Ashburn BBQ Team Competes at WV Event

Barbecue lovers in the know may already be aware of this weekend’s Pickin’ in the Panhandle competition in Hedgesville, WV. But this year might be a good chance for the rest of Ashburn to check out the event and support a team of their neighbors.

Most of the Smoke Dreams BBQ team lives in Broadlands and were friends before they were teammates. Kirk Vespestad said he had noticed a rise in the popularity of barbecue competitions and learned there are 30 Kansas City Barbeque Society-sanctioned events within 220 miles of Ashburn, plus a number of non-sanctioned events.

“Then when I got some friends together. We decided, ‘What the hell,’” he explained, adding his first recruits were his neighbors. “We were band parents.”

The KCBS, according to Vespestad, is “probably the top sanctioning body in the United States.”

And he knows what he’s talking about; he grew up on barbecue.

“I’m originally from Kansas City, which is the undisputed barbecue capital of the universe,” he said, adding he’s been making barbecue in his backyard for 30 years.

Despite being the team member who makes the rubs and sauces, Vespestad said the team has no leader.

“With our team, it’s all for one and one for all. We share the cost,” he said, noting participating in an event can cost $500-$600. “It’s a ton of fun. These guys are thanking me profusely for bringing it all together so they can participate.”

The team first competed in a non-sanctioned event in Aldie called Cofaque.

“It’s a big party disguised as a barbecue and music event,” Vespestad said, adding proceeds from that event are used to buy instruments for kids who otherwise would not get them.

The team has competed in three KCSB events, including an annual event at Great Country Farms in Loudoun. Now they’re ready for Pickin’ in the Panhandle, which means tough competition; the event takes place Sept. 7-9, but the barbecue competition is Friday and Saturday.

“There are some teams we’ll be competing against who are in the hunt for the national title,” he said.

A Pickin’ representative agreed Smoke Dreams will face tough competitors.

“These competitions showcase the best in BBQ, with teams coming from all over the mid-Atlantic and as far away as Missouri to compete,” says Jennifer Jensen, co-director of the festival.  “The winner of our KCBS professional competition will be the West Virginia State Champion and move onto the next level of competition nationally.”

But even some top teams use store-bought products, Vespestad said.

 “We use all homemade rubs, my concoctions. The rubs and sauces give our stuff its own personality,” he said. “Our approach is to do this all ourselves.”

Unfortunately, the only way to sample Smoke Dreams BBQ is to be friends with them. Even at the event only judges taste the barbecue. There’s a people’s choice competition, where some attendees may sample all the teams’ food, but it’s a blind taste test.

And with the entire team working their career full-time jobs, the team’s not likely to open a restaurant or caterer, or start a business selling sauces and rubs, any time soon.

“It would take a log of work, a lot of money and a lot of effort to do any of those things,” Vespestad said. “The market is crowded with sauces and rubs.”

At the moment, the teammates are just trying to get their kids through college.

Asked where the name came from, Vespestad said, “We dream of barbecue and that smoke just fills our dreams.”

The 6th annual Pickin’ in the Panhandle takes place at the Lazy A Campground in Hedgesville.

Tickets for Pickin’ in the Panhandle are available at www.PanhandlePickin.com. Weekend passes cost $60, one day passes cost $25, and children ages 12 and under are admitted free. For additional more information about Pickin’ in the Panhandle, visit www.PanhandlePickin.com or follow them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PanhandlePickin.

The following are members of the Smoke Dreams team:

• Kirk Vespestad (team captain)
• Dwayne Allain
• Michael Burton
• Tim Butka
• Eric Woodall
• Luke Darnell 

 Learn more about the team on the Smoke Dreams BBQ website or its Facebook page.