Battle of the BBQs in Germany goes beyond sausage

Some 39 grilling teams from around Germany, made up of both professionals and amateurs, battled it out at their BBQs in Fulda this past weekend to determine Germany's "Grillmeister."

The annual championship began 21 years ago. Michael Hoffmann of Rösrath in western German took home this year's prize - already his fourth title. Part of his six-course meal were delicious spareribs and crispy wraps with a bean and blueberry filling. His predecessor, last year's winner Peter Zeitler, had created chocolate tortes with gorgonzola.

"At the grill championships, star cuisine from the grill is presented - it's an art," said Volker Elm, president of Germany's grill association GBA ahead of the event.

For the German BBQ association, ordinary bratwurst is simply too boring and it was removed from the six-course competition menu. Instead, salmon, beef, and spareribs were required at the contest, as was a dessert.

In addition, contestants had to prepare a vegetarian dish plus an improvised course using ingredients from a mixed basket. In total, 14,000 euros ($15,500) in prize money was awarded by a 120-person jury.

Click on the gallery below for tips on how to throw a typical (not necessarily award-winning) German grill party.

kbm/rb (with dpa)