Here’s another great reason to head downtown during Texas/OU weekend: the folks at DRG (Dallas Chop House, Wild Salsa, Dallas Fish Market) and Downtown Dallas Inc. have teamed up to create the Texas/OU Red River Barbecue Shootout. What is the Red River Barbecue Shootout, you ask? It’s a competition between four pitmasters from Oklahoma and four from Texas on one night followed by a rocking party the next. The dudes doing the cooking are:
TEXAS OKLAHOMA
Kent Black Keith Jennison
Black’s – Lockhart Elmer’s – Tulsa
Joe Duncan Charles Smith
Baker’s Ribs – Dallas Leo’s BBQ – Oklahoma City
Kelly Duncan Jev Vandegrift
Big Daddy’s – Lavon Van’s Pig Stand – Shawnee
Cliff Payne Joe Wells
Cousin’s – Fort Worth Smokin’ Joe’s Rib Ranch and RV Park – Davis
The competition will take place on October 6. Pitmasters will be cooking their signature St. Louis pork ribs and sauces all day in Downtown’s Main Street Garden (St. Paul and Main Street) for a 7 p.m. special private judging by a panel of food experts, sports industry members, and community leaders. From this “blind” judging (where judges will not know who cooked what recipe and judge only on food) , two winners, one from Oklahoma and one from Texas will be selected. (The panel of judges will be announced in advance of October 6.)
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Then, the two winning pitmasters will cook their winning recipes up all day on Friday, October 7, to be sold at The Texas/OU Red River Barbecue Shootout Celebration in Main Street Garden from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. The Ultimate Champion Winning Pitmaster will be determined by a People’s Choice vote among the 2,000-plus attendees expected at the event. This will also be a “blind” contest, during which attendees will be invited to purchase a Shootout Rib Plate with “Ribs A and B” identified only and for which they will place a vote. A $1,000 prize, and additional gifts and prizes will be presented to the Champion Pitmaster at 8:30 p.m.
Then on Friday, October 7, Main Street in downtown will be the spot to be for music, food and fun. As a part of the celebration, DRG Concepts and Downtown Dallas inc. are bringing in music from Dallas’ Eleven Hundred Springs, Norman’s Damn Quails, and Austin’s Backporch Mary. The bands will perform all evening on October 7, starting at 5:30 p.m. The concerts are free and open to the public. Everyone is invited to bring their lawn chairs and blankets to enjoy the music on the lawn at Main Street Garden.
Food, including the Red River Shootout People’s Choice Rib Plate, as well as beer, wine and margaritas, will be available for purchase at the October 7 event.
