Who are those guys? Competition BBQ Team

…..boy, time flies when you are having fun

2011-12-12T11:06:00.000-08:00

It is 2012 already.......

It is hard to believe the year is ending. It seems like I just wrote my resolution column for 2011 and now here it is a new year. I have hardly had time to disregard all of my last year’s promises and goals and it is time to do it all over again.

Of course as is always the case, I am exaggerating a bit when I speak of complete disregard of my 2011 resolution list. Upon looking back, I really didn’t do too badly when it comes to the results I desired, but as we all know, there is always room for improvement. More particularly, when you are talking about me, there is A LOT of room for improvement.

One of my sidebar goals I mentioned last year was to loose 10 lbs, I am happy to report, I lost a little over twice that amount. While some of my more comedic acquaintances would ask, where did it go? I assure you, the scale doesn’t lie, well most times it doesn’t. For me, a slightly past middle-aged, waistline challenged, wanna-be BBQ cook, this quest has been quite the struggle. So here we go with resolution #1 for the New Year of 2012;

1) Keep off the weight I already lost and try to drop another 10 pound’s. For you folks that don’t pack on the lb’s just by looking at a cheeseburger on a toasted bun this might seem like an easy endeavor, but I assure you it is not. One doesn’t have to look far around any BBQ contest to see there are many who are in the same struggle. This is particularly hard when the very center of our favorite pastime is slow cooking large chunks of meat, sometimes slathered in sauce and the occasional sipping of an ice cold beverage. Needless to say, for me, it’s a continual uphill battle.

2) Stay focused and work on contest preparation- Both of these items were a part of last years list in some form or another and I think I did a pretty good job, but again, I need work. I will continually strive to keep better notes on my cooks both contest as well as practice and to be more organized in my record keeping. I have been more diligent in doing some of my prep work while at home which has lessened the work after arriving at the contest site. I like the direction I am going here and will continue to work to improve.

3) Allow more time for socializing at a contest- Now, before you drag me before the firing squad for promoting drunk and disorderly behavior at a contest, please allow me to explain. How many times while reading the forum posts and contest wrap-ups do you hear some one say, “I wish I would have more time to get around and see everybody, but I was way too busy” or something to that effect? I feel the same way, and what is worse, many of the folks I have met along the BBQ trail are people I really enjoy spending a few minutes with. I hate it when I don’t get around to see everyone. This year will be different, if possible, I will try to arrive at the site earlier and make an attempt to stay later, not be so rushed. I also believe that by working on my ‘at home’ preparation (item #2 above), this too will free me up for a bit more ‘quality time’ while at a contest. By quality time, I am talking about SOCIALIZING TIME and who could argue with that?

Well, there you have it, my resolutions for the 2012 BBQ season, almost certain to be compromised in some fashion, but certainly made today with all good intentions. Time will tell, as it always does. One thing I know I will stick with, my wish that each and every one of you have a safe, healthy, prosperous, happy and competition successful 2012!

Christmas is coming and the goose is getting….

2011-12-12T10:59:00.000-08:00

well you know……waistline challenged

I can hardly believe it; Christmas 2011 is just about upon us. As this much anticipated season approaches, one can almost say that we have had enough, even before the fat man slides down the chimney on December 25th. It seems the overly ambitious retailers in a continuing struggle to beat their competition to the punch have completely thrown the old fashioned notion that the holiday season begins after Thanksgiving to the wind. I think it was the middle of October when I saw my first Christmas commercial on TV and it has only gotten worse. I heard the other day that one of the big box stores plans to open for their Black Friday sale starting on Thanksgiving Day. My question is why bother closing at all, just give the employees 25 minutes sometime on Turkey Day to shovel down their family dinners and keep on selling, that’s what it is all about anyway right? Wrong. I feel bad for those that will have to work to accommodate this madness and hope someday soon that retailers will come to their senses, but this is a philosophical discussion better saved for the editorial pages or the funny papers, you decide.

The holidays to me are all about family, friends, good times and good food. What follows is what has become a holiday tradition of mine of sorts, my Christmas list for that severely addicted BBQ fanatic in your life, or for you, if the sauced stained tennis shoe fits!

1) As I am sure many of you already know, I have an affinity for searching for, collecting and playing songs about BBQ. In other words, I am a BBQ song nut. I came across this tune a year or so ago and thought I would drag it out again for this holiday season. The price is right; you can get the download the MP3 file on Amazon for .99 so it fits into anyone’s budget. The name of the song is Christmas by the Bar-B-Que by Lynn August. Be sure to spell the title as I have it written or search with the artists name. If you like a slightly different holiday tune, you’ll need this number on your holiday playlist.

2) Smokin- by Myron Mixon- Amazon $14.96. In addition to collecting BBQ tunes, I also collect BBQ books. I bought this book when it first came out and have enjoyed both reading it as well as trying the recipes. If you are a competition cook or just a weekend backyard warrior, you will find this book both informative as well as entertaining. Be sure to try the peachy baked beans.

3) The next book has not been released and is due out 3/1/2012. Wicked Good Barbecue is a book written by Andy Husbands, Chris Hart and Andrea Pyenson or as they are known on the competition BBQ circuit IQUE. Anyone that has been around the sport has heard of these guys who cooked this past year in their 10th straight Jack Daniels World Championship. I think I should also mention these guys won The Jack in 2009, need I say more. The book can be pre-ordered on Amazon for $12.91, I have had mine ordered for months.

4) Thermapen Splash Proof Insta-read Thermometer- available from Theroworks $89.00. If you cook inside or out, you need one of these units. Handy, reliable and accurate. The company offers great support and customer service as well.

5) Grand 14” Brisket Slicer- Made by Wusthof- $139.000 – The information on this knife from the site states, “This knife is designed for both the professional and hobbyist cook. A 2mm wide blade with a razor sharp 16.5 degree beveled blade effortlessly slices through the softest meats without tearing. The radial curve of the blade and incorporated scallops will cut blemish free slices with ease.” Mike Faye, MABBQA President worked with Wusthof in the design of this knife and it looks to be just what the Doctor ordered when it comes to slicing brisket. For now, the knife is available exclusively through the store on the MABBQA web site.

I hope this list is of some help to you as you navigate the throngs this holiday season. As you do, please keep in mind the real reason for the season, as well as having a little patience for the folks that will be working during this holiday time. I would also like to take just a brief minute to thank all of my readers for their support over the years. I would also like to wish a happy, healthy, safe and fun filled holiday season to all of you and your families. Merry Christmas!

Buy local this year and help support your nearby economy.

2011-11-10T16:59:00.000-08:00

What follows is a short but powerful article written by a friend of mine, Linda Orrison. For those that don’t know Linda, she is involved with her family BBQ business based in Ocean Springs Mississippi. Together they have grown their operation, The Shed BBQ & Blues Joint into 5 locations with the home base covering over 9,500 square feet of space and seating over 500 people. Pretty amazing stuff as well as a real American success story. Anyway, give her article a read and if you have a minute, check out their web site www.TheShedBBQ.com. They also have a complete line of award winning sauces and rubs available at, you guessed it,The Shed Store, check it out.

Just want to let you know we are all doing fine at The Shed. The ShedCrew just jumped on the tour bus and went to our Lafayette/Scott location last weekend to help with the Sertoma Air Show. If you are ever close to Lafayette when it is going on I would highly recommend going to it. It was spectacular! Made me proud to be an American! Speaking of that, I’d like to put a thought in your ShedHed heads.
The holidays are coming up and I’m sure there are a lot of people on your gift lists that you have NO CLUE as to what to buy them. Some of them have everything they need. Some you don’t really know what they need and some you don’t what they like. Makes it difficult doesn’t it.

I ran across an article that really impressed me as to a new approach in our gift giving. With all the overseas factories banging out monstrous piles of cheap goods and merchandise being produced at the expense of our local labor and local jobs we could change this by thinking outside the box.

This year Americans can give the gift of genuine concern for other Americans. There are millions of American made products and services to be found this Holiday season right in our own backyards.

Everyone gets their hair cut. How about gift certificates from their salon or barber? Who wouldn’t appreciate getting their car detailed? Small, locally owned detail shops and car washes would love to sell you a gift certificate.
From small gift giving such as, for your aquarium loving friends, going to the locally owned pet shop and purchasing a cool looking fish to the larger gifts like having your friend or family member’s lawn mowed for the summer, or driveway plowed all winter.

There are so very many locally owned and operated restaurants in our communities where gift certificates abound. What a great idea to give a family a night out on the town! Then there’s uncle Grumpy, think he might enjoy a few rounds of golf at the local course or a dozen breakfasts at the local café? You just might get him to smile!

There are over 25 million small businesses in this great Country of ours mostly struggling in these economically turbulent days, that need our support like never before. This is about supporting home town small businesses….your neighbors with their financial lives on the line…and helping them to keep their doors open.
My conclusion is that if we purchase our gifts locally, we are actually giving them twice. Once to the business owner and then on to our loved ones. I plan on telling the owners when I get there to buy their gift certificates how much I appreciate them and will wish them a Very Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year!

Linda Orrison aka MamaShed
www.TheShedBBQ.com

Shotgun Fred Pirkle-

2011-09-20T07:00:00.000-07:00

A True BBQ Visionary

If you look back over the many improvements and or innovations in the realm of outdoor BBQing and grilling in the past 20 years or so, few could argue that one of the most innovative is the development temperature control devices for use on BBQ cookers. When you mention temperature control devices the name BBQ Guru comes to the forefront almost immediately. http://www.thebbqguru.com/ Shotgun Fred Pirkle, the founder and developer of the BBQ Guru temperature control devices would be considered by many to be Thee BBQ Guru. Especially when you look at the definition of the word guru: an influential expert; somebody who has a reputation as an expert leader, teacher, or practitioner in a particular field.

I first met Fred back in 2007 when I was in the market for a BBQ smoker. I called him with some preliminary questions and Fred spent a long time explaining the advantages to his product and answering the questions of a complete BBQ novice. I didn’t make a decision right away and what further impressed me was two months later when Fred made a follow-up call to me asking if I had found a smoker yet. Eventually I decided to purchase a new unit from the BBQ Guru. When I picked the unit up at their Warminster Pennsylvania facility, Fred spent several hours with me going over the operation and care of the unit. I was impressed then and continue to be impressed by the level of service provided by his firm.

Over the years I have had the privilege of hanging with Fred and his crew at numerous BBQ contests all over the northeast, many times sharing a cold drink and swapping stories. It is easy to see how Fred comes up with many of his products and ideas; here is a guy that is always thinking of ways to make something better. His parent company, Thermomegatech is a leader in the field of manufacturing temperature control values and devices for use in numerous industries and applications all around the world.

Fred’s talent as an inventor is evident both by the number of patents he holds as well as some of the many ideas and prototypes he has developed, many of them outdoor cooking related. I enjoy nothing more than running into Shotgun Fred at a cook off and seeing what his latest project is. I think what I enjoy most is listening to Fred as he explains the reasoning and or particulars regarding his latest development, passionate would be an understatement.

Not long after they began to distribute BBQ Guru products, Fred and business associate BBQ Bob Trudnak became interested in the growing sport of competition BBQ cooking. They started their own team “The BBQ Guru” in 2005 and have become a force to be reckoned with when competing in BBQ contests all over the Country. During their short time on the circuit, the Guru Gang has collected numerous accolades as well as several grand and reserve championships. In 2010 they took home Reserve Grand Championship honors from the 22nd Jack Daniels Invitational BBQ contest held each October in Lynchburg Tennessee, an accomplishment Fred is quite proud of, and deservedly so.

In the spring of 2008 while at a BBQ contest in Salisbury Maryland Fred suffered a stroke. He has worked very hard at his therapy relating to his recovery in the years since the stroke and had begun to once again become more of a regular on the BBQ circuit. In June of this year, Fred received a setback when he was diagnosed with ALS or what is more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Fred stopped by the BBQ Guru site last month in New Holland, Pennsylvania and was inundated with visitors and well wishers. His spirits were high and I know he will continue with the struggle and challenge resulting from this latest development.

In the past, while watching Shotgun Fred take his walk to the stage at a BBQ contest it was very evident that this is a guy with great passion for BBQ as well as life itself. Few can dispute the fact that the BBQ world has benefited greatly as a direct result of the vision and numerous contributions made by Shotgun Fred Pirkle. He recognizes problems and finds solutions in a way that few others have done. I am proud to call him a friend and look forward to seeing what Shotgun Fred, Thee BBQ Guru, has up his sleeve to make outdoor cooking and BBQ easier and more efficient today as well as going forward into the future. Godspeed Shotgun Fred.

New Holland Summer Fest 8/26-8/27

2011-09-15T08:37:00.000-07:00

Who invited this floosy named Irene?

The elephant in the room for this weekend was a pushy, uninvited guest by the name of Irene. The news reports during the week preceding this much anticipated event were dominated with forecasters and prognosticators attempting to predict the future. Whether or not you are a believer in your local weatherperson, the possible tract and estimated effects of this storm where not to be taken lightly.

Contest organizers fielded numerous calls leading up to the contest and had 6 teams cancel, some at the last minute. Most of the cancellations were from teams with waterfront interests and were completely expected. Contest Chairman Chuck Sheffield said they were able to move 1 team from the waiting list to make a field of 67, still 5 teams short of their normal number of 72.

Early on Friday it appeared that Irene would be making her effects know to the southern Pennsylvania region late on Saturday night. As the weekend progressed, her predicted arrival time continued its march toward the contest turn-in window. To say that this pushy bimbo was dominating conversation, thoughts and contestant mind sets would be an understatement. She elbowed her way into the cooks meeting as well as any and all contest related chit chat held throughout. In a typical intruding Mother-in-law fashion, Irene did her very best to cast a pallor over both days of the contest. (Authors note: Any similarities between a Cat 3 hurricane and my or anyone else’s Mother-in-law is strictly coincidental and not by any means meant to be intentional. It is also not meant at all to be derogatory towards hurricanes and or tropical storms)

Fortunately for all involved, the early rain bands were the only effects felt during the contest. Awards were moved up and teams scrambled to get their sites broken down and stowed away before things got dicey. The wind was never really a factor with the exception of a few gusts during awards. One stronger gust got everyone’s attention just before the start of the awards ceremony when it brought down a large tree limb. Fortunately, no one was in the immediate area therefore no one was injured.

Most teams were loaded up and moved off the grassy contest surface before awards. Sheffield reported the entire area was cleaned up and vacated by around 6:30 PM on Saturday. He also notes the real heavy stuff from Irene did not begin to pound the park until nearly 8:00 pm Saturday night. I guess the weather people were right, although I’ll never admit that one.

The contest Grand Champion was 4:20 Q with Jack’s Down Home BBQ coming in as Reserve. First place chicken was won by Christmas City BBQ while Pigheaded BBQ captured the top spot in ribs. The BBQ Guru walked in the pork category and the contest GC, 4:20 Q was the winner in brisket.

The Summer Fest has three ancillary categories as well. First place for the chefs choice event was Red Lion Spicy Foods. Christmas City was the top finisher in the sausage category and the team of PA Midnite Smokers was called to the stage to claim the top spot in whole hog.

This contest has become a much sought after invite here on the east coast. Chuck and his committee of volunteers and organizers do a fine job and usually the weather cooperates. Spending a weekend in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country is a treat no matter what time of year it is. If you want to get on the waiting list my suggestion would be to apply early; this is one you just have to cook.

Holly Smoke BBQ, Easton MD

2011-08-01T13:26:00.000-07:00

Those are my guys!

First, a little background for those that don’t know me. My competition BBQ team is named “who are those guys?”. The team consists of my wife, 3 lifelong friends and myself. We began cooking the KCBS series approximately 5 years ago and for the most part, the personnel roster has remained the same during the entire time.

