People are lined up to get ribs from the V Licious BBQ team Saturday, Sept. 3 during the I Love BBQ and Music Festival at the North Elba Show Grounds in Lake Placid. (Provided photo — Naj Wikoff)

COVID hit the barbecue festival circuit hard. Across the United States, many festivals closed as the number of teams cut back, as did the numbers of people attending.

Festivals located along northern border states took an especially hard hit with the closing of the U.S.-Canada border, which blocked both teams and visitors from coming south. In New York state, such classics as the Buffalo and Hudson Valley festivals closed, each having been in the business for over 20 years. Now the only barbecue festival sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbeque Society still operating in the state is Lake Placid’s I Love BBQ and Music Festival over Labor Day weekend, led by Dmitry Feld.

The event, held Sept. 2 to 4 at the North Elba Show Grounds, is an annual fundraiser for the Shipman Youth Center in Lake Placid.

What remains true is the quality of the barbecue ribs, pulled pork and other dishes being cranked out by the pit masters and their crews, a finger-licking high. On Saturday, Sept. 3, the Buck-A-Rib contest for people’s choice had long lines at the stands, with many coming back for seconds.

The Risk It For Brisket team, up from Hicksville, Long Island, for their first year of competing, represents a second-generation barbecue team. Pit chief Kyle Kowalski’s dad and uncle started the team over 20 years ago. They passed the mantel to the second generation along with their essential recipes and limited advice. Kyle’s interest was whetted when his dad and uncle entered him in a youth division contest, which he ended up winning, setting the hook so much that he went on to culinary school.

Mackenzie Symonds puts on finishing touches to her Ukrainian stuffed apples. (Provided photo — Naj Wikoff)

“Fun, that’s what I get out of barbecuing,” said Kyle. “It’s not financially lucrative; it’s just a lot of fun.”

Supporting and assisting Kyle are his mother Ruth, aunt Michelle and brother Cole. Ruth and Michelle used to cook alongside their husbands and now claim they are retired and just along to support the morale of the two young chefs. Ruth and Michelle said their husbands did it just for the joy of cooking and the many wonderful people they’ve met over the years.

“Kyle and I took over willingly,” said Cole Kowalski. “We’d wanted to step in for a while. We had hoped to start a couple of years ago, but COVID reduced the opportunities, so we are just getting more involved now. Cooking is fun, plus it gets us together as I live in Connecticut, and he’s in New York.”

Cooking brisket is not easy, as a brisket has two aspects, the flat, which is leaner, often sold in grocery stores and often used for making corned beef or pastrami, and the point, which has more fat content. What makes cooking brisket challenging is the chefs are working with two different muscles with two different fat contents. Thus, they must work to avoid the flat coming out too dry as they cook them simultaneously in a smoker for 10 to 12 hours or more.

The brisket and ribs served at the I Love BBQ and Music Festival are not drenched in a sauce as is so often the case in restaurants, as they don’t want to smother the flavors that come from the kind of wood used in the smoker, the rub used on the meats and the benefits of slow cooking. The sauce’s purpose is to accent those flavors, resulting in very tender meat that’s a pleasure to eat.

Matthew Symonds puts on finishing touches to his Ukrainian doughnuts. (Provided photo — Naj Wikoff)

The outcome of the Youth Division impressed the judges. The meat was hot dogs, and the product the kids turned in can’t be found in any roadside stand, convenience store or national chain like Nathan’s Famous. Custom-created, lace-like buns, an array of toppings dazzling to see and taste, not to mention the slow-cooked, delicately seasoned dogs. These marvels were followed up with Ukrainian desserts; they, too, were impressive by any standard.

“Mackenzie and her cousin Alyza came up with their recipe of stuffed apples for the Ukrainian dessert,” said mother, Jessica Symonds. “Mackenzie found the recipe and cooked, decorated the apples, and planned their presentation; all aspects, and had a great time doing it. My husband started barbecuing right when our son Matthew, 13, was born. Our son is also competing; he’s making a Ukrainian dessert doughnut for his entry.

“I like everything about cooking,” said Matthew. “I am competing against my sister and cousin.”

His grandmother Debra Lancor praised Matthew’s attention to detail, noting that he maintains an herb garden and grows tomatoes and a range of other vegetables. In the end, Mackenzie and Alyza took first place, and Matthew finished a close second. Complimenting their achievements, the People’s Choice Buck-a-Rib contest was won by Steve’s Prime BBQ pitmaster Cameron Symonds, Mackenzie and Matthew’s dad, assisted his brother Patrick, Alyza’s dad.

“The youth division was tough,” said judge Tim Robinson. “The hot dogs were delicious and creative, and the desserts had a Ukrainian theme.

Canadian barbecue team of Greg Lundy and Cheryl Martineau of Ottawa (Provided photo — Naj Wikoff)

Meanwhile, the Buck-a-Rib contest was in full swing.

“We liked the Live Q or Die’s apple pie ribs the best so far,” said Abby McAdams of Boston in line with Joe Pizzuto. “All the ribs have been delicious, and for a dollar a rib, can’t beat that.”

Two bikers, Christian and Jean-Luc Docet from Montreal, praised the barbecue, and they said they plan to be back. They love the winding roads, the scenery, the people they’ve met, and the re-opened border. They urge the festival association to promote the barbecue with Montreal and other biker associations as bikers love barbecue.

They were not the only Canadians to come down. Greg Lundy and Cheryl Martineau of Ottawa brought their cooking skills and entered the contest, including the Buck-A-Rib event. They’ve been competing for eight or nine years and had planned to come last year, but the closed border prevented that. They noted that not only many festivals had closed, but many teams had given up. They credit Feld for keeping this festival going.

“Dmitry’s fantastic,” said Greg Lundy. “He’s another reason we love coming here; he’s such a nice guy. He’s a great ambassador for Lake Placid.”

Christian and Jean-Luc Docet from Montreal (Provided photo — Naj Wikoff)

“I think our passion for the event, the community in Lake Placid, and the Shipman Youth Center is the first thing,” said Feld. “And we are proud of what we’ve been doing for 16 years and our barbecue teams. It’s all about love. Why would we want to stop? Everybody working together makes this possible. Lake Placid Police, Electric and Fire Department, and Volunteer Ambulance. Village of Lake Placid and town of North Elba. Butch Martin and the Park District. They all provide all kinds of support. We cannot thank them enough.”

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(Naj Wikoff lives in Keene Valley. He has been covering events for the News for more than 15 years.)