The Party Q's win the grand championship at the 2008 Show Me State BBQ Cookoff winner's ceremony Saturday evening at the Delta Fair grounds in Kennett. [Click to enlarge]

After a day of nonstop grilling, smoking and roasting, teams were ready for the judgment.

At approximately 7 p.m., Saturday, June, 28, 2008, the Kennett Jaycees announced the winners of the 2008 cookoff. With more than $7,000 to be given away in cash, trophies and prizes, The Party Q's walked away at the end of the day as this year's Grand Champions.

Other teams to place included:

* Whole Hog -- second place, Yazoo Delta Q; third place, Old School Cookers; and fourth place went to Boat Club Castaways.

* Shoulder -- second place, Yazoo Delta Q; third place, Redneck Grillers; fourth place, Dr. Swinestein and the Porkaholics; and fifth place went to the Parrothead Porkers.

* Ribs -- second place, Parrothead Porkers; third place, The Rack Pack; fourth place, Pork-O-Saurus; and fifth place went to the Diamond D Cooking Team.

Prior to the announcement of the winners, judges visited each team's tent. From the moment the judges entered the team's tent, the judging began.

Local cookoff judge Dolph Riggs explained that, during an event such as the Jaycees' annual cookoff, some teams will meet with two separate sets of judges.

"First we do what we call "on sight" judging," Riggs said. "That's where judges go to each individual team's tent to judge them on various characteristics."

Riggs explained, "From the time the judges enter the tent, teams are judged by the following.

* Greeting. "Teams are judged on how they greet the judges."

* Overall appearance "They are judged on their overall appearance."

* Presentation. "The teams are judged on how their presentation of the meat is. "They explain what they did with the seasoning to give it the flavor they are looking for," Riggs said.

"As judges, we look at the smoke rings on the inside of the meat," he said. "If it's ribs we are judging on, we look at the white chalking on the bone."

Riggs said last but not least, each judge described his/her own overall impression of each team, from the time they were greeted at the door, to the appearance of the meat, to how the teams present their product to the judges.

"The first set of judges tally their votes to come up with the top three to be judged," Riggs said. "That's where the blind judging comes in."

He explained that, during the blind judging, judges are given a Styrofoam bucket with meat inside to sample. That is when the meat is judged by its appearance, its flavor, the tenderness and texture, and the overall taste.

This year's number one team according to the judges was the Party Q's, who also received first place trophies in the shoulder division and the whole hog. The Killer Hogs took home first place in the ribs division.

In addition to the teams that traveled to the Bootheel competition, there were several local teams to compete as well.

The Jaycees award a separate set of trophies for local competition as well. The Redneck Grillers, Shakers' Cookers and Porkies Porkers won various prizes, in addition to competing for the chance to win a free admission into next year's cook-off, which went to the Redneck Grillers.