I am the organizer and driving force behind our group. During this period, I have been the been dubbed the BBQ Nazi by my team members. For the life of me I can’t image why. When asked why the moniker, they’ll mumble something about stubbornness, inflexibility, close mindedness, dictator like. I have no idea who they are talking about. I have always run my team with a complete open door policy. Team mates with suggestions for change are always welcomed in my office, that would be the case, if in fact, I even HAD an office.

The truth of the matter is, I don’t have an office and I haven’t been very open to change or even suggestions from the very team I depend on to help me prepare, set up and cook each and every contest I cook. I have said it before, folks that cook contests solo are true ironmen and woman. For me, after a weekend contest, it takes me 3-4 days before my knees stop aching. Cooking solo? I think I would rather stay home, I couldn’t do it. To say I am stubborn and resistant to change would be an understatement, just ask my wife. I do not expect I am much different than any other on the back side of middle aged male in today’s society. You know what they say about old dogs don’t you?

This season I vowed to change, to be more open, to listen more, to even act on and possibly implement properly submitted suggestions from my esteemed teammates. As you can well imagine, this was a large step for me, albeit a difficult one. Notice I said properly submitted, I guess I couldn’t change too much now could I? What I meant was, I would try listening, if it sounded like a well thought out proposal, my response would be, let’s do it. For me, this was huge.

My wife wondered aloud if this same philosophy would be in effect around the house,” come on now”, I said, I was going to be a bit more congenial with the team, I haven’t completely lost my mind. I know just as anyone that has been married for 30 years plus, at home, the wife is never wrong with her comments and suggestions. When she tells me the sky is orange, I say your right and move on, period. How else can you expect to stay married for 30+ years? It’s a good thing my wife never reads my writings, please, if you see her at a contest, mums the word. Let’s keep this between you and I, she really doesn’t need to know anything I have said here, now does she? Besides, anyone that can put up with me for 30 years, well, enough said about the lucky man that am I.

Let me get back on topic, this year I even went as far as asking if team mates wanted to be more involved than in previous seasons. For the most part, I was rejected or ignored. Things have been proceeding along pretty much as usual even after the implementation of the open door policy. I was calling most of the shots, taking all the credit, then looking to assign blame when they did not, just like at work. You can imagine my surprise when the team began making rumblings about cooking a contest in July when I was scheduled to be on vacation.

At first I wrote it off as drunken campfire contest talk. Not that we ever have a campfire at a contest or are ever drunk at a contest. OK, Maybe I am stretching on the last one. Nevertheless, I thought it was all talk in May when I first heard the drum beats. Around the 4th of July, I overheard plans being made, it looked, like it was really going to happen. Then a clandestine meeting was held, I was not on the invitation list, and I believe final plans were made. This was going to happen.

As I write this, the guys are a week away from their debut. I am out of town on vacation and have left the trailer and gear for them to use. Asking several times if there was anything else they needed from me, to my surprise, they didn’t request a thing. As luck would have it, if I wanted to, I could slide by the contest site on my way home. It is right on the way although it would take me a completely different route, a surprising difference of only about 7 miles. Hardly a good enough reason for me not to slide by.

Part of me wants to go, part of me wants to stay away and let them alone, not to interfere. I am not sure what I will do. One thing I know for certain, I want them to succeed, to do well. Not just for me and the who are those guys? name, but for them, the guys. All of them are very good cooks on their own and I want them to succeed in this endeavor. They have always joked they were going to form their own team eventually anyway. Their name, they always said would be “we were those guys”. Next week in Easton Maryland, I wish them success, then I will say, those are my guys!

Toss the bums out!

2011-07-08T06:30:00.000-07:00

Term limits for all!

Caution and apologies to my regular readers, this post is not BBQ related it is; however, a topic I feel strongly about. I promise the next post will be on topic, thanks for your patience.

When I was a young man I remember my father giving me a piece of sage advice, when in public, never discuss religion or politics. For the most part, I have adhered to these words of wisdom in my life’s journey. Today with deference to my father, I will make an exception with a short discussion of politics (not BBQ), and this will be done outside my inner circle of family and friends. Before you grab the tar and feather buckets, please, hear me out.

My discussion carries across party lines and in my humble opinion should be of interest to everyone, regardless of what side of the isle you find yourself on…………………two words…….. term limits. We need them now.

Most of the Founders were in favor of term limits, envisioning a “citizen legislature” where interested parties would serve the constituency then return to their regular professions. There were some that favored the thought of self imposed term limits. Back then, no one could even imagine a career politician.
The lack of definitive term limits when the Constitution was first ratified was a huge concern to many of the framers. Roger Sherman from Connecticut wrote” Representatives ought to return home and mix with the people. By remaining at the seat of government, they would acquire the habits of the place, which might differ from those of their constituents. “

Thomas Jefferson and George Mason were both strong advocates for term limits. Mason wrote, “nothing can be so essential to the preservation of a republican government as a periodic rotation of its members”.

One can only wonder what the nations founding fathers would think of Washington today with its career politicians whose sense of entitlement extends not only to themselves, but to their anointed family members.

We have created a ruling class, which is exactly what the founding fathers had feared. If you think about it, the culture of corruption and cronyism that existed in England at the time was the very same reason the founders chose to leave and start anew. Why weren’t term limits included when the constitution was drafted you ask? The framers felt they weren’t needed, why would anyone want to stay on at a part time job?

Another interesting reason term limits were not included was the life expectancy at the time. In the 18th century the average farmer lived to the ripe old age of 35. Our founding fathers never even imagined that a mere 200 years later we would have legislators SERVING for 40 to 50 years!

When the Country was formed, legislators were paid $6 a day, and that was only when Congress was in session They were expected to pay all of their own expenses from that $6 a day salary. Contrast that to today, former speaker of the house, Nancy Pelosi received an annual salary of just north of $200K and to top it off, she has no expenses. When you add in their sweet self imposed pensions, free health care for life (their own plan), 40-50 staffers at your beck and call, tax deductible housing, millions of tax payer dollars to fund your office and travel expenses, free first class travel, free postage, exemption from social security payments, inside information to be able to invest much more lucratively than the rest of us uninformed citizens, the ability to place family and friends into high paying jobs, kickbacks and perks, the best seats at the best restaurants, it is easy why folks are attracted to these positions.

The old adage that they are there to serve the greater good is, in my opinion, a load of crap. They are there to line their pockets and their family and friends pockets with as much graft, money and favoritism that they can carry. Nothing more.

Most scholars would agree, a constitutional amendment would be needed in order to impose term limits on our esteemed members of congress. I think congressman Bob Inglis sums it up best when he says, “asking an incumbent member of congress to vote FOR congressional term limits is a bit like asking a chicken to vote for Colonel Sanders.” In other words, looking to our congressional leadership to solve the problem just aint gonna happen. This movement will have to come from the people themselves.

Thomas Jefferson said, “the two enemies of the people are the criminals and the government, so let us tie the second down with the chains of the constitution so the second will not become the first”.

I believe the second has already become the first. Our Imperial Congress of today is made up of lifelong career politicians who have consolidated such an awesome and frightening mass of power that is way beyond the scope of anything the founding fathers could have even imagined in their wildest dreams. Yet today, the hoards of cattle also known as the American electorate will spend more time watching and voting on the latest American Idol than concerning themselves with the backroom dealings and payolas going on as we speak in Washington DC.

Robert Byrd 57 years
Carl Hayden 56 years
John Dingell 55 years
Strom Thurmond 47 years
Ted Kennedy 46 years

The list unfortunately goes on and on and on. This phenomenon is not limited to the federal government. Right here in Maryland, the alleged Free State, we are all so fortunate to have Thomas V. Mike Miller as the president of the Senate. He has been in the Maryland Senate for a mere 36 years. He has had his son appointed to a judgeship; he even has had the newly constructed senate building already named after him. Come on Mike, enough already. He has murmured in the past of retiring, but after contemplating the thought of no longer wielding the influence stick he now swings wildly about, he continues to run.

You’ll hear him as well of the many other career politicians that continue to suck from the taxpayer teat say that their reason for filing again is “their work for the people is not yet finished, there is more to be done.” Let me ask you this, in the real world, if you were hired 40 years ago to do a job and you still weren’t done, I am guessing you’d hear only two words and they would be “you’re fired”. Term limits, we need them now.

Swinetastic BBQ Festival- June 17-18, 2011

2011-06-22T14:28:00.000-07:00

Contest Recap.......

The Frederick County Fairgrounds was the site of the central Maryland Swinetastic BBQ Festival held to benefit the American Cancer Society. This was a first year contest organized by Chris Carter of Carterque Barbeque and Grilling Company located in nearby Mount Airy Maryland. Fifty-three teams signed up to cook this first time event including some of the areas finest pit masters.

Chris and his friendly group of volunteers worked tirelessly to assure the cooks and teams had everything they needed during the two day event. Frequent trash pickups, clean restrooms, and one the scene ice deliveries were just a few of the many items were this event excelled. The continental breakfast put out on Saturday morning complete with still warm gourmet donuts from a nearby Fractured Prune Donut shop were just like icing on the cake.

Live music along with plenty of assorted vendors gave festival attendees more than enough to do both Friday evening as well as most of the day on Saturday. Friday evening was not without its surprises as a cell of heavy rain moved into the fairgrounds area around 5:00 PM dumping enormous amounts of rain accompanied by high wind and a smattering of hail. Mother Nature wasn’t finished yet as she returned around 4:00 AM Saturday morning with a vivid lightning show that was sure to make even the most seasoned storm watcher sit up and take notice.

Saturday morning threatened a bit but the positive vibes of the assembled BBQ teams supplied more than enough mojo to keep the skies dry through turn-ins and for the rest of the day. The teams went on to submit their entries to the judges and then kicked back to await the results while listing to some fine tunes by several local bands.

Friday night’s ancillary seafood category was won by a team named Drilling and Grilling from nearby Glen Rock PA. BBQ Nuts cooking out of Fairfax, Virginia took top honors in the KCBS chicken category on Saturday. Another team from Virginia, Gooney Creek BBQ grabbed the top spot in the rib event. Just Smokin Around from nearby Woodsboro, Maryland took the first place walk in pork. Arlington, Virginias cook team of Patent Pending BBQ were called to the stage to collect first place in brisket.

Grand Champion for this event was PA Midnight Smokers, Paul and Brenda Hess from Willow Street Pennsylvania. Reserve Grand champs were Mike Richter and the Chix, Swine and Bovine team out of Jessup, Maryland. Rounding out the top three overall was Deguello BBQ a second year team calling Springfield, Virginia their home.

Chris says he would like to grow the contest next year. Judging from what appears to be a warm reception from the surrounding community as well as a group of very satisfied BBQ teams, next years event is going to be one you are not going to want to miss.

My thoughts on local health departments.....

2011-06-19T17:44:00.000-07:00

.....and BBQ contests.

It seems like every time I look at the calendar it is the 15th of the month. The deadline for some of my monthly scribblings is the 15th and no matter when I have just sent in a submission, the next time I look at the calendar, it is the 14th or 15th. This month was no exception.

Sometimes I sit and stare at an empty screen just waiting for a random thought to pop into my head so I can begin my article or story for the month. Occasionally it is somewhat of a struggle, this month was a bit different. I needed a story, the deadline was fast approaching (of course it was) and I had nothing (of course I didn’t). The upcoming weekend had us cooking a contest, no problem; I would just knock it out my article on Sunday after the cook-off. Just what you feel like doing on the Sunday after a BBQ contest is sitting down at your work station and trying to be creative. Of course that wouldn’t have been so much of a problem if I had already selected my topic, this time, being completely honest, I had not.

While at the contest it hit me, the subject just dropped out of the sky like a huge rock, right onto my alcohol soaked brain. The contest rep was giving us their short informational pep talk during the meat inspection process.

Authors note: The upcoming bit of commentary and banter is by no means directed towards the contest reps or organizers, who by the way did a swell job of organizing and running this first time event.

“The County health department, wants to make sure that all teams are building their boxes underneath their canopies or easy-ups, you are required to wear gloves when handling any and all food products”, we were told by the contest rep. “Also, you shouldn’t be surprised if you receive a visit from a County Health Department representative to look over your site.” I had no problem with the overlying theme of the message, to use your head and practice safe food handling, which for the most part, is SOP at a BBQ contest.

The more I thought about his message, the more I realized I had my story right in front of me and didn’t know it. I had heard about more and more Health Departments poking their noses into the world of competition BBQ cooking, inspecting teams, wanting to see thermometers, requiring coolers to be placed on wood blocks up off the ground. I even heard of an instance a while back where some dolt from the HD thought it should be a requirement that all BBQ teams cover the ground of their assigned contest site with a plastic tarp while preparing their submissions for the judges.

In this instance, what if I didn’t have a canopy or an ezy-up? What then? Would the Health Department official ask me to prepare my boxes in the cab of my truck? (I’ll bet after some minion from the HD took one look at the inside of my vehicle they’d be rethinking that request.) But seriously, what if I didn’t bring a pop-up cover? Is this going to be a requirement for the future?

Of course, the supposed reasoning behind all of this madness is they are simply looking out for the general food consuming public right? WRONG!!!!!!!! JUDGES AT A BBQ CONTEST ARE NOT THE GENERAL PUBLIC, THEY ARE NOT PAYING FOR, OR PURCHASING FOOD FROM THE TEAMS. (Sorry for screaming, but this is a topic that really gets me going, so much in fact that my fingers hurt just from punching the keys while typing)

The fact of the matter is teams are actually paying an entry fee, driving long distances, getting very little sleep, spending large amounts of other monies on sauces, rubs, cooking equipment, and really working their butts off to get their products to the judges on time. We aren’t selling anything to anybody; we are spending money to pursue our passion. The judges are volunteers; they do not have to pay to sample our wares, they are there freely and are not being forced to eat our que.

How in the world can any reasonable thinking person in their right mind justify this process? Is this where we are headed? Do we need the Government to protect us from ourselves? What is next, will you have to draw a permit and subject yourself to a complete Health Department inspection just to have a few of your family and friends over for dinner? Don’t laugh, think about it. If I think about it too much it makes my head explode.

A BBQ contest is nothing more than a large scale family picnic. Some of the competitors and judges are friends, some are even family. The organizers have invited them in to eat a little BBQ. At some of the more prestigious and popular events, judges are asked to remain on waiting lists for years an years before being given a chance to judge.

Do we really need to have the Government involved in this process? My answer is a resounding no. With all of the recent talk about local and State governments being strapped for operating capital, does it really make sense to encourage more and expanded inspection processes? I have got news for you out there in BBQ land, this stuff is not going away, it is here to stay and will get nothing but worse. More and more of these local jurisdictions are going to be sticking their long and pointed noses into more and more places where they don’t belong, and of more concern to me, where they "think" they belong.

I am by no means encouraging civil unrest or asking people to cause a scene when the person with the pocket protector meat thermometer shows up at your contest site. I am, however, just suggesting that when presented with this situation you not just roll over and comply. Voice your displeasure with their interference and meddling all in the name of public safety. Ask THEM a million questions, play dumb, make them work for their money while costing them time. If just one team in 50 does this, they will think he is a nut job and probably ask him to leave. But if all 50, I say ALL 50 pit masters do it they will think it is a movement. And you know what? They’ll be absolutely right. (thanks to Arlo Guthrie)

Maybe, if it takes these inspectors 6-8 hours to work their way through a 50 team competition which then causes them to show up late at their favorite Friday night martini bar, they might think twice about picking on a few guys and gals that are doing nothing more than making a little something for their friends and family to nibble on. The next time a Heath Department employee shows up at your site to poke around before a contest, just tell em to THINK SMOKE!

