31/05/2016

The “Prime Uve Invitational Barbecue Championship” is back with a special masterclass by Steven Raichlen

The first European Invitational Championship dedicated to American Barbecue is coming back to Italy on 2 and 3 July 2016. This second edition will be hosted by the Bonaventura Maschio Distillery, at its historical facility at Gaiarine (Treviso). Eighteen top teams from all over Europe will gather in Veneto to take part in the “Prime Uve Invitational Barbecue Championship”, a true US-style competition by invite only.
This year the competition will feature a truly exceptional surprise. On the afternoon of Saturday 2 July, there will be a masterclass held by Steven Raichlen, the man who launched the modern approach to grilling, a specialty with ever increasing numbers of devotees. In high demand on US television due to his great expertise in barbecuing and grilling and the author of 30 books translated into 17 languages, Raichlen is known in Italy for the TV program “Il Mago del Grill” broadcast on the Gambero Rosso Channel.
The masterclass will be open to 20 participants who can book their place by reserving on Eventbrite at a cost of 300 Euro, fees and taxes included, starting from Tuesday 7 June, the date the tickets go on pre-sale, https://www.eventbrite.it/e/biglietti-steven-raichlenprime-uve-invitational-barbecue-championship-25671159128
“Given that there was no international competition of caliber in Europe where the culture of barbecuing could meet the tradition of great spirits,” explains Anna Maschio, the owner of Bonaventura Maschio with her father Italo and her brother Andrea, “we decided to organize one within our distillery. And as our grape spirits will be the hosts, we have included three categories dedicated to them, in addition to the four provided for by KCBS regulations, where the teams shall show their ability in skillfully using our products: Sauce, Barrel Smoke, and Dessert.”
“It is a source of great pride for us to be hosting the top European teams,” adds Andrea Maschio, the griller of the family. “We are proud that KCBS has included our competition in the calendar of its events. The fact that we are organizing a second edition, and the vast wave it is creating, confirm that the Prime Uve Invitational Barbecue Championship is becoming a prestigious event.”
As we mentioned, there will be eighteen teams participating in the “Prime Uve Invitational Barbecue Championship”, selected from the best European teams based on their EBCC (European Barbecue Challenge Cup) score from last year. These are joined by the teams that have won the three wild cards granted this year, i.e., the Brig Boys from Brianza, who won at the W.E.S.T. competition at Riva di Tures, the Swedish team Flaming Pig, the Grand Champion at Tony Stone Low and Slow held at Hoofdorp in Holland, and – the last mystery yet to be revealed – the team that will win the Italian Barbecue Championship in Perugia on 12 June.
There are seven categories in which the participants will battle for the “Prime Uve Invitational Barbecue Championship”. The four classic categories of the KCBS American challenges are joined by the three sections linked to the Prime Uve spirits (Prime Uve Bianche, Nere and Oro). The former categories are: Pork, Brisket, Ribs, and Chicken. These are added to the three ad-hoc categories of Sauce, Barrel Smoke, and Dessert.
Given that US-style cooking takes a long time, the challenge will also continue through the night between Saturday and Sunday. Afterwards, twenty-four judges (KCBS-certified invitational judges chosen on the basis of their expertise and experience) will blind-taste the food, i.e. without knowing the name of the creators of the dishes presented to them. They will vote on appearance, taste, and tenderness. The teams will be judged twice in the Barrel Smoke category; in addition to the KCBS, a jury of experts in wine and food has been elected to express their opinion and assign an additional award.