Based on the popularity of our local cook-off events over previous years, we assumed it would be a great idea to launch a special contest for grilling in 2011. What we never assumed was that one particular grillmeister would come forth to blow away the competition in not one but ALL FOUR categories.
Enter Rob Harding, a competitive pitmaster who swept the BBQ Chicken, Beef Kabob, Beef Burger and BBQ Ribs divisions at the 2011 Idaho Falls Magazine Cook-Off. His Pitmaster BB Chicken, Rob's Kabobs and Gooey Burger entries were all clear winners, but his rib recipe brought something unprecedented to last year's cook-off: His Honey Chipotle Spareribs generated a PERFECT score among the judges.
The 2011 contest was Rob's first year, which made it all the more amazing because he out-grilled Bryan Visser, who won the 2010 burger division.
In an ironic twist, the 2012 Classy 97 Recipe Rumble brought another surprise. Competition newcomer Joel Henry unseated Harding with a clean sweep across the entire division. The scoring was uniformly narrow, but Henry won it all:
Overall
Joel Henry, Idaho Falls, ID – 271 points
Rob Harding, Idaho Falls, ID – 260 points
Beef Burger
My Beef Burger – Joel Henry, Idaho Falls, ID – 88 points
Beef Burger – Rob Harding, Idaho Falls, ID – 83 points
Chicken
Barbeque Chicken – Joel Henry, Idaho Falls, ID – 81 points
Barbeque Chicken – Rob Harding, Idaho Falls, ID – 76 points
Ribs
Mesquite Ribs – Joel Henry, Idaho Falls, ID – 102 points
Ribs – Rob Harding, Idaho Falls, ID – 101 points
Stay tuned for more results (and more than a few recipes) from the Classy 97 Recipe Rumble.
