MINOCQUA - Herds of meat lovers, and a smokey haze drifted through downtown Minocqua while 20 pound rump roasts sizzled alongside the curb…

Serving up over a ton of beef is serious business for some roasters. This year's competition was carved into 3 categories.

"’Rare’, which were our first year roasters; ‘Seasoned’, which were 1-9 years experience; and 10 plus years were the ‘Well Done’ roasters," said Kim Baltus, Director of the Minocqua Chamber of Commerce.

"I've been doing it for over 17 years, but the bank [US Bank] has been doing it for many more years, said roaster, Barb Newman, “I think they're going to say I have a winner!"

New roaster Paul Bergin felt just as confident though, “We marinated it overnight, and then marinated it again all morning,” he said, “So we've been up since 5, cooking all day. It should be great... It's all about the marinade!"

Picking a winner from all the juicy entrees was one Channel 12 reporter's toughest, but tastiest, assignment yet.

"As far as the roasts, there are at least 4 that could be #1,” said beef judge Lex Gray, “Before today, I was a reporter, and now I'm going to switch careers and be a full-time beef judge," she said with a smile.

After the official tastings, roasters took their creations on parade, this year to the beat of the Badgers Marching band.

And finally, spectators tasted the entries themselves. All the carefully grilled rump roasts are carved and served as sandwiches.

For the non-profit groups that take part, Beef-A-Rama helps beef up their fundraising, and gives back to the community.

"Some of the proceeds go back to these non-profit organizations that help us, and we also use part of the proceeds from Beef-A-Rama to help us with our 4th of July Celebration," said Baltus.

Story By: Kailey Burton