Rolling smoke
Mar. 15—Pitmasters from all over the country will be traveling to Lebanon this weekend to compete in the Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship.
"Smoke on the Shores is actually one of the largest contests in the entire country that's a barbecue-sanctioned event," Smoke on the Shores organizer Eric Cantrell said. "This year, we'll host 125 teams. We've got them coming from over 20 states. We've got judges that come in to this contest from around 30 different states and three countries, so all of that happens, and most people have no clue what's happening over at the fairgrounds."
The Smoke on the Shores BBQ Championship will begin on Friday with the allegiance rib challenge and the turkey smoke challenge. The professional and backyard competitions will be on Saturday, with turn-ins beginning at noon.
The barbeque competition began at Nashville Shores in March of 2016. After a few years, the contest outgrew the waterpark as a venue.
"A couple of things happened," Cantrell said. "Just after a few years, we outgrew Nashville Shores. Also, this time of the year in March, we've had some really bad rains. Nashville Shores was under water two out of three years, and we had to make a decision if we wanted to keep our contest going."
The organizers reached out to representatives of the Wilson County Fairgrounds and made the decision to move Smoke on the Shores to Lebanon in 2019.
"Our group is involved heavily in barbecue," Cantrell said. "We travel to contests throughout the country, whether it be cooking in them or judging in them. Most of the folks in the barbecue world know us, and they know what kind of contest we put on."
There are four contests that make up the main event this Saturday — chicken, ribs, pork and brisket. There is also an ancillary desert challenge.
Lebanon resident Dan Crose is competing in this year's competition. He first got into barbeque competitions with his wife, Dea, while living around Frisco, Colorado.
"They have a huge barbecue competition, and we were just like, 'Alright, we're going to try this,' so we competed," Crose said. "It would usually sell out in a minute because of the location, but we got in and started competing then."
Before moving to Tennessee, Crose was involved in the Rocky Mountain BBQ Association.
"We've competed all over," Crose said. "We won our first grand championship in our second year competing. We've been to the worlds (championships) as well. It's been a whirlwind."
The competitive aspect of the circuit is what originally pulled Crose in, but it was the people that made him stick with it.
"It's the comradery with all the guys and girls, and the families too," Crose said. "We've got a 9-year-old, and he likes to compete. It's just a fun bonding experience."
Dan and Dea Crose work together to prepare for the competition by buying and trimming the meat beforehand.
"It's kind of funny ... we used to be at each other like, 'This isn't right,' but now, she's the boss when it comes to getting our meat going," Crose said. "She's my attention to detail when it comes to the final moment when it's time to turn in the boxes (to the judges). We just have a good time cooking."
Like Crose, barbeque is typically a family affair for Lebanon resident Barry Johnson. While Johnson isn't competing in Smoke on the Shores this year, he has done so several times in the past alongside his father.
"I've met life-long friends cooking barbeque," Johnson said. "My dad and I have cooked together, and he really enjoyed it. It was something we could do together, and that's what made me stay with it as long as I have."
