Clark County Today reporter Paul Valencia received helpful advice from barbecue Hall of Famer Rick Browne at ilani BBQ Fest

Paul Valencia
ClarkCountyToday

One of the judges didn’t know what he was doing this week, but justice prevailed anyway.

One of the founders of the festival received some Hall of Fame recognition.

And the future of barbecuing has arrived in the Northwest.

Those were just some of the highlights at the annual ilani BBQ Fest.

Your humble correspondent was one of the judges for the competition. Barbecue teams gave it their best in four categories: salmon, beef ribs, pork belly, and pork baby back ribs.

Yes, that was my “job” this weekend, to eat barbecue. Someone’s gotta do it. Then I had to write down my thoughts, judge the plates on a scale up to 10. Appearance. Tenderness. Taste. 

I got the gig because long ago I was a colleague of one of the BBQ Fest’s founders. Before Rick Browne hit it big in the world of barbecuing, he was a simple media guy himself, a whiz in news photography.

He was looking for a new face to judge this year, and he gave me a call.

“I’d be honored,” I said. “But I’ve never done anything like that. I don’t know how.”

Browne asked if I ate food.

Well, I’m not getting any thinner, so yes.

Then I was qualified to judge a BBQ contest. 

I’ll acknowledge it was a little stressful on Saturday, trying to figure out how it worked. But it was simple really. The food is displayed and then consumed. And the judges only have numbers associated with the plates. They have no idea which chef, which restaurant, made any specific plate.

I had my favorites, of course, and I recorded such numbers. There were some that were not for me, but after the judging, I learned other judges loved ones I did not love, and vice versa. As Browne would tell us, there are up to eight judges in a category. No one is “right.” No one is “wrong.” The scores would be the scores.

In between plates, Browne and this year’s judges talked a lot about barbecue. Browne said the most important ingredient in barbecue is love. 

Seriously.

He said all it takes is passion. One does not need the most expensive barbecue equipment or the best cuts of meat. If you love barbecuing, take some chances and find new styles. You might just come up with a winner for your family, or even a winner at a local barbecue competition.

We have highlighted Browne a few times at Clark County Today. Now living in southern Oregon, he was a Ridgefield resident when he first made it to the big-time of this international barbecue community. He has authored more than a dozen books. He hosted his own national television show. He was a guest on most of the major networks at one time or another. Just a guy from Ridgefield with a passion for barbecue.

Now that guy is about to be inducted into the Barbecue Hall of Fame. 

The American Royal Barbecue Hall of Fame, based out of Kansas City, aims to recognize, document, and preserve barbecue heritage. Browne is a member of its 2024 class, with a ceremony scheduled for this fall. The Kansas City Barbecue Society also awarded Browne with an honorary Ph.B, doctor of barbecue philosophy.

Browne knew he was going to be honored this fall, but he had no idea that organizers of ilani’s BBQ Fest were going to recognize him Sunday. Browne was called to the stage to accept a certificate of achievement, and a thank you for creating this event.

“That was a surprise,” he said. “I do this because I love it, and I love the people. I helped start it five years ago, and look how it’s grown.”

In the final half-hour of the two-day event, awards were announced for the barbecue competition, as well as the category for first responders, an event put on by Operation BBQ Relief. That organization brings barbecues to areas of natural disasters, to feed folks hit by a flood or a tornado or hurricane, for example, and to feed first responders. We reported on Operation BBQ Relief in 2022.

This year, Jordan Durham, an Army veteran from Vancouver, and Josh Robinson, a paramedic with North County EMS who lives in Yacolt, made up the team Spicy Unicorns. They won the first responder competition.

Then it was time to announce the winners of the ilani bbq competition, with a total of $15,000 in prize money.

Evan Wiederspohn, an 18-year old representing Gladiator BBQ in Arlington, Wash., earned Grand Champion for most points scored in all four categories. 

Browne noted that he loved that a teenager won the event, proof that the future of barbecue is in strong hands. 

Barbecue’s old guard, too, keeps the community going strong, as well. 

Congratulations Rick Browne on your call to the Hall of Fame and your honorary doctorate of barbecue philosophy.

And thanks for giving me a call. 

For the record, I’m available to eat barbecue next year, and the year after that, and the year after …