The 32nd annual Barbecue Battle is the ‘coolest event in town’ this weekend
The producers of the annual Giant National Capital Barbecue Battle are not letting this weekend’s extreme weather get in the way of a hot time.
“There will be over 600 feet of misting tents. We will have it well covered,” said co-producer Jacob Tubis. “We will have free water courtesy of DC Water and Giant Foods.”
The organizers have other heat-related cautions like cooling buses throughout the site.
“We also have free reentry,” said co-founder Allen Tubis. “We are suggesting that people cool off and take an art break and go over to the National Gallery of Art and really enjoy themselves, cool off and rejoin us.”
It was 32 years ago that Tubis started the Barbecue Battle at RFK Stadium.
“It was a spin-off of the Clinton-Gore inaugural in 1993,” said Tubis. “So we decided to host the first barbecue championship in the nation’s capital. We had a cookoff between the RNC and the DNC.”
Tubis said the event has grown every year since: “We now are on both Constitution Ave. and Pennsylvania Ave. NW. The event crosses the (National) Mall. It’s a lot of fun.”
Make sure you don’t eat a big breakfast because you can’t say Barbecue Battle without thinking of all the tasty treats.
“We have 150 free food samples,” said Tubis. “You’re literally going to get plates of free food at the Barbecue Battle, and a lot of beverage samples.”
There is more to the event than just food. Over the two days, music will be featured, as well as Olympians in a Monster BMX exhibition.
Tubis does point out that there will be teams competing this weekend to win the “Official National Championship.” The winning team takes home $5,000.
“It was declared on the floor of Congress,” said Tubis. “We are the only barbecue event on the Congressional Record.”