Chicken on the Grill and Smoke in the Air

By Lamar James, U of A Cooperative Extension

First posted on 06-29-2009

The smell of barbecuing chicken filled the air as a dozen 4-H’ers participated in the state 4-H Broiler Barbecue Contest at the Arkansas Poultry Festival recently at Bentonville.

When the smoke cleared, Rebecca S. of Cave Springs was declared the new state senior champion. The junior winner was Rachel S. of Cross County.

The winners each received plaques, $100 and other gifts. In addition, Rebecca will receive an all-expense paid trip in November to the National 4-H Poultry and Egg Conference at Louisville, where she’ll participate in a national poultry barbecue contest.

More than 1,000 4-H’ers, 9 to 19, participated in county poultry barbecue contests this year. A dozen winners at district level went on to the state contest.

In the state contest, contestants were judged on their skill in starting and controlling a fire, cleanliness, taste, doneness and appearance of their product, according to Jerry Wooley, extension poultry specialist with the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.

Each of the 12 district winners and their parents enjoyed two free nights lodging at the Doubletree Hotel in Bentonville, three tickets to the Arkansas Poultry Festival, a charcoal smoker grill and a sports bag filled with “goodies,” according to Wooley.

The Poultry Festival and barbecue contest are sponsored by The Poultry Federation.

4-H is the youth development arm of the U of A Division of Agriculture. For more information about 4-H, contact your county extension office or visit http://www.uaex.edu. The Cooperative Extension Service is part of the U of A Division of Agriculture.

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