Middletown BBQ Cook-off

2011-06-07T17:43:00.000-07:00

Middletown, DE
5/20-5/21 2011

The Dutch Country Farmers market located smack dab in the center of Middletown Delaware was the site of the second annual Middletown BBQ Cook-off held May 20-21, 2011. If you were a team cooking this event for the first time, as were we, you would have a hard time believing that Mose Zook and his very enthusiastic group of volunteers hadn’t been running cook-offs for the past 10 years.

To say this was a very organized contest would be an understatement. Frequent and reasonably priced ice delivered right to you cooler, clean rest rooms, adequate power, good music, timely trash removal and a down right friendly bunch of folks putting on the event made for a very enjoyable weekend.

The weather looked a bit questionable at times Friday afternoon and evening with a few spotty showers threatening and occasionally moving through, but never enough to dampen anyone’s spirits or even their fires. Later in the evening on Friday the clouds left and made for a beautiful moonlit night watching the smoke from the 47 teams present rise and dissipate above the contest grounds.

Saturday morning began what was to be one of those Chamber of Commerce type days which is exactly what Mose and the gang had probably ordered up. Seasonal temperatures, sunshine and a light breeze made everything alright in this little corner of the First State.

A recent and unexpected cancellation of the August contest slated for Dover Downs, the only other State Championship contest in Delaware, gave this contest a bit more excitement knowing the winner of this event was almost sure to be a qualifier in some of the late season Championship events.

Pigheaded BBQ, a team based right in Middletown DE was the winner in the chicken category. The first place rib trophy was awarded to Black Cat BBQ. Gypsy & the Biker took top honors in pork, while Wilbur’s revenge walked for first place brisket. Black Cat BBQ from Severna Park MD was called to the stage for the Grand Championship walk, making them consecutive winners of this event which they also GC’ed in last year. Contest reserve Grand Champ was Washington DC based Pork Barrel BBQ.

If you are looking for a well run contest held on the scenic Delmarva peninsula you need to put this one on your list for next year. The Farmers Market is open the entire weekend and you haven’t lived until you have had a moon pie and a homemade vanilla ice-cream milkshake just after turn-ins, talk about a sugar rush!

A good question.......................

2011-06-06T17:26:00.000-07:00

What happens when it rains at a contest?

The very short answer here is, you get wet. What I mean is, as B. T. Barnum was alleged to have said, “the show must go on!”. If you have been around competition BBQ cooking for any time at all, you will quickly become aware that weather, and its changing nature, WILL come into play at some time in your contests cooking life.

The first and most important way to deal with the weather is to be prepared. Watch the weather forecast prior to the event, not that weatherpersons are all that accurate, (sorry to offend weather-type personnel, but it is the only job I know where you can be wrong most of the time and never have to offer an explanation and still get to keep your job). I suggest investing in one of those portable weather band radios with the alarm feature, especially when you have humid summer skies and the chance of thunderstorms. Many times severe weather is preceded by warnings broadcast on weather frequencies, this is good information to have.

If the man calls for high winds, make sure you have everything tied down and secure. If the rain is expected to arrive overnight, be sure you have everything away and under cover before you decide to bunk down for the night. Nothing is worse than being awakened by a fast moving down pour and remembering your truck windows are open and you have left your $100 instant read thermometer out on a table to get wet. Use your head and prepare.

Weather consideration should also come into play when setting up your cook site. Be sure you don’t have extension cords lying in areas that may collect water. Also, depending on the amount of rain in the forecast, you might want to avoid low lying areas when selecting your site, if you are given a choice, think ahead and choose wisely.

Set your canopies and cookers in an area that offers protection from the elements if you can. Knowing which way the wind will blow is very valuable information when it comes to site selection and set up. This is particularly true if you have a cooker that is affected by weather. High winds and cool temperatures can play havoc with your cooking temps so it is best to set up as efficiently as possible. You might consider a blanket or cover for your cooker, just be sure to use a product that is made for such use and not a blanket off your bed that has a chance to burst into flames after 3 hours on top of your unit.

Be sure you have proper clothing, including footwear. If heavy rains are predicted, be sure to pack raingear, boots, and dry socks. It is also a good idea to bring along a few extra changes of clothes in the unlikely event the cloths you are wearing get wet. Of course anyone that knows me and my well know relationship with the ever-present Mr. Murphy of Murphy’s Law fame, if things can get wet, they will get wet, and this INCLUDES socks.

Rain, wind, sun, hail, even snow, the contest will go on. The guy that is the best prepared to handle what ever Mom Nature tosses out, is the team that will do the best. Be prepared, use your head and plan ahead. It goes without saying you will never be able to control the weather, but you can make a few adjustments and preliminary moves to try and reduce the control the weather has on your and your contest cooking experience. The most important tip, is to always be safe.

The Sounds of Que

2011-06-06T17:22:00.000-07:00

What is that I hear?

The sounds of a BBQ contest can range from quiet to very noisy. Much of the sound is dependent upon which part of the day it is. I almost think at times, if I were blindfolded or were listening to the recorded sounds from a contest, I could tell you what time it was just by listening to the sound being created.

Friday morning the begins somewhat quietly, a few teams may have arrived on site the day before but for the most part, the contest grounds are empty with the exception of the contest staff. Teams begin arriving just after daybreak and are directed to their areas by volunteers many times using golf carts and verbal direction. You’ll hear sounds of teams setting up camp, metal poles clanking together, stakes being driven, cookers being unloaded, set into place, some even lit.

The astute observer will begin to notice a few pleasant smells being generated as early arrivals toss on assorted items to be served for lunch or perhaps involved in the ancillary contests set for Friday night. Conversations overheard will be greetings and other pleasantries as folks see their old friends and meet new acquaintances, introductions are made to neighbors, much laughter will be heard. Contest reps move about inspecting meats and providing information as to ice deliveries, cooks meeting times and any other pertinent information that will be needed by the arriving pit masters.

As the day progresses spectators arrive and begin to walk about asking questions and making observations. Maybe the event is in conjunction with a carnival, rides are tested and begin to operate, and perhaps a band begins to play offering attendees some evening entertainment. The evening wears on and things build to a pitch around 8:00 or 9:00 PM when things begin to settle and the cooking part of the contest begins in earnest.

Weed burners can be heard lighting off fires around the grounds, the band has packed up for the night and the only music that can be heard are the assorted tunes drifting out from the individual cook sites. Even this entertainment begins to wane as the appointed quiet hour draws near team member drift about, most of the public has departed for the evening, laughter a good times sounds waft form several sites that seem to have become gathering spots for some of the cooks as they swap lies and attempt to steal a few secrets.

Listen closely and you can hear the contest drifting off to sleep, muted conversation and the occasional crackling fire rule the sound waves for most of the overnight, that is if you are lucky and aren’t next to a bunch of loud and obnoxious drunks, in which case, I recommend a set of earplugs.

Morning comes very early at a BBQ contest. The day begins for power cookers around 3:00 to 4:00 AM, occasionally, the sound of a weed burner will be heard bringing cold and silent cookers to life. As day breaks, smoke rolls in earnest as the giant awakens. Banging doors from nearby spot-a-pots and tearing sheets of aluminum foil signal that morning has broken.

As morning progresses, some familiar sounds and smells of breakfast being cooked in some sites rules the airwaves. Teams huddle together for strategy sessions and make preparations for impending turn-ins. More foil is torn, cooker doors can be heard being slammed, orders are shouted, the occasional cuss word can even be heard. The cacophony builds to a crescendo around 1:30 PM when the last box is submitted. If you listen closely, you’ll hear the definite sound of a sigh of relieve coming from are the cooks and team members. The noise softens for a bit as folks busy themselves with beginning clean up, wetting their whistles, and running to the can.

It is now when the fun begins, cooks, in anticipation of the results begin laying down the excuses. “My chicken was dry, the pork was over cooked, my brisket OK, but my ribs, the best we have ever cooked.” You will here this over and over around the site as pit masters are asked, “how was your food?” This conversation is soon drowned out by the sounds of teardown. Trucks being loaded, trailers hitched, the shuffling to awards.

The awards ceremony brings more announcements, maybe even a band, eventually the sounds that everyone has come to hear yet only a few will get to experience, the contest calls accompanied by applause. If you are lucky, you’ll hear your team called and take the walk. If nothing else, you will hear it called when they hand out the score sheets, although, that doesn’t really count now does it?

Congratulations, back slaps and high fives are mixed with folks saying goodbye, trucks starting and the grounds beginning to empty. All except that one guy over in the corner, sitting on an empty 5 gallon bucket turned upside down. He is staring blankly at a few pieces of stapled white paper, a score sheet perhaps. As you drift past the fellow you can almost feel his pain, maybe you have walked a mile or so in his shoes at some time in the past. You avoid eye contact, much like a beggar on the street as you hustle by, anxious to get into your vehicle and away from the man on the bucket. As you passed, you heard him muttering to no one in particular, “ ……….what happened?.........how can it be?.....”. As you sit in your truck, you take a quick glace at the overall score sheet and there is the man on the bucket, securely in DAL, you almost want to get out and pat him on the back, tell him everything will be alright. But you do not, some things are better left unsaid.

As you depart the contest grounds, your home for the past 36 hours, you realize that it is only a mere stroke of a pencil that separates you and the man on the bucket. It could be you or anyone else that his signed up. In fact, it has to be someone, someone must be last, it is inevitable. It is the way of the world. If only……………….HONKKKKK!!!!!!!!.... Suddenly, you are jarred back to reality, as the last sound you’ll hear at this contest is the loud horn blaring from the vehicle behind you as the driver pleads with you to get the heck out of the way and quit daydreaming! Travel safe.

Tailgater Challenge- Bel Air BBQ Bash 2011

2011-04-26T10:49:00.000-07:00

George Hensler of who are those guys? and Dan Hixon of 3 Eyz BBQ, are working along with Scott Walker and the team over at the Maryland BBQ Bash to offer a class for beginning competition cooks. The class will cover how to prepare, cook and present your rack of ribs for the Friday night tailgater challenge. The class will June 25th from 9 AM-2 PM.For details click on this link http://www.mdbbq.com/competition.html

NBBQA National Conference and Trade Show

2011-04-25T18:06:00.000-07:00

…..hmmm these BBQ folks ARE good people!

I recently traveled to Greenville, South Carolina to attend the nation BBQ Associations’ National Conference and Trade Show. The event was held March 23-26 at the Embassy Suites located just outside the downtown district of Greenville. The theme of this years gathering was “Roots of Shared Success: Inspiration and education from our BBQ family tree.”

After arriving on Wednesday afternoon, I was checked in and immediately began to run into folks that I knew. Around 12:00 we were all loaded onto 2 large coach style busses for what was billed as a BBQ Tour of Greenville. Both busses were packed as we were driven to four local restaurants. At each stop we were greeted by the owners and staff, given some brief history of their establishment and then we had an opportunity to sample their wares.

For me, this was one of the highlights of the trip seeing the different smoking and cooking operations and hearing the stories of how they came to get involved in the restaurant business. Not to mention some really good eats. I was amazed at the size and quantity of the spreads put out by each establishment. If anyone returned to the hotel hungry, it was their own fault.

Thursday morning was the opening session where we heard from two very motivated individuals, Patrick Murdy of Company 7 BBQ from Englewood, Ohio and Roy Slicker from Slicks Que Company located in Sisters, Oregon. Both of the speakers told how much assistance and guidance they received from folks involved in the NBBQA and how they were very helpful in the early days of planning and working to help get their doors open.

After the opening remarks the attendees broke out to attend some of the numerous learning sessions planned for the convention. There were classes on branding, starting your own BBQ business, how to get sponsors for your competition team, using the internet to help promote, brand and expand your business and much more. The only problem I had was trying to decide from the list which session to attend. The sessions were scheduled for three at a time which meant you would miss something each time. I still haven’t figured out how to be in three places at once, when I do, I’ll let you know.

The keynote speaker for Thursday’s luncheon was Dave Anderson, better known as Famous Dave from Famous Daves BBQ Restaurant fame. Dave spoke from the heart and told his story how he built his business from a start-up operation in a town of 1,800 to its current size of over 200 locations in over 37 states. Dave’s tail of how he turned a backyard hobby into a $500 million restaurant empire is truly astounding. It was a real “rags to riches” story that was very moving, inspiring and motivational. Dave stayed around for the entire weekend answering questions and just hanging out with the rest of the conventioneers, an all around great guy.

Friday there were more sessions along with the opening of the BBQ trade show. Along the way there was plenty of time for BBQ networking. In attendance you had sauce and rub makers, caterers, marketers, restaurant owners, equipment makers, competition team members, BBQ media outlets, suppliers, just about everything to do with the business of BBQ was represented.

My observations were folks were very willing to give advice when asked. One on one and small group discussions were every where during the “down” times. These were some of the most successful people in the BBQ community all gathered together under one roof, all with a similar mission, to encourage and advise others to explore and succeed in what ever BBQ path they had chosen. It was all about the promotion of the BBQ community in general.

For me, what I observed during my four days in Greenville was exactly what I had thought all along, BBQ folks are good people, there is no doubt about it. The theme of the gathering, “Roots of Shared Success” was played out over and over that weekend. I saw folks that have traveled the road of success not only offering guidance, but offering encouragement and advice to others just beginning their journey.

My advice, for what ever it is worth, if you are in the business of Que or even thinking of getting involved, you need to join the National BBQ Association and get to next years conference. Just hanging out with a large group of highly motivated and driven people is bound to do you some good. I know it did me. When I arrived home I was so pumped up I told my wife that we were going to open a BBQ restaurant by this time next year. If you only could have seen the look on her face as she asked the inevitable question upon hearing my pronouncement, “how much did you have to drink on the plane trip home?”

The 2012 NBBQA National Conference and Trade Show is scheduled to be held in San Diego, California, you need to try and make it, you’ll be glad you did.

Pork in the Park

2011-04-25T06:12:00.000-07:00

Salisbury MD
April 15-16 2011

The much anticipated Pork in the Park BBQ Festival was held April 15-17 in Winterplace Park located in Salisbury Maryland. The park is located in the heart of Maryland’s Eastern Shore and is always a great place to visit. Sandy Fulton and her enthusiastic group of volunteers once again rolled out the red carpet this year welcoming 116 teams from all around the Country as well as Canada.

Thursday evening found many teams already in place inside the park as the pit masters were anxious to get their fires started for the 2011 BBQ season. This event has become sort of a season opener for many of the teams in the northeastern part of the Country.

Friday morning the rest of the arriving teams were greeted with fabulous weather as it was what some would call one of those Chamber of Commerce kind of days. Teams keep their third eye on the sky as the weatherman wasn’t making any promises for what was in store for late Friday night and Saturday.

Turn-in morning broke with gray skies and very gusty winds, as the day wore on, things never improved. The heavy rain that was predicted stayed away until after awards, I still believe Sandy when she says she has an “in” with the Chief Meteorologist. After the brisket boxes went in, teams were scrambling to break camp before getting soaked. I am not sure if I have ever seen a contest of that size broken down and packed away in such short order.

In true fashion the organizers were in front of the weather issue and moved the awards ceremony into the large tent that had be erected for the judges. It was a bit tight, but everyone was dry and that was a good thing.

PA Midnite Smokers, Paul and Brenda Hess walked with an impressive win as the contest Grand Champions. They took first place in both the chicken and pork categories, second in brisket and fourteenth in ribs. They also scored well in Friday night’s ancillary contests with a second in anything butt and third in dessert.

Contest Reserve Champs were Jacked Up BBQ with Cool Smoke taking the number three spot. Aporkalypse Now won top honors in ribs and Hambones by the Fire scored number one in brisket. The Black Pig BBQ was the winner in anything butt and Heavy Hitters BBQ won the Friday night dessert division. Big Dawg’s Smokin BBQ was awarded the first place trophy for whole hog.

