Beyond Bowie: No glib rib eaters wearing bibs at D.C. BBQ Battle By Jake Linger
Nestled in the cozy confines of Pennsylvania Avenue between 9th and 14th streets in northwest D.C. are numberless barbecue vendors that attract thousands of starved connoisseurs of the most tender and tasteful meats this side of Kansas City.
City blocks upon city blocks of the capital's most traveled streets become smoky havens each summer during the Safeway National Capital Barbecue Battle, which just completed its 16th year.
In the shadow of the U.S. Capitol smoke filled the warm air, something that normally would necessitate a Code Orange from Homeland Security, but last weekend called for more of a Code Sweet and Sassy. The battle is not solely a venue for the masses to enjoy good food and homegrown entertainment. There is money on the line for the barbecue obsessed who think they have the top recipe for barbecue.
The hopefuls travel from all over the barbecue map: Memphis, Kansas City and Texas among the best destinations for "gourmet" ribs and brisket. Devouring smoked meats kissed with a touch of unique barbecue flavor at any of the trio of barbecue havens is the equivalent to enjoying a fine wine in Napa, or eating escargot in Germany. Everyone should do it once.
Over $40,000 in cash and prizes - not to mention the title of National Barbecue Champion - are up for grabs during the featured National Pork Championship.
(On Capitol Hill, "pork" is always the fare du jour.)
According to the official Web site of the event, www.bbqdc.com, the Barbecue Battle is the "largest annual fund raiser for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington Metropolitan Police Clubhouses, and has raised over $900,000" for the organization as well as several others throughout its decade-and-a-half history.
Patrons visit the D.C. event for the meat, but stay for the entertainment. Artists who performed at this year's festival included Jimmie's Chicken Shack (Annapolis), Soul Gravity (all over the D.C.-Baltimore area), Eric Scott (Calvert County, formerly of the Deanna Bogart Band) and Go-Go legend Chuck Brown, a D.C. native.
Several members of the Washington Wizards were on hand to play in the NBA Nation Tour, and even presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama had a tent completely stocked with campaign paraphernalia. The man himself was not there, however. But he is from Hawaii by way of Illinois, what does he know about barbecue?
Fox News Channel finally slanted to the side of the majority thanks to the interviewing prowess of Griff Jenkins, who spent Sunday embedded in brisket as he toured the attractions and took time to interview the "big pigs" of Famous Dave's Legendary Pit Bar-B-Que, located strategically throughout the D.C metro area.
The Barbecue Battle enjoyed a very local flavor with KBQ Real Barbecue of Bowie. The restaurant, located at 12500 Fairwood Parkway, had all its gear in tow as they set up just across from the Old Post Office.
"We had never done an event like that before," said KBQ co-owner Lya Wesley Britt. "We must have had over 1,000 customers each day" of the Barbecue Battle.
Britt noted that the company's five-year plan was to focus more on in-store operations, but when a customer's daughter, who was involved in the event's planning, requested that KBQ participate in the battle, the upstart Bowie business could not resist.
"We were nervous how to project what we would need, the logistics," said Britt. "We still had a restaurant to run."
KBQ opened in November '07 as the family-operated business of Kerry Britt, previously in the restaurant business for two decades, his wife, Lya, and sister-in-law Shana Wesley. "We're bringing a lot of business to Bowie," Lya said, adding that she receives phone calls every day from prospective patrons asking for directions.
The barbecue joint menu features beef brisket, pulled pork, hot country sausage, pork ribs, salmon, tilapia and catfish. Those items are not a "who's who?" but a "who's hungry?"
KBQ is featured on the cover of the June issue of Washingtonian magazine as one of the 100 Best Bargain Restaurants in the area, making the KBQ experience "a nice inexpensive luxury," in Lya's words.
For information regarding the KBQ Real Barbecue menu, catering or coupons, visit www.kbqrealbarbecue.com.
Information about the Safeway National Capital Barbecue Battle can be found by visiting the Web site, and the event is held annually during the first weekend of summer.
If you get lost and the smell of the smoked meats can't serve as your guide, just follow the solstice.
