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Photos by Chris Darus
March 22, 2020
Bandera Ham Rodeo BBQ Cookoff results
By Chris Darus
The Bandera Prophet
All of the smoke at Mansfield Park on Saturday wasn't an emergency, it was due to the 17 cook teams that showed up and rustled up some of the best cookout BBQ Bandera has seen in a while.
Amid concerns of protesters, the COVID-19 virus outbreak and personal issues, the field was shy approximately 13 more cookers that didn't make the trek to the Cowboy Capital of the World, but the quality of those that did just proved everyone is stepping up their cooking game.
After all was said and done, local cooker, Kit Polk, was crowned Grand Champion with 30 points and Wes Caldwell, another name familiar to the local BBQ scene, was named as Reserve Grand Champion.
Caldwell edged out Corey Flores by a single point, 25 to 24.
All judging for each food category was by a double blind setup so no one, not even the head judge or scorekeeper, knew who won until the tickets are pulled off of the containers and the numbers are announced.
Peoples Choice was a lock for the Flores team, Texas Poker Smokers, that raised over $450 that will be donated to the Boys and Girls Club of Bandera County.
The Bandera based team, Smoking 3 Phase, was the Peoples Choice Reserve Grand Champion.
If this cookoff was any indication of things to come, the competition cooking scene in Texas is going to have a very good year.
Bandera Ham Rodeo BBQ Cookoff results
Bloody Marys_ ( 8 entries) 1, Rhett Butler, 2, Corey Flores
Beans_ (13 entries) 1, Ernest Martinez, 2, Beaux Cook, 3, Scott Culak
Meat classes had 17 entries
Chicken_ 1, Wes Caldwell, 2, James Pugh, 3, Kit Polk, 4, Becky Odell, 5, S. Culak, 6 Jorge Flores, 7, E. Martinez, 8, Rudy Garcia, 9, C. Flores, 10, Eddy Guajardo
Ribs_ 1, J. Flores, 2, Donna Alexander, 3, K. Polk, 4, Larry Zimmerman, 5, W. Caldwell, 6, S. Culak, 7, B. Odell, 8, C. Flores, 9, E. Martinez, 10, B. Cook
Pulled Pork_ 1, C. Flores, 2, W. Caldwell, 3, K. Polk, 4, Allen Shepard, 5, Keely Hansen, 6, J. Flores, 7, D. Alexander, 8, S. Culak, 9, R. Garcia, 10, E. Martinez
Brisket_ 1, A. Shepard, 2, C. Flores, 3, Aaron Schwope, 4, D. Alexander, 5, K. Polk, 6, E. Martinez, 7, J. Pugh, 8, J. Flores, 9, L. Zimmerman, 10, R. Garcia
Margaritas_ ( 7 entries) 1, L. Zimmerman, 2, R. Butler
Peoples Choice_ 1, Texas Poker Smokers, 2, Smoking Three Phase
Overall_ 1, K. Polk, 30 points, 2, W. Caldwell, 25 points, 3, C. Flores, 24 points, 4, J. Flores, 23 points, 5, D. Alexander, 20 points
Amid concerns of protesters, the COVID-19 virus outbreak and personal issues, the field was shy approximately 13 more cookers that didn't make the trek to the Cowboy Capital of the World, but the quality of those that did just proved everyone is stepping up their cooking game.
After all was said and done, local cooker, Kit Polk, was crowned Grand Champion with 30 points and Wes Caldwell, another name familiar to the local BBQ scene, was named as Reserve Grand Champion.
Caldwell edged out Corey Flores by a single point, 25 to 24.
All judging for each food category was by a double blind setup so no one, not even the head judge or scorekeeper, knew who won until the tickets are pulled off of the containers and the numbers are announced.
Peoples Choice was a lock for the Flores team, Texas Poker Smokers, that raised over $450 that will be donated to the Boys and Girls Club of Bandera County.
The Bandera based team, Smoking 3 Phase, was the Peoples Choice Reserve Grand Champion.
If this cookoff was any indication of things to come, the competition cooking scene in Texas is going to have a very good year.
Bandera Ham Rodeo BBQ Cookoff results
Bloody Marys_ ( 8 entries) 1, Rhett Butler, 2, Corey Flores
Beans_ (13 entries) 1, Ernest Martinez, 2, Beaux Cook, 3, Scott Culak
Meat classes had 17 entries
Chicken_ 1, Wes Caldwell, 2, James Pugh, 3, Kit Polk, 4, Becky Odell, 5, S. Culak, 6 Jorge Flores, 7, E. Martinez, 8, Rudy Garcia, 9, C. Flores, 10, Eddy Guajardo
Ribs_ 1, J. Flores, 2, Donna Alexander, 3, K. Polk, 4, Larry Zimmerman, 5, W. Caldwell, 6, S. Culak, 7, B. Odell, 8, C. Flores, 9, E. Martinez, 10, B. Cook
Pulled Pork_ 1, C. Flores, 2, W. Caldwell, 3, K. Polk, 4, Allen Shepard, 5, Keely Hansen, 6, J. Flores, 7, D. Alexander, 8, S. Culak, 9, R. Garcia, 10, E. Martinez
Brisket_ 1, A. Shepard, 2, C. Flores, 3, Aaron Schwope, 4, D. Alexander, 5, K. Polk, 6, E. Martinez, 7, J. Pugh, 8, J. Flores, 9, L. Zimmerman, 10, R. Garcia
Margaritas_ ( 7 entries) 1, L. Zimmerman, 2, R. Butler
Peoples Choice_ 1, Texas Poker Smokers, 2, Smoking Three Phase
Overall_ 1, K. Polk, 30 points, 2, W. Caldwell, 25 points, 3, C. Flores, 24 points, 4, J. Flores, 23 points, 5, D. Alexander, 20 points