Flying Beef Brisket Smacks Woman At Barbecue Festival, Hot Meat Assault Ends In Wanton Endangerment Charges

A woman was treated for burns at the Kentucky Barbecue Festival in Danville after a flying beef brisket struck her in the neck as two pit masters scuffled over space on a grill.

The incident occurred on Sunday morning as competing cooks prepared their beef briskets for the day’s competition, according to CBS News. The festival layout required multiple cooks to share the same cookers, leaving some of the chefs frustrated over others hogging the grills. Frustration rose as competing cooks refused to give way to others and tempers quickly flared.

Police Sargent Jonathan Courtwright responded to the flying meat incident and reported on the scuffle between D-Bo’s and Firehouse BBQ.

“The employee at D-Bo’s picked up a brisket out of the cooker and tossed it toward the Firehouse camp.”

Mike Owings, 42, was responsible for throwing the hot meat and hitting a female worker from Firehouse BBQ in the neck with the brisket. The beef was estimated to be between 200 and 250 degrees, leaving burns to the woman’s neck and shoulders. She was treated on the scene by EMS officials. According to WRAL, the woman, named Mary Berry, was okay after treatment.

Owings was arrested for his part in the assault and was charged with second-degree wanton endangerment. He was held in the Boyle County jail until Monday afternoon, missing out on the competition. Owings stated that he did not mean to hurt anyone during his tirade and simply wanted to show his frustration. Berry’s position during the tantrum was unfortunate, and he is sorry that she was injured.

Competitive cooking is a cut-throat business, and frustrations are often vocalized when things do not go according to plan. Owings did not share why he chose to toss the beef brisket, rather than report the incident to the judges or other authorities.

Firehouse BBQ did release any statements on the issue, nor did they report on the condition of Mary Berry after the event.

The individuals that run the event have not revealed if there will be changes next year, allowing each brisket cooker to have his or her own grill, or what caused the cooks to share grills this year.

The Kentucky Barbecue Festival occurs every year and is already gearing toward next year’s events. It draws in crowds of individuals from across the United States that are willing to experience home-cooked Kentucky barbecue from all of the vendors that participate.

[Photo by Sarah Glenn/Getty Images Sport]