REGINA – The first ever Pile O Bones barbecue competition was held in the Queen City this weekend, featuring competitors from all over North America and their best cuts of meat.
It’s a dream come true for local barbecue connoisseurs, who were so committed to their meat that they slept outside at City Square Plaza all weekend long.
“This weekend we put in 24 hours. Last night we only slept one hour,” said Grillbilly BBQ pit master Dion Moldovan. “It takes 14 hours to cook some of the food we cook, and the slowest and easiest cooks we do are still six hours long.”
Moldovan was elated to be able to showcase his food at home, alongside some very talented chefs.
“Our teams have to travel a long ways to compete in a competition of this caliber, so to have it right here in our back yard is amazing. We’d like to see it more often,” he said.
The reward for the best barbecue is also alluring.
“Not only is there prize money up for grabs, but there’s the title and the opportunity to go down into the states for the Kansas City Royal, which is the biggest BBQ,” said Moldovan. “It’s like the Stanley Cup for us.”
Across the way, the men from Smokin’ Okies BBQ were just as enthusiastic.
“Having a competition like this… We’re in heaven!” said grill master Eric Johnson. “Hopefully it’ll be an annual thing now. We’ll do this every year and it will just get bigger and bigger.”
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That’s something the Mayer family could get behind; they love barbecue.
“Pretty much every meal has BBQ in it,” said Tillie. The family tried pulled pork and ribs, and checked out how the professionals do their grilling.
“It’s just interesting seeing all the different smokers they have. They’re truly a lot bigger than the one I have at home,” said Paul.
If you are trying to become a backyard barbecue king, the pros won’t give away their top secret recipes, but they do have a few words of advice.
“Practice makes perfect,” said Johnson.
“Patience goes a long way,” Moldovan added.”Take your time. It’s all about low and slow.”
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