ArtsQuest, which hosts competitive food events the Souper Bowl and Lehigh Valley Vegan s’ MAC Down, will present a new barbecue battle, the Steel City Smokeout, July 20.

The Kansas City Barbecue Society and Mid-Atlantic BBQ Association sanctioned the official state competition, set for PNC Plaza at SteelStacks, First Street, Bethlehem.

Teams will compete to win cash prizes in Masters and Backyard Barbecue events, with pitmasters coming from New York, New Jersey, Maryland and Pennsylvania.

In the KCBS Masters category, 10 pitmasters will cook chicken, pork ribs, pork butt and brisket. The Backyard competition, meanwhile, will see nine pitmasters – not necessarily KCBS members – cooking chicken and pork ribs.

Twenty KCBS judges will judge the Masters event, with six Lehigh Valley volunteers – generally with food-industry experience – judging the Backyard event. Judges will consider appearance, taste and tenderness.

In addition, general-public attendees will judge teams in a First Responders from the Lehigh Valley Chicken Wing Challenge.

Following check-in and meat inspection July 19, teams may start preparing product. Starting at 11 a.m. July 20, general public attendees will see how teams prepare meats, with teams turning product in at half-hour increments.

The Masters event starts at noon, with the Backyard and First Responder events following at 2:30 and about 4 p.m., respectively. While unable to sample competitors’ meats, Smokeout spectators may satisfy barbecue and dessert cravings via a number of vendors.

Also at the Smokeout, award-winning celebrity pitmasters Moe Cason and Bob Trudnak will teach classes in the Fowler Blast Furnace Room. Classes will cover topics such as meat selection, trimming, seasoning and cooking procedures on grills and smokers.

Nick Binczak, Smokeout partner/co-founder and owner of Nick‘s BBQ in Bethlehem, planted the seeds for Steel City Smokeout after seeing Chicago’s Windy City Smokeout.

“I liked the model, and thought something similar would work in the valley,” said the pitmaster, who created Nick’s BBQ with partner Hallie in May 2020.

Binczak, who also owns catering/event-planning company Premier Events at Saucon Valley, discussed his idea with colleague Ernest Pile. The latter, a KCBS certified barbecue judge and member since 2019, serves as the Smokeout’s coordinator for cook teams and judges.

“Ernest has taught me a lot about competitions,” said the Lehigh Valley native, who met Pile about two years ago. Pile, an Easton resident, loved Binczak’s Texas-style brisket and “kept going back to his shop to sample his other cooked meats.”

The two, Pile said, “lamented that although there were a number of KCBS competitions in Lancaster County and surrounding areas, there was nothing at all in the Lehigh Valley.

“That’s when we got the idea to try to meet with executives at SteelStacks,” Pile added, “and convince them that with all that they have in their arsenal of events, a KCBS-sanctioned barbecue contest would be a great addition.”

ArtsQuest liked the idea. Patrick Brogan, ArtsQuest chief programming officer, said the nonprofit organization had “been looking to add a barbecue component to our Blast Furnace Blues Festival for some time.” The aforementioned festival runs July 19 and 20.

Aside from recruiting teams, judges and vendors, Nick’s BBQ also put up the $10,000 cash prize for the Masters and Backyard events.

The payout amount consists of: $8,000 for the Masters event, distributed among the grand and reserve-grand champions, plus first though fifth place in each meat category; and $2,000 for the Backyard event, distributed among first through third place in each meat category.

Brogan believes the valley “is a prime spot for this event because we’ve built a culture around the arts — including the culinary arts – for more than 40 years now.” Such a culture, he added, has raised the bar on the quality of restaurants around the area.

“As a result, there are more foodies around here than ever before. The valley is a fantastic mix of urban and rural in the same way that barbecue culture can also be.”

As for what constitutes the best barbecue, Brogan loves pulled pork. “I’m mainly looking for great seasoning and sauces, anything that makes the barbecue I’m eating unique ... in a good way.”

Binczak believes “competition barbecue is all about the one bite. It has to be the best tasting, and has to appear very good, as well. You can’t overcook ribs, and have them ‘falling off the bone.’ These pitmasters are pros with being able to cook each meat the proper way.”

Pile noted that “different regions of the country cook in different styles, and they all have different qualities. That is why there are so many judges at each event.”

The best barbecue, he added, “is what you like for your palate. Pitmasters are always experimenting with different flavor profiles, cooking times, preparation times, etc.”

At Steel City Smokeout, Pile said, “pitmasters will produce flavor profiles that represent Texas-style barbecue, Chicago-style barbecue, Pennsylvania-style barbecue, etc. And the age-old argument will continue, ‘This barbecue is better than that barbecue because …’”