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June 2, 2021The Big Smoke—the competitive, meat smoking event created in 2017 by the Serra Club of North Central North Dakota as a benefit to seminarians and others in religious vocation in the Bismarck Diocese—will rise again from the ashes of the pandemic on Monday, June 28 in Minot.
Last held in 2019, the 2021 version will be in a new venue with some new features the club president, Mike Ruelle, feels will add to its interest and draw more patrons.
“We are grateful to North Dakota State Fair officials for making it possible for us to stage the Big Smoke in the Flickertail Gardens on the State Fairgrounds this year. The layout of the facility will allow traffic to flow more smoothly both inside and outside, and at the same time enable competitors to roast their entries as competition judges and patrons move among them,” Ruelle said.
Members of the Minot Knights of Columbus, longtime supporters of seminarians, will assist Serra Club members in the competition.
“The Big Smoke is a great opportunity for people to visit with priests, deacons, seminarians and monks in an informal setting,” Ruelle added.
A Mass for religious vocations will be celebrated at 12:15 p.m. at St. Leo the Great. According to Fr. Jordan Dosch, vocations director for the diocese, there currently are 22 young men from the diocese studying for the priesthood. He expects several of them to be in Minot for the Mass and to participate in Big Smoke activities. A contingent of monks from Assumption Abbey at Richardton also is expected to be on hand for the Big Smoke.
The event will get under way at 5 p.m. Brisket is the meat chosen for roasting competition. Competitors will provide samples of their brisket in the hope of obtaining guests’ votes for the People’s Choice Award. Ribs and pulled pork will be served for the dinner, along with the usual accompaniments and beverages. Meats for the Big Smoke come from Valley Custom Meats in Minot.
A new and separate entry in the competition this year is the sauce that accompanies the meat. Ruelle emphasized the sauce must be homemade; commercial sauces will not be allowed. Entry is open to anyone interested and is not limited to the teams competing in the major event. Judges will sample the sauce as well as the brisket.
Also new this year is a door prize—donated from I. Keating Furniture World in Minot—of an outdoor patio set that includes a sofa, loveseat and two chairs.
Event details include:- Currently, 10 teams are committed to the competition. Others interested in forming a team may contact Tom Magnuson at 701-509-4916 or 701-389-0572. The entry fee is $100 per team; entry in the sauce competition is $25.
- Tickets to the Big Smoke are $35 per adult and $80 per family that includes parents with children up to age 18. For tickets, contact Ruelle at 701-839-4365 or 701-340-2915, or Karen Johnson at 701-240-5561.
- Cash prizes of $250 for first place and $150 for runner-up in both judges and people’s choice categories in the meat competition will be awarded. Cash prizes in the sauce competition will be $200 and $100.