BURNET, TEXAS, May 5.—This weekend, over 250 high school students from all over the state of Texas will gather for one of the area’s largest vocational education cooking competitions: the 3rd Annual State of Texas High School BBQ Cook Off. On May 5, 2018 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., young culinarians get to put their barbecue skills to the test and compete for the title of “Pit Boss.” This year, there are 50 teams of five competitors enrolled in Career and Technical Education classes attending the cook off.
Staying true to the native cuisine of Texas, participants will be preparing a wide range of barbecue-inspired dishes including brisket, ribs, beans, sauce and dessert. In addition to the competition, students will have a chance to expand their cookout skills with the BBQ Educational Symposium, learning the basics from experts and mentors.
Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts’ Austin campus president, Marcus McMellon, will join a panel of judges made up of prominent figures in the Texas culinary and culinary education industries who decide the winning team.
Adding to the uniqueness of the event, 12 of the 50 participating teams welded their own BBQ pits, which they will use to prepare their dishes.
The event will also feature a Welding Exhibition featuring the works of three Central Texas vocational welding colleges-Texas State Technical College, Austin Community College, and Central Texas College. The welding students will work on one of a kind trophy pits to give as prizes to the high school welding teams that win “Best BBQ Pit.”
The event will take place at Burnet High School located at 1000 The Green Mile, Burnet, TX 78611 and is open to the public.