(Stillwater, Okla. –April 12, 2012) Oklahoma State University’s Robert M. Kerr Food & Agricultural Products Center is hosting a class to teach participants how to judge barbecued meats.

The event will take place April 28 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the second floor of the FAPC.

In addition to gaining valuable judging experience and improving their taste-testing skills, participants will receive a certified judging manual and earn a judging badge, said Chuck Willoughby, FAPC manager of business and marketing relations.

“Barbecue is really big in Oklahoma,” Willoughby said. “There are a lot of great barbecue sauces in the market, including well-established Oklahoma brands such as Head Country and newer ones like Sa-Mokin.”

Ed Roith of the Kansas City Barbeque Society will teach the Certified Barbecue Judging Class. The KCBS is the world’s largest barbecue and grilling association sanctioning 150 contests across the United States each year, according to the KCBS.

Roith developed the course after several years as a competitive barbecue cook and judge. He has won more than 375 awards, including 11 state championships. Roith also has produced a barbecue cooking CD that has sold more than 5,000 copies. Having retired from business, Roith devotes many hours to the barbecue industry not only as an instructor, but also as a contest representative.

“The FAPC has worked with more than 30 Oklahoma brands of barbecue sauce – all very good tasting and of high quality,” Willoughby said. “Many Oklahoma grocers will carry up to 10 or 12 Oklahoma brands outnumbering the national brands on the shelf about 4-to-1.”

These local brands, while typically costing more than the national brands, appeal to local consumers’ tastes and preferences, Willoughby said.

“There is a love affair between local brands and the typical grill master or smoke king in Oklahoma,” Willoughby said. “This event should appease everyone’s appetite for good barbecue and teach the fine intricacies of judging barbecued meats.”

The cost for the event is $60 for KCBS members and $85 for nonmembers. The nonmember fee entitles the participant to a one-year membership in the KCBS.

To register, contact Karen Smith at 405-744-6277 or karenl.smith@okstate.edu, or register online at www.fapc.biz/bbqclass.html. Registration must be received by April 20.

The event is co-sponsored by the Oklahoma Beef Council, Oklahoma Pork Council and Oklahoma Poultry Federation.

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Oklahoma State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture, State and Local Governments Cooperating. The Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service offers its programs to all eligible persons regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, disability, or status as a veteran, and is an equal opportunity employer.

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