SHENANDOAH, Iowa (KMTV) — ShenDig is an official Kansas City Barbeque Society event hosted annually in Shenandoah. Competitors came from neighboring states and even the United Kingdom to qualify for the American Royal in Kansas City.
- For the Brinks from Grand Rapids, Michigan it’s a family event: “You know, my dad started doing it and I just thought it would be cool to spend time with him."
- “It really helps to just keep a good mindset that you’re going up against people that have done this a long time and you’re still up there with them,” said 14-year-old Rhys Chambers from Essex Community Schools.
- SEE PREVIOUS | What's it like to qualify as a barbecue judge? We went to Shenandoah to find out
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
“I would be very proud that you’re in Shenandoah because Shenandoah is a great place to be,” said 13-year-old Colt Nelson from Essex.
In April, I went to Shenandoah and learned to be a certified Kansas City barbeque judge and, on Saturday, the ShenDig barbecue competition brought contestants from around the country and even the UK.
I’m your Southwest Iowa neighborhood reporter, Katrina Markel.
We waited a few days to bring you this story because there was a lot of news over the weekend, but now, I'm excited to share the sights and sounds of ShenDig, a barbecue competition that brings more than just food to the table...
“We got the brisket up here and then these are the pork shoulders, ” said Eric Brink.
For the Brinks from Grand Rapids, Michigan it’s a family event.
“You know, my dad started doing it and I just thought it would be cool to spend time with him,” Brink said.
Katrina Markel: “There is a community around all this, isn’t there?”
Brink: “Everybody’s blue-collar, okay. Nobody’s better than the next or anything like that, everybody’s blue-collar.”
Jason and Cherlynn Waite came from Oskaloosa, Iowa. They’ve been doing this as a hobby for about 5 years.
“This is a pork shoulder and that’s done ... so we’ll wrap this back up and it will go in a cooler and we’ll let it sit for a few hours and rest.”
ShenDig was started by the Forum to Revitalize Shenandoah, an effort to promote the town and boost the economy. There were 36 contestants and approximately 120 volunteers, including hospital staff serving lunch.
The youngest competitors: from Hamburg and Essex schools.
“He is actually cutting that into bite-sized pieces,” said Nelson, pointing to 14-year-old teammate Rhys Chambers.
They’re competing against adults.
“It really helps to just keep a good mindset that you’re going up against people that have done this a long time and you’re still up there with them,” said Chambers.
Dozens of awards were given out. The Brinks won Taster’s Choice, meaning they were a crowd favorite on Friday night.
The grand champions: Kyle and Amy Kuhn from the tiny town of Grasston, Minnesota
“We thought we had a solid cook today,” said Kyle.
The Kuhns now qualify for the American Royal in Kansas City.
“God bless y’all and have a safe trip home and we’ll see y’all next year,” Mayor Roger McQueen said to the crowd at the end of the day.
