Competition was stiff as folks vied for the title of 2011 Kansas City Barbeque Society National BBQ Cup held at the Cumming Fairgrounds over the weekend.

An estimated 93 professional teams as well as 34 backyard enthusiasts arrived Thursday night and settled in to begin the process of cooking their fare. Arriving from Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, and Tennessee, and bringing families, participants set-up quickly and before you could say ‘barbeque,' the smell of competition was in the air.

The Q-Team of Daniel Pomerantz and Jesse Doeninck of Tennessee have previously participated in the Kansas City Barbeque Society competitions together. 

“This is our eighth competition together,” said Pomerantz. He added, “it’s a huge competition. It’s the largest competition east of the Mississippi [River].” This year’s event was the 25for the society.

The team name was fashioned after the television show and 2010 movie “The A-Team” and team t-shirts bore a tweaked version of Mr. T’s famous quote ‘I pity the fool.'

Not everyone came from out of state to vie for the $21,000 prize money. The Roswell Fire Department came complete with antique trucks. Their display consisted of a decorated 82 Mack truck. Dubbed '1st Due BBQ,' the team came to have fun and a good time, according to spokespersons Tony Papoutsis and Jeremy Adams. 

Jason Pullman, radio personality of 94.9 THE BULL did his share of sampling as well. A self-proclaimed ‘lover of barbeque,' Pullman’s personal favorite was pulled pork from The Big Pig team. 

“It’s authentic Georgia barbeque,” shared Pullman, who went on to add tongue-in-cheek that he’d been “hog wild all weekend.”

Members of locally run “The Big Pig” were humbled and surprised by Pullman’s preference. The secret to the success of its recipe was “a combination of recipes,” according to spokesperson Ted Townsend. 

For those not interested in sampling barbeque, the event offered other types of food including boiled peanuts, fried brownies, and fried pies. Other activities included inflatable slides, bungee jumping and an exhibit by X-Treme Power Sculptor Brian Ruth. As Ruth transformed pieces of wood into a pig, a rack of ribs, and a trophy cup, he also gathered a crowd of spectators. Blake Faunce, 4, however, covered his ears because of the noise but appeared interested in the artwork.   

Members of the Gravitt family also paused to watch Ruth. Family patriarch Hershell Fuller remembered when, as a young boy, he would hunt squirrels where the fairgrounds stand today. His son-in-law, Daylon Gravitt, commented that the event was “great” and hopes “it will be bigger and better.” 

Other exhibitors included Jesse’s House, one of the local non-profits which will benefit from the event. Executive Director Sabrina Graves expressed her gratitude toward Pam and Randall Bowman for having selected Jesse’s House as a recipient. The other non-profits are Bald Ridge Lodge and Forsyth Connect. 

The Humane Society of Forsyth County held an adoption event during the festivities with the hope of finding 'furr' ever homes for dogs. 

Loganville resident Jordan Rager performed “Don’t Tell Mama," one of his own songs and those of other country music performers live on stage. Rager’s lively rendition of John Andersen’s “Keep Your Hands to Yourself” had the audience on its feet. He shared his gratitude to 94.9 THE BULL for playing his songs and thanked listeners as well.

In the end, the 2011 Kansas City Barbeque Society National BBQ Cup went to Georgia’s own Bub-Ba-Que, who, with a total of 695.4286 points, beat out Cool Smoke by .5714 points, making the latter Reserve Champion.   

For official results, visit the Kansas City Barbeque Society Web site.