Review: The 8th Annual Garry Maddox BBQ Challenge

Yesterday we attended the 8th Annual Garry Maddox BBQ Challenge. The event happens each year outside Citizen’s Bank Park from 4pm-7pm prior to a Phillies game and is held to raise money for at-risk youth with the Youth Golf and Academics Program.

If you appreciate good BBQ, this is an event not to miss.

Cap'n Dicks BBQ

The BBQ Challenge has two competition categories: The Restaurant/Catering Division and the Pit Master Division, where amateur BBQ teams and enthusiasts who aren’t sponsored by a restaurant can compete. The chefs compete in their own divisions for 1st through 3rd Prize plus honorable mention in three categories: Best Chicken, Best Ribs and ‘Chef’s Choice’. The last challenge is ‘Garry’s Rib Challenge’, a winner-take-all competition for a trip to the 2009 World Series. (Last year’s winners didn’t have to travel far.) The winner is determined by overall high score.

Garry Maddox poses with members of one of the BBQ teams.

“Secret Ingredients”

This year, local restaurant legend Stephen Starr is taking part and four of his restaurants, Barclay Prime, Jones, El Vez and Buddakan were in the competition.

Competing Restaurants:

• Baby Blues BBQ
• Barclay Prime
• The Big Easy Saloon
• Bomb Bomb BBQ Grill
• Buddakan
• Bull’s BBQ
• Capt’n Dick’s BBQ
• CISP Grill Masters (a vocational training program)
• Carolina Blue
• El Vez
• Great American Pub
• Jones
• Manayunk Brewery & Restaurant
• McFaddens
• Riverton Country Club
• Rubb (a new BBQ restaurant in Manayunk scheduled to open in September 2009)
• Garry Maddox in conjunction with Hatfield Quality Meats

The judging takes place under a tent and since it was Alumni Weekend, there were several former Phillies greats on hand like Bob Bone and Larry Christensen to assist with the judging. Also spotted in the tent was Tony Luke (of Tony Lukes), Phillies announcers Gary ‘Sarge’ Matthews (who looks like he’d never pass up free BBQ) and Tom McCarthy, among others.

One of the Judge's tables. Gary "Sarge" Matthews is at right.

The divisions are separated: The Pit Masters are set up on the North side of Citizen’s Bank Way, the restaurants are set up on the South. In the middle are the judging areas and ticket sales. Pit Masters are not permitted to give out samples, and the restaurants are not permitted to sell food – instead, you buy 3 tickets for $10; each ticket gets a you a “sampling” from a restaurant of your choice.

Above: A team preps their entry. Below: The finished product, ready for judging.

When I saw the restaurants represented, I wondered if any of these chef’s knew how to do ‘true’ BBQ, or was it going to be their interpretation (which tends to be a bit pretentious).  After surveying the restaurant selection, we decided on 3 restaurants: Bomb-Bomb Bar-B-Que Grill, the Italian restaurant on Wolf Street in South Philly (and a former challenge winner), Buddakan, and Cap’n Dicks BBQ from Malvern, PA. I figured this would be a good cross-sampling of different styles of BBQ. We tried Bomb-Bomb first; their sampling was generous with 2 bones. Good meat, but nothing remarkable about the flavor and no sauce.
Next up was Buddakan. I should have known they’d give out a tiny sample. They served a Tea-Smoked Rib with Hoisin Barbeque Sauce. The flavor was certainly interesting, but I’d never order this if it were a menu item.
Last was Capt’n Dicks BBQ. They were the hands-down winner in my opinion. They gave us 2 generous ribs and provided their own homemade sauce to add. This was real BBQ and the hands down winner: smoky and spicy, with great texture and an amazing sauce that I wish I could have taken home.

Baby Blues BBQ.

Sampling plate from Buddakan: Tea-Smoked Ribs with Hoisin Barbeque Sauce.

After sampling, we headed back to the Pit Masters area to check out their gear and see if I could pick up any tips or tricks. These types of competitions are great – the people are very friendly and they’re all having a great time. We stood and watched some of the teams prepare their entries, which is an art unto itself. Each team gets a standard styro takeaway clamshell for their entries which is numbered (as to not weigh in the judge’s decision). The entries  are usually cut and prepared and gently place on a bed of romaine lettuce or parsley. The entries are touched up, photos are taken, then walked to the judging stand. Once the entries are turned in, the chefs relax. Although they’re not supposed to give out food, some of them will share their leftovers if you’re nice (though I did see some knuckleheads out there practically begging for food).

Greg Luzinski signs autographs at his restaurant tent.

If you go next year:

• No beer is sold, you must “import” your own. The smart move is to tailgate in the Pattison Ave. Lot where the Vet once stood (watch out for the police). Better still, park over on Packer Ave. in the Benny The Bum’s / Holiday Inn lot. It costs a few bucks more, but they’re tailgate-friendly and it’s only a 5-minute walk.
• Get to the sampling areas EARLY. We arrived around 3:45 and were able to go to each restaurant’s booth, see what was on offer, and watch the chef’s cook. By 6pm, there were lines of 10 or more people at each booth.

Full Flickr photo set can be found here.

Garry Maddox BBQ Challenge @ Citizens Bank Park
Saturday, August 8th, 2009
www.garrysbbqchallenge.org

Citizen’s Bank Park
1 Citizens Bank Way, Philadelphia, PA 19176