More than 50 meat-grilling specialists from throughout the state
will converge on Morgan Hill Saturday for the No Bull BBQ Cook-Off,
a fiercely competitive state championship barbecue competition.
More than 50 meat-grilling specialists from throughout the state will converge on Morgan Hill Saturday for the No Bull BBQ Cook-Off, a fiercely competitive state championship barbecue competition.
Sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbecue Society, the cook-off is the first of its kind in Morgan Hill, and the local Chamber of Commerce, the event organizer, hopes to make it an annual happening.
“We wanted to get in on the ground floor to grow this and make Morgan Hill the home of a sanctioned barbecue event,” said Michele Naylor, the chamber’s special events director.
The event is open to everyone and free of charge at the Morgan Hill Community and Cultural Center, 17000 Monterey Road. Aside from the cooking competition, which features both people’s choice and qualified judges’ awards, a full lineup of bands featuring Chubby’s All Stars and the Saddlerack House Band will grace the amphitheater stage.
Vendors on site will sell everything from full meals (the competitors may not necessarily be in the food service business), to jewelry and clothing. A list of nonprofit groups will also have booths at the cook-off, Naylor said.
The Chamber will also host a beer tent.
But while the event is designed to offer fun and good food for the public, the competitors take it seriously. The KCBS is the largest barbecue judging organization in the world, according to Ben Lobenstein, treasurer of the California Barbecue Association.
The rules for the No-Bull cook-off are strict and thorough, and the event website cautions spectators not to bother the cooks, especially around the afternoon meat-submission deadline.
Winners of the Morgan Hill cook-off, and about a dozen other KCBS-sanctioned California state championships throughout the year, will qualify for the national cook-off in Kansas City. Plus, the winners will have a chance to compete in The Jack Daniel’s Invitational, another prestigious nationwide event.
Many of the competitors who signed up for the No Bull event – Naylor said the Chamber had to cut off entries at 50 – do not operate standard restaurants. Rather, they are home-grown barbecuers who cook just to win.
“The teams usually have playful names, but are very serious and passionate about what they do,” Lobenstein said. The sole entrant from Morgan Hill calls its team “Royal Smokin’ Hot BBQ.” Teams will come to the Morgan Hill cook-off from as far away as Utah.
The teams will spend the late morning and early afternoon at the grill preparing entries for four standard categories – chicken, pork ribs, pork shoulder and beef brisket, Lobenstein said. Some will also “get creative” with dishes such as “pig candy” – bacon slices slathered in brown sugar and spices and seared on the grill.
Unfortunately, not all of the competitors’ recipes will be available for public sampling. About one-third of the contest cookers will participate in the people’s choice contest, and attendees can judge by purchasing a tasting ticket that allows a limited number of samples and a vote.
The No Bull competition is the first KCBS event in the Bay Area, and Lobenstein said Morgan Hill is a natural site for an annual contest, with the Chamber’s history of hosting food events such as the Taste of Morgan Hill and the Mushroom Mardi Gras.
The No Bull BBQ Cook-Off will take place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. For more information, visit the website mhnobullbbq.com.
