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Some mean barbecue just passed through Blue Springs over the weekend.
And Robert Magee, chief cook for the Munchin’ Hogs at the Hilton, sounds like one of the nicest competitors out there.
The Prairie Village, Kan., resident said his win at the Blue Springs Barbeque Blaze-Off was big – as in putting him 97 points ahead of the second-place team in the Kansas City Barbeque Society’s competition circuit.
His team was one of 66 that competed over the weekend at Hidden Valley Park.
And, as many like to ask in the Kansas City area, what is the hidden secret to good meat and good sauce?
“Lots of practice helps,” Magee said. “You’ve got to have a balance. It has to be sweet and savory. The flavors have to pop, and they have to distinguish themselves from many other teams.”
Obviously Magee knows what he’s talking about. And here’s another secret: Magee is the food and beverage director and executive chef at the Hilton near the Kansas City International Airport.
Hence his team’s name.
“Our most popular item at the restaurant is barbecue,” he said.
Magee’s win in Blue Springs is his first grand champion win at the popular event. The Munchin’ Hogs came close in 2008, when the team was named grand champion runner-up.
“Winning Blue Springs was big for us for a lot of reasons,” he said.
Magee started competing on a serious level about six years ago. He actually started barbecuing nine years ago, but he had to practice. The barbecue one eats today is cooked in a Horizon Smoker – a 16-foot long device that’s painted green.
“The Green Machine,” Magee calls it. “It’s cool.”
Magee travels the whole country cooking meat and flinging sauce. He and his team will compete in about 40 competitions this year alone, and the future probably holds more.
Ken Childs of Sugar Creek came with his son, Nick, to take part in the feast. He likes the barbecue event in Sugar Creek very well, but he said the Blue Springs event offers more opportunity to stuff himself.
“The eating is incredible,” he said. “You can’t get enough.”
Brenda Wardlow of Grain Valley enjoys the festival each year because it’s an introduction to her favorite season: winter.
“And chili – which I make a lot like it’s barbecue,” she said. “If it ain’t really hot, I don’t eat it.”
The following list is of winners at the event:
Kid-Q, ages 5-10: Jake Gardner, first place; James McCord, second place; Casey Vincent, third place.
Kid-Q, ages 11-15: Savannah England, first place; Amelia Fee, second place; Alex Boschert, third place.
The overall winner in the Kid-Q was Savannah England.
Smoke on the Bayou won first place for the Spirit Award.
Hometown winners: High Tech Smokers, first place; Gremlin Grill, second place; Pork Pullin’ Plowboys, third place.
n The reserve grand champion was County Line Smokers and the third grand champion was Pig Newton.
Some mean barbecue just passed through Blue Springs over the weekend.
And Robert Magee, chief cook for the Munchin’ Hogs at the Hilton, sounds like one of the nicest competitors out there.
The Prairie Village, Kan., resident said his win at the Blue Springs Barbeque Blaze-Off was big – as in putting him 97 points ahead of the second-place team in the Kansas City Barbeque Society’s competition circuit.
His team was one of 66 that competed over the weekend at Hidden Valley Park.
And, as many like to ask in the Kansas City area, what is the hidden secret to good meat and good sauce?
“Lots of practice helps,” Magee said. “You’ve got to have a balance. It has to be sweet and savory. The flavors have to pop, and they have to distinguish themselves from many other teams.”
Obviously Magee knows what he’s talking about. And here’s another secret: Magee is the food and beverage director and executive chef at the Hilton near the Kansas City International Airport.
Hence his team’s name.
“Our most popular item at the restaurant is barbecue,” he said.
Magee’s win in Blue Springs is his first grand champion win at the popular event. The Munchin’ Hogs came close in 2008, when the team was named grand champion runner-up.
“Winning Blue Springs was big for us for a lot of reasons,” he said.
Magee started competing on a serious level about six years ago. He actually started barbecuing nine years ago, but he had to practice. The barbecue one eats today is cooked in a Horizon Smoker – a 16-foot long device that’s painted green.
“The Green Machine,” Magee calls it. “It’s cool.”
Magee travels the whole country cooking meat and flinging sauce. He and his team will compete in about 40 competitions this year alone, and the future probably holds more.
Ken Childs of Sugar Creek came with his son, Nick, to take part in the feast. He likes the barbecue event in Sugar Creek very well, but he said the Blue Springs event offers more opportunity to stuff himself.
“The eating is incredible,” he said. “You can’t get enough.”
Brenda Wardlow of Grain Valley enjoys the festival each year because it’s an introduction to her favorite season: winter.
“And chili – which I make a lot like it’s barbecue,” she said. “If it ain’t really hot, I don’t eat it.”
The following list is of winners at the event:
Kid-Q, ages 5-10: Jake Gardner, first place; James McCord, second place; Casey Vincent, third place.
Kid-Q, ages 11-15: Savannah England, first place; Amelia Fee, second place; Alex Boschert, third place.
The overall winner in the Kid-Q was Savannah England.
Smoke on the Bayou won first place for the Spirit Award.
Hometown winners: High Tech Smokers, first place; Gremlin Grill, second place; Pork Pullin’ Plowboys, third place.
n The reserve grand champion was County Line Smokers and the third grand champion was Pig Newton.
