It had been three years since the smell of smokers and bbq filled the air in Oconto beckoning hundreds of people to wet their taste buds, and on Saturday, June 4, Blowin’ the Doors Off BBQ was back.

Due to the pandemic the annual cook-off was canceled the last two years, and as a sign of how glad everyone was to be back even a little rain did not chase away the crowd. A panel of 12 judges convened early on Saturday afternoon to begin sampling and critiquing the offerings of the 11 grill masters in six different categories. At the end of the day, it was Buk-N-Pig of Kearney who earned the Overall Grand Champion trophy (pictured on front).

Once judging was complete, the gates were opened to allow the public to sample pulled pork, beans, ribs and beef brisket along with a few specialty items from the cooker.

We will have a full story on Blowin’ the Doors Off as well as the history of this very special fundraiser, in next week’s Courier.