Think you’ve got the best barbecue in the Big Country?

Then the “Death to Summer Meat Fest” is looking for you. The Abilene Reporter-News is holding its first annual barbecue contest to properly bid farewell to summer — with a lot of meat and a challenge.

The mission: Drop-off a sampling of your best, be it chicken, brisket or ribs, and your recipe between 5 and 6 p.m. on August 24 to the Reporter-News, 101 Cypress St. (We need two servings of the meat. No side dishes please.)

Who: Any amateur barbecue connoisseur in the Big Country. Sorry, no professionals or relatives of Reporter-News employees.

Judging: KTXS anchor George Levesque, Reporter-News columnist Janet Van Vleet, Rock 108 D.J. Frank Pain, 9th Bomb Squadron Commander Lt. Col. Rob Maness and local restaurant owner Sharon Allen are the Meat Fest judges. They will scrutinize your masterpiece based on overall taste, presentation, sauce originality and meat tenderness.

What’s at stake: The first place winner will take home a Thermos tailgate grill/cooler combo valued at $200. Second place receives $75 cash and third place gets dinner for two at Lytle Land & Cattle Co. and Sharon’s Barbeque & Catering.
The top three winners will be featured in the Reporter-News; all will be showcased online.

The title and the pride: Winners are announced Aug. 31 — just in time for Labor Day and a weekend of outdoor cooking.

How to step-up: Register for the contest here by clicking on the link at the top of the page. You can submit questions, too. The contest registration deadline is midnight Aug. 19.

And don't forget to e-mail me recipes (by CLICKING HERE) you'd like to see on the site. (Just no barbecue, please! We'll get plenty of that in a few weeks, right?)