Ready, steady - BBQ!
August 4, 2017Bratwurst may be what most people in Germany like to slap on their grill - but sausages are not part of the competition at the 2017 German Barbecue Championship on August 5 and 6 in Fulda, a city located right at the heart of Germany.
"We have to try new things to keep it interesting," says Volker Elm, President of the German Barbecue Association (GBA). And that's why they decided to drop the bratwurst.
For one of the courses of their four course challenge, the amateur and professional teams competing for the top prize will be asked to cook pork belly - after all a German favorite on the grill, Elm says, pointing out it's "what Germans like best."
Old favorites and variety
The other courses include sea bass, American Flap Steak and dessert.
The pros face two extra tasks: a vegetarian dish and a dish improvised from the ingredients they will find in a surprise basket. A 130-member jury then decides on the winner, Germany's "Grillmeister."
The organizers expect to see about 15,000 visitors at the two-day championship for the event's grilling shows, BBQ presentations, bands and DJs - and of course, to taste the food. The admission fee for the entire weekend for non-GBA members is a moderate 8 euros ($9.50).
The 2017 "Grillmeister" is the chosen one to represent his country in the next big grilling event, the World Barbecue Association's (WBQA) championship in Limerick, Ireland, on October 14 and 15.