FAYETTEVILLE — There were all kinds of grills being set up in the parking lot across from Baum Stadium - ranging from backyard smokers to $30,000 rigs.
Whether custom or stock, flat black or metal flake red, the assortment of iron and steel shared one goal - perfection.
"We've got a barbecue village right now," said Ron Autry, coordinator of the barbecue competition for Bikes, Blues & BBQ.
Autry and his group of volunteers have been putting the "BBQ" in the festival for the past five years and have seen continued growth. He said when the event started there were just a few people smoking barbecue behind the Walton Arts Center.
This year 53 teams registered in advance to compete for $15,000 in prizes, Autry said. The event is also the state championship and is sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbeque Society, he said.
Autry said the winner of the competition will win $8,000 and the right to compete in the 30th annual American Royal/KC Masterpiece Invitational Competition. He said the event is among the top 20 Kansas City BarbequeSociety-sanctioned events and one of Southern Living's top 10 events.
Both the society and magazine will be hosting cooking demonstrations at the event, Autry said. There will be 60 judges on hand for the competition, which starts at noon Saturday, he said.
Contestants will be up all night tonight keeping their temperatures just right, Autrysaid. Most of the competitors also will be participating in the people's choice competition, which will start at 6 p.m. today, he said.
For $5 patrons will get to sample barbecue from 30-40 cooks, Autry said. The people's choice winner will get $500 and a trophy.
Drew McNatt, and his team, Hog Tide, got to the lot early to snag a spot near the beer tent.
McNatt said being close to the beer should help in the people's choice awards. Being the most popular is a definite bonus, he said, but they came to challenge some of the country's best in barbecue.
Fun is the motivation for Siloam Springs' Smokin' Jokers, a team from Alternative Design, a company that makes custom metal research equipment for hospitals.
Grant Loyd and Manville Michael were setting up their spot, complete with a 15-foot pop-up camper and custom smoker, designed and built by the team.
The smoker was built to their specifications, based on things learned over the years.
From the end-mounted firebox, to the water tray that runs the length of the smoke chamber, the smoker is built the way the team wanted,Loyd said. As the finishing touch, the figure of a joker, made by a laser, was placed on the end of the smoker, which overall is painted with red metal flake.
Loyd said the color is for the Razorbacks, of course.
Michael estimates the price at about $13,700, which includes about 200 manhours.
Not so custom but just as special is a Hasty-Bake charcoal oven used by team Que-B-Doo.
The oven was purchased by Brian Sparks, the team's head chef.
Sparks said he bought the oven because he wanted one similar to one his father used to teach him to barbecue when he was 6 years old. For Sparks, the competition is a way to reconnect with his father, who died when he was young.
To help Sparks fulfill his dream of competing, Adrian Sturdevant decided to form a team for the competition.
Sturdevant said this is his second time to enter the competition, but he expects things will go better this year. He said the first time he and his team cooked Memphis-style barbecue, which is dry.
Since this competition is sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbeque Society, Sturdevant said things didn't go so well. Kansas City people like sauce, he explained.
Sturdevant said this year they have a plan they think will work a bit better.
Northwest Arkansas, Pages 13, 18 on 09/25/2009