Smoke in the Valley Saturday: From backyard barbecue to regional competition in Canisteo
Smoke in the Valley got its start in 2016 as a barbecue cook-off featuring six teams put together by a group that also helps support the Canisteo Volunteer Fire Department.
“It was just a small little event and it was a good day,” said Canisteo Police Chief Kyle Amidon, who is now the event's main organizer. “It brought in some community residents, probably 100 to 200 people. I saw a lot of potential in it.”
This year's event, kicking off at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, is set to include 14 bands; 52 breweries, wineries and cideries; activities for children; a cornhole tournament; fireworks and more.
At the center will be 36 teams of three vying for the barbecue competition, which features a bevy of categories — with some outside of what's traditional, including mac and cheese.
It's become one of the biggest days of the year in this small town of just over 2,700 people, with thousands likely to attend this year based on previous turnout.
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Advance tickets are $30 online, or $40 at the gate on Saturday. Admission includes 25 sampling tickets to use for food or for tastings at the wineries, cideries or breweries.
Smoke in the Valley is held at 61 W. Main St. in Canisteo, near the American Legion hall.
How did Smoke in the Valley grow into a regional event?
Amidon became the ringleader for Smoke in the Valley in 2019, and had big plans to make it a staple in the community.
That year, the event held at the Canisteo American Legion featured 27 three-person barbecue teams along with live music, wineries, cideries and breweries and 2,000 people attended the event.
Following the cancellation of the 2020 contest due to the COVID pandemic, 2021's event grew even more, with about 3,600 in attendance and 23 six-person teams competing.
The larger teams came from a need to simply provide more food for paying attendees, Amidon said.
“What we wanted to do is bring in attendees and give them samples, but ... we had to produce more quantity,” Amidon said.
The event also benefits non-profit organizations, businesses and local sports teams. Groups can operate as a food vendor or sell tickets on behalf of their organization.
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What's up at this year's competition?
At the start of the contest, each team is given the same amount of meat, provided by the organizers. Teams can cook in different categories including pork butt (shoulder), chicken wings, beef brisket, St. Louis Ribs and an open category where teams can bring their own ingredients.
Each team then turns in a portion to the judges for evaluation, and the rest is provided as samples to attendees of the event.
Teams from Buffalo, Rochester, Elmira, Horseheads, Olean, and Ulysses and Coudersport, Pennsylvania, are taking part along with home-grown teams.
The only question that remains for Smoke in the Valley is, 'How big can it get?'
“I feel like it's still continuing to grow,” Amidon said. “We’re continuing each year to make the event bigger and better.”
This article originally appeared on The Evening Tribune: Canisteo barbecue competition returns Saturday, still growing
