VALDOSTA — One of Valdosta’s tastiest traditions returns in early August.
The 100 Black Men BBQ Cook-off arrives Aug. 3 at Valdosta’s Drexel Park, marking 30 years of competition cooking mixed with live music.
Proceeds from the cook-off are used to fund the 100 Black Men’s scholarship and education program. 100 Black Men of America is a service organization formed in New York in 1963.
In the past, the annual Valdosta cook-off has usually been held on the lawn surrounding the historic old courthouse in downtown Valdosta, except in recent years when courthouse renovation work forced a transfer of the event to other sites.
This year, the 100 Black Men secured the use of Drexel Park instead of the courthouse square.
“We won’t have the traffic problems we had around the courthouse, and kids can use the playground equipment,” said Nathaniel Haugabrook, a Valdosta attorney who also serves as the Valdosta chapter president of 100 Black Men. “We’ll see how this year’s response is to see if we use Drexel Park again.”
When the cook-off fires up, Friday, Aug. 2, will technically be the first day of the two-day event, but Friday will generally be used by the cook-off competition teams to set up their equipment and start slow-cooking, Hagaubrook said.
The real fun will be Saturday, Aug. 3, when judges start their work to serve up prizes in the chicken and ribs categories. The public can also buy barbecue plates from the cooking teams.
Usually at least 20 cooking teams turn out, Haugabrook said, “sometimes a lot more.” In the past, the teams have included restaurant groups, professional barbecue competitors and home cooks.
Another part of the three-decade tradition is live music. In the past, bands have belted them out on a mobile stage, and Haugabrook said a band has already been booked for the Drexel Park event.
Awards for the cooking teams are based on taste, texture and tenderness, Hauagabrook said. “Years ago, we used to have an award for presentation, decorating a plate, but we stopped that to focus on taste.”
There used to be competition for barbecue beef, but the cookers mostly had an affinity for ribs and chicken, he said.
Cooking teams sometimes come from other states, including one regular from Daytona, Fla., who brings exotic seafood to the barbecue mix, but most of the competitors are from the South Georgia region, Haugabrook said.