This contest has grown to one of the biggest on the east coast, it is well run and the hospitality shown by the organizers is second to none. It is a great way to start the contest season. If you haven’t done so already, you need to add this event on your “to do” list for 2012, you’ll be glad that you did.

While at a contest...

2011-02-23T05:14:00.000-08:00

......what do YOU eat?

We all know the stories and tales of revulsion associated with eating BBQ at a BBQ contest, especially AFTER turn in. Much has been written about the assorted foods that folks crave after a contest, one thing that is fairly consistent, it won’t be que, I have even opined in the past on this very topic and believe it or not, that story was one of the most commented on articles I have ever written, with most folks agreeing with me, unusual for sure.

Instead, this month’s article will touch on the foods that you do eat while at a contest, sometimes known as ‘camp food’. One only needs to poke around the contest grounds on Friday night to see what I am talking about. Some teams will go all out with their menus that will include appetizers and a full course sit-down spread. While other take a little easier route, opting for dips, wraps, and assorted other finger type foods. Still others, like it easier still, and will dine on carryout foods or something prepared by a nearby event vendor.

As for the WATG? gang, we have served the entire gamut at times, I guess, depending upon the situation or our mood. If the contest includes a chefs choice or anything butt on Friday night, many times we will just make a little extra for the team members to enjoy after the last turn in. If the mood strikes us, we might prepare something completely different. We have served everything from grilled New York strip steaks and twice baked potatoes to pasta or home made chili on for Friday’s dinner. All served with the appropriate bottle of vino of course.

I have prepared steamed shrimp and many other assorted appetizers for the team members and guests around the camp to nosh on while sipping cool drinks under the lighted canopy on Friday eve. I have even went the super easy route and ordered delivery subs or pizza be brought to the site, when we just didn’t feel like cooking, just like at home.

Many times, as other cooks and pit masters stop in for a visit, we invite them to join us or at least have a taste. We usually always invite our neighbors or at least make them a plate to enjoy. We have even been known to wrap a carry out package up and deliver it to a team located on the other side of the grounds, just because we know they like what we were having. What goes around comes around, I believe in that one for sure.

Our team has even been known to arrive at a certain favorite contest area on Thursday night, with the event promoters’ prior permission of course. With contest preparation not beginning until the next day, the past two years we have whipped up an old fashioned Maryland style crab feast on Thursday. The table is complete with steamed on site #1 Chesapeake Bay blue crabs, fresh picked sweet corn swimming in butter, ice cold sliced garden tomatoes and chunked cantaloupe for dessert. Just writing about that meal here in mid February is making me mouth watering hungry. It don’t git no better than that!

Another method that our team has been known to employ from time to time is known as the walk about dining method. The trick here is to mosey around the contest grounds on Friday evening around about 8-9:00. You need to wear a look of extreme hunger, which usually isn’t very hard for me, while wandering around site to site. As you can imagine, many of the other teams will be busy whipping up or serving their own camp food to their members and guests. BBQ folks being some of the nicest and most hospitable folks on the planet inevitably are going to ask, would you like something to eat or try one of these. You are in luck.

I have had some of the tastiest samples of many assorted foods while panhandling at a BBQ contest. One well known New England team is known far and wide for their offering of what is known as Damn Dip. A word of warning here though, you’d better get to their camp when the dip is served, cause it doesn’t stay around very long, trust me.

Many times, folks are even nice enough to share their recipe or methods of preparation with you. I have picked up a ton of tips and great recipes from my fellow competitors while at a contest. I guess what I am saying here is you don’t need to sweat the details as to what you are going to serve the gang for Friday nights dinner, just load your pockets up with cold drinks and take a walk. You are bound to scare up something good to eat; after all, you are at a BBQ contest. Hopefully, it will be something besides BBQ!

The cream rises to the top......

2011-01-24T03:52:00.000-08:00

……the question is why?

Let me start out by saying, please don’t panic. I have not switched gears and am not going to write a column on baking or even the latest craze to sweep the Country, the cupcake. Unlike the Food Channel, which at times should call itself the baking channel, you will not hear me go on and on about how hard it is to move a giant cake that can’t be eaten from place to place. Speaking of the cupcake, since when did this little morsel become the latest hot lick? My guess is they needed something else to help support the sale of $5 coffees so they gussied up the cupcake and now charge you $4.50 for something we used to sell at Cub Scout bake sales for ten cents. I am guessing that raspberry scones just weren’t cutting it anymore, result, designer cupcakes.

But, I digress, what I am speaking of here is the cream at a BBQ contest, que cream so to speak. Now, what I am about to say is speaking in generalities at best. This is by no means scientific, accurate or proven. I have nothing to base it on and absolutely no evidence in support of what I about to say. In fact, it is pure conjecture, a fabrication on my part.

It is my contention if you take a walk around any of the numerous BBQ contests held each weekend around the Country and you know your BBQ teams from the region, you can pretty much, with a relative degree of certainty, pick out what eventually will be the top ten overall finishers. Keep in mind, these observations are not always dead on, but most times are pretty close. The nagging question is why? What follows are my theories as to the explanation for this particular phenomenon.

1)In general, the top flight teams are not hard partiers. I know I will get a good deal of argument here, so I will clarify. What I am saying is these guys are focused. They are at a contest to cook good competition quality que, not to drink and carry on. This does not mean that the good cooks are not social or like to have fun, on the contrary, most are very social and love a good time. They just know when to party and when to be serious. When they are in the “show time” window of a contest, most are working hard to reach their goals and are not drunk or hung over. Again, this is not an absolut. Pun intended.

2)Repetition, that’s the ticket. Many of the more successful pit masters are cooking more than a handful of events a season. These guys are cooking a lot, they know their equipment, how it performs and what to expect regardless of the weather conditions. They are very comfortable in their smoky surroundings is what I am trying to say here.

3)Timing is everything. Pick a first rate team, go by their site at 12:30 AM on Friday night, go by their site the following week at the same time and I guarantee you’ll see the same thing. These guys are on automatic pilot, they’re in the zone, again, focused, they know what they are doing and when they will do it before the fire is even lit. I even know of one very successful pit master that can be seen crawling into his truck at the exact same time on Friday night for his required siesta. To say these guys are on a fixed schedule is an understatement.

4)If something is not working, you need to fix it. One thing I learned from the guys I have met that are winning is they are constantly looking for an edge. They are never idle, if a category is not getting the job done, they are not afraid to make changes in the quest for improvement. Some times the change is subtle other times drastic but these fellows are not afraid of change. I have even known of guys that have changed what would be considered successful processes in the never ending quest for improvement.

5)Consistency is not only a good thing, it is a requirement. Again, not a hard fast rule, but most of the top scoring teams are doing well in all four categories. They may not be walking in every meat, although that surely wouldn’t hurt. The key is the team is not tanking in even one category and that is what is important. You need to be consistent across the board to hear your name called with any regularity.

6)Teams that are consistently in the top ten would be considered dedicated, in my humble opinion. Most would admit to having que on their mind for most of their waking hours. Where else could you find someone that is willing to engage in a 1.5 hour conversation as to the interactions of rub and or marinade to the eventual crunchiness of chicken skin. Find yourself one of these top ten pit masters and see if you can get them to talk a little que. The only problem is, trying to get them to stop.

7)Attention to detail. Most of the guys that are successful week in and week out are very detail oriented. As I stated above, they operate on a set schedule, their equipment is all in the right place, and their cook areas are neat and organized. They pay attention to even the smallest detail, always searching for a way to do it better or more efficiently.

Again, this is not meant to be a scientific study or report, it is merely the dimwitted observations of a slightly past middle-aged, half crazed, BBQ wannabe. I can’t tell you how many times I have been asked, “how can you continually cook a good product when at each contest you have different judges….it is so subjective, how can you be consistent?” My answer is always the same, “you’ve got teams out there that can win in California, Texas, New England, Florida, Kansas City and everywhere in between, they must be doing something right”. In our sport, as is the case in any competition ever held, the cream always rises to the top. Only in our case, the cream smells a bit like smoke, and that is a good thing!

Starting the New Year right…

2011-01-13T15:28:00.000-08:00

....what are your Que resolutions?

As the smoke dissipates on the year 2010, the question that many of us ask is where did it go? It seems like just yesterday we anxiously awaited the start of the season watching the events move north from the southern locations that dominate the early season. When the season finally kicked off here in the northeast in April it seems I blinked my eyes and it was October.

We cooked 6 contests in 2010 and are planning about that number for the year 2011. As I look ahead and make my plans the thought came to me about New Year resolutions. Each year in January we hear news stories and talking heads from every sort of media outlet pontificating on what resolutions are made and who makes them. I myself would like to see a follow up story somewhere to report how many of those stated resolutions actually made it past January 2nd.

It dawned on me there is no collection of resolutions made by the cooks, pit masters, and personalities in the BBQ world, at least that I was aware of. What a great idea, interview the top 10 or so BBQ folks and get their resolutions for the upcoming season, that would make great reading. Of course, I was one day away from my deadline when I came up with this brilliant idea. The time needed to reach out to the people to be interviewed, wait for their response, collect their thoughts, and then write the article might take a little longer than a day. It appears that this idea will have to wait until next year when I have a bit more time. For now, you will have to suffer through a compilation of my own Que resolutions for 2011. If it would make it any easier reading, you can pretend that I am in fact, a noted BBQ personality, at least for purposes of this particular article.

1)Be more focused- It seems like in the year 2010 I only thought about BBQ for 364 days. There were a few days that I did not check the forums or read an article or story relating to BBQ. I know there was a weekend or two when I cooked only seafood or pasta. I need to get back on track, get more focused, practice with the big 4 and work additionally on my whole hog and other ancillary submissions. I have two certified BBQ judges residing within walking distance of my home base. If I could just convince four more of my neighbors to take the judges class, (I would even pay their way), I could have a full table to submit my offerings to each weekend as a practiced my methods and flavor profiles. Now that sounds like a good idea.

2)Be More Prepared- As part of my routine at a contests or catering gigs I keep lists, notes and records. This year I vow to actually read those lists, notes and records more than one day ahead of my next event. My particular focus here would be the supply list. We keep a detailed list of items that need to be restocked in our trailer before the next event. If I were more prepared, I would actually read over that list a week or so ahead of the next event so that items that have to be ordered, can be handled BEFORE I am short on time and have to pay four times the shipping costs to have the items sent overnight.

3)Work neater- As I cleaned my equipment for the final time before stowing most of it away for the winter I was continually amazed at the places I found BBQ sauce and various other overspray and debris. I won’t even discuss my aprons, shirts, shorts and shoes after an event. Let’s just all agree, I certainly have room for improvement when it comes to ‘working neater’. In 2011, I will look like Mr. Clean, or at the very least, Mr. Not So Filthy.

4)Stay more sober- I am talking about while at a contest, not at home, why in the world would I want to remain more sober at home? This would fall under the ‘more focused’ section as well. While there is nothing wrong with having a cool drink or two in the contest setting, in my opinion there is a fine line between ‘enough’ and ‘too much’. I will admit, there has been the occasional time when I crossed that line, or at the very least, staggered over it. My plan in the upcoming year is to limit my alcohol consumption while at a contest which I believe will assist me with resolution number one. Besides, everyone needs to make at least one resolution that they KNOW they aren’t going to keep, this way, maybe the others will be more successful.

5)Take more pictures- I carry my camera to each and every event. Sometimes when I get home, I have less than a dozen pictures from the entire weekend, and four of them are of my turn-in boxes. I vow to take more and better quality pictures this year. I am even thinking of hiring a photographer to hang with us for the weekend to get some really great and candid shots. I wonder if I can find a cameraman that will work for Que? This entire premise is based on the assumption that everyone one on the team is in compliance with resolution number 4, if they are not, I surely don’t want any incriminating photographic evidence being collected.

6)Have more fun- I am not quite sure that this is a possibility. Not that we don’t like to have fun. But I believe, based on our past contest behavior, that we are having the maximum amount of fun allowable by law at each and every contest we attend. I also believe that there may be a certain amount of fun participated in by our squad that could very well be prohibited by law in some States in the Union. If we are not having funis maxiumis, I think we would hang it up. However, that being said, there is always room for improvement. We will work hard to maximize the reading on the fun-O-meter, even if it involves completely scraping item number four before the season opens.

So there you have it folks, six BBQ resolutions for the upcoming year 2011, five of which I might even try to comply with, I’ll keep you posted in next years column how successful I was, or wasn’t. I’ll toss number four in with my yearly personal New Years resolution that I am going to drop 10 pounds. That one usually flies out the window on New Years Day!

Anyway you look at it resolutions are a good thing, they cause you to pause, reflect, prioritize, and have a few laughs. If there is one thing that we all could use these days it would be a good laugh or two or three. In addition, I would like to wish everyone a fun-filled, safe and successful 2011 BBQ season. Hope to see you out on the trail.

Christmas is coming................

2010-12-10T03:56:00.000-08:00

and the goose is not the only thing gettin fat!

I realized early this year that Christmas is coming like a runaway train. I know this because here in the Northeast, the continuing barrage of annoying commercials being aired by politicians of various ilks has now been replaced with assorted offerings as to what you should purchase for your significant other or family member this upcoming season. Despite the frequency of spots for cars and expensive jewelry as gifts, here at the Hensler House, we are trying to cut back a bit with our holiday spending.

With that thought in mind, I have come up with a list of gift possibilities for that aspiring pit master that you both know and love. I have tried to include a range of prices to be able to offer a reasonable selection without breaking the bank. Although, a brand new diesel powered, heavy duty ¾ ton, 4 wheel drive pick up truck with a trailer towing package is sure to bring a smile to even the most discriminating Humbug on your list.

I realized long ago after watching TV commercials of large and lavish gifts being given out on Christmas morning that I was apparently born on the wrong side of the tracks. Where I come from, family, friends, and quality time are what are most important around the Holidays, and the rest of the year as well.

Anyway, here is my list; I hope it is of some help. I also would like to take this time to wish my readers a joyous, happy, smoke filled and safe Holiday season!

Dr BBQ’s Big Time Barbecue Cookbook, $16.95- Ray Lampe, St Martin’s Griffin- What I consider one of the most complete BBQ books for both the beginner and intermediate pit master. Great stories and good recipes are included along with some very helpful information. This book belongs on the shelf of any serious BBQ chef, backyard or on the competition circuit.

There was another book that I wanted to add here for folks thinking about getting involved in competition BBQ. At the time of this writing, the title and author has slipped from my failing memory. If my internet was up and running, I would try to Google “everything you need to know about starting a competition BBQ team”. I believe that would sufficiently jog my brain cells. It is amazing what you can find through a good old fashioned Google search. If I remember the title or author later, I will pass it on. I have it from a good source, the book does exist.

DigiQ DX- Made by BBQ Guru. A power draft air control system- $179.00 (base price) available from www.thebbqguru.com. A very reliable system that allows you to control the air flow to your BBQ cooker resulting in more constant temperatures producing a better end product as well as a more steady, trouble free cook. This system is adaptable to a wide range of cookers. In my humble opinion, the support service offered by the folks at The BBQ Guru is first rate.

16 slot Cordura Book Style Knife Case made by Messermeister, $59.75, available from www.knifemerchant.com Safe transportation of sharp knifes is essential for any traveling cook or BBQ’er. Knifes left in a drawer or box along with other utensils is an accident waiting to happen. This case is very handy and includes a zippered mesh compartment in the rear for transportation of other small cooking essentials.

The Splash Proof Super-Fast Thermapen- $96.00- available from www.thermoworks.com. A good insta-read thermometer is a necessary tool in any kitchen or BBQ camp. The newest model gives you a digital temperature readout in only 3 seconds. Debate continues amongst many experienced Thermapen users as to what color works faster, for my money, I think yellow rules.

