It was a special smell that was in the air in wegfurt. A mixture of smoke, crispy meat and sausages. The rhon BBQ festival on the land of the DJK wegfurt attracted die-hard grill and barbecue fans from all over the region. Over 1000 visitors were paid. After the great success of the previous year, it was clear for the initiator and idea giver julian rocco and his friends that there must be a rhon BBQ festival again this year, with meat specialties that meet the highest quality standards. Julian rocco and his friends, who come from rhon villages (wegfurt, schonau, burkardroth, stangenroth and munnerstadt) are die-hard barbecue fans.
It is important to them to explain that the term barbecue should not be confused with the traditional grill. Often a cozy barbecue with friends and good music is called a barbecue. But with barbecue is actually meant a cooking method that differs from the traditional grill. The meat is cooked very slowly in special barbecue smokers for up to 16 hours at a moderate temperature in the hot exhaust air of a wood fire, according to the motto "low and slow" to be cooked. The barbecue, on the other hand, takes place directly above the embers at 200 to 300 degrees celsius. The steaks, chops or hamburgers take a maximum of half an hour to cook.
In addition to the form of preparation, the quality of the meat is crucial for a successful barbecue, explained julian rocco, who is assisted by his brother and chef daniel kleinhenz. "We source our ingredients mainly from our region. Starting with the meat, wood, baked goods, beer, bands, even the so-called pitmasters (grill chefs), who prepare the meat over many hours, monitor the fire and grill food. We focus on high quality and natural meat, free of hormones and antibiotics, and you can taste it."
Two suckling pigs were prepared in wegfurt on saturday. An own suckling pig grill of the mrs. Piggy-crew was available for this purpose. The hot smoker team from grafenrheinfeld also came with a rough smoker, which could be admired on the festival grounds. "With a meat capacity of up to 600 kilograms, no one was allowed to go hungry", smiled julian rocco, who was very pleased with the success of the rhon BBQ festival. Naturally, according to the north american model, the holy trinity of barbecue was served with spare ribs, pulled pork and beef brisket. There were no plates in the traditional sense, the meat was served on trays.
The "rhoner-pitmaster-crew" was on duty from friday evening for the quality of the meat. They spent a lot of time and dedication in preparing the meat and controlling the fire to produce a high quality smoke. Naturally, only beech wood from the rhon was used. A little experience was also necessary, because each piece of meat reacts differently under heat and needs attention or individual processing. Up to 80 helpers were needed for the event. At the classic barbecue stand of the DJK wegfurt there were steaks, sausages and hamburgers as well as a veggie alternative for vegetarians and of course french fries. Even if country songs are part of the ambience at the sportheim, the team around julian rocco and his brother daniel kleinhenz sees itself as close to home. "We rely on organically grown raw materials, traditional production methods, regional meat from animals from species-appropriate husbandry. Farmers, brewers& co. Pull all together to make themselves independent of the large corporations." they deliberately oppose genetically modified foods and stand for regionality with a view across the big pond.