The 10th annual BBQ Off the Bypass is being called a sizzling success.
More than 5,000 meat lovers took part in the event in the parking lot of Well Seasoned gourmet food store on Sunday, Sept. 13.
While a judged barbecue competition was going on, the public got to enjoy free samples of mouth watering, fall-off-the-bone slow cooked meat, take home numerous treats and peruse the many vendors on site. There was also free activities for the kids including face painting, festival games and live performances from local band The New Shackeltons.
Well Seasoned gourmet food store owner Angie Quaale, also a Township councillor, started the event as BBQ On the Bypass in 2005.
“I think the thing I love about it the most is food brings people together. It was a really fun family day,” said Quaale, herself a barbecue champion who competes all over the Pacific Northwest.
“The food was good, the music was good, people were happy and having a good time. It’s an opportunity to do what I love, (barbecuing) and raise money for a really good local cause.”
Admission was by optional donation with $6,809 raised to support Langley-based TinyKittens.com, a volunteer-run kitten and pregnant cat fostering and rescue society.
Every year, the event just grows in popularity, said Quaale. This year, 19 barbecue teams qualified to participate in the competition, with pit masters coming from as far as Washington and Alberta.
“As the interest in barbecue increases each year, we have more teams joining to cook, more judges to judge and more spectators to enjoy,” said Quaale.
“BBQ Off the Bypass is more than a day event. It’s a community that brings people together to celebrate, share and support one another. I can’t wait to see what the 11th year will bring for us in 2016”
A team from B.C. took top spot in the 10th annual competition.
The Hog Shack from Richmond took first prize of $10,000 among 19 teams, with the most points across five categories: chicken, brisket, ribs, pork butt, and a “Black Box” challenge.
“I love that the Hog Shack won, because they own their own barbecue restaurant called the Hog Shack in Steveston. It’s my favourite barbecue restaurant and worth the drive,” Quaale said.
There aren’t any slow cooking barbecue restaurants in Langley.
Since 2008, winning teams have been qualified to compete in international BBQ competitions like the Jack Daniel’s World Championship Invitational and the American Royal in Kansas City.
At the same time, the sixth annual Great B.C. Bake-off crowned champion pie makers in three categories: Fruit Pie, won by Sandra Sayer’s Dutch Apple Jack Pie; the Anything Pie category taken by Beth Watt’s Corn Onion Galotte and the Butter Tart (because we’re Canadian, eh?) category won by Colleen of Big Dog BBQ.
Otter Co-Op will upscale each first place winner’s recipes and bake them to sell at the store. The pies should be ready to purchase next week.
For more, visit www.bbqoffthebypass.com.
— files from Dan Ferguson