Saturday bar-b-que’s are a tradition all across Belize and each grill-meister has his or her own special flavor and flair. And while no two que’s are the same, some are just better than others. But who is the best? Well, that is a matter of taste, but on Saturday, the San Cas Group of Companies held a competition to definitively name the best bar-b-que’er. The event is the annual Kraft Barbecue Cook Off and it was held at the newly-re-christened San Cas Park formerly the Animal Park and 7NEWS was there to see who was the greatest on the grill.
The pits had to get lit in half an hour and get lit by any means. The contestants soaked pieces of cardboard, doused the charcoal with lighter fluid, fanned it, fanned it some more, and in the end the fires blazed and the meats: pork and chicken hit the grills. Here too it was about skills. pinching, turning, basting, and adjusting to ensure perfectly grilled piece of meat.
Alexander Garbutt, Participant
“I plan to woo the crowd with taste.”
Or woo the judges who were looking for taste, presentation, and done-ness.
Alfonso Noble,
You think you have the qualification to judge?
Beto Mahler, Judge
“Yes man. I know barbecue, I know it tastes.”
And while it was all about skill with the grill it was also about secrets.
Alexander Garbutt,
“This is something that I’ve worked on throughout the years. I always cook for my family and I have my seasons and spices that I love and that is what I put into my barbecue sauce and simmer it down and basically that is what is going to make my barbecue number one.”
Sophia Gillett, Participant
“I don’t really have a secret ingredient, you just have to have the art.”
Alfonso Noble,
And what’s your art?
Sophia Gillett,
“Just make sure your chicken doesn’t burn up.”
Mario Elvaro, Participant
“This is more or less 26 years under my belt so I have a secret sauce. I’d share with you but then I’d have to kill you.”
Kareem Flowers, Participant
“It’s all about the sauce and the seasoning and I have my secret.”
Alfonso Noble,
Can you share it?
Kareem Flowers,
“No I won’t share it.”
Jason Gray, Participant
“Its kind of simple, what you need to do is not to have the coal too high to the meat because it will burn the meat so you lower the coal so the meat could cook tender. Don’t have lot of great secrets just simple grandmother’s recipe and hopefully that turns out to be number one.”
Felipe Novelo, Participant
“I think it has to do with the sauce. The sauce that I made is a homemade sauce and I used of the Kraft barbecue sauce and then I just add all my ingredients to it and this that I am making here is a mustard and honey barbecue sauce it has on it so I think its going to be the winner.”
And while sauces and their secrets loomed large – presentation – or what the experts call plating also got a lot of attention.
But at the end of it, this contest was not about how good the food looked, it was about taste. After two and a half hours of work the six contestants walked to the judges table. Carrying plate after plate the contestants looked on as the judges bit in. They sampled, chewed and savored each bite to determined who was best – while the contestants looked on expectantly.
After the tabulation by sponsor Santino Castillo, Felipe Novelo got 1st place and $1,000 check, Kareem Flowers came in second with a $700 check and Sophie Gillett third with a $500 check.
Santino Castillo, Sponsor
“We believe that in Belize one of the biggest things is barbecue, especially barbecue on Saturdays, at every corner people di barbecue and so we came up with the concert, let us big up Belize’s barbecue chefs of the year. Let us big up the man who could make the best chicken and pork chops barbecue and that's the real foundation of this event.”
The San Cas Group also displayed its plans to transform the park, including performance and beach volleyball areas.
