The Long Island Kosher BBQ Championship 2013

The 2nd annual Long Island Kosher BBQ Championship at Temple Beth Torah in Westbury hosted 22 teams and thousands of visitors this past Sunday on a gorgeous sunny day. The Joy of Kosher team including Tamar Genger, Executive Editor of JoyofKosher.com, Shifra Klein, Editor-in-Chief of Joy of Kosher Magazine and Shlomo Klein, Chief Marketing Officer of Joy of Kosher Magazine joined over 30 others to judge this year’s competition which was sponsored by Fairway Market.

Back in 2010 I first wrote about the Asbee Kosher BBQ Championship in Memphis, then in it’s 22nd year and still going strong today.  It is amazing how much kosher BBQ has grown since then. As news of Asbee spread more cities decided to start their own competition and today there are several cities from Atlanta to Kansas City to Alabama and New York with their own Kosher BBQ championships and the Jewish people couldn’t be happier.

There were 22 teams participating in this year’s championship hailing from Long Island, Kansas City, Atlanta, Washington DC, Albany and Bridgeport.  Teams were judged on the creativity of their names as well as how they decorated their booths and many got very creative.  Team names ranged included Fifty Shades of Flayshick, OU Gotta Taste This Q, Macher Meats, Jew-nited States of BBQ, Hakadosh BBQ, Korbonos Kings, RaBBi-Q and 4 Moyals and a BrisKit, here are few pictures of some of the booths.

Then of course there was the food.

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If you are wondering what it is like to be a judge, I can tell you that judging a BBQ championship is not very lady like, no forks allowed.   Somehow I did manage to stay clean with the help of many wipes, not to mention all the jokes I got for using a toothpick during the first round.  At least they did offer spoons for the beans.

Here is Fleish Gordon at the judges table, he dressed for the occasion.

I was also joined by Hadassah Sabo Milner from In The Pink, Ilan Kornblum from Great Kosher Restaurants Magazine and Dani Klein from YeahThatsKosher.com, hope to see you all again next year.

In addition to the championship, there was a pickle-eating contest, a basketball skills tournament (got to work off all that food) and Kids play zone filled with bounce houses, face painting and more.

Finally, here are the winners.

Team Name: Grillin’ Tefillin
Best Booth: Grillin’ Tefillin
Beans: Uncle Mordy and the Meatzva Girlz
Chicken: Shloimy’s Shmoke House
Ribs: Grillin” Tefillin
Brisket: Hakadosh BBQ

Grand Champion: Grillin’ Tefillin

If you missed out on this fabulous event, but still want to get your kosher BBQ fix, find Brisket winner, Hakadosh BBQ at various locations around NY every Sunday this Summer.  Click here for locations and dates.

It is no secret that Jewish and BBQ go together, on this year’s Food Network Star, contestant Chad Rosenthal describes himself as a “BBQ Jew from Philly” he doesn’t keep kosher, but I am rooting for him, you never know maybe we can get him to join us at next years Kosher BBQ championship.