Get ready for a tasty contest!

Media contacts: Stephanie Carroll, City of Auburn Hills; 248.364.6802; scarroll@auburnhills.org
And Shawn Keenan, City of Auburn Hills; 248.364.6926; skeenan@auburnhills.org

Auburn Hills, MI—May 20, 2019— Calling all BBQ pit masters! Join us June 21 and 22 as the City of Auburn Hills hosts their Barbecue Cook-Off for the 11th straight year.

The Auburn Hills Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) State Championship BBQ Cook-Off competition is one of the most recognized events for our annual Summerfest weekend and brings in some of the region’s top pit masters. Competition will heat up as teams compete for $8,000 in cash, trophies, and the coveted title of “Grand Champion.” Teams compete in four food categories: chicken, pork ribs, pork, and beef brisket.

“Teams begin arriving on site in Downtown Auburn Hills on Friday, June 21st to set-up and start prepping their food for cooking”, said Shawn Keenan. “It’s really incredible to see year after year how dedicated these pit masters are as they begin cooking overnight and keeping a watchful eye on the temperature of their smoker in order to create the perfect meat. It’s really a methodical process”.

The big day is Saturday, June 22nd, when teams begin turning in their food for judging. The first category in is chicken (12:00 pm), followed by pork ribs (12:30 pm), pork (1:00 pm), and beef brisket (1:30 pm). The cook-off finishes with an awards ceremony that begins at 3:00 pm and concludes with the naming of the Grand Champion.

The Grand Champion(s) will have the opportunity to be considered for participation at the two largest invitational BBQ contests in the world: The American Royal, in Kansas City and The Jack Daniel’s World Championship BBQ Invitational, in Lynchburg, Tennessee.

Sponsors for the State Championship BBQ Contest include KCBS, DTE Energy, Sonesta ES Suites Auburn Hills, Mid-West Coatings, Inc., and Meijer.

For more information about signing up or sponsorship of this event, visit www.auburnhills.org/bbqcookoff or call at 248-364-6926.

About Auburn Hills
The City of Auburn Hills is a distinguished leader in southeast Michigan. Home to approximately 23,000 residents, and a workday population of approximately 100,000. Auburn Hills continues to be a thriving global business address. With over 70 international corporations and hosts to the World and North American headquarters for outstanding businesses such as, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Continental Automotive Systems, Faurecia, and BorgWarner. Auburn Hills’ residents enjoy the amenities of city and suburban living with parks, a revitalized downtown district, and a welcoming city complex with a library and community center. Additionally, the city has four colleges and universities, and Great Lakes Crossing
Outlets (one of the state’s largest destination shopping centers). This provides a variety of cultural, social and educational opportunities to residents, workers, and visitors. Learn more at www.auburnhills.org.

About Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS)
The Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and enjoying barbeque, and is the world's largest organization of barbeque and grilling enthusiasts with over 20,000 members worldwide. KCBS sanctions over 500 barbeque contests worldwide. From volunteering to actual event production, our members also offer assistance to civic and charitable organizations who organize events. KCBS serves as a clearinghouse of barbeque information which provides: Networking with related trade associations and other contest-sanctioning organizations; Tracking trends in barbeque related products, and equipment; Teaming up with other food organizations and the media to promote barbeque; With our library, and extensive archive of barbeque related articles, KCBS offers educational programs, consultation services, and civic organization presentations to help promote barbeque as America's Favorite Cuisine. For more information, visit www.kcbs.us.