9-LED Strap-on Headlamp- $9.86, available at www.overstock.com A great stocking stuffer. This is a great tool to have when moving around your cooking or grilling area during the night or early morning hours. The light also has many uses away from the cooking setting and just a good all around gift. I own several.

Life before Que

2010-10-20T13:37:00.000-07:00

…am I obsessed?

I just finished up my 4th year on the competition BBQ circuit with my own team. If you add in a season or three where I cooked a few amateur events and helped an existing team, pretty soon I realize I been fooling around this game for about 7 years. Still what I would consider somewhat of a rookie compared to many guys on the circuit, what I’ve noticed is BBQ and outdoor cooking is taking more and more of my time.

This year my team cooked in 6 contests. If you add in a weekend cooking class, 3 additional contests attended as a spectator, a Que trade show weekend, 2 judging events, a couple of catering gigs, numerous practice cooks, and before you know it there is not much time for anything else, which is exactly my point here.

When I first toyed with the idea of starting my own competition team I was still busy, or so it seemed, but I did have some free time. My lawn, while not the neighborhood showplace was at least, fed, watered, cut and trimmed. I maintained a large perennial garden at home, spent a lot of time hunting and fishing, kept my truck washed, and occasionally had time to clean the garage. Alright, I am exaggerating about the garage part, but you get my point.

It seems today, if I am not cooking, grilling or smoking, then I am at home, surfing the net looking, reading and writing about some type of outdoor cooking. I lay in bed at night thinking and scheming of ways and methods to try and improve my product. While taking my afternoon walk, I think about my equipment list and what I need to replenish before our next event. Do I need another cooker? Should I practice this weekend? What will we do for the chefs’ choice in Salisbury next spring? And on and on and on.

This is not to mention the list I have put together for products I would like to design and develop to make things easier for folks involved in competition BBQ cooking. I have a list started; I just need a couple of weeks and a few thousand dollars to finish the designing and to build a few demos to test. I am sure I’ll find the time to get to this during the offseason this winter. Yea, right.

Last night, as I returned from my walk I glanced into what, just a few short years ago, was a very fine collection of the genus Hosta. Instead of a collection that any gardener would be proud to display, I see a collection of plants that need some attention, surrounded by weeds that have been neglected and are now thriving. The entire area is quickly becoming inundated with the latest seasonal tree dropping, leaves. I continue towards the house, past my dirty truck and into my garage. The 2 car garage, which up until about 4 years ago used to actually contain a car once in a while, is now cluttered with a collection of coolers, foil pans, large pots and lids, smokers, bags of charcoal, a pig roaster, folding tables and chairs, EZ-Ups, well you get the picture.

I was thinking the other day that I should seek professional help, but decided against the idea, fearing what the councilor might say. Maybe I just need to take a time management class. I saw in the catalog that several are offered at our local Community College as non-credit adult evening classes. Maybe I am not obsessed; I just need to prioritize a bit better. I am sure I can find some time to tend to a few of the duties and tasks that have fallen victim to my addiction to Que.

Besides, if I could find a few hours a weekend, I could work on developing that new brisket and pork procedure that I read about last weekend on the internet. As for all those leaves that I see falling onto my formally well maintained lawn and garden, maybe I can get one of the neighborhood kids to rake them for me, you know, free me up for something more pressing, more important, like practicing my chicken!

Keystone BBQ Contest -Harrisburg PA- Oct 1 & 2 2010

2010-10-04T16:41:00.001-07:00

Oooooh that smell, can’t you smell that smell?

We cooked the Keystone Classic BBQ Contest at the farm complex located in Harrisburg PA this past weekend October 1 & 2, 2010. For those that do not know, this contest was the site of our first (and only), Grand Championship trophy last year. We were defending champs. It was our time to shine, to rise above the fray and really show what we were made of….either that or we could lay an egg, stink the joint up, the choice was ours, or more specifically, mine. As they say in radio, and now, the rest of the story.

The weekend before our last scheduled contest in Harrisburg I spent the day going over the trailer, checking and rechecking, making sure all necessary gear was on board and in place. The only thing I had forgotten to do was to look at the list we keep at each contest itemizing everything we need to get before our next outing. As I glanced at the list the Wednesday before leaving for Harrisburg, I noticed I had forgotten to order more rub for our brisket. No biggie I thought, I am sure I would have enough to do the job this weekend. If that is the only Gremlin involved issue that I am going to have, this weekend coming is going to be a cake walk.

Thursday afternoon and I am humming along at work wrapping up loose ends and finishing projects as I am preparing to take Friday off for the contest. Things are going very smoothly, no problems, no issues, until late afternoon when my phone rings. Bobby stopped on his way home from work to pick up our briskets and was told due to the storm, the delivery truck never arrived. They would be in sometime late Friday afternoon, the trouble was, we’d be in Harrisburg by then. Hmmmmmm…….

Oh, did I forget to mention the storm? A huge tropic weather system was streaming up out of the south and pounding the area with very heavy rain and strong winds, which in my area translates into power outages. Some areas received over 5 inches of rain, but the weather folks said it would clear the area by Friday morning, lets hope they would be right, for once. So Thursday afternoon, between power failures, I was on the horn trying to track down a source for a couple of briskets to cook at the contest.

We cook what is known as a full brisket or packer cut, a chunk of brisket meat containing both the flat and the point cut. The problem is, when you call around and ask for the cut, many folks don’t have a clue what you are talking about. They will tell you they do carry them, when you drive to their location, you find they only have the flat cut, which is typically sold in most stores. Some “meat” guys don’t even know the difference.

I finally got a guy on the phone from a nearby Wallmart that sounded like he knew what I was talking about. He told me they had “a few briskets left”, but couldn’t hold them until the morning, (when I would be driving right past that store). So, after work, I jumped in the truck and took the 45 minute drive one way to Shrewsberry PA to check out the Wallmart briskets. Several downed trees along the way made for a bit of a longer journey, but the trip wasn’t too bad. Sure enough, they had a few in the case; two looked like they would work, I snatched them up and paid the bill, then returned home to finish readying for the contest. Take that you smelly little bugger, (the Gremlin that is).

The trip up to Harrisburg on Friday was uneventful, the rain had quit and the sun was beginning to make an appearance. Arthur wasn’t coming to the contest this week, Jo was coming up on Saturday morning, Bobby had to work a half a day on Friday, so it was Erich and I to set the site and get things started. There were two ancillary categories Friday night, burger and Lebanon bologna; we were planning to do both. Erich would do the burger while I prepared the bologna.

For a bit of a different twist, at least for contests that we have cooked, they gave the ancillary awards out on Friday night. I thought this was a good idea. We heard our name called for 10th place bologna for my submission of a chicken cordon bleu with a back fin crabmeat cream sauce. Erich’s burger was 24th. Overall, we were pretty happy. The night was cool, a light breeze, smoke in the air, it was good, at least for now.

We wondered around, had some laughs, tipped a few beers, loaded our cookers, and then turned in for the night. Not a Gremlin in sight. I was actually sleeping really well when I heard a voice. I suppose you are expecting me to tell you how the voice was telling me how good we would do in the contest or some other words of wisdom. The voice, however was saying, “George, your cooker is on fire!” Was I dreaming? I sprang from my chair to see what was the matter. I wasn’t dreaming, as I glanced outside, I saw flames leaping from the open door on the WSM, which apparently had fallen off as I slept. I could see smoke rolling into the night sky as my buddy Red Todd replaced the door on the cooker which quickly extinguished the flames. A huge thanks to my observant neighbor and Red for waking me up and putting out the fire, thanks guys. The pork butt that had been in the cooker was at temperature and was transferred to the cambro to await turn-in time, a mere 9 hours later. Oh well, might as well get a little more sleep while I can…….. They’re back.

Bobby and I get up at 6:00 to get the ribs ready for the cooker. As part of our morning routine, we check all of the big meats to see where they are in the cooking process and when they will be ready to be wrapped. A check of our number 1 brisket found it ready, not ready to be wrapped, but ready as in done, finished, ready for the rest. Which at this time would only be about 7 hours, oh joy, it just keeps on getting better.

I can’t figure it out. We did everything the same as we had always done, what is going on? Gremlins at work for sure. The short cooks for chicken and ribs would be uneventful for sure, how much worse can it get? Note to self: Never ask “how much worse can it get?” again. I have been cooking my chicken the same at every contest for the past 2 years and have cooked a piece or two for practice. I haven’t overcooked my yardbird since Dover 2007, that is, until yesterday in Harrisburg. At 11:00, my chicken was at temperature; don’t ask me how or why, because I surely don’t know. What I can tell you is holding chicken for 1 hour until it is time to turn it in doesn’t have the same effect as holding a butt or a brisket. Result, 37th place in chicken, oh boy, repeat champs, I think not. Farkin Gremlins.

Our final results were 37th in chicken, 10th in ribs, 35th in pork, 20th in brisket, good enough for 25 overall out of 45 teams. Less than mediocare is what I would call it, and that would be being nice. In short we stunk up the joint, big time.

After I returned home from this contest and spent a few hours contemplating its outcome, I cobbled up a forum post regarding a possible aroma drifting through the air at the Farm Complex. Upon further reflection and soul searching I realized what it was that I smelled. It wasn’t the aftermath and droppings from nearby livestock, it was the distinct odor wafting from my trailer as a result of my less than dismal contest performance, which, in it of itself, smelled like gremlin S**T.

The only bright spot of the day was our ribs, we received a call to the stage for 10th place in this category. Bobby has taken this category and ran with it. He has trimmed, prepped and cooked the ribs for the last 2 years for the WATG? squad, and done a great job. Many times this year, the ribs have been our only call to the stage. Thanks Robert. While I am on the soapbox for this season ending post, I would like to take a minute to thank all of my teammates, Arthur, Erich, Bobby and Jo. They help me immensely at each event, prepping, setting up, cooking, tearing down and cleaning up. At times, they have to put up with my moods, grouchiness and occasional short fuse. They even have to tolerate me bickering with my teammate/wife, which most times is as a result of the aforementioned grouchiness on my part. I couldn’t do it without them and I know it wouldn’t be near as much fun, so for that I say thanks to my teammates/friends, you are the best. We might not have walked a lot this season, but we sure laughed a lot, good times and memories for sure.

This year we competed in six events and overall didn’t do too bad. I would like to do more contests, but with a few catering gigs, a family vacation, and an occasional “off” weekend the cooking season slides by pretty quickly these days. I have dubbed this season, “the year of the ribbon” as we have won only ribbons, medals and certificates, nary a trophy to be had. I will continue to work to improve my process and concentration and look forward to next year getting back into the smoke with my teammates and all of my BBQ friends, all in the quest for the all illusive plastic pig, gremlins be damned!!

Tunes to Que by

2010-09-29T11:23:00.000-07:00

BBQ Boogie

Go onto any of the current BBQ forums and ask the question what Pit Masters consider most important when it comes to cooking good que and see what happens. Of course, it goes without saying that you will get the standard boring run of the mill answers. You know, temperature control, knowing your cooker, good quality meat products, blah blah blah. Ask those same Pit Masters what they feel is essential to cooking good que and inevitably you’ll get the answers, good friends, cold adult beverages, and good quality tunes.

Depending upon who you ask and when, you might even be told the last 3 are more important than the first 3. The topic of what would be considered good quality tunes to que by can elicit a discussion as spirited as to which type of cooker is best. A stroll around a mid sized BBQ competition to take in the musical offerings will find an assortment of tastes ranging from head-banging to jazz to classical.

Sometimes, you can take a look at the make up of the team and pretty much predict with a reasonable degree of accuracy what type of tune will be emanating from their I-Pod speakers. A group of 50+ year old men, chances are you’ll be listening to a mixture of classic rock and the blues. Toss in a couple female teammates you can be sure a few country tunes will be heard. A couple of early 30’s cookers and your likely in for a few selections from Slipknot or Korn. At the risk of sounding too much like my parents back in the late 60’s, for the life of me, I don’t understand how they can call that stuff music, but I will leave that discussion for another day.

For us, a group consisting of a couple of guys on the back side of middle age and my wife, our Pod consists of a wide variety of selections that range between The Mills Brothers, Glen Miller, The Beatles, Muddy Waters and everything in between. Well, everything except opera. I say not opera but have forgotten about one of my favorite selections to play on turn in morning, Wagners Ride of the Valkyries, so much for my everything but opera claim.

In my recently released book Startin the Fire I have listed a collection of tunes to be included on your I Pod playlist used on turn-in morning. I have the selections broken down between prep time, the four meats and clean up. I had a ball as I collected songs to complete the lists. I used forum posts on the topic, internet searches as well as good old fashioned research sources to come up with what I consider a pretty complete listing. I always have my eyes and ears open for songs that would fit the bill and could be added to my list, which, by the way, has grown even since the book was published. I have listed what I would consider a few of the “essential” compilations that must be included on everyone’s BBQ playlist.

Chicken Shake Boogie- A tune from Amos Milburn first recorded in 1948. I enjoy the original version but prefer a newer recording by Willie And The Poor Boys, a group formed in the early 80’s by Stones bassman Bill Wyman and included an assortment of members from time to time that included Ron Wood, Charlie Watts, Jimmy Page and Ringo Starr.

Milk Cow Blues- This song has been covered by everyone from Elvis to the Kinks. My favorite cut is probably one of the earliest by Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys. If you can listen to this song without tapping your toe, I would have to question your reason to live.

I Love My Babys BBQ- Recorded by RJ’s Rhythm Rockers. A little hard to find but well worth the hunt, very snappy lyrics.

Barbeque- Robert Earl Keen. A slower selection, great for watching the smoke roll out the stack while sipping a cold drink.

Too Much Barbeque- Big Twist & the Mellow Fellows- How can you not have a tune by a band with this name on your I Pod?

Barbecue- Washboard Sam-This is an old recording that just cries out for someone to cover it again, Washboard asks, “baby, who’d you give my barbecue to?”

Mess around- Ray Charles- The first words of the song are, “talk about the pit, Barbeque”, how can you go wrong?

Good BBQ- The Riptones- “Shes a fine young thing that likes good BBQ”, nuff said.

As you can see from this small list, there is no shortage of songs about BBQ and related topics. Half the fun is hunting for them, the rest of the fun comes when you’re tapping your foot while loading your cooker or grill. Search for songs about smoke, fire, cooking, food, you can see what I am talking about. Have fun with it. I only ask that if you come up with any good ones, you drop me a line so I can add them to my playlist. I am always looking for new tunes to que by.

New Holland Summer Fest 8/27-8/28 2010

2010-09-08T14:07:00.000-07:00

Time sure flies when you’re having fun, and one thing is for sure, we like our fun.

The calendar says that it’s the end of August and time once again for one of our favorite contests of the season, the New Holland Summer Fest. Wow, where did summer go. It seems like just last week we headed south for the season opener in Salisbury MD, Pork in the Park. While this is not our last event for the year, it certainly is a reminder that the cool nights and shorter days of fall are just around the corner.

This year, as we have done in the past, the team traveled up to New Holland PA on Thursday evening slipped into our space and got set up before dark. We took along a few dozen live blue crabs, some fresh picked sweet corn and red ripe tomatoes. Talk about a meal, steamed crabs, buttered corn on the cob, sliced Maryland tomatoes and ice cold beer. It don’t git no better then this! It was a tremendous fest and a great way to mark the waning days of summer.

Being set up at a contest site when you get out of bed on Friday morning sure is the way to go. Much less rushing around, able to relax, enjoy the day, visit a bit, it just makes for a much more enjoyable contest experience. It is easy to see why several teams make it their SOP to arrive on site on Thursday evening. Not to mention the fact that early bird teams get an additional night to play before the real business of contest cooking begins on Friday night. And play we did, nuff said.

