Bring out the tongs and stir up the sauce, folks – it’s time for the 10th annual BackStoppers Backyard BBQ Competition.
This year’s event will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23, at Elks Lodge 689, at 1520 Clarke St., in De Soto. Admission is free for spectators.
“We’ve been doing this since 2014, and have raised almost $50,000 for BackStoppers,” said Shanna Sagehorn, one of the organizers.
BackStoppers is a St. Louis-based nonprofit organization that provides financial assistance to spouses and children of police officers, firefighters and other first responders who are killed or seriously injured in the line of duty.
Sagehorn said the contest typically draws anywhere from 10 to 16 teams and is for grill jockeys of all levels.
“We want the inexperienced competitors to feel comfortable joining us,” she said.
The competition will be held on the lower parking lot at the Elks lodge, but participants and spectators are asked to park in the upper lot.
Team spaces are roughly 15 by 15 feet. Teams provide their own meat and cooking equipment. Only charcoal and gas grills are allowed.
Teams may enter in any or all of four categories: Chicken, pork steaks, ribs and People’s Choice.
“People’s choice can be whatever the team wants to cook on their grill,” Sagehorn said. “We’ve had dessert pizza, pulled pork, smoked mac-n-cheese, brat bites, shrimp, all kinds of things.”
Entry is $130 per team and includes unlimited beverages and a T-shirt for each team member.
Modern Yesterday, an acoustic duo, will perform from noon to 4 p.m.
Barbecue plates and beverages will be available for purchase, as well as T-shirts and other merchandise.
Local police, fire and ambulance personnel will serve as judges for three categories, but the public is welcome to help judge the People’s Choice category.
“Starting at 3 p.m., we will sell judge armbands for $5,” Sikes said. “We limit it to 100 of them, and those people get to go around and taste and vote.”
An awards ceremony will be held at 6 p.m., with the overall winner and the first-place winners in each category receiving trophies and prizes.
The Elks Lodge also will offer a free Youth Safety Fair that day.
The fair will include face painting and a bounce house for kids, free ice cream and a silent auction and 50/50 raffle for adults.
“The Elks have purchased fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, first aid kits and other household safety equipment (to give away),” Sagehorn said. “They’ll have knee and elbow pads for kids who bike or skateboard.”
Children ages 2-12 may enter a raffle for one of 10 bicycles to be given away.
“It’s free to enter,” Sagehorn said. “They have to be present to enter, but not to win.”
The deadline for teams to register for the barbecue competition is Sept. 20. For more information or to register, call 314-221-2521 or email elks689backyardbbq@gmail.com.