About to go before the judges: John McGee (left) of Duvall observes as pit master partner, Brian Moriarty of Bothell, carefully places garnish around their winning chicken barbecue plate at the ‘Duvall Heat’ BBQ event. Pit masters and event organizers agreed: turnout in Duvall for last month’s State BBQ championship was great…and the barbecue was even better.

Duvall Rotary Club members, Roger Jones and Caron Nelson-Glickman, co-chaired the event which raised a total of $5,200 for Safeway’s charity of the month, the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

For local competitor, John McGee of Duvall, it was the best turnout he and his wife, Rhana, had ever seen at a barbecue charity event. John is a veteran of the sport, competing regionally and internationally.

He and his pit master partner, Brian Moriarty of Bothell, took first place in the chicken and brisket categories and second place for ribs and pork butt. Their barbecue outfit is called Left Hand Smoke.

“We pretty much blew the competition away,” chuckled John, who now has his sights set on the 22nd Annual Jack Daniels World BBQ Invitational that will be held in Lynchburg, Tennessee, next month.

John grew up in a town just outside of Nashville. For him, competing in the Invitational would not just be the thrill of a lifetime, it would also mean coming home for a cherished visit with friends and family. In fact, regardless of whether or not Left Hand Smoke is chosen to compete, he and his wife intend to go back as caterers during the event.

Getting a spot at the Invitational is not that out of reach for the pair. On the eve of the event in Duvall, John received the official letter from Jack Daniels that said he and his partner had qualified for two drawings. There is a strong probability they will win a chance to go to the competition, having won three qualifying competitions in Washington and one in Oregon. According to John, at least one team is chosen from every state.

“If you win seven championships in a season, you automatically go to compete,” he said. The team fell two championships short but still have a strong likelihood of being chosen.

In Washington State, there are six total chances to win the drawing and Left Hand Smoke holds four of those chances.

Watching John and Brian meticulously plate a box of barbecue chicken for six judges, it became clear that this is some serious business.

“It’s crunch time,” said John, as he observed Brian carefully lining the box with garnish. He described their ‘strategy’ as being “about layers…sweet, heat, then tender, juicy chicken.” Before the Duvall

event, the team had won seven competitions overall, four of which were qualifying events for the Jack Daniel’s World Championship Invitational Barbecue.

“It’s a hobby that’s out of control,” said John with a twinkle in his eye.

He originally got into the ‘sport’ because they “couldn’t find any decent barbecue” – at least, none like the kind he had back home in Tennessee. John’s wife encouraged him to make his own and both seemed pleased with the results.

Left Hand Smoke is sponsored by Plowboys Barbecue (rubs) of Kansas City and Texas in a Bottle (sauces), which is locally based in Mill Creek.

The team will compete at the Tree Top Skewered Apple Barbecue Championship event in Yakima on September 11 and 12. There is a $35,000 purse with a $10,000 purse prize that will go home with the grand champion. At least seventy competitors are expected.

“After Yakima, we have Langley, British Columbia, where thirty teams will compete,” said John. “The last cook of the season is a classic sponsored by Safeway for Breast Cancer in the Bothell area in October.”

The next barbecue season begins April 2, 2011. In the off-season, rest assured they will be testing new recipes and practicing to “beat out the competition” again next year.