Last year the weather gods did very little for the fine folks that run the Summer Fest but they made up for it this year as beautiful skies and very comfortable temperatures were the rule of the day. It was great weather for sleeping outside; even cool enough to zip up the sleeping bag as there was a bit of chill in the night air. The best part though, was that it was dry.

The prep work and trimming went off without a hitch, things were going along very smooth, almost too smooth. I should have found it a little suspicious as the appointed hour for the cooks meeting crept closer and closer. Usually, I can persuade a team member to volunteer to attend to represent the team but this evening, no one stepped forward, in fact, they were as a group being fairly elusive. Being all caught up with my prep work due to our early arrival, I reluctantly trudged off to attend as our team representative without giving a second thought as to the source of their reluctance. I had a slight feeling that something was afoot, but could not isolate it, and quickly dismissed the thought as my pea sized brain switched into contest mode and was thinking about the times and tasks that laid ahead.

Twenty seven years as a law enforcement officer you think I would have learned to always follow my gut instinct, especially when you have a gut the size of mine, that’s a lot of instinct! As I ambled back from the meeting with my goodie bag in hand I rounded the corner at our site and was met with a very humorous sight. There stood each and every member of my team all sporting straw skyzoo’s with tropical headbands identical to the one that I have taken to wearing at contests. Too funny.

Regular readers will know that I began wearing my current contest headpiece a little over a year ago. The hat has become the target of some minor ridicule and scoffing from many members of the team. The result of which has prompted me to make the hat required headgear for each and every contest that we cook. I even had a cook on another team tell me at Bel Air as I was wearing old faithful, “Man, you need a new look”. I attribute the comment to too much alcohol consumption on his part, (it was rather late Friday night), and the fact that the lighting wasn’t what it should have been. Or it could have been too much alcohol consumption on my part, either way.

While at various contests my hat has been stolen, filled with things, and clamped to the top center strut of our canopy. It has been hidden from my view, screwed to the interior wall of the trailer, held for ransom, and a few other things too gruesome or obscene to mention considering this is a family show. I have a good idea that a person or persons on my team have been responsible. That’s right; I have determined it is an inside job, possibly a group effort. I didn’t do 27 years in law enforcement for nothing, just call me Inspector Clouseau.

Upon closer inspection, the headbands for the guys had been inscribed with the words, “we were those guys” a reference to the team name they plan to take when they secede from out current arrangement. The headband on Jo’s hat, yes, she had on too, said, “I am stuck with that guy.” Poor Jo, what a riot.

From the best information I could piece together during the subsequent investigation that ensued, the scheme was hatched by Bobby who then enlisted his wife into the caper for assistance. I am sure it was a group effort to some degree, but either way, it sure was a good one. I just wish there had been someone on site to snap a picture of my expression when I rounded that corner, I am sure it would have been a winner.

We cooked a pretty good contest, 72 teams, and we finished 7th overall. We received 3calls to the stage, 10th place ribs, (good job Bobby), 10th place chicken, and 6th place chefs choice, (which was cooked again this year by Jo, well done) We have been fairly solid all year either in or just outside the top 10 at every event, not bad for a couple of part timers, especially part timers sporting matching straw hats. One thing is for certain, we sure have a lot of fun!

The Bel Air BBQ Bash 8/13-8/14 2010

2010-08-20T13:17:00.000-07:00

Me a pokerface?..... You have got to be kidding.

The Bash in Bel Air is my hometown contest. Just a short 15 minute drive from my home I look forward to cooking this event for several reasons. The first is the short drive, especially for the return trip. I don’t usually notice the distance TO a contest probably because I am excited and anticipating the event. When it comes time to the drive home, it sure is nice to be pulling into the driveway just after getting on the road. It would be nice if they were all that close.

Another reason I like this contest is the huge crowds that attend. Event organizers estimated this year’s crowd at 25,000 for the 2 day event and I’ll bet they weren’t far off. It is great to see so many folks that have some interest in BBQ or outdoor cooking. It is also nice to have folks that I know drop by the site for a visit. While I don’t always have the time I would like to spend with each guest, it is very nice to spend even a few minutes with some of the fine people that make up our community of Harford County Maryland.

The third reason that this event is special to me is this is where I got my start, cut my BBQ teeth so to speak. It was back in 2004 when I first cooked the Tailgater Challenge, the amateur contest that is held on Friday night at the Bash. I walked away from that event with a ribbon for 6th place and was hooked on competition BBQ. I guess that was a good thing, although some would certainly be willing to debate the issue. I later found out that my friend Dan from 3 Eyz BBQ also started his BBQ career at the 2004 Tailgater Challenge. Small world for sure.

I think the Tailgater is a great way for folks that are thinking about getting involved with competition Que to test the waters and get a feel for the contest setting. The folks at Bel Air do a great job with this event and even try to use KCBS judges to sample the wares and give the competitors a score sheet, just like in a regular KCBS event. Each team is given 2 racks of baby back ribs to cook, they then have to follow KCBS rules for rib turn-in, at least 6 separate bones must be submitted.

As I have said in the past, competition que is increasing in popularity. It is plainly evident here in Bel Air with the numbers for the Tailgater. In years past the number of teams has fluctuated between 12 & 15. This year they had 33 teams signed up to cook the contest that begins at 1 PM on Friday afternoon.

I took a stroll around the Tailgater lot around 4:00 on Friday and it was great to see all of the folks with their set-ups having fun and talking BBQ. In my opinion, this is a good sign for competitive BBQ cooking, no matter how you slice it, thank you Pitmasters!

I was approached by the contest organizers one day last week and asked if I would be interested in announcing the winners for the Challenge Friday night. I had donated a few copies of my book to be included into some prize packs they were putting together for the top finishing teams. The organizers were very kind in promoting my book to the hometown audience and thought it would be a good fit if I would make the announcement. I agreed and arrived at the stage at the appointed hour.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention that my Son Sam decided at the last minute to cook the Tailgater with his girlfriend Megan. They had cooked the event back in 2008 but skipped last year due to Sam’s work schedule at the time. They both have very busy schedules so it wasn’t until Thursday night before the cook that Sam was running around gathering his tools and materials needed for the contest. As it turned out, Sam would have to work a half of day Friday so Megan would set up and begin the process before Sam could arrive.

Their path to the judges tent brought them past my site so Sam showed me his box and dropped off a rib for me to sample. I’ll have to say, the box looked good and the rib was cooked perfectly, the bite came away cleanly, while the rest of the meat stayed on the bone. The kids done good.

You can imagine my surprise as I stood on the steps to the stage just minutes before the awards and saw Sam’s team as the 2nd place finisher. I wanted to jump up and down but though I’d better not. Instead, I leaned over to the organizers and explained the situation. I wanted to be sure they were aware before I got started in case they wanted to make a change of announcers. They did not, and I was glad, now, for the hard part.

I had to step to the microphone with the knowledge I had and try not to give it away on a silver platter. I knew that my family would be staring a hole through me in an attempt to get an early read on the results. You see, I am not a very good poker player or liar, and they know it. In my mind, all I had to do was avoid eye contact and everything would be alright. It didn’t hurt that the crowd was huge so I didn’t have to concentrate my looking to any one particular spot. It also didn’t hurt that my teammates and friends had also decided to attend the awards ceremony and were collectively tossing boo’s and catcall’s my way once I had been introduced, in an attempt to distract me. For once, having knuckleheads for friends and teammates was paying off. I knew that one day it would!

I worked my way through the calls until I finally got to second place. I called my Sons team and fought of the urge to yell, “that’s my boy!” I finished the announcements without embarrassing myself or my Son and all was right in the sleepy town of Bel Air, at least for the evening it was.

Turn-ins went extremely well on Saturday. We had a lot of folks stop by our site, but everyone stayed out of the way and was not a problem or a bother. They left everything thing to me to mess up. I thought that we turned in some really good stuff, including what I felt was some of the best brisket that we have ever cooked. Unfortunately, as has been the case for most of this year, the judges did not agree. We were 14th overall, not too shabby in a 59 team field but again no dingers. Chicken was 14th, ribs 18th, 24th in pork and 22nd in brisket. A solid performance, but as usual, we would have liked to have done better.

We will see if we can improve a bit in two weeks when we return to our favorite contest of the year the New Holland Summer Fest in New Holland Pa. There will be 72 teams cooking this event which includes many top flight operations. Congrats this week to Bash winners Cool Smoke and Reserve Champs Chix, Swine and Bovine for a job well done, And also a special congrats to the 2nd place winner of the Tailgate Challenge, Young Guns BBQ Team……..yep, that’s me boy!

I am a BBQ slob

2010-07-17T13:57:00.000-07:00

and damn proud of it!

I am sure you know someone like me, perhaps even you yourself has been afflicted. You know the type, the kind of guy that always has a stain on his shirt and or tie, even if he has just gotten dressed. If you toss in a pair of wrinkled pants and a shirt….you’ve got me nailed.

I spend 26 years working in law enforcement wearing a uniform, so I never had to purchase clothes to make a good appearance at work. Suffice it to say, I would never have been considered a poster boy for the fine men and woman in uniform. No matter how hard I tried, and believe it or not, I did try in my younger years; I just couldn’t maintain the look of a sharp dressed man like some of my counterparts. Eating and drinking while in a squad car always had disastrous results. I would swear that on more than one occasion, mayonnaise from my partner’s lunch would drip from their sandwich onto my tie rendering me as the stereotypical slob flatfoot, while my partner continued to look like they were destined for a walk-on spot for the next episode of Adam-12.

No one would ever confuse me with a clothes horse or a slave to fashion. I have always more or less gone my own way when it comes to wardrobe. Casual dress would be an overstatement when one would attempt to label my nonexistent fashion sense. The problem develops on those occasional instances when a pair of shorts and a tee shirt just don’t fit the bill, you know, weddings, funerals and the like.

My wife has always been saddled with attempting to dress a complete fashion slob/bum. Before jumping into the shower, I would take from the closet the clothes I planned to wear to the afternoon wedding we were invited to attend. Upon returning to our room after my shower, I find that a completely different set of clothes has been laid out, this time they actually match is what I am told.

While at a BBQ contest, I try and wear an apron at all times. I also carry along a couple of changes of shorts and shirts in case they are needed. Usually by late Friday night, my original apron is ready for the wash machine and it is time to change into apron #2. It never fails that several globs of sauce or meat drippings find their way around my apron and onto my clothing. Most times, I am too busy to change and end up walking to the awards looking like I just crawled out from under a cooker.

This brings me to the point of this pointless blather passing for my July post. As you may or may not know, I have recently had my first book published. The ride as a newly published author has been pretty exciting for me. A guy whose only other brush with publicity came when my name was mentioned in the local paper interviewing patrons of the 4th of July parade along its route. I had two friends call to say they saw my name in the article. I assumed that was my 30 minutes of fame that everyone talks about.

So you can imagine my excitement when the local cable TV station called and invited me into the studio on a show where they speak to local artists and authors. “What should I wear?” I inquired to the nice lady that called with the last minute instructions. “Light blue will be fine” I was told when I asked her about wearing the shirt my wife had made for me to wear to the appearances I was making for my new book. The shirt was a 3 button, pull over, golf type shirt complete with the logo from my book over the left pocket, you know, the kind that real authors wear.

The interview was scheduled for early afternoon, so I thought I would get ready, leave a little early and run a few errands while I was out. I got out my duds, which included my fancy pants book shirt,and dashed into the bathroom for a quick shower and a shave in a feeble attempt to at least look like someone important. As I stood before the mirror shaving and contemplating the questions that I might be asked I must have lost concentration for a brief moment which resulted in me lopping off a small portion of one of my chins.

I couldn’t believe it, here I was scheduled for my ever first television interview in 4 short hours and I had decided to carve a gash into my flesh so deep that I was wondering out loud if I was going to need a stitch. As I stood watching the gobs of toilet paper turn bright red as I applied direct pressure to my wound in an attempt to stop the bleeding, I heard my wife calling out to me. “George, what do you have all over the front of your shirt?”

This must be a dream or better yet a nightmare. I had worn the shirt just 3 days earlier to a book signing, it was fine then. On the way home that day, I stopped at Taco bell for lunch, but I was sure I was careful. I did move a few things around in my BBQ trailer that afternoon, but I could have sworn I had changed shirts first.

After getting the transfusion under control and with a large hunk of blood stained TP dangling from my chin, I staggered into my room to survey the stain. My thinking was if it is small enough the camera would never notice. Of course it was not small, it would have been noticeable from 40 feet away, time for plan B.

Quick, into my extensive collection of decent, unstained, presentable shirts that still fit my portly frame. Needless to say, the collection is not very large but I was able to find a shirt that fit the bill, and surprisingly, it also still fit me. I still to this day don’t understand how shirts that fit me perfectly just 2 years ago become smaller and shrink just from hanging in the closet. I am sure it has something to do with the laws of physics and fabric, but I assure you, it is way over my head.

Thank God that my wife is a registered nurse and was able to stop the bleeding by applying a tourniquet around my neck. She did live up to her promise that she would relieve the pressure occasionally so that I could breathe. I turned my interview shirt inside out for the ride to the studio just in case any overhead birds might have a case of diarrhea and want a laugh. I arrived on time, unstained and not bleeding, for me it was a victory. I still can’t forget the expression on that poor woman’s face that was parked in the car next to me on the studio parking lot as I struggled out of and then back into my shirt while standing next to my truck, “It’s OK”, I told her, “I’m an author”. I am not sure, but I think she called security.

The interview came off OK. As I watch it, I think to myself I look a little stiff. Perhaps it is because I am dressed up, you know, out of my element. In retrospect, I think I would have felt more comfortable and at ease if I had on my sauce stained apron, a dirty tee shirt and a pair of crusty shorts, more in my comfort zone. I am, after all, a BBQ slob and damn proud of it!

Upper Marlboro MD 6/4-6/5 Beltway BBQ Showdown

2010-06-10T15:31:00.000-07:00

Mired in Mediocrity

Watkins Regional Park, just outside of Washington DC, was the third location for this 4th year contest and in our opinion was the best so far. The teams were situated in a parking lot that offered some nice shady spots for the teams that began arriving as early as Thursday evening. Jonathan Jones, the contest organizer has grown this event from 16 teams in 2007 to its present size of 39 entries.

Four years ago this was the first contest that we ever cooked. We were nervous in the service back in 2007, and have cooked a ton or two of BBQ since then, both good and bad. Either way, we were glad to be returning to the scene of the crime, back where it all began so to speak.

Jonathan is not sure where next years event will be held, but he promises that things will continue to grow and improve. A strong and dedicated group of Parks & Recreation employees along with a great bunch of volunteers will assist Jonathan in his quest to make the contest better each year.

The field included some new teams as well as some of the most seasoned in the Mid Atlantic region. The weather threatened at times, but the BBQ karma kept the rain away and the most the teams had to deal with was the heat, which wasn’t all that bad, reaching 95 degrees under our canopy during turn-ins. At least there was a bit of a breeze at times to make things somewhat bearable.

You’ve heard the old adage, “You’d better quit while you’re ahead.” Well, as is the case with most old sayings, there’s a whole lot of truth in them there words! As some of you know, we won our first Grand Championship last October in Harrisburg PA. Before that, we had been on a bit of a roll, at least as far as we were concerned.

Then came Dover and the rain and the wind. We were 16th out of 81 teams without a call to the stage. Oh well, we were still flying high from Harrisburg, and it was the last event for the year for us, we’ll get em in Salisbury.

Spring time came along with renewed hope and a lot of that other crap and before we knew it, it was time to fire up the cookers and head to the Eastern Shore. We heard our name called for 7th in ribs and left with a 21st place finish out of a strong 132 team field. Not bad, but certainly not impressive.

