Local duo win Whitefish BBQ Smoke Off

When the smoke cleared and the last smudges of barbecue sauce were wiped clean, organizers of the first Stumptown BBQ Smoke Off deemed the inaugural barbecue competition a rousing success.

The Smokin’ Hot Grillfriends of Kalispell were the grand champion winners. The Grillfriends — Greg Dulin and David Gassaway — took first place in the brisket and chicken categories and earned $1,400 in prize money for their efforts.

The reserve champion award went to Fagan Brothers of Pendleton, Ore., who took home $1,000.

Somewhere between 2,000 and 3,000 people attended the weekend event in Depot Park in Whitefish, where 10 teams toiled over smokers to cook their meats to perfection.

The Smoke Off was so popular that teams ran out of food to sell to the public on Saturday, but they regrouped and had more barbecue ready on Sunday.

“It was a great time,” said Buzz Laughlin of Piggyback BBQ of Whitefish, which sponsored the Smoke Off along with the Whitefish Chamber of Commerce. “We’ve had a lot of people excited about what’s coming up next year.”

Teams included Smokin’ Hot Grillfriends; Fagan Brothers; Don K Chevrolet from Whitefish; Levin Zone from Chicago; Knuckle Head BBQ from Kalispell; Big Ray BBQ Luv from Kalispell; Smoke Stack from Memphis, Tenn.; Smokin’ Box from Calgary, Alberta; Side of the Tracks from Columbia Falls; De-vine Bovine Chicken & Swine from Whitefish; Up In Smoke from Kalispell.

Pacific Northwest Barbecue Association head judge was Jenny Beesler from the Seattle area. Judges included Whitefish Police Chief Bill Dial; Lisa and Jim Stack; Ryan Stout; Bill Vance; Sonny Johnson; Larry Hoots; Pat Thompson and Dave Sheeran.

First Place Winners

n Chef’s Choice — Smokin’ Box

Pitmaster, Bernie Kenny, Calgary

n Pork Butt — Fagan Brothers

Pitmaster, John Fagan, Pendleton

n Brisket — Smokin’ Hot Grillfriends

Pitmaster, David Gassaway, Kalispell

n Chicken — Smokin’ Hot Grillfriends

Pitmaster, David Gassaway, Kalispell

n Ribs — Side of the Tracks

Pitmaster, Mike Tigue, Columbia Falls

All winners won prize money through eighth place and the first-place teams received cutting board trophies representing their winning catagory.

A total of $5,000 in prize money was awarded.

Madi Standwood, 3, of Whitefish, won the Miss Piggy contest on Sunday; the winner was chosen by audience applause.