The JD Draw

Today is the draw for entry to the summit of competition barbecue; The Jack. The Jack is an invitation only barbeque contest held the 4th Sunday of October at the Jack Daniel's distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee. There's 60 teams and about 25,000 visitors every year for this event. I can't imagine how the people of Lynchburg, Tennessee, population 361 deal with this onslaught!

To get an invitation to compete at the jack a team must "have won a state championship with 25 teams entered or a competition with more than 50 teams competing in the categories of Pork Ribs, Pork Butts, Chicken and Beef Brisket. The final competitors are then selected during a blind drawing of all eligible teams in early September. The 2007 Jack Daniel's world grand champion and the current season's Memphis in May, American Royal Open and Houston World's Championship Bar-B-Que grand champions receive automatic invitations."

The organizers of The Jack also invite some teams from foreign countries to compete as well.

There's only 60 spots available, so for the winners of bbq contests in states like Kansas or New York where there is more than one "state championship," today is a tense day while their names are put into a blind drawing to determine who get the call for one of these coveted spots. A lot of people have their fingers crossed today!

Good luck everyone. Some day, Insha'allah, I'll be there too.