On Saturday afternoon in Fort Fairfield, the sweet, smoky aromas of barbecue wafted around the food court and beyond in what has become the traditional kickoff to the Maine Potato Blossom Festival.
Held under sunny skies, the Central Aroostook Chamber of Commerce’s Smokin’ Hot Barbecue Cookoff challenged pitmasters to pull out all the stops, vying for judges’ and people’s choice awards.
It was the eighth annual cookoff and marked the event’s return to Fort Fairfield. The three competing local chefs outdid themselves, chamber executive director LaNiece Sirois said.
“They put their whole hearts into it, they really do. How can you not love them for that?” Sirois said. “This place was packed. You couldn’t find an empty table.”
Fort Fairfield’s Double D BBQ earned two first-place trophies, with another going to Smokey Bear’s BBQ of Easton. DNA BBQ of Caribou was also in the running. The three split nine championship awards.
The chamber caps ticket sales at about 115 each year so the teams know how much food to prepare. And despite Aroostook’s incessantly changeable weather, over eight years, not one cookoff has been rained out, Sirois said.
Last year’s cookoff took place in Caribou as part of a collaboration with Spud Speedway, she said. But Potato Blossom Festival organizers wanted the event back at home base, so the chamber gladly obliged.
“It will be in Fort Fairfield from now on,” Sirois said.
Among the visitors enjoying the creations were Jerry and Anne Churchill and Nathaniel Reynolds of Fort Fairfield, along with Lynn Soucy of Fort Fairfield and Portland.
Soucy, a former Reynolds, joins with her sister, Patty, to lead walks during Potato Blossom Festival Week.
“A lot of people walk early in the morning anyway, and it’s fun to do it with a larger group when you can talk about something, like Fort Fairfield history,” she said.
The grilling teams were judged this year on ribs, chicken and people’s choice.
In the ribs category, Double D took first place, Smokey Bears second and DNA third. For chicken, Smokey Bears was first, Double D second and DNA third. And in the people’s choice vote, Double D earned first place, DNA second and Smokey Bears third.
“We set up about four o’clock this morning,” Double D owner Dereck Dufour said. “We got down here and got the big smoker running by 5, 5:30. It was an early morning.”
The crew started competing in the cookoff in 2022, Dufour said. He, his friend Shawn Rogers and his father, Donald Dufour, entered on a whim.
This year, they prepared brisket, ribs, pulled pork and chicken, cowboy beans and macaroni and cheese.
“The first year, we had pretty good success, and after that you just kind of get the itch to keep going,” he said.
DNA BBQ has been part of the cookoff since it began, owner Aaron Libby said. Besides chicken and ribs, the crew offered special things for the people’s choice challenge.
“We did pulled pork and baked beans and cornbread. My wife did a really great job on her cornbread,” Libby said. “We had a good turnout.”
He started the pulled pork at about 5 a.m. Friday morning, and shortly after 5 a.m. Saturday headed for Fort Fairfield.
His favorite part of participating is getting to talk to people, he said.
For his specialty, Tom Peers of Smokey Bears offered a barbecue sundae, which included peach pork belly, baked beans, pulled pork, potato salad, bacon and sauces, arranged in layers.
“It’s pretty good,” he said.
Peers enjoys the event because it lets the pitmasters enjoy a unique atmosphere — and lets the chefs enjoy some good-natured ribbing.
“We see each other through the year, but not like this,” he said. “We get to come out and have fun and make fun of each other.”
