The winds were blowing fast and furious on Sunday afternoon, Oct. 21 – but that didn’t stop the Honorable Menschen from smokin’ up a storm as they competed in the Holy Cow Kosher BBQ competition on Long Island. “The weather was outrageous with winds consistently blowing 25-40 mph,” says Josh Cohen, adding, “It was so bad that we had to take the tents down since they were blowing away.”

Cohen, who is director of the Connecticut Region BBYO, formed the Honorable Menschen with Aron Pinkussohn when the team decided to compete in the Southern New England Kosher BBQ Competition held in Fairfield a few years ago. “Our team is the official BBQ team of BBYO and is sponsored by BBYO,” says Cohen. This year, Jeff Ingber, manager of The Crown Market in West Hartford, joined the team, and Crown and Kosher Catch were also team sponsors. The 12 teams competing in the Holy Cow competition came from as far away as Florida and Chicago. Some included full-time chefs and BBQ competitors. Each team had to turn in four items: brisket, beef ribs, turkey and chicken.

“We were thrilled to place 5th in ribs and 4th in brisket,” says Cohen. “Kosher BBQ competitions are one of the best and most unique community events I’ve ever participated in,” says Cohen. “I’m hoping to bring one to Greater Hartford by 2020.”

CAP: The Honorable Menschen at the Holy Cow BBQ Competition in New York: (l to r)  Jeff Ingber, Josh Cohen, and Aron Pinkussohn.