(Marietta, Ga. – April 19, 2016)
Antoine Guerrier, pictured, and his teammate Frank Brown earned a first-place finish in the Trash Can BBQ Competition.
From Asian-inspired barbecue sauce to coffee-flavored rubs, Chattahoochee Technical College culinary arts students were challenged to think outside the box for the annual Trash Can BBQ Competition – an event hosted on April 18 by the Culinary Arts Department in conjunction with the White Hat Brigade, which is a student organization.
For the competition, which was held in the parking lot of the Mountain View Campus in Marietta, students were asked to enter two of the three categories of brisket, pork shoulder or pork ribs. Side dishes were also required and students served up everything from bacon macaroni-and-cheese to fruit salsa. The culinary chefs also created rubs and sauces for the barbecue.
The competing students were divided into teams of five and had approximately four hours to cook over open flames in a galvanized garbage can that had been bought specifically for the event.
The Grill Sergeants, made up of Antoine Guerrier and his teammate Frank Brown, dished up St. Louis-style ribs and a brisket for the competition, topping the cuts with a blend of brown sugar, paprika, and salt and pepper.
Seriously Smokin’ team member
Dustin Saghy checks the temperature of his team’s ribs.
“You need to have knowledge of what you are doing when it comes to cooking barbecue. It’s not like putting a burger on the grill in the backyard,” Brown said.
Another team, Seriously Smokin’, brought a unique twist to traditional backyard barbecue by adding coffee to both the rub and sauce. Team member Victor Torrico said each person submitted ideas for the side dish, rub and sauce, and, as a team, they decided what ingredients would be used in the actual competition.
CTC Student Advisor Rockfield D’Amour, Mercer Culinary Director of Business Development John Nunez, and Chef Ted Lahey, who previously served as the executive chef of Roswell’s Table & Main and Osteria Mattone, were responsible for judging each category on taste/flavor, presentation and texture/tenderness.
“I am looking for a nice char on the outside of the brisket and tender ribs. The meat shouldn’t fall off the rib bone, but it should be tender,” Nunez said.
Teams and results were:
First Place Winners – “The Grill Sergeants”
Antoine Guerrier, of Douglasville
Frank Brown, of Canton
Second Place Winners – “Spicy Kittens”
Celina Vicente, of Marietta
Sara Sheets, of Evans
Sophia Amiri, of Alpharetta
Third Place Winners – “Seriously Smokin’”
Dustin Saghy, of Cartersville
Victor Torrico, of Austell
Sydney Everett, of Alpharetta
Thomas Everets-Deveney, of Acworth
Fourth Place Winners – “Hog Wild”
Steven Moore, of Roswell
Brian Rush, of Silver Creek
Stanley Simon, of Atlanta
Fifth Place Winners – “The Amazing Cue Master”
Tony Collins, of Canton
Sam Stavely, of Louisville
Richard Robinson, of Marietta