Thousands at Kosher BBQ Break Pre-COVID Records

The Atlanta Kosher BBQ Festival, organized by the Hebrew Order of David, was back this year, bigger and better than ever. The festival, which has been an annual event since 2012, took last year off due to the pandemic.

It returned to Brook Run Park in Dunwoody on Oct. 17 with a huge crowd of hungry barbeque fans. Jody Pollack, who chaired the event, was happy to see the enthusiasm despite last year’s hiatus.

“This is probably our biggest year ever. We had somewhere between 4,000 and 5,000 people during our four-hour festival. And the food was as good as I’ve ever seen it.”

The BBQ’n Hebrew Hillbillies took home the 2021 Grand Champion trophy. (Credit: Sean Evett, Cavender Creek Photography)

Among those who braved the crowds for samples from the barbecue competition was renowned Atlanta chef Todd Ginsberg, who was attending the event for the first time. His creative work with Jewish corned beef, pastrami and brisket at The General Muir — near Emory University and in Sandy Springs — has been hailed nationally as revitalizing the contemporary American Jewish deli.

Ginsberg is also the chef/partner at a new restaurant located at the 200-room Thompson Buckhead hotel, opening in December on East Paces Ferry Road. He was particularly impressed by the kosher barbecue brisket, something he described as being as difficult to perfect as it is delicious to sample.

Kosher BBQ beef ribs were served hot off the grill. (Credit: Sean Evett, Cavender Creek Photography)

“There is no meat that is less forgiving than brisket. There’s nowhere to hide with brisket. That’s why a great piece of brisket is a work of art. You’ve got to know exactly what you’re doing. You’ve got to develop what I call the bark, the exterior of the brisket, without overcooking that rich marbling of fat and beef underneath. So, to me, and a lot of people that appreciate barbecue, the brisket is as prized as a lovingly prepared and luxurious filet mignon. When it’s done right, it’s better than any filet you’ll ever have, anywhere.”

Over a dozen volunteer judges were task with deciding whose team would be crowned the champs. John Hale, a volunteer judge from Cartersville, Ga. with 15 years of competitive experience under his belt, sat in the judge’s tent in front of a neatly organized six-piece array of barbecued chicken.

Judges rated BBQ on taste, texture and appearance. (Credit: Sean Evett, Cavender Creek Photography)

“We’re looking for taste, tenderness and appearance,” he said, “each of those is weighted somewhat differently. You want to get the fat rendered down really well, with nice caramelization, but you have to be careful because you don’t want the chicken to burn. It can have an acrid flavor.”

Jody Pollack, event organizer and BBQ Pitmaster presents “Community Partner Award” to Rabbi Joshua Heller of Congregation B’nai Torah. (Credit: Sean Evett, Cavender Creek Photography)

The day before, Hale had been the master of ceremonies at the Royal Oak Invitational Barbecue Championships in Roswell, a national event sponsored by the popular charcoal brand. It attracted professional teams from across the country, with each competing for $46,000 in prize money.

Professional competitive barbecues are big business these days. It’s not unusual for mobile grilling rigs to cost upwards of $400,000 and for teams to come from places as far-flung as Australia. The American Royal World Series of Barbecue in Kansas City, for example, draws 50,000 attendees and 500 barbecue teams to the four-day event every summer.

In Sunday’s kosher festival in Dunwoody, 19 competitive teams with names like Moshe Ribeinu from Congregation Etz Chaim, and the Masterful Mensches of Meat — from Congregation Beth Shalom — offered their best takes on chili, chicken, beef ribs, and brisket, some of which had been lovingly tended over an open fire throughout the long and chilly night before. Alex Shulman of the Hebrew Order of David managed the extensive logistical support.

The “backyard competitors,” as Hale calls them, put in long hours over their fires for little more than the love of the sport.

“I love these smaller events,” he said. “People here don’t drive from ten states away and have a $500,000 rig. These are families or friends and they get a group together. They are the same guys that could watch a ballgame as they cook on the weekend. And they barbecue with their family for holidays together. So, these events are close to my heart.”

The Atlanta Jewish Times team, Meat the Press, took home the hardware for best chili. (Credit: Sean Evett, Cavender Creek Photography)

After the embers died down and the scores were tallied, the awards ceremony began. Best Chili went to Meat the Press, the AJT team captained by publisher Michael Morris and editor and managing publisher Kaylene Ladinsky.

The 2021 Grand Champions were the BBQ’n Hebrew Hillbillies — Jerry Draluck, Rick Litzky, Michael Yoss and Mark Baker — who repeated their victory from 2019.

The documentary film “No Pork on the Fork” won best American Jewish film at the American Jewish Film Awards.

You might catch a glimpse of the champion crew in “No Pork on the Fork,” a documentary about the 2019 festival directed by Adam Hirsch and Jacob Ross. The film took home the Best Jewish American Film Award at this year’s American Jewish Film Festival, sponsored by streaming site Jewzy.com.

Next year, however, the Hebrew Hillbillies may want to keep an eye on the competition. Once Chef Ginsberg gets his new restaurant up and running, he’s planning to come back — this time as a competitor.

“I just love to see so many people have fun doing barbecue here,” he said. “I’ve gotten a few ideas while I was sampling. I’m going to give it a try next year. I can’t wait.”

Grand Champion
BBQ’n Hebrew Hillbillies
Jerry Draluck, Rick Litzky, Michael Yoss, Mark Baker

First Place Winners
Brisket – WNBA – Weber School
Chili – Meat the Press – Atlanta Jewish Times
Chicken – Federation – Jewish Federation Of Atlanta
Ribs – Masterful Mensches of Meat
Team Name – BBQ’n Hebrew Hillbillies

Second Place Winners
Brisket – War Wagon
Chili – Moshe Ribeinu
Chicken – War Wagon
Ribs – BBQ’n Hebrew Hillbillies

Third Place Winners
Brisket – Wandering Cue
Chili – Hermano A Hermano
Chicken – Pirates of the Cow-Rib-Bean
Ribs – Wandering Cue

*Best Booth – Brisketeers

The award-winning documentary “No Pork on the Fork” can be viewed at www.jewzy.com. There is no charge for the first month.