Celebrity grilling at the FIRE&FOOD BBQ Week
On the weekend of May 6th to 8th, 2022, the international barbecue scene met at the FIRE&FOOD BBQ Week. Around 5,000 visitors from all parts of Germany, Austria and Switzerland - including the two "lions" Ralf Dümmel and Georg Kofler - used this unique trade fair event in the Swabian Alb to inform, network and celebrate together.
The European BBQ magazine FIRE&FOOD called for a very special barbecue event to mark its 20th anniversary - and well-known national and international grill manufacturers such as Napoleon, Big Green Egg, Outdoorchef, Rösle, Kamado Joe, Traeger, Monolith and the oldest German grill brand Landmann each presented their version of a trendy grill and BBQ lifestyle. "Newbies" such as Ignium, Flare and Flexocube also showed their very high-quality and exclusive grills and outdoor kitchens.
Appetizing smoke and roasted aromas lured visitors to a journey of adventure and discovery at BBQ Week, which took place from May 6th to 8th, 2022 at the Albgut "altes Lager" in Münsingen on the Swabian Alb. The smoke signals were visible from afar and led visitors to culinary delights of a particularly tasty kind. The delicious roasted aromas were created by top-class and TV-famous pitmasters such as Lucki Maurer, David Pietralla, Nils Jorra, Karl-Heinz Drews and many others. They demonstrated their skills in the form of highly sought-after samples and passed on their knowledge in exclusive master classes as well as in entertaining and educational grill shows.
Visitors also took the opportunity to take a close look at various types of grills and matching accessories. These included camping grills, fire plates, gas grill stations, ceramic grills, smokers and fully equipped outdoor kitchens. In addition to grills that are fired with traditional fuels such as gas or charcoal, innovative pellet smokers and a new generation of electric grills aroused great interest.
Anyone who wanted to look a little beyond the topic could get a new tattoo or be pampered by a barber, and also got their money's worth with a gin and whiskey tasting or enjoying a good cigar or pipe. "On Saturday and Sunday in particular, it was clear that people were really longing for an event like this," says FIRE&FOOD publisher Elmar Fetscher, explaining the positive response from visitors to the trade fair. With a varied program that thrilled young and old alike, the BBQ Week literally set the Swabian Alb ablaze.
Top-class competitions for big pitmasters and little grill masters
Experienced grillers and barbecuers competed on Saturday at the FIRE&FOOD Dutch Oven Cook off in a 2-pot competition (main course and dessert) and an additional “Deckel pur” course. The “Boandlkramer BBQ” team took first place in the overall ranking, while the “Allgaier Dopfer” won in the “Deckel pur” category.
The SCA Steak Cook-Off and the SCA Ancillary Burger Contest took place on Sunday. Daniel Raeder from Leverkusen emerged victorious in the fine art of steak grilling, and the best burger was served by Oliver Crämer from Bergisch-Gladbach.
On both days, the young grillers also showed off their culinary talent at the KidsQ grill competition organized by the grill manufacturer Napoleon. All competitions were met with great interest from spectators - and anyone who felt like trying out the grill tongs in a competitive manner will have another chance next year in May. After three exciting days of trade fairs and events, the conclusion of exhibitors, visitors and the BBQ Magazine FIRE&FOOD as organizer was: "The spark has been ignited, we'll be back in 2023!"