By Benny Westcott
Of The New Era/Lebanon Local
The results are in for last weekend’s Icebox Cookoff at Radiator Supply House in Sweet Home, a three day event that organizer Will Garrett estimates attracted 38 professional barbecue teams and approximately 6,000 people.
The cookoff’s grand champion was Knuckle Draggers from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, while the reserve grand champion award went to Slow Porkin’ of Kirkland, Wash.
Sweet Home’s J&C Barbecue saw itself at the top of the standings in Saturday’s People’s Choice competition, tied with Bridesmaids of Seattle, Wash., who ended up winning the two dollar bill toss tiebreaker.
Festivities kicked off with the Steak Cookoff Association competitions on Friday.
Chad Barragan of Arizona won Steak Round A, earning a $1,000 payout. Steak Round B went to Christina Poteet of J&C Barbecue, who took home the same winnings. Jason Bauer of Seattle was the winner of the slider competition, winning a $600 payout. He also won the taco competition, earning the same amount of money.
Sunday’s Kansas City Barbecue Society’s competition winner was Knuckle Draggers.
The Icebox Cookoff also featured 24 life-size animals at its live fire demonstration, including a whole steer donated by Mark and Karla Hogan, four alligators, six pigs, three mountain lions, two lambs donated by Reid Anderson, and four Barbados sheep donated by Shelley Garrett.
The live fire cooks, led by Victor from Super Skewer out of Salem, came in from Canada, Texas, Tennessee, Montana, California and Nevada.
Over $40,000 in two dollar bills were given in payouts to teams over the weekend.