Bayou BBQ bash sizzles

Rain early on Saturday didn’t dampen the turnout or the cooks’ spirits during the Fifth Annual Bayou BBQ Bash held under the U.S. 90 bridge in Morgan City. More than 50 barbecue enthusiasts participated in St. Mary Chamber of Commerce-sponsored cook-off that featured competitive cooking teams, corporate teams and St. Mary Parish teams, and a children’s competition.
Earning the Grand Champion prize in the competitive division was Jason White and his BBQ N’ White team. Reserve Grand Champion for the competitive division was won by the team represented by James Cruse.
The Hospice of South Louisiana team earned the Best Corporate Team trophy. Doug Tellman of Butts on the Bayou won the Best Local Team award.
Taking first in the children’s competition, ages 12 and under, was Luke Bailey. First in ages 13 to 17 was Finley O’Neal.
There was also a Cheesecake Throw Down on Friday night that was won by Billy Waguespack of Bayou Vista. There was a $10 fee to judge this event with the cash awarded to Waguespack for donation to the charity of his choice, which is the Marine Corps League.
All adult teams had the chance to compete in three categories — chicken, ribs and brisket — to earn points in the Barbecue Competitors Alliance-sanctioned competition.
Prizes were won by the first- through 10th-place finisher in each category.
Top 10 winners in the chicken category in descending order of win (from first to 10th) are Brady Baudin, Sweet Bayou BBQ; Cruse; White; Craig Smith, Hot Ash Smokers; Edwin Manotas, Smokin’ Coonasses; Jason Moree, Crossroads Grillin’ Team; Mike Whitlow, PaPa’s Smoke Pit; Sean Miller, Longneck Sippers; Jason Pettis, Smokin’ Baptist; and Brian Lipps, Smokin Lipps.
Ribs top 10 winners in descending order of win are Dennis May, Smokin’ N’ the Dark; White; Micah Boudreaux, Boudreaux’s BBQ; Sean Hebert, Big Bear BBQ; Barry Smith, Bayou Boogie BBQ; J.D. Parker, Paw Paw’s BBQ; Moree; Lipps; Baudin; and Tellman.
Top 10 finishers in the brisket category in descending order are White; Cruse; James Trahan, Monkey’s Cooking Team; Mike Steele, Pigs-N-Cows Gone Wild; Hebert; David Sterling, Uncle Stid’s BBQ; Lipps; May; Jerry Vallee, Vallee AC Cold Smoke; and Steven Mays, Two Jokers and a Smoker.
Finishing out the top three winners in the children’s 12 and under division are Jenna Fredrick, second and Ian Carmichael, third. For children 13 to 17, Emily Trahan took second and Peyton Manotas garnered third.
Children in the competition were awarded prizes courtesy of Cannata’s Food World in Morgan City.
As head cook on the Grand Champion team, White also won a Bayou BBQ Bash gold ring created by Lynn Klutts, owner of Klutts Jewelers in Morgan City.
During the two-day event, Bayou BBQ Bash goers were treated to live music, an arts and crafts sale, and had the opportunity to purchase a variety of food and drink offerings.
Event sponsors and Barbecue Competitors Alliance representatives expressed thanks to the many people who made the event possible and everyone who volunteered to judge the many categories of competition.