HARLINGEN — “It’s ready!”
The cooks had turned in their pork ribs and chicken, and now they were finishing up their pork and brisket.
Local grillers were cooking their best at the first San Benito Hog Waddle Country Concert and Cook-Off yesterday.
“We started about six in the morning,” said Abel Ramirez, as he and his wife Melissa tended the pork they’d just removed from the grill.
“We do any IBCA cook-offs,” he said.
“We are BBQ junkies!” said his wife Melissa. IBCA stands for International Barbeque Cookers Association.
Abel and Melissa of Mercedes were members of the Brotherhood Grillers, one of more than 20 teams who entered the cook-off. Judges spent the day sampling not only barbecue but also beans and desserts.
Organizers were pleased with the turnout.
“This is the first year we’ve had the Hog Waddle,” said City Manager Manuel De La Rosa.
“We have had a large crowd for so early on,” he said. “We believe we’re going to have in excess of 2,000 visitors.”
He believed the main crowd would arrive once the scheduled bands began playing, including Southern Ashes, Buck ‘n Crazy and headliner Mark Chesnutt.
The main course at the moment, however, was the food.
“We do have everything made,” said Tim Tamez, who was cooking with the Grilling Ts of Mercedes.
He looked around and seemed to be enjoying himself — like the other grillers.
“It’s great,” he said. “It’s a bit windy but it’s not too bad.”
Eric Gonzalez and the Smokin’ Bucks of Harlingen were having a good time, too.
“It’s an event that we wanted to do,” said Gonzalez, head cook. “Most of us are from San Benito. We try to do a cook-off once a month.”
