Safeway Hosts BBQ Battle

MATTHEW ENIS

WASHINGTON — Safeway hosted its 17th Annual National Capital Barbecue Battle here recently, with live music, interactive exhibits and two days of competition-level barbecue all combining to make Washington's largest food and music festival a hit with attendees.

The Pleasanton, Calif.-based company's event once again showcased teams from around the country competing in the Kansas City Barbecue Society's “Barbecue Challenge Contest” with beef brisket, chicken and pork, and a Memphis in May contest to determine the “National Pork Champion.” Teams also sampled their fare for the tens of thousands of attendees for a People's Choice Contest. Proceeds from the event went to Washington-area Boys & Girls Clubs.

“Safeway has once again brought together some of our country's top barbecuing experts to our nation's capital to participate in the Safeway Barbecue Battle,” Pete Geoghegan, chef for Safeway's Rancher's Reserve brand beef, told SN. “The teams competed for more than $40,000 in cash and prizes. It was a fun-filled weekend with thousands of people sampling great 'cue and learning tips from the experts.”

This was the second year that the Barbecue Battle has held the “Rancher's Reserve Beef BBQ Championship” — part of the KCBS' Barbecue Challenge Contest. Forty-seven teams competed for the award this year, with the “Chix, Swine & Bovine BBQ” team from Jessup, Md., taking top honors, along with a $2,500 prize.

Meanwhile, Geoghegan hosted a series of chef-led cooking demos throughout the weekend in a Rancher's Reserve mobile grill.

“It's always fun grilling in front of an audience, especially when you flip the steak over for the first time — I think I could hear a few people drool in the audience,” he said. “After the demos, I had the chance to help people answer their barbecue questions, like cooking temperatures, different cuts in the meat case and overall grilling tips to use at home.”

Geoghegan took the opportunity to highlight Rancher's Reserve Cordelico sirloin, a tender value cut recently developed with the help of Cargill Meat Solutions, which supplies the Rancher's Reserve brand.

“The Rancher's Reserve mobile grill was in full action, grilling hundreds of steaks for people to sample,” he said. “People kept coming back for more samples. And because we grilled the Cordelico, we took this as an opportunity to introduce attendees to an unfamiliar cut of beef. I've never seen such happy beef lovers!”

In stores, the cut is merchandised in Safeway's new “Sealed Tenderness” packaging, Geoghegan added, which has an added appeal to shoppers.

“The beef is vacuum-sealed, which keeps it fresher longer,” he explained. “The packaging is also leakproof … and it's freezer-ready — great for stocking up.”