Green Lane PA was next for us, we had taken RGC there the year before so our hopes were high. A rib and brisket call did little to soften the sting of an 8th place overall finish in a 49 team event.

This week we returned to Upper Marlboro where we finished 4th last year. I thought our stuff was pretty good, (I know, that’s the kiss of death), and again, we struggled, finishing 9th against 39 teams. No calls to the stage. Believe me, I am not complaining, I just ain’t happy. It appears that the watg? squad is mired in mediocrity or stuck in a funk as it were. We are halfway through our season; we have cooked 3 and have 3 more to go, with the possibility of maybe adding one more. Anyway you look at it, our season is almost over. Somebody better step to the plate, and that somebody is me.

It looks to me like the Big Cheese, sometimes known as the Big Head, better ante up. Whatever I have been doing, I better do it better. I need a couple of dingers, and I mean homeruns. Bel Air, next on a schedule is not until August. I have plenty of time to get ready, I better not spend it frittering away in some resort in the south of France wearing nothing but a Speedo. AAARRRGGGGGG! I just got a mental image that I’d rather not repeat!

Instead of working on my tan, I need to get busy improving the taste and tenderness of my products. I need to reverse the trend and begin to get better with each outing, to struggle from the chains of averageness and to strive to soar like an eagle. You can pick any cliché that you want but the fact remains, times a wastin, and I better git to it. Hey, I wonder if that has already been said? Perhaps a new old adage will be born from our run-of the mill or middle of the road struggle, which ever you care to call it. I know for me, it’s been a fair to middling season so far, and I don’t much like it. Stay tuned, hopefully I can turn us around.

This years contest Grand Champion was 3 Eyz BBQ from Owings Mills MD, who also captured top honors in last years event. Dan Hixon, Dan McGrath and Chris Hall made up the 3 Eyz squad and took first place in both the rib and brisket category. They also won a 4th place trophy in the pork division. The contest Reserve Grand Champ was Texas Ribs and BBQ. The top spot in chicken went to Chix, Swine, and Bovine from Columbia MD with Smokey Bottom Boys from Abingdon MD bringing home the bacon and the first place iron in pork. Congrats to all that were called!!

The Future of Que….

2010-06-01T13:10:00.000-07:00

Come, lets have a look....you might not like what you see!

In Rod Serlings voice:
You're traveling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. That's the signpost up ahead - your next stop, the Twilight Zone!"

The year is 2020, the location is Anytown, USA, it is late June and the BBQ community is anxiously awaiting a contest scheduled to be held in the town park. Contrary to how it was way back in 2010, the number of events has begun to shrink dramatically. Many venues that once hosted contests that fielded 75-100 teams have gone away. Organizers and planners that for years had run top notch events have found it much easier to host basket weaving and kite flying contests than to deal with the myriad of issues associated with a BBQ cook-off.

This event, one of the few remaining in this mid sized northeastern State, has decided to attempt to comply with the new Government regulations and hold the contest. Despite the ever growing chance to loose money and open itself to years of frivolous litigation from everyone from the contest cooks to the townsfolk that will file suit complaining about having the sweet blue BBQ smoke permeate their airspace for the weekend. Surely they could get a jury to agree that this is harmful to someone, somewhere, can’t they?

The event is still held on Friday and Saturday of the contest weekend, however, teams must report to the contest site no later than noon on Thursday. Upon arrival and registration, the teams must open their vehicles and trailers to a barrage of inspections from various departments representing the local and federal government agencies.

First, there are the folks from the local emission control division. Teams are made to pull their cookers into a portable flameproof structure and then light them up. Here a committee of environmental pointy heads in oversized lab coats and thick glasses will determine the carbon footprint likely to be left by the contest entrant. If it is determined that the expected footprint will be too large, (and I wear a size 13 wide), teams could be asked to forgo using a particular cooker or to limit the amount of meat that will be prepared. Teams may also be given the opportunity to plant trees or purchase carbon credits to help offset the alleged damage that their mere presence at this contest will likely produce. All in the name of global warming you understand.

Next to come are the good people from permits, fees and licensing. Due to the fall of the real estate market back in 2007-2010 local coffers have been a bit depleted, what with losing all of those settlement and transfer fees that are charged each time you finance or refinance a mortgage transaction. So, the quick thinking, ever resourceful bureaucrats have developed some very creative ways to raise funds on the backs of the working class taxpayers. Raising taxes and fees instead of the politicians actually reducing their staff expenses, salaries, and or expenditures, yea, that is the ticket. They have decided to assess each competing team with an environmental impact fee, (Dependent upon the size of the ole carbonic shoe), as well as a gathering permit fee, a waste creation fee, a waste disposal fee, a 2 day liquor license, a water usage fee, and a food service fee. After all, the team members are serving the judges with food, aren’t they?

Teams have been serving food to the judges since the entire concept began back in the early 80’s. I was surprised that it took local tax collectors this long to catch on. If you have food service happening, you are now clearing the way for the jackbooted Nazis in the health department to make their way into your site. Seeing as how each team is acting as its own little food service platform for each and every contest weekend, these folks have decided that it is up to them to police the great unwashed formally known as contest cooks at each and every venue. These storm troopers enter your site armed with their test strips, insta-read thermometers, water flow gauges and local regulation book and are prepared to exclude, exploit, berate, belittle, admonish, suspend, cite or arrest any violators or potential violators before the public ever arrives, all in the interest of public safety you understand.

The fire marshal has scheduled his inspection for late on Thursday afternoon. If you are lucky enough for him to be on time, you will have to provide notarized documentation of the fire retardant rating for all of your contest equipment. Cookers, tents, e-zy ups, cots, chairs, tables all must be rated to withstand a class IV fire, lest you be asked to leave the premises immediately. Oh yea, and they also want to see your fire suppression equipment, which must include a federally approved turn-out coat, fire retardant leggings and a official Fireman Bob helmet that includes a full frontal face shield. At least one member of your team MUST be qualified as a nationally rated citizen firefighter, and must present a current membership card as proof upon demand. The safety of the tax paying public is paramount you understand.

The local solicitor’s office representative is the last step in Thursday’s fun. Here the County attorney or his available lackey will have you read, initial and sign 150 pages of legal mumbo jumbo that attempts to release them and implicate you in everything from world famine to the latest skirmish in the Middle East. Oh, and did I mention the $50 per night per team camping fee that they will have to collect, in advance? Never mind that you will be sleeping in your truck, you must cough it up any-who, someone has to help pay for the local law library to keep the ever growing number of attorneys educated. Some one must be responsible for coming up with the thousands of frivolous suits that are filed on a daily basis.

Along with the sunrise on Friday morning the first visitor to your site will be probably the most important, second only possibly to the contest judges, and that is the cat from the sanitation division. Technology has really poked its head into all corners of our existence in the year 2020, we are so past hand held computers and in car navigational devices. This fellow has a small laptop with him and had no trouble getting a wireless internet connection. He asks a few semi pertinent questions, how many team members you have on site? How much beer and additional food have you brought along? He plugs it all into some high brow computer program which can calculate the estimated waste that will be produced by each human being in the site. He then translates this information into some type of an environmental impact statement. Which he then transforms into an additional fee which some folks have taken to calling the “flush tax”, why? I don’t know. I will leave that contemplation for greater minds than mine.

The nice lady from the solid waste and recycling division is the last person that you will be visited by on Friday morning prior to having your meats inspected by the contest reps, sort of like the ghost of Christmas yet to come. She presents you with a small spiral notebook containing no less that 75 pages of printed material regarding the rules, regulations, expectations and impact fees that you need to know about before moving forward. Some of it is pretty standard stuff, you know, you must wet down, sift and prepare for reuse any unburned chunks of fuel lumps.

It should be noted that in the year 2020, charcoal, as we know it today, can no longer be manufactured and or sold in the US. Environmentalists concerned about the plight of the North American Beaver had the import and manufacturing of charcoal and charcoal related products stopped in the year 2015. Fuel lumps are a man made fuel source product that is produced by a newly formed government agency that was formally known as the waste water treatment division…..I don’t want to know any more.

The rest of her spiel has to do with what you are expected to do with the waste your team will produce during the contest weekend. ALL contest waste MUST be separated for recycling and proper disposal. Aluminum cans, glass bottles, and paper are dealt with in the old fashioned way of collection and submission for recycling. The only difference in the future will be instead of being paid for your waste, you will have to PAY to have it accepted, budget shortfalls you know.

Meat scraps will be collected, bagged, and refrigerated before being collected late on Saturday afternoon; fees will be assessed based on the weight of the waste submitted for disposal. Gray water/grease collection and separation is the responsibility of each team. Teams are encouraged to filter, boil and reuse waste water once the grease has been removed. Remember- each team will only be allowed 35 gallons of fresh water based on the entry fee. Any amount over the allowable amount will be billed on a per gallon basis. Grease collection fees will be also based on amount submitted upon departure, however, teams are encouraged to take solidified grease waste back to their homes to be used as bird food or axel lubricant.

Any and all vegetable leftovers or trimmings must be composted on site by the attending team. All teams must have on their site a portable composting drum as well as a compost collection bagging system and sealer. Of course, the above described composting system must be displaying all up to date permits and proof of fee payment stickers. Teams are responsible for their own compost removal from the contest site.

The last and certainly not least inspector to stagger, I mean stroll into your site on Friday is the Liquor Board representative. This guy is supposed to check your documentation needed for transporting beer or alcoholic beverages across County lines. The only good thing here is we see that beer is STILL allowed at most BBQ contests in the year 2020. This guy asked to see our beer, could barely count, took one out and said something about a test sample before wandering away with our bottle in hand. Someone thought they heard him say, “heres mud in your eye” as he strolled away.

The awards ceremony on Saturday afternoon has also changed from what it once was. In the early years of BBQ contests, you had winners in each category as well as a reserve and a grand champ for each event. After several very high profile lawsuits filed by teams that felt they had been wronged by the judging process, contest organizers have decided to do away with any category or overall recognition.

Also contributing to this “progressive” way of thinking is the proliferation of the thought process that has grown from our little leagues, school systems and recreation programs where in there are no winners and losers. In consideration of the former non-winners “feelings” the sanctioning bodies have decided that there will be nothing but winners at the contest awards ceremonies. Therefore, each participating team, regardless of their finish, will be called to the stage, in random order of course, to collect the exact same trophy as everyone else. After all, we have to be fair don’t we?

I guess now would be a good time to remind you that this story is purely fictional and for your entertainment purposes only. I do not want BBQ pit masters and enthusiasts to run screaming into the night much the way many of the public did back in 1938 when the “War of the Worlds” was broadcast on radio.

While the majority of this story is manufactured way back in the recesses of my not so large mind, it does emit a shred of truth. A few of the points I have made have or are preparing to happen. Last fall while cooking a contest in Dover DE we encountered a bit of foul weather. Moderate to heavy rain along with gusty winds and temperatures in the mid 40’s made for an unpleasant and chilly afternoon. Our team had erected a 10x20 foot canopy that included 4 walls. Inside, we had a small propane heater running in a feeble attempt to take the chill off while we prepped our meat on Friday afternoon.

The temporary structure that we had constructed served to keep most of the rain and wind away; it was hardly what one would consider as “air tight” or “waterproof”. At some point that afternoon we were visited by a young fellow that said he was with the local Fire Department. We invited him into our humble abode as we assumed he was there to inspect our fire extinguisher. He glanced around and then told us we would have to either turn off the space heater or open both ends of our non air tight structure to allow for more air to flow through. (Oh, and did I mention we had all of the roof vents open on the structure?) After 10 minutes of discussion as to the properties and movement of air, gasses and wind speeds, I realized I would have had better luck arguing with the piece of pork I was trimming. We opted to turn off the space heater as opposed to opening both ends of our cover and creating a wind tunnel similar to the ones used to test high speed race cars. All in the interest of preventing carbon monoxide collection, for our own good, you understand.

While speaking with several other cooks at a contest several weeks ago, I heard of a recent battle a hopeful contest organizer in Virginia was having with their local Heath Department. It seems the HD wanted to make each competing team apply as food service vendors. They would be required to operate under the same standards as folks that were vending the event to the public which included meat refrigeration; (coolers were not allowable), sanitary inspections, vender licensing fees, the whole nine yards. After several months of back and forth negotiations, the organizer felt as though he was fighting a loosing battle and has tossed in the towel. Who is the winner here? You decide.

In case you have been living in a cave for the past 5 years, today’s buzz word is “Green”. I have news for you; it won’t be long before someone sets their sites on the hundreds of BBQ teams and contests held through this great Country of ours from February to December each year.

As for the future of Que, I feel we are here for the long haul. I do, however think that at times, folks in decision making positions have gone a little over the top when it comes to protecting us from ourselves. I encourage everyone to keep their eyes and ears open. Pay attention; let your voices be heard, keep stoking the fires and making the smoke rise. We are the future of Que, and I for one don’t want to see it end, it is a great American tradition, think about it.

May 14-15 2010 Smoke in the Valley

2010-05-20T06:28:00.000-07:00

Green Lane, PA

This was to be the second year for this event and the field was almost double in size from the inaugural contest the year before. The weatherman waffled all the preceding week on the possibility of rain or storms for Friday night. Despite a tornado warning during the cooks meeting, as well as word that a funnel cloud had been spotted nearby, all we had was a little rain and some distant lightning and thunder, not too bad at all. Apparently the BBQ gods were watching out for us this time.

The local VFD once again did a bang up job going out of their way taking care of the cooks and promised to try and improve for next years event. I have not cooked as many contests as some folks out on the circuit. I will have to say that the continental breakfast put out by the contest committee here is one of the best I’ve seen. Hot coffee, juice, fresh fruit, (including local strawberries), and a ton of HOMEMADE baked goods are just a sampling of your choices. The shoofly pie, in my humble opinion, is worth the trip by itself.

Level sites, easy in and out, helpful staff, good food, friendly people, beautiful countryside, and great springtime weather on Saturday made this weekend very enjoyable. Oh, and did I mention on-site coffee delivery. That’s right, after the initial breakfast rush, contest volunteers came around on a golf cart with fresh hot coffee and stopped at each and every site to see if you needed a cup. It is easy to see why this contest is quickly becoming a favorite for many east coast teams.

The contest was won by PA Midnight Smokers, Reserve Champion was 3 Eyz BBQ, with Dizzy Pig BBQ finishing in third. Top honors in chicken went to Max Cue. ZBQ was 1st place in ribs and PA Midnight Smokers, the contest Grand Champ, swept the pork and brisket categories. Congrats to all that walked.

The who are those guys? crew improved from their last outing finishing 8th place over all. They received 2 calls, 9th place ribs and 5th place brisket. Chicken was 18th and pork 15th. There were a total of 49 teams cooking the event. At least we are moving in the right direction.

Shawn Tucker, the contest organizer told me that he is just about to the max with 50 teams, so if you want in on this contest, you’d better get your entry fee in early next year. I know we’ll be back, and judging some of the comments from the other cooks, many of them will return as well.

Pork in the Park 4/16-4/17

2010-04-26T14:02:00.000-07:00

A BBQ contest is casual.....or is it?

Casual Encounters
Wanted: Male or female for occasional weekend companionship. Prefer beer and tequila drinker, cigar smoker a plus. Person must be willing to work long hours for little or no pay and go two days without a shower. The activity requires the participant to be on their feet for many hours and get very little sleep. Svelte physical condition not required. Good dishwashing skills move you to the front of the line. Strong back, tough skin and sharp tongue are required. Occasionally, one may be required to intervene and or participate in verbal squabbling and or altercations. If you enjoy hanging out in a smoke filled room until your cloths reek and your legs and back ache, this is the relationship for you. Also, it would be preferred if you disliked sunsets, sunrises, puppies, salads, light beer, sleeping in, lazy weekend mornings, pillow talk and long walks on the beach. Attach resume (including references) and apply as soon as possible. Time is of the essence.

