KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Though the American Royal canceled its World Series of Barbecuedue to the coronavirus pandemic, one event continued on Sunday.
“Best Rub on the Planet,” the world’s largest barbecue rub contest, took place at the American Royal Center and featured more than 250 rubs.
Kim Palmer, director of event management at the American Royal Association, said the event was a way for people to feel like tradition is continuing through the pandemic.
“This is something that we invest in every single year and it is important,” Palmer said. “We say that we are all united by barbecue because even if we are not able to get together like we would in the past, we can all be united by barbecue.
Submissions came from 30 states and six countries, and 45 judges taste-tested the entries.
The competition supports youth scholarships and agricultural education programs.
