Team Sugar Creek BBQ of Hartsburg, Ill. relax before judges announced the winners of the 2017 Central Illinois Barbecue Throwdown on July 22. Team leader, Dave Eyers said the group began smoking meat at midnight. (Photo by Holly Eitenmiller / for Chronicle Media)

What do you get when you cross a cow, a pig and a chicken?

The Seventh Annual Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown, a Kansas City Barbecue Society-sanctioned competition where barbecue aficionados attempt to best each other’s recipes for brisket, pork ribs, pulled pork and chicken.

Originally hosted in Morton, the two-day event returned to the Peoria Riverfront for a second year. On Friday, July 21, caravans bearing names like “It’s 5 O’Clock Somewhere” and “Pork Paradise” converged on the The Gateway Building grounds; a total of 48 teams rolled in from places as far away as Utah. Many were local.

That evening, as competitors unloaded smokers, generators and lawn chairs, folks streamed in, many in cowboy boots and cutoff shorts, for the Throwdown’s special attraction; a Limelight Eventplex and Bud Light Concert Series concert featuring country music singer Trace Adkins.

Accord to Kansas City Barbecue Society rules, meat is judged for appearance before taste and tenderness. Table leaders presented each entry for visual evaluation before the meat was portioned onto segregated and numbered place mats. (Photo by Holly Eitenmiller / for Chronicle Media)

Adkins performed at the adjacent Festival Park, where vendors lined the walkway selling food, drinks and merchandise. This was the Throwdown’s primary public draw. Most of the smoked and barbecued meats were for the judge’s consumption the following day.

One exception was the People’s Choice competition, where, for $20, the public could serve as judges. Once the KCBS judging was finished Saturday afternoon, the People’s Choice panel gathered and were given a sample of each team’s pulled pork.

The 2017 People’s Choice Award winners were team The 4 Smokemen BBQ team from Mattson in Will County.

Another; an invitation-only dinner at the Gateway Building Friday night that featured meats prepared by the previous year’s winners, along with some sides and beverages.

But, to the judges go the spoils. By noon Saturday, eight tables of six KCBS-certified experts each began the double-blind tasting. Chicken was first, then pulled pork, followed by ribs and ending with brisket. Each category took about 30 minutes to complete.

Each entry was delivered warm in a Styrofoam box, then numbered under the supervision of KCBS representatives Peg and Dave Rogers. They were then distributed, six to a table, and judged for appearance, taste and tenderness.

According to Kansas City Barbecue Society representative Peg Rogers, after judges bite into a sample of meat, they then press it against the roofs of their mouths as one of a number of means experiencing the variety of flavors within the meat. (Photo by Holly Eitenmiller / for Chronicle Media)

In every round, the judges placed, then numbered, a portion of each on a placemat with six boxes. Tasting began after the mat was loaded.

“When they first take a bite, they push it against the roofs of their mouths,” Peg Rogers said of the tasting process. “There are levels of flavors. Even until the ender there can be a change in flavor as it reaches your throat.”

The judges appeared thoughtful as they chewed and jotted numbers on a judging slip. A score of nine is best; a two, the lowest. A one meant disqualification. There is no 10.  

Though it may be admired, the notorious “smoke ring” that bounds smoked meat is not a factor in judging. And, as far as flavor is concerned, sweet, spicy, smoky; that is a matter of personal preference.

Members of team Sauce ‘N Smoke of Peoria celebrate a fourth place win in the chicken category, as Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown event organizer Brandon Bressner, left, looks on. The team took home $150 for the win.(Photo by Holly Eitenmiller / for Chronicle Media)

Dave Eyers of the Sugar Creek BBQ team from Hartsburg, Illinois believes there are regional favorites. “It’s different for different areas,” he explained. “In Memphis and Kansas, they like the vinegar. In the Carolinas, they seem to like molasses.”

In this area, he said, the sweet heat has the draw. Eyers said he believes there are no real secrets with meat smoking. It comes down to method; his, a 3-2-1 plan.

The Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown adheres to Kansas City Barbecue Society Rules by conducting double blind judging. KCBS representatives Peg and Dave Rogers, right, were on hand on July 22 to ensure entries were property numbered in accordance with that process. (Photo by Holly Eitenmiller / for Chronicle Media)

“I smoke the meat for three hours, then I wrap it and let the spices and juice soak in for two hours, then, unwrapped for another hour,” he said. “In the last half hour, I put on the butter and sauces.” Eyers’ team placed sixth in the chicken category.

Dave Swanson, of Peoria team Sauce ‘N Smoked sources much of their flavor to the cherry and pecan wood chips they toss in along with the charcoal. Swanson’s team buys their meat from Raber Packing Co.  in Peoria.  They placed fourth in the chicken category.

Most of the teams purchased around 50 pounds of meat for the Throwdown. Justin and Lindsey Vose, from Athens, Illinois, said they purchase the Smithfield brand meat from Walmart.  

Along with the KCBS competition, Throwdown organizers offer a “Backyard BBQ” division for amateurs. Teams may compete against each other in the chicken and ribs categories for an entry fee of $25 each, $50 for both. All KCBS rules apply.

Smoke, Fire and Brew took second place in Chicken and third in ribs. Rusty Pig BBQ placed second in ribs, and Uncle Spanky’s took first place in ribs and chicken. The top three winners in each slot were given awards. First place winners; a customized charcoal chimney starter.

The 2017 Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown Grand Champions were Shake ‘N Bake BBQ of New Haven, Missouri. They will share a $3,500 prize and take home a pine hog trophy carved by Tim Gill of Chillicothe. Team Shake ‘N Bake also placed eighth for chicken, fourth for brisket and first for both ribs and pork. (Photo by Holly Eitenmiller / for Chronicle Media)

The top five winners of each category in the Throwdown were awarded prizes ranging from $75 to $500. Slaughterhouse Five, of Kansas City, Kansas, won first for chicken and second for ribs and pork. They were also voted the 2017 Reserve Grand Champions, which has a $1,750 purse. Pork Paradise placed first in brisket.

New Haven, Missouri’s Shake N Bake BBQ team placed first with ribs and pork and are the 2017 Grand Champions. That title comes with a $3,500 payout. They also placed fourth in brisket and eighth in chicken.

Both top winners were given hand-carved pine trophies. The hog-shaped prizes were carved by Tim Gill of Chillicothe and each hold a set of tongs in one fist, a spatula in the other, with the words, “Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown” fashioned at the bottom.

In the past six years, the Central Illinois BBQ Throwdown has raised more than $70,000 for causes such as Illinois CancerCare. This year, money was raised for the Peoria Park District and Peoria’s Friends of Fatherless Boys.

— BBQ masters compete in Central Illinois Throwdown —