friendly events on our event calendar. Have an event you'd like submitted to our calendar for consideration? Submit an event here. Like what you see here and want to get all the fun delivered to your inbox weekly? Subscribe to our FREE weekly e-newsletter for 411 on local family fun!
