Crime & Safety

Setauket FD Volunteer is Finalist in National BBQ Competition

Kevin Thornton wants the community to vote for his "West End Truck Slow Cooked Ribs."

Kevin Thornton said he's never won a contest before, but that could all change this week.

The 15-year resident of Three Village and Setauket Fire Department volunteer is a finalist in a national competition to find America’s “best firehouse BBQ,” sponsored by TreeTop apple juice.

Thornton entered his own original recipe in the contest, which he saw in an online newsletter. “I basically put in all the spices that I like and enjoy cooking with,” he said. He mostly cooks for his wife Kathleen and children Bridgette, Trevor, Sarah, and Jack, and for family events.

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He was selected last week as one of 10 national finalists.

If Thornton wins, the $10,000 prize will be donated to a few local organizations, including the Stony Brook University Hospital Burn Center, Stony Brook University Hospital Children with Cancer, Stony Brook University Hospital Children with Juvenile Diabetes, and the Setauket FD 9/11 Memorial.

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Supporters may vote once per day until July 29, when voting ends. As of Tuesday afternoon, Thornton was in second place with his video, “The West End Truck Slow Cooked Ribs.” Videos can be viewed online at http://americasbestfirehousebbq.com. If the community response to the in the Vans Custom Culture sneaker design competition is any indication, Three Village may have what it takes to help Thornton roast his competition.

According to the contest rules, a panel of judges will determine the winner of the grand prize, and a “people’s choice” award of  $1,000 will go to the contestant with the most number of votes if it differs from the judges' choice.


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