A kosher cooking newbie learns the ropes

Members of kosher barbecue team Meatzvah Men gather after prepping their food at B'Nai Torah in Sandy Springs. The team competed in the fourth annual Atlanta Kosher Barbecue competition on Sept. 25. From left: Steve Kaufman, Mitch Frank, Kirk Pardue, Stan Schnitzer, Jeff Marlowe. Photo by: Ligaya Figueras

Credit: Yvonne Zusel

Credit: Yvonne Zusel

Members of kosher barbecue team Meatzvah Men gather after prepping their food at B'Nai Torah in Sandy Springs. The team competed in the fourth annual Atlanta Kosher Barbecue competition on Sept. 25. From left: Steve Kaufman, Mitch Frank, Kirk Pardue, Stan Schnitzer, Jeff Marlowe. Photo by: Ligaya Figueras

Well, I can check off one more item from my bucket list: I competed in a barbecue competition.

It was me and the Meatzvah Men on a quest to take top honors at the fourth annual Atlanta Kosher Barbecue Competition and Festival, held Sept. 25 at Brook Run Park in Dunwoody. That’s right, this was no ordinary meat throwdown — it was a kosher competition.

When team member Stan Schnitzer extended the offer, I told him that backyard barbecue wasn’t my culinary strength. Moreover, this gentile had never knowingly cooked anything kosher.

Find out more about what cooking kosher means by watching the video, and read more about AJC food editor Ligaya Figueras' adventures in kosher cooking here

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