2025 YIR: Kosher BBQ Festival Returns with Massive Turnout
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2025 YIR: Kosher BBQ Festival Returns with Massive Turnout

The Masterful Menches of Meat were awarded Grand Champion.

By Compiled by AJT staff December 30, 2025, 11:48 pm Edit
The cooking teams were hard at work preparing their samples.
The cooking teams were hard at work preparing their samples.

What a difference a year makes.

It may have been the fact that there was no Atlanta Kosher BBQ Festival last year, but whatever the reason, an estimated 4,500 community members gathered on Nov. 9 at Brook Run Park – marking the largest number of attendees in recent memory.

In fact, there were so many attendees that the cooking teams ran out of samples by 2:30 p.m., much to the dismay of several tasters. However, at that point, there were still plenty of vendors and food trucks offering delicious dishes, and guests had a bevy of entertainment options to choose from including live music featuring a Klezmer band, and an Israeli DJ, and the Kids Zone offered a half-dozen blow-up, bounce house-type amusements.

While enjoying the live entertainment and community atmosphere and reveling in the serenity of being proudly Jewish in public, surrounded by thousands of fellow Jews and barbeque enthusiasts, guests were invited to interact with local organizations, like the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, StandWithUs, and many more. The recent surge of antisemitism that has plagued American Jews the past few years was momentarily deafened by the laughter and camaraderie of Jewish Atlanta gathering in Dunwoody on a windy Sunday afternoon to enjoy good food, good times, and an everlasting link to Jewish history and culture.

And, of course, there was the cookoff. Eighteen teams competed in the categories of chili, brisket, chicken, and beef ribs, as well as best team name and best decorated booth. The official winners for the 12th annual Atlanta Kosher BBQ Festival winners are as follows: Chili – Masterful Menches of Meat; Brisket – Noah’s Bark; Chicken – CMCA Flames; Beef Ribs – Masterful Menches of Meat. With the top overall score, the Masterful Menches of Meat were awarded Grand Champion, presented by the Hebrew Order of David. Shofar So Good won first place for Best Team Name and the Atlanta Jewish Times took home top prize for Best Decorated Booth with their theme, Boot Scoot & BBQ.

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