At the championship site, Druskininkai residents and guests could watch the ingenuity of the grill masters, learn about barbecues, and, of course, taste the extraordinary taste of meat and fish dishes or even desserts prepared on the barbecue, according to the organisers' report.
The grills were used for both fish and sweets
On the banks of the Nemunas, barbecue coals heated up the already hot resort air for two days. The main prize of the championship, the "Geros valios 2018" cup, was won by the guests from Belarus "Grill Smokers", the resort hosts "Dangaus skliautas", the teams griliai.lt and "Proflame" from Kaunas.
The international championship was organised by the Druskininkai City Municipality Administration, the Lithuanian Barbecue and Grill Association and the International Barbecue and Grill Federation. The grill professionals demonstrated their skills and ingenuity by preparing pork, beef, poultry, fish dishes and dessert.
To select the best of the championship, the jury members assessed the overall appearance, taste, tenderness and juiciness of the dish and other nuances of the dishes that only true grill professionals know.
The spectators were also rewarded
The main prize of the championship - an impressive glass flame sculpture "Cup of Goodwill 2018", a cash prize and a grill - went to the team from Kaunas.
The teams were rewarded not only for their culinary skills. Guests from Belarus were the winners of three nominations. They were recognised as the safest team, the most resourceful and the team with the best image.
Throughout the championship weekend, the judges were also watching the spectators. They also received a special award. The prize for the most active spectator of the championship went to Vadimas from Druskininkai, who spent both days of the championship among the tents of the competing teams, munching, tasting, and enjoying the intricacies of the grill.
The smells came off the bikes
There was plenty to see and hear at the Championships. "We were very lucky. We found a real treasure while walking on the banks of the Nemunas. We are very interested in cooking on the grill, so to meet a whole bunch of professionals who are so generous with their experience and grill secrets... We are lucky babies," said a business couple from Moscow, holidaying in Druskininkai, who were delighted to share their impressions.
Everything was enough: fire, water and feast.
The smell of barbecue steaks made the people from Kaunas get off their bikes. "We talked to the teams. We got a lot of valuable information on what is most important when preparing healthy and tasty food. You can't find that on the internet", said Vytautas Pažemeckas.
The judges are long-time professionals
The championship was judged by independent judges led by Galina Bovševič, also known as "Mama BBQ", because Galina is a true professional in this field. She has been competing in World and European Championships for thirteen years and has achieved impressive personal success.
"Although this is the first championship organised by the Lithuanian Barbecue and Grill Association, it hasn't really "gone stale". The event is well organised. The stage, decorated with mini grills with herbs, and the live anthem of the grill masters, specially created for this championship, were worth it alone. A feast was created for us, the participants, the guests and the visitors. Often in such tournaments there is a sense of tension and unnecessary rush, but here everything was calm and festive. There was enough of everything: fire, water and feast. The venues for the teams were perfectly set up: identical tents, identical grills, charcoal and tables, the teams had nothing to worry about, they just had to roll up their sleeves and get on with the cooking. I left the championship in a great mood and relaxed," said G. Bovševič.
The visitors were amazed by the steam grill
Visitors to the championship could not only catch a glimpse of the latest grill models, talk to grill professionals, but also taste the dishes prepared by the masters themselves.
The centre of attention was the BBQ Mates steam engine, designed, manufactured and patented in Great Britain by Nerijaus Navickas and his team.
A queue of people queued up to taste the food prepared in such an unusual way in the "steam engine". The charismatic grill was hosted and the equally charismatic Nerijus Ižganaitis, the Lithuanian grill champion and fourth place winner in Europe, treated everyone to his steaks. According to Nerijus, fifty kilograms of meat were grilled and every last bite was eaten during the whole event.
Guests promised to return
Guests from Belarus, who attended the Championships, had kind words for the organisers. They crossed the borders and, despite all the obstacles, were in a cheerful mood on Saturday morning to face the competition on the championship field. By the way, their youngest grill fan Artiomas, the son of the team captain, was by their side throughout the event.
As the youngest participant, not yet two years old, he was awarded a special prize by the organisers - a children's grill. "It's now his favourite toy. Artiomas comes home and grills from morning till night," said his dad, Gerasim Jerošenko, captain of the Grill Smokers team.
"We are very happy that we were able to come to the 2018 Goodwill Championship. It was an elegant venue, impeccable organisation of the event, friendly atmosphere. I would like to especially note the level of organisation of the championship - everything was thought out down to the smallest detail and exceptionally aesthetic. Although we did not win the main prize, we are very happy and will be happy to return to Lithuania. We take away a lot of positive emotions, so we are very grateful to the organisers," said G. Yeroshenko, captain of the Belarusian team.
