The Kingsford® $40K Challenge
The $40k Insider
Grillin' on the River - Columbus, MS
Apr 18, 2011
Quau is at it again – taking on the barbeque world one competition at a time. The 2010 KCBS Team of the Year and the Kingsford Points Chase Grand Champion took home another grand championship last weekend at Grillin’ on the River in Columbus, Miss. They also took home first in brisket.
Quau is comprised of Mike and Beth Wozniak of Brimfield, Ill. The husband and wife team have been cooking competitively for 10 years and are gearing up for their 11th season.
The name Quau was originally BAR B Quau, which combined luau and barbeque.
“When we started, we used to enter booth decorating contests. We won several times by building a tiki bar style booth with all the Hawaiian accessories,” Mike said. “However, I never could get Beth to wear the coconut bra.”
Over the years, fellow BBQers shortened the name to Quau, and in 2007 they officially changed their name to Quau.
Quau has been competing since 2000 – starting with local rib fests, which feature their favorite KCBS category – ribs. On average, they compete in 30 contests each year. Last year, they competed in an impressive 37 KCBS sanctioned and points earning events and three invitational contests. This year they plan to compete in 30 contests.
When they’re not ‘queing up their award-winning barbeque, Mike and Beth love to fire up the grill for some ribeye steaks. To get the desired flavor, Mike prepares the meat by wiping it down with white vinegar and then seasoning with kosher salt and Weber’s Chicago Steak Seasoning. After letting the charcoal burn down to hot coals, Mike throws the ribeyes on the grill and cooks them to delicious perfection.
If you’re out on the BBQ trail this summer, look for Mike and Beth – maybe you can talk him into sharing some more of his barbeque secrets or talk Beth into modeling that coconut bra.
