By Mollee Francisco

[email protected]

With the snow piled high outside, barbecue season may still seem eons away, but for Eric Simpson and Jon Bigalik, things are just about to heat up.

In just two weeks time, Minnesotans Simpson and Bigalik will participate in Que’in on the Red, a barbecue championship in Alexander, La. It will be the first of 15 competitions the Willingham’s BBQ team will take on in 2011, all in the hopes of nabbing yet another Grand Champion prize or two to add to their list.

Simpson is a St. Louis native who lives in Albertville and works as the executive chef at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska. Bigalik, a Memphis native, now lives in Annandale. The pair met five years ago when Simpson was working at the Golden Valley Country Club and Bigalik was promoting Willingham’s Barbecue products.

Simpson wasn’t interested in what Bigalik was selling until he cut into a rack of Bigalik’s ribs, barbecued to perfection.

“You’re the real deal,” Simpson told Bigalik. The duo got to talking and Bigalik mentioned his barbecue team, inviting Simpson to Memphis in May and the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest. Simpson’s been hooked on barbecue competitions ever since.

awards

The Willingham’s team has quite a prestigious history. Bigalik’s uncle, John Willingham, started it in 1981. By 1984, he was the first back-to-back grand champion at Memphis in May – one of the world’s largest barbecue contests. That same year, he took home the grand champion title at Kansas City’s American Royal Barbecue competition, known as the “World Series of Barbecue.”

“We’d have to have a 40-foot semi trailer to display [the trophies],” said Bigalik. “Literally, that’s where we keep them all.”

In almost three decades of competing, the team has taken home more than 60 awards in everything from best cooker and sauce to brisket and lamb.

“Ribs are our hallmark item,” said Bigalik.

“Meat candy is what I call them,” offered Eric.

“It starts with the dry rub and ends with the dry rub,” said Bigalik.

The team uses a 28-ingredient dry rub on their barbecue. Willingham developed the rub in 1971 and remains one of only two people on the planet that know the secret recipe.

“I don’t know it,” said Bigalik. “I have to get it from him.”

The Willingham’s team is not only specific about their dry rub, but also the wood they use when cooking.

“The wood you use permeates the meat,” said Bigalik. “We use a blend of hickory and oak. It has a very appealing flavor. It’s smoother, more palatable.”

The smoker is equally important. Not surprisingly, the Willingham’s team relies on a trio of smokers developed and patented by Willingham himself. The cookers, as Willingham’s refers to them, are essentially vertical spits that allow for the meat to hang as it cooks. “Charlotte” and “Lucy” can each hold up to 42 slabs of ribs while their big brothers “Wilbur,” “Cletus” and “Arnold” can hold more than 100 slabs.

Contests

Both Bigalik and Simpson consider barbecue a sport and they treat it as such. Long before they head out to a contest, they practice their technique, carefully pick their meat (spending upward of $1,000 per contest) and assemble the team.

“Everybody’s got a task,” said Simpson. “It’s no different from NASCAR and having a pit crew.”

Teams can be anywhere from two or three people big for smaller contests all the way up to 16 members for the world championships.

Willingham’s team competes in both the Memphis (all pork) and Kansas City (pork ribs, pork shoulder, beef brisket and chicken) circuits. Most contests are sanctioned by one of the two and a grand champion win will qualify a team for entry to the world championships.

Once they are on site at a contest, the team has their meat judged and approved and then they set up their booth. It takes a good half day to prepare the meat before cooking begins. The actual barbecuing can take up to 16 hours.

“You cook at 200 to 250 degrees,” said Bigalik. “You can’t cook good barbecue fast.

“You sleep next to your smoker.”

Teams are judged on three criteria – taste, tenderness and appearance – with awards given out in a variety of categories.

Bigalik and Simpson said that while barbecue contests are getting bigger and bigger with contestants coming from all over the world, the competition remains friendly.

“It’s the characters around these competitions that make it worthwhile,” said Simpson. “I love the camaraderie. You meet someone new every time.”

For Bigalik, it’s all about joy and fellowship.

“You eat really good food and that’s a joy,” he said. “You share really good food and that’s a joy.”

“I have yet to get sick of it,” said Simpson.

But as much as he loves barbecue, Bigalik is willing to admit that after four days, “I’m craving a salad.”

Approach

For Simpson, being on the Willingham’s team has enhanced his own cooking skills.

“I learned so much about barbecue from Jon,” he said. “His is superior to anything out there. It’s totally changed my approach.”

Simpson has brought that knowledge to the kitchens at Hazeltine. He was hired last year when the new clubhouse opened.

“I’ve never seen people order ribs for lunch, but they do here,” said Ruth Lundquist, director of sales and marketing at Hazeltine.

“Barbecue is a big part of what we do here,” said Simpson.

Not only are there ribs on the menu, but also pulled pork and pastrami cured in house. And Willingham’s dry rub can be found sprinkled on the house-made potato chips with great results.

While many Hazeltine members have already been able to enjoy Simpson’s fare, the general public has been getting a taste of it, too. Since the new clubhouse opened last fall, Hazeltine has been busy promoting itself as a meeting space and event center and plenty of organizations are taking advantage of the space. Guardian Angels will host its Spring Fling there on April 9 and the Chaska High School will hold its Activities Gala there on April 15.

For those who want a taste of Willingham’s barbecue now, the team will be one of the many food vendors participating in the Minnesota Monthly Food and Wine Experience at Target Field this weekend. There, Bigalik expects to offer a “Barbecue Sundae” with layers of baked beans, pulled pork, coleslaw and sauce all served in a cup.