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County fair gets smokin’
Barbecue teams put stock in sauce.
By JOE MEYER of the Tribune’s staff
Published Saturday, July 24, 2004
It was all about beef, pork and chicken last night at the Boone County Fair.
Between the 13th annual Boone’s Lick Trail BBQ Contest and the junior livestock auction, there was more than enough action for the average meat-lover.
Barbecue teams sprawled around the inside and outside of the Boone County Fairgrounds entrance. Teams consisted of any number of participants cooking any number of different delicacies.
The four-man team called the Belly Brothers Barbecue Team set up camp to tackle its first barbecue competition at the fair.
The team of John Berkbuegler and Darrell Lampkins of Hallsville, Gary Walkup of Columbia, and Scott Cook of Kansas City planned on cooking chicken, brisket, ribs and pork butts for the competition. Judging was to begin at noon today.
The team’s name originated from a Christmas joke when Berkbuegler and Lampkins, his brother-in-law, were joking about the size of their bellies.
The name, like the competition, is all in good fun, the men said. The whole point of the contest is to gather with people who like barbecue, tell stories and enjoy some good food.
Once in a while, team members exchange tips with other teams, but Cook said the team is always careful not to disclose too much to the competition. Lampkins has been working on a homemade sauce, and the team also has its own secret seasonings and rubs.
"We might sell you a pint" of Lampkins’ sauce, Cook said, "but we won’t give you the recipe."
As teams set up their smokers and grills for the two-day contest, the junior livestock auction was being held at the Show Palace across the fairground.
That’s where 4-H Club members such as Neal Martin, 15, of Centralia could sell steers, pigs, goats and lambs.
Neal’s steer, named the grand champion of the steer show Thursday night, was likely to be one of the most coveted of 162 animals up for auction. But Neal’s steer took a back seat last night to a crossbred steer named Juice.
Juice was the first animal auctioned last night. Juice’s owner, Justin McBee, 18, died Thanksgiving Day when he was in a car accident near his Clark home. Juice was McBee’s nickname.
At the time, McBee was a student at the University of Missouri-Columbia. He loved showing cattle and already had bought his steer with the intention of showing it at this year’s county fair. His girlfriend, Mallory Trosper, showed Juice in competition.
Juice brought $4,300 at auction. That’s $4 a pound, auction organizer Jeff Branch said, though a typical steer last year sold for about $1.40 per pound.
McBee’s sister, Adrienne McBee Hatcher of Blue Springs, said the money will help fund the Juice Club, which will donate five heifers each year to children interested in showing cattle at the county and state fairs.
The money also will help with mentoring and showmanship classes throughout the summer for Juice Club members ages 12 to 17 with the facilities to raise heifers.
Jerry McBee said the point of the club is to continue his son’s dream of helping kids who love showing cattle as much as he did.
"It’ll help a lot of kids for a long time we hope," Jerry McBee said.
County fair gets smokin’
Barbecue teams put stock in sauce.
By JOE MEYER of the Tribune’s staff
Published Saturday, July 24, 2004
It was all about beef, pork and chicken last night at the Boone County Fair.
Between the 13th annual Boone’s Lick Trail BBQ Contest and the junior livestock auction, there was more than enough action for the average meat-lover.
Barbecue teams sprawled around the inside and outside of the Boone County Fairgrounds entrance. Teams consisted of any number of participants cooking any number of different delicacies.
The four-man team called the Belly Brothers Barbecue Team set up camp to tackle its first barbecue competition at the fair.
The team of John Berkbuegler and Darrell Lampkins of Hallsville, Gary Walkup of Columbia, and Scott Cook of Kansas City planned on cooking chicken, brisket, ribs and pork butts for the competition. Judging was to begin at noon today.
The team’s name originated from a Christmas joke when Berkbuegler and Lampkins, his brother-in-law, were joking about the size of their bellies.
The name, like the competition, is all in good fun, the men said. The whole point of the contest is to gather with people who like barbecue, tell stories and enjoy some good food.
Once in a while, team members exchange tips with other teams, but Cook said the team is always careful not to disclose too much to the competition. Lampkins has been working on a homemade sauce, and the team also has its own secret seasonings and rubs.
"We might sell you a pint" of Lampkins’ sauce, Cook said, "but we won’t give you the recipe."
As teams set up their smokers and grills for the two-day contest, the junior livestock auction was being held at the Show Palace across the fairground.
That’s where 4-H Club members such as Neal Martin, 15, of Centralia could sell steers, pigs, goats and lambs.
Neal’s steer, named the grand champion of the steer show Thursday night, was likely to be one of the most coveted of 162 animals up for auction. But Neal’s steer took a back seat last night to a crossbred steer named Juice.
Juice was the first animal auctioned last night. Juice’s owner, Justin McBee, 18, died Thanksgiving Day when he was in a car accident near his Clark home. Juice was McBee’s nickname.
At the time, McBee was a student at the University of Missouri-Columbia. He loved showing cattle and already had bought his steer with the intention of showing it at this year’s county fair. His girlfriend, Mallory Trosper, showed Juice in competition.
Juice brought $4,300 at auction. That’s $4 a pound, auction organizer Jeff Branch said, though a typical steer last year sold for about $1.40 per pound.
McBee’s sister, Adrienne McBee Hatcher of Blue Springs, said the money will help fund the Juice Club, which will donate five heifers each year to children interested in showing cattle at the county and state fairs.
The money also will help with mentoring and showmanship classes throughout the summer for Juice Club members ages 12 to 17 with the facilities to raise heifers.
Jerry McBee said the point of the club is to continue his son’s dream of helping kids who love showing cattle as much as he did.
"It’ll help a lot of kids for a long time we hope," Jerry McBee said.
