For a competition that literally goes up in smoke every year, the СAPPСAPPs Office of Veteran and Military Student ServicesСAPP signature fundraising event has proven an overwhelming success.
The Food Network TV show СAPPBBQ USAСAPP agrees. It will feature Operation Smoke Sheaux, a barbecue cook-off that supports UL LafayetteСAPPs members of the military, veterans and their dependents. The first airing of the TV showСAPPs episode will be Monday, Aug. 7. Broadcasts will also air on Tuesday, Aug. 8; Monday, Aug. 14; and Saturday, Aug. 26.
СAPPBattle on the BayouСAPP was filmed during СAPPBBQ USAСAPP host Michael SymonСAPPs visit to Operation Smoke Sheaux, which was held in March at PocheСAPPs RV Park near Breaux Bridge, La. World renowned chef Symon, according to the СAPPBBQ USAСAPP website, travels СAPPthe country to check out some of the most-esteemed СAPPcue competitions and try the meaty masterpieces theyСAPPre famous for.СAPP
Operation Smoke Sheaux delivered. About 60 of СAPPthe most competitive of competitive barbecuersСAPP from the region and other states served up more than tasty spare ribs, brisket and chicken, explained UL LafayetteСAPPs Ryan Gonzales, assistant director of Veteran and Military Student Services.
There was a special smoked gumbo competition the evening before the Saturday barbecue contest, a nod to host SymonСAPPs request to cook one of LouisianaСAPPs most distinctive dishes. Competitors СAPP and attendees who paid to sample the fare on Saturday СAPP danced to Zydeco music from Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band.
Pitmasters also consider the competition a social event. Many arrived early in RVs to set up and swap stories and laughs СAPP but likely not recipes. Operation Smoke Sheaux is fiercely contested СAPP for bragging rights, a slice of $10,000 in prize money, and a chance to advance to national competition. СAPPIt has a festival-like atmosphere and, since our areaСAPPs barbecue is different from anywhere else, we hope that it can help put us on the map as a go-to barbecue destination like Kansas City or St. Louis,СAPP Gonzales said.
Operation Smoke Sheaux was launched in 2021. ItСAPPs carried out thanks to collaboration between UL LafayetteСAPPs СAPP and the , a local nonprofit that sanctions barbecue contests. UL LafayetteСAPPs Dr. Andy Hollerman, interim associate director of the and a professor in the , is BCA president.
Competitor entry fees, attendees, and sponsor contributions fund Operation Smoke Sheaux. Everything is donated, from the meat and music to the location and student volunteer efforts, which included cooking jambalaya. The event has raised more than $29,000 since its inception. Funds go into a UL Lafayette Foundation account. The account supports Office of Veteran and Military Student Services events such as its annual crawfish boil and a pool party for student veterans.
It has also, Gonzales explained, enabled the creation of an СAPPemergency fundСAPP to help student veterans facing extreme hardship, including with health issues or natural disaster recovery. The efforts are important to Gonzales, a U.S. Army National Guard veteran. СAPPWeСAPPre truly grateful for the support of the event and our student veterans and participation from the community that has allowed us to thrive and grow,СAPP he said.
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Photo caption: The Food NetworkСAPPs СAPPBBQ USAСAPP TV show will feature UL LafayetteСAPPs Office of Veteran and Military Student ServicesСAPP signature fundraising event СAPP Operation Smoke Sheaux. The barbecue contest will air during several upcoming episodes of СAPPBattle on the Bayou.СAPP Episodes will be broadcast on Monday, Aug. 7; Tuesday, Aug. 8; Monday, Aug. 14; and Saturday, Aug. 26. Photo credit: Doug Dugas / СAPP