BBQ Classes with 4 Legs Up
BBQ champ, Kelly Wertz
Kelly has been cooking competitive BBQ for almost 20 years now. With well over 600
contests and 100’s of wins including the Jack Daniels World Invitational BBQ Championship,
he has seen just about everything. He has cooked on and won contests on, pellet grills, off-set cookers,
and drum cookers so He has the experience cooking on just about anything.
Kelly has done classes all over the United States including beginner BBQ classes, backyard BBQ classes, competition BBQ classes, sausage classes, grill classes and many others. He has a Masters degree in Ag Education and spent many years doing field and classroom education for farmers, ranchers and industry. So, he knows how to teach and get the point across to a variety of students.
All classes will be held at
Johnson County Fairgrounds
136 East Washington St, Gardner KS
The Art & Science of Competition BBQ
Limited to first 20 teams to sign up!
January 27 & 28, 2023
The Art and Science of Competition BBQ from meat selection all the way to judging and all the details of everything in between. In this class we will teach you the about the art and the science of becoming a Champion in BBQ competitions. We will start with meat selection and trimming and work our way through everything including seasoning, injections and what to cook on and what not to cook on. We run this class just like a KCBS BBQ competition and you will get to see and taste everything we do with no questions left hanging!
THE SCHEDULE
The Art & Science of Competition BBQ
FRIDAY
2:00 PM Sharp
Meat selection, meat prep, and presentation boxes.
10:00 PM
Evening Break!
(or whenever we are done for the evening)
Friday supper and Saturday light breakfast provided.
ELECTRONIC RECORDING DEVICES AND CAMERAS (INCLUDING CELL PHONES) WILL NOT BE PERMITTED.
SATURDAY
5:00 AM
Reconvene.
12:00 NOON
Chicken turn in.
12:30 PM
Rib turn in.
1:00 PM
Pork turn in.
1:30 PM
Brisket turn in.
1:45 PM
Re-cap and questions
2:30 PM
Class over - or until all questions are answered.
The Art & Science of BBQ 301
A Hands-on Class
Limited to first 12 teams to sign up!
February 24 & 25, 2023
This class is designed for beginner to intermediate BBQ’ers, those who are cooking Backyard Competitions and those who are new to KCBS BBQ Competitions.
We bring the meat; chicken, ribs, pork and brisket and you bring your cookers. The first day we will have class and go through meat selection, meat prep, injections, seasonings and everything prior to cooking. The second day you will fire up your cooker and cook all the meat you have prepped and get it ready to be judged by certified KCBS Judges in the afternoon.
You will get to watch the judging process and interact with the judges after each meat category.
What you will do:
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Bring your own smoker
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Trim and cook your own brisket
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Trim and cook your own pork butt
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Trim and cook your own ribs
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Trim and cook your own chicken
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Get tips and techniques from champion BBQ’ers
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Have your meat evaluated by a panel of certified BBQ judges
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Take home the meat you cook!
What you need to bring:
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Your cooker
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Everything you need to cook chicken, ribs, pork & brisket
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Boning & slicing knife
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Generator if you need power
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Pencil & paper for notes
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A Positive fun attitude!
What you will learn:
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The basics of:
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Smoking/Barbecuing
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Meat Cuts
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Meat Quality
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Brines & Marinades
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Sauces
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Rubs & Seasonings
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Knife Skills
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Beginner to advanced competition BBQ techniques
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Many insights into competition judging
THE SCHEDULE
The Art & Science of BBQ 301
FRIDAY
11:00 AM -2:00 PM
Set up your cooker and your site.
2:00 PM CLASS STARTS
Brisket trimming, injecting and seasoning.
Pork trimming, injecting and seasoning.
Pork Rib trimming, injecting and seasoning.
Chicken trimming, injecting and seasoning.
Supper will be provided
Prep your cooker
10:00 pm BED Time!
ELECTRONIC RECORDING DEVICES AND CAMERAS (INCLUDING CELL PHONES) WILL NOT BE PERMITTED.
SATURDAY
Breakfast will be provided
5:30 AM
Light your cookers.
Cook Brisket
Cook Pork
Cook Pork Ribs
Cook Chicken
2:00 PM - JUDGING STARTS
Chicken Judging
Rib Judging
Pork Judging
Brisket Judging
5:00 PM
We should be done.
Sausage Making 101
CLASS ONE
January 29, 2023
CLASS TWO
February 26, 2023
This Class is So Good We Are Offering It Twice!
LEARN THE ART OF SAUSAGE MAKING WITH KELLY WERTZ
In this class you will learn about:
Sausage Making Equipment
All About Casings
Stuffing
Fresh & Smoked Sausage.
MAKE AND TAKE HOME YOUR OWN FRESH SAUSAGE!