Email   Print   Share By Erin Rogers, Sentinel Staff

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Guests of the Fort Hood Garrison BBQ wait in line behind the decorated booths, run by the installation’s directorates, for food Oct. 4. The decoration theme for the booths this year was Fort Hood’s 70th anniversary. Each directorate was competing for who decorated their serving booth the best in accordance with Fort Hood’s 70th anniversary, DPTMS took first, beating out DPW who had a booth decorated with timelines of Hood history and a “Camp Hood” gate reminiscent of Fort Hood’s first entry gate 70 years ago. DPW, DPTMS, FMWR and DHR were all cooking brisket, chicken, ribs and beans for the guests at the Garrison BBQ, but were also competing against each other in each category. The chicken, ribs, brisket and beans were all judged in a taste test by a panel of judges who didn’t know which of the four Fort Hood directorates each barbecue entry came from. DPW Took first for brisket and beans, while DHR took first for chicken and ribs. FMWR came in second with ribs and third for beans and chicken. DHR took second for brisket, and DPTMS second for beans. Placing third was FMWR for beans, brisket and chicken, and DPTMS for ribs. Daniel Cernero, Sentinel Staff

Teresa Maynard and Nixie Romero prepare the brisket for the DFMWR booth at the Fort Hood Garrison BBQ Oct. 4. Daniel Cernero, Sentinel Staff

Deanna Mueller points out to Mickey Steen one of the many displays showcasing Fort Hood’s 70-year history at the Fort Hood Garrison BBQ Oct. 4. Daniel Cernero, Sentinel Staff

Vicki Dean, on the DPW Natural Resources team, taps the ball back over the net during Fort Hood Garrison BBQ’s volleyball tournament Oct. 4. Daniel Cernero, Sentinel Staff

Greg Stimpson pulls out the grill grate for Tony Ingram to place the meat on for warmth at the DPTMS cooking station during the Fort Hood Garrison BBQ Oct. 4. Stimpson and Ingram, along with cooks from the other three Fort Hood directorates who entered the barbecue contest, cooked for more than 13 hours and had been preparing the food since the morning previous to the day of the Garrison BBQ. Daniel Cernero, Sentinel Staff

A volley is decided at the net as members of the DPW Outcasts attempt to block the ball being sent over from the DPW Natural Resources team in Fort Hood Garrison BBQ’s volleyball tournament Oct. 4. DPW had two teams competing in the volleyball tournament against each other and the teams from DPTMS, FMWR and DHR. First and second place were taken by both teams from DPW by the end of the day. Along with volleyball, games of horseshoes were going on throughout the event, as well. Daniel Cernero, Sentinel Staff

The annual Garrison BBQ took place at the Sportsman’s Center on Fort Hood Oct. 4 right before the four-day weekend to celebrate a day of fun, games and food.

The Garrison BBQ for this year took eight months to plan, and project manager Ben Lyons said it couldn’t have gone any better.

“We’ve been rained on at this barbecue before, but today the weather is perfect,” Lyons said, adding that weather is one of the only things a project manager can’t plan.

The food at the barbecue was prepared at the event site, and was done competition style like it is every year. The four competitors were from Fort Hood Directorate of Public Works, Fort Hood Directorate of Human Resources, Fort Hood Directore of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation, and Fort Hood Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security. Each of the organizations had to compete in four categories: beans, chicken, ribs and brisket.

Jason Weiss and Robert Johnson were the lead cooks of DFMWR’s barbecue entries, and Weiss said they had a legacy to live up to with their winning ribs from last year.

“Everyone has been out here since 7 a.m. yesterday, when we had to set up our grills and coolers to be ready to receive the food,” Weiss said, noting that all of the competitors probably only took 12- to 15-minute naps throughout the cooking. “It takes 13 hours just for brisket to cook, and that doesn’t include prep time.”

The barbecue was judged by a taste test, where Col. Matthew Elledge, garrison commander, was one of the judges.

“All of the food was so good, it was hard to choose in each category. It’ll be a tight race,” said Elledge, who, along with the other judges, tasted and judged each category without knowing which contestant it came from.

He also noted how the Garrison BBQ is a nice environment to be in because it’s relaxing, and no one is at work.

“This is such a great chance to take a break and enjoy each other’s company,” Elledge said.

By the end of the event, the results of the cook-off competition were as follows: DHR took first for ribs and chicken, and DPW took first for their brisket and their beans.