Abshire takes 4th in St. Jude BBQ cookoff

Former World Champion Jambalaya and Cracklin champion T. Wayne Abshire of T-Wayne’s Cajun Cookin placed fourth overall in the St. Jude State Championship Bayou Bar-B-Que BCA State Championship at the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center Saturday.

Abshire placed second in the Pork Spare Ribs category, fifth in the Brisket category, and eighth in the Chili category.

Ascension Parish resident and Cracklin champion Erik Bonneval of Bonneval Foods in Sorrento placed ninth in the Chicken category.

The annual event raises funds for kids at St. Jude’s Hospital.

Thirty-eight teams competed in the two day event which began Friday night with live music provided and time donated by Trent Bourgeois and Kenny Cornett & Killin Time.

Darby Neaves of Naamans’s Mustard Sauce was named Grand Champion and John Zeigler of Pop’s Blazin’ Smokers was Reserve Grand Champion.

The event is sponsored by Cajun Industries, LLC.

Winners in the Kid’s Crew bar-b-que competition were Jackie and Hannah Wingo, Many and Mathew Abshire, and Ethan English.

Backyard Weekend Warriors Competition sauce winners were 1) Brandon Cox, 2) Jay Boy Solar, and 3) Jeff Woolf.

Backyard chicken category winners were 1) Chris Jacob, 2) Justin Brant, and 3) Brandon Brown.

Backyard rib winners were 1) Woody Cooks, 2) David Byrd, and 3) Jeff Woolf.

Sean Hebert of Hebert Steel Co. said the event raised a total of $39,351.84 for St. Jude’s.

He cited a long list of volunteers and donors who contributed to the successful competition and fundraising.

Doug Crumbrough and Dennis Green raised and presented a check for $11,792.34 to St. Jude, Hebert said.

Abshire and Doug Ritter helped raise $3,400 at the event Calcutta.

June Coco donated $2,462 raised from the sale of pralines, according to Hebert.

Others helping out were Wally Taillon of the Jambalaya Festival Association by donating the ingredients and cooking and helping serve a pot of jambalaya, and Jimmy Babin for frying fish and making bar-b-que sandwiches.

Representing sponsors included ICC, Performance Contractors, Carbis, Woodrow Wilson, Inc., Drago, Ends LLC, Hebert Construction and Westside Galv.

Donations were made by Hebert Steel Co., Storage Solutions, Central Hitch, Ascension Sheet Metal and Gonzales Hardware for a bar-b-que pit to be raffled in April.