The Twin Valley Fire Department (TVFD) will host the third annual Twin Valley Fire and Smoke Barbecue Competition on Friday and Saturday, May 17 and 18, at Friendship Park, 3287 North St., Morgantown. The event will feature a wing contest between local fire departments as well as a Kansas City Barbecue Society (KCBS)-sanctioned competition between some of the best professional barbecue cooks in the Mid-Atlantic region.
The event will begin on May 17 with the First Responders People's Choice Wing Competition at 6 p.m. As part of the event, local teams will prepare their best wings for the competition. The public is invited to purchase tickets to participate in a blind judging process to sample each of the entries and submit their vote for the best overall. Last year's winner, Elverson-Honey Brook Area EMS, will again participate, hoping to reclaim the title.
The first-place winner of the wing challenge will win a trophy and a smoker donated by a local business. "It is limited to 12 teams," explained Lori Hornberger, who is a member of the Twin Valley Fire and Smoke committee, along with her husband, Tom, TVFD deputy chief, and Mike Wilson, Bo Gebhardt and Mike Tennent. "Everyone that buys wings gets a ticket, and the ticket allows you to vote on your favorite wing. Every team receives 30 pounds of wings donated by (a local restaurant). They bring their own sauce. The teams cook (over) gas, charcoal, wood pellet or open fire."
She said that there will be a container beside each entry where people can place their tickets. "It will be a blind judging. The servers don't even know which team made the wings," said Hornberger. "We count the votes when sold out, and the winner will be awarded the trophy and the smoker."
The following first responder groups will participate: Twin Valley Fire Department, Honey Brook Fire Company, Elverson-Honey Brook EMS, Gordonville Fire and EMS, Geigertown Fire Company, Gibraltar Fire Company, Seven Valleys Fire Company, Garden Spot Fire Company, Po-Mar-Lin Fire Company, Ludwig's Corner Fire Company, the Philadelphia Fire Department and the Philadelphia Airport Fire Department.
The Professional and Backyard teams will set up and start their cooking process on the morning of May 17. The professional teams are required to prepare and cook chicken, pork ribs, pork and beef brisket to be presented to the judges during the afternoon on May 18. Backyard teams are required only to cook chicken and pork ribs. Although the teams are not permitted to sell food to the public, they will be available to offer advice or answer any questions about the barbecuing process.
The Professional and Backyard teams' entries will be judged for appearance, taste and tenderness through a double-blind process, so that the judges will not know which team they are judging. Scores are calculated by category and then by overall ranking to determine the winners.
Twin Valley Fire and Smoke Barbecue Competition is open to the public, and local vendors will be on hand. Food and beverages will be available for purchase. There will also be an opportunity to win gift baskets.
Proceeds will benefit the TVFD, an all-volunteer organization that serves the residents of Caernarvon Township, New Morgan Borough and Elverson Borough, along with West Nantmeal, East Nantmeal and Warwick townships and surrounding areas. For additional information, readers may visit http://www.tvfd69.com. More information is also available by emailing bbq@tvfd69.com.
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