At our house, barbecue is serious business.

Whether we are cooking ribs, chicken, brisket or a Boston butt, there is much discussion about sauces, mops, how long to smoke the meat, and of course, what type of wood to use to achieve the perfect amount of smoke.

We have tried countless barbecue restaurants, but I always think ours deserves top-notch status. That is why I am particularly excited to share this information with readers.

Have you ever been to one of those huge barbecue competitions? I haven’t, but I have seen plenty on television. They look like so much fun as the professional barbecue teams roll into town.

Teams set up their cooking stations, complete with giant smokers and many secret ingredients and recipes that took years to perfect. Everybody seems to be having so much fun and the food looks phenomenal. If tasting barbecue, sauces and desserts sounds like as much fun to you as it does to me, then keep reading.

Mark your calendars for Friday and Saturday and head over to the Cumming Fairgrounds. The National Barbecue Cup is coming to town to hold “Cue’N in Cumming.”

More than 80 professional teams have already registered and will be on site to battle for thousands of dollars in prize money … and to either maintain their winning status or fight for a place at the top. There will also be 50 or so amateur teams, so if you think you have what it takes, be sure and register to compete; but hurry, because spots are going fast.

Randall Bowman, chief organizer of the event, told me it’s going to be “big.”

Bowman said it is already the biggest Kansas City Barbecue Society event the state of Georgia has seen.

“We traveled around the country and went to these big competitions and we kept saying, we have got to bring this to Forsyth County, we have the perfect place to have it.”

Bowman’s mother, Pam, has been instrumental in helping him with the event.

“We wanted to not only bring this to the community, but we also wanted to help children in need,” she said.

All proceeds from the event will go to benefit Jesse’s House, Bald Ridge Boys Lodge and Forsyth County Community Connection.

Because this is going to be such a colossal event, there is a great need for volunteers. Besides having a great time while helping out the community, volunteers get a T-shirt and free admission.

Nicole Morgan, executive director of Community Connection, said this is such a great economic development opportunity for our community.

“We will need more than 200 volunteers to have a successful two days, so we really hope the community will come together to make this happen,” she said.

To volunteer, please sign up at www.connectforsyth.org. If you have any trouble signing up, please call (770) 205-1701.  Morgan said there are even volunteer slots for teens as young as 14. So if your child needs service hours or just wants to get involved, please encourage him or her to sign up.

Besides the amazing food, there will be many other things going on during the event. There will be a kids’ zone for the little ones, arts and crafts, music and more.

The judging of the barbecue, sauces and desserts is done by certified KCBS judges, but there will also be opportunities for attendees to vote for the best.

This is going to be a fabulous event and fun for the whole family. Please help spread the word to your friends and family and come out for this fun time. 

Bring your appetite!

Adlen Robinson is author of “Home Matters: The Guide to Organizing Your Life and Home.” E-mail her at contact@adlenrobinson.com.