Dillon – A sweet, smoky tease tickled the nostrils just after pulling off I-70 at the Silverthorne exit. This wasn’t the usual fast-food, strip-mall fare travelers tend to find in this condo community just west of the Eisenhower Tunnel. Something was happening in Dillon, and that something had a smell so strong it overpowered highway exhaust.
Clusters of white tents flanked by smoking black drums dotted the village plaza at the center of town. A state championship cook-off and eating bazaar, BBQ at the Summit is a thrifty meat-lover’s affair. For a dollar or two, each of roughly 75 booths will give you a small plate of any of the spiced and smoked meats on their menu.
Here is one eater’s journal from an evening in pursuit of the perfect spice rub:
First stop, the BBQ for U chuck wagon, whose sign featured a smiling pig with wings hovering over an open fire in the mountains. A dollar garnered a taste of barbecue beef with a choice of two rich, brick-colored sauces – one hot, one mild. The hot sauce won many over with its creep-off-the-spoon consistency.
Next stop, a less flashy folding table with a menu scrawled in marker, run by Brooks Smokehouse in Aurora. Brooks’ barbecue chicken leg had a crispy skin tasting of cumin and Jamaican jerk spices. The sauce was thinner, redder and more tomato-y than some, but its visible spices left a peppery fresh aftertaste.
The Roosterville Smokin’ Cocks from Kansas City, Mo., served cuts of sausage the girth of a water glass. Roosterville’s Cajun sausage was blackened to a crisp while the middle of the link remained soft and pink. Each bite had a reasonable sting that lingered on the tongue.
After a short walk, BBQ for U called this eater back like an aproned siren. The beef brisket was so tender that meat fell apart without effort.
The pulled pork from Biggins BBQ in Estes Park was soft enough to feed a baby. Its sauce melded with the meat, which was flavored with a subtle smokiness.
Old-fashioned country music played in the background as the family team from Winter Park behind Smokin Mo’s dished up ribs with a brown molasses dressing that oozed from the corners of tasters’ mouths.
There was something less traditional at the tropical-themed Aloha Grill booth from Longmont: pulled pork in hard taco shells. This idea could work with smart toppings and fresh tortillas. But store-bought taco shells? No.
As stomachs seemed to grow smaller and the haze of home-cooked goodness settled in, it was impossible not to ponder how slight variations on basic ingredients seemed to boost the best offerings at this annual munching marathon.
Brenda Cameron, “Head Hog” of the Rotary Club of Summit County, which has run BBQ at the Summit for a decade, said the top barbecue cooks tend to start with a basic spice rub and then make it their own with a simple, secret ingredient.
“To me the rub is really key,” said Cameron, who has judged the American Royal Barbecue Contest in Kansas City, Mo., widely considered the World Series of the smoker challenges.
“The sauce is like the icing,” she said.
But while there were winners and losers at this festival, it seemed doubtful prizes mattered much to the many satisfied festival-goers wandering the streets of Dillon with messy faces and greasy fingers.
Staff writer Elana Ashanti Jefferson can be reached at 303-820-1957 or ejefferson@denverpost.com.
