FAYETTEVILLE — What's your pleasure? Tender ribs falling off the bone? Pulled pork piled high on the bun? Stacked beef brisket with a side of slaw? Or perhaps some smoked chicken with all the fixin's?
Whichever it might be, you will usually have no trouble finding any or all of these just driving around town, looking for the next restaurant including the name "Pig," "Hog" or perhaps even "Penguin." But this weekend, if you want the best ribs, the finest pork and brisket and the most mouth-watering chicken, the place to be is clearly Bikes, Blues & BBQ.
"Barbecue is in our festival's name, so it better be pretty important," Ron Autry said. "And it is."
In previous years, the "BBQ" of Bikes, Blues and BBQ might have been the most often overlooked of the three B's.While the bikes grabbed the most attention and the blues music helped draw in the crowds, the barbecue at times didn't keep up with the others.
But as Autry points out, that is certainly not the case now.
As coordinator of the annual barbecue contest for Bikes, Blues & BBQ, Autry has turned the festival into a food competition king. Not that it was always like that in the beginning, though.
"This will be our fifth year of doing [a contest]," Autry said. "Well, they had a contest before that but I use that term loosely because it was just a small event they held on the street."
Since Autry got involved, more emphasis has been put on the "BBQ" of Bikes, Blues & BBQ. Five years ago - in their first official contest year - 31 contestants entered. Five years later, that number is well more than 50.
"The first year we were out at the [Northwest Arkansas] Mall, and we had 31 teams. The next year we had 41 teams. This year we have 51 preregistered teams, and we've got more still signing up," Autry said. "They come from all the surrounding states, and some come from as far away as New York or farther."
Making the barbecue contest a bigger part of the bike rally has obviously paid off, too. This year, the Kansas CityBBQ Society - considered one of the top barbecue contest-judging organizations in the country - has gotten involved. And thanks to their involvement, the Kansas City BBQ Society has recognized Bikes, Blues & BBQ as the official championship contest for barbecue cooking in the state of Arkansas.
Not bad for an event not even a full decade old.
Local flavor
Autry said most of the 50-plus contestants in the barbecue contest hail from out of state. In fact, last year's overall champion was Rob Gray, from Leewood, Kan.
"For whatever reason a lot of the local restaurants will shy away," Autry said. "We have the Rib Crib from Tulsa [Okla.], and Sassy's, the new restaurant in Fayetteville has an entry.But other than that, most of them are from out of the area."
The same goes not just for the contest portion the rally, but for the vendors as well. Brian Smith is owner of Lucky Luke's BBQ in Fayetteville. For seven years now, Smith has been a regular down near Dickson Street setting up shop in the Walton Arts Center parking lot the week of the rally. But while Smith loves the festival, the same can't be said for other local restaurants that choose not to participate.
"We have a great time down there," Smith said. "A lot of our former employees and a lot of our friends help out, and we come together and have a lot of fun.
"It's a lot of work, but it's a lot of fun."
Smith is not sure why other local barbecue restaurants don't take advantage of what would appear to be a golden opportunity to make some quick money on the streets. But he has a guess.
"We're one of the onlylocal places that chooses to set up down there, and it's surprising how many don't," Smith said. "I don't know why more of them don't take part. But it is a lot of work, and it's a lot of concessions. And you just never know what you're going to sell before you get there.
"Every year could be different, and you just never know. So I guess a lot of restaurants don't want to deal with the trouble. But for us it's definitely worth it."
Whether it's the contest or just getting the good stuff from a vendor, the barbecue has stepped up a notch at Bikes, Blues & BBQ.
"It's a fun and crazy time out here," Autry said. "But it's a very loving group, a very laid back group, and the smells will knock you off your feet."
News, Pages 1, 3 on 09/26/2009