It was late Tuesday evening before our season opener at Salisbury, the Pork in the Park BBQ Festival. Teamate Erich had something come up and would be unable to attend. I had recently had some success with a trailer purchase on Craig’s List, the on-line classified site and thought, “what the hell, why not?” I cobbled up the above want add and posted in the personals section on Maryland’s Craig’s List. The categories were a little confusing, men seeking woman, woman seeking men, men seeking men, strictly platonic, etc. I couldn’t find one that advertised BBQ team seeking weekend help. So after looking them all over I decided on “casual encounters”. After all, how much more casual could you get than a BBQ contest?

Surely there would be a huge bunch of folks out there that would want to casually participate and or hang out with an established BBQ team for the weekend, even it meant doing so was at the expense of loosing a nights sleep. I posted the add and waited. I checked my email box every hour on the hour for the first day or so and heard not a peep. Imagine my excitement when Thursday morning came and I saw a response to my add, finally, I thought.

My excitement was short lived however when I read over the response and saw the photograph that the person had sent along with the question, “did I mind if he wore a mask and brought a friend or two?” I didn’t know you were allowed to send images like that on the internet. It was only after reading this note that I ventured into the ‘casual encounters’ section of Craig’s List and saw for myself what the words ‘casual encounters’ meant to other folks. If this is what folks around town are doing for casual entertainment, I must be from the wrong planet! What ever happened to sitting around drinking a beer and watching the ball game on the tube. BBQ enthusiasts these were not. I think this must be what is referred to as ‘the too much information age’. Perhaps I should have posted on one of the BBQ forums that I frequent instead of chancing this increasingly poplar web based classified site. It was too late to repost anywhere else, we’d have to wing it a man down, again.

For those that don’t remember, the last two contests for the 2009 season we were a man down. While it is certainly a doable deal, it is much easier on everyone when we are operating on all cylinders. Oh well, I much rather operate a man down than invite Percival Sweetwater and his roving band of who knows whats along for the weekend, even if he DID wear a mask!

We arrived on site, got set up and began the prep work. With two ancillary categories on Friday night, we were very busy getting everything ready for the two day event. I was also selling my new book at a contest for the first time. It was very nice having folks stop by that had read the book saying how much they enjoyed the contents. I also enjoyed chatting with some of the folks that approached about buying a book.

One such fellow I spoke with on Friday night introduced his self and explained how he had driven up from Virginia Beach to visit the contest and see what all the fuss was about. Considering starting his own team, he said he really enjoyed wandering around and talking with some of the many cooks that were present. He added that he was staying in a nearby hotel and was planning on attending the event the next day as well. Eddy Cloud was his name and I invited Eddy to stop by the next day to watch the final prep and the building of the turn-in boxes. For my money, this is the most exciting part of the BBQ contest and the best part for someone to see if they have never had the pleasure. That is, of course, if the person is interested in BBQ.

The next day, Eddy showed up, hung up his hat and after a few introductions jumped in like he had been on the team all along. He stayed and helped with the turn-in boxes, clean-up and packing, even pitching in with a ton of dishwashing duties. We learned a lot about Eddy in our short time together. But there was one thing that I already knew; there is something about the slow rolling sweet blue smoke that brings out some of the nicest people you’d ever want to meet. Here was a guy that I had just met, from out of town, on a weekend, working his butt off to help us try and do well in a contest. I have said it before, and I’ll say it again, BBQ folks are good people I tell you. Thanks Eddy.

Oh yea, the contest. Well, we finished 21st out of a 132 team field. We received one call to the stage for 7th place in ribs. Our chicken was 47th, pork 45th, and brisket 29th. We certainly wished we had done better, maybe next time out. For now, I gotta figure out how to REMOVE a want add from the now famous Craig’s List, you oughta see some of the responses that have come in, whew, and they call this stuff casual???? Never again!

Contest Memories

2010-04-23T05:01:00.000-07:00

Grab em while you can!

As a fairly new team to the contest circuit just entering our forth year of competition I took a look back to see what, if anything we were doing to preserve contest memories. As anyone that has cooked in more than a few BBQ contests will tell you, the time spend at the actual contest is very minimal when compared to the time spent preparing, packing, traveling, and cleaning up. In my opinion, much more time is spent getting ready for an event than cooking the event. At the contest, I find myself rushing around trying to spend a little time with the other folks that I have come to know on the BBQ trail. Sometimes at a larger event, there are folks I won’t even get to see. I find, that much of my enjoyment of the contest experience comes from the memories that I can clutch onto after the smoke from the event begins to drift away.

Probably the most popular memory collector amongst most teams at a contest is picture taking. I really enjoy looking at the photos we take at a contest. This include shots of our turn-in boxes which when compared with the score sheets help to give us ideas and areas in which we can improve. I always try to include a group shot of the entire team and any guests that we might have in camp for the weekend. I also enjoy looking at the photographs taken by other teams and contest organizers that are posted on the internet from the event we just cooked. I particularly enjoy when teams post pictures on their websites and include a sentence or two talking about their photos. This makes for some great reading, at least in my opinion.

I have always said just as soon as our team makes the big time, the first thing that I will do is hire a staff photographer. Wouldn’t it be great to have someone in camp that was responsible for nothing else but recording the entire event with video and still images. The biggest problem that we have is remembering to break the camera out and snap some pictures. We usually remember to shoot the boxes, but after that, all bets are off. I have returned from some contests with pictures of the turn-in boxes and a team group shot and nothing else. Somebody has got to remind me to take more pictures.

You may or may not know that I am a blogger. www.thenewguys.blogspot.com. (A shot of shameless self promotion there). I try to create and post a blog entry about each contest that we cook. I like to get my thoughts down as soon as possible after the event in an attempt to provide at least a little accuracy. Most times I can write most of the entry in my head as I am travelling home form the contest. I also enjoy reading other bloggers accounts of contests cooked. I find this makes for great reading, especially during the off season.

I usually try and focus on one or two events that occurred during the weekend to highlight in my ranting. Sometimes people ask me, “How do you figure out what you are going to write about?” To which I reply, “I never know”, but something always pops up to make good fodder for a blog post. Most times it is something that went wrong or as a result of our inevitable brush with the BBQ gremlins, sometimes disguised as Mr. Murphy of Murphy’s Law fame, most times, a regular unwanted visitor in our camp.

A contest journal detailing the entire contest cook is a great idea and a good way to tweak your procedures and methods. This is best done if the entries are made by one person on the team as they happen. In an ideal world, I would have a record keeper also on staff whose only responsibility would be to record each and every step of our preparation procedure, including times and amounts.

The members of my team certainly realize that we operate about as far from the ideal world as you can get. As much as I would like to adhere to this bit of advice and suggestion, the sad truth of the matter is that I don’t. Oh, sometimes if I am particularly happy with an entry or procedure, I will try and reconstruct it on paper to preserve for eternity in the annals of BBQ cookery. But alas, six months after the fact, I pick up the yellow legal pad that I once scribed with great intentions and can make no sense whatsoever of the scratchings and clawings shown before me, oh well, at least I tried.

Some teams will have an event tee shirt or other memento autographed by the competing teams. I think this is a great idea. This could be a great collectable in the future as well as a wonderful reminder of who you cooked with at a particular event. At some point, early in our second year, I came up with the brainstorm to carry a guest book with us to our contests. I got it out the first time I brought it along and had a few folks sign. Since that day, I have lugged it along to each and every contest; I have just forgotten to get it out. This makes it extremely hard for folks to sign. The guest book remains with two signatures, gathering dust in my carry-all box, longing to see the light of day. Perhaps this year it will make an appearance, it sure sounded like a good idea two years ago.

For me, my entire collection of contest memories consists of a few photographs and the occasional blog post. Both of which I enjoy immensely. The pictures I have on a random rotation for my computer screen saver. Many times during the winter I find myself staring as the pictures click by, reminding me of the fun I have had and the friends that I have made. Pleasant memories for sure.

Let’s face it, with my slowing fading memory cells being helped out the door with each and every passing day, sometimes it doesn’t hurt to use a little assistance when recalling what happened at a contest. Especially as time marches forward and your first year on the circuit all of the sudden becomes your 5th , before you can say ‘pass me that brisket’.

So, if you are new to the game, or even if you have been around for a while, don’t just carry your camera and other memory maker around, get them out and use them. Take plenty of pictures, or get that item signed. Life is too short and the contest experience is just like life, it gets by you like the blink of an eye. Hang on to the good times for as long as you can, you’ll be glad you did!

Contest patrons-

2010-03-14T15:16:00.000-07:00

Rude or uninformed?

If you cook enough BBQ competitions you will eventually come in contact with a rude or obnoxious patron, this I can guarantee. It is not a matter of if, it is a matter of when and how often. Let me explain. First of all, I am not talking here of the contest drunk. Some events have more than their share of inebriated attendees, and let’s don’t forget the overly indulging contest participants. Either one of these groups are always a possibility when you have cookers, charcoal, meat and beer all in the same location at the same time. Even at the so called dry contests, where there is a will, there is a way.

I am talking here of some of the supposedly sober patrons that are at the contest during and after the turn-in window on Saturday. Now, before I go any further, I think I need to say that the rude patron is the exception rather than the rule. Most are very friendly, polite, sober and fun loving. There are however, a few exceptions:

The Nosey Nate- You are busy with your last minute saucing and box preparation, everyone on the team is busy with the task at hand. If your team has been at it for a while, at times, there is very little conversation, everyone knows what needs to be done and when. It is like a finely tuned engine. Wait a minute, who is that over there with their nose stuck inside our spice box? Which is sitting inside our enclosed trailer. I don’t recognize him. Did you invite him? “Can I help you?” the interloper is asked, “no thanks, I am just looking”. What are we in a grocery store here? This is a good example why you need to lock up and guard your valuables at a contest.

The Trespassers- Not quite as bad as The Nosey Nate these folks will walk right through your site in order to save a few steps in getting where they want to go. At times, we have had groups of trespassers, (sometimes known as herds), walk right through a circle of teammates sitting inside our site while we are eating or discussing strategy. I feel sorry for the teams at heavily attended events when they are cited in the path to an area where the public wants to be, the words trespasser super highway comes to mind. Many times even crowd control devices such as caution tape or hay bales are not sufficient to deter these folks from taking a shortcut to the rest rooms.

The Scout- This person could be sometimes confused with a two face. Very polite, non obtrusive, asking a few timely questions, not interrupting, you almost feel that you are dealing with a regular person. In a weak moment, you offer a sample, after all, they have been standing quietly talking and it does appear to be a bit of drool on the side of their mouth as they stare quietly at your pile of extra ribs. They thank you over and over, reach into the pan and begin to sample. “Wow, this is the best I have ever eaten…..hey Uncle Bill, grab the kids and come here.” Uncle Bill, who has been stationed just around the corner and out of eyesight, has been waiting to hear the dinner bell ring. He storms the site with 5 or 6 kids of assorted ages in tow, let the feeding frenzy begin. “Do you have any napkins? Where are the drinks?”

The Intruder- This is the person that will walk right into your site and stand right amongst the team as they are preparing their boxes. Sometimes even developing a bit of an attitude when asked to move and or leave. We have had these folks exclaim, “I can’t see anything from out there!” referring to the area where the general public is supposed to be.

The Buffet Patron- Here is the guy that bellies up to your turn in table and begins to help his self to what ever is being offered as the special of the day in his pea brain. Dipping his ungloved, who knows where they’ve been hands into your freshly pulled pan of pork butt, this guy is sure to give you a tude when asked to leave….”I thought this was a BBQ contest” I heard him mumble as he left the site in a huff, surely looking to find a manger for which to file a complaint.

The Take Out Patron- Sometimes working in conjunction with The Intruder and or The Buffet Patron this person is not only looking to feed their uninvited faces, they also operate without regard to any health and safety regulations or even basic common courtesy. “Where’s the plastic bags?” I was asked two years ago at Dover by a woman as she finished wrapping a self served order of my brisket in some of my aluminum foil that she had already helped herself to.

The Hit and Run Specialist- You have just finished with ribs, the box has been sent to the judges, you have a few minutes to catch your breath. You single bone the remaining ribs and toss them into a pan for later sampling and possible discussion with the team. The pan is moved from the prep table to another table as you ready the area for the pork entry. The pan is situated within arms reach of the front of your site and without thinking you forget to post an armed guard. You turn your back to sauce your butt and ‘bam’ he’s got you. He has been circling unnoticed in front of your site just waiting for this moment. If it were just him, maybe no big deal, but now you’ve got The BBQ Seagulls to deal with.

The BBQ Sea Gulls- What in the world do seagulls have to do with a BBQ contest you ask? Have you ever been to the beach or on a large parking lot in an area where there are a large population of seagulls? Renowned scavengers, seagulls have the uncanny ability to spot a corn chip or a french fry in the sand at 1000 yards. BBQ Seagulls have the same ability to spot a handout at a contest, as soon as they observe the score made by the Hit and Run Specialist, they dive in and help themselves. The commotion caused by the initial incident, followed by the ever increasing size of the flock helps attract even more of the ferocious and raucous feeders. Left unchecked, they will continue to feed until the pan is empty. I have even observed some of this ilk even go as far as moving the pan closer to the public area to facilitate even easier access for their comrades.

The Questioner- I sometimes think this person is not so much rude as they are oblivious to what is actually going on. They amble up to your site, right in the middle of crunch time, can see that you are extremely busy, yet continue to ask question after question. All while you are watching time slowly tick away out of the corner of your eye, and you thought you would have time to run to the spot a pot before the next turn-in. Forget that.

The Brown Noser- This is the person that thinks if they heap enough praise on you and or attempt to inflate your ego with high flying compliments that you might even throw the keys to your truck in along with the extremely large carry-out order that you are sure to box up for them to take home. “This is the best stuff that I have tasted all day and I have even eaten some of THE BIG GUYS stuff.” I’ll bet he says that to all the teams.

While I have had some fun here with some of the experiences I have had, I do believe that I have touched on an important issue, better informing the public. I am sure there are a certain percentage of patrons at a contest that know exactly what is going on and how the entire contest schedule proceeds. But I do believe that there is a large majority of folks wandering through the venue without a clue. They are at a BBQ contest and all they see are folks standing around looking at their cookers or playing with white Styrofoam boxes. Where are the samples? What the heck is going on here? Can I buy a sandwich from you? Where are the men’s rooms?

A simple one page handout along with some strategically posted signage would go a long way in letting the public know exactly what they are seeing and what will be occurring. The contest organizer could also assist with the message when advertising the event, particularly in an area where the contest is a first timer. Information could be contained such as a brief explanation of a contest, what can be seen and when, what is and is not permitted as far as food sampling and sales, a time schedule as to when the teams will be busy as well as when the awards will be given out. I don’t think a three page pamphlet is needed here, just some brief and basic information.

A better informed public would have a positive effect on the entire competition circuit in a multitude of ways. First, more informed contest attendees are least likely to become rude or obnoxious patrons, although in some cases, nothing can be done to correct a person’s ignorance. Second, it would help to improve the public’s contest perception as well as their enjoyment as a spectator. I have witnessed on several occasions persons grumbling and storming out after they learned that there would be no free foods offered for their consumption. Lastly, I think that we would be more likely to attract folks into the competition arena if they were better informed. My thinking is the more people informed and involved, the better the entire experience for everybody.

The other option I have would be to carry a couple of rolls of barbed wire and fence posts along with my regular contest gear. This way I could erect a barrier that would be sure to keep even the most hell-bent intruder away. I could also bring along some off-duty Police or a couple of out of work bouncers to act as a sort of quasi security force. Somehow I feel this would be frowned upon by the contest organizer, for my money, it would be easier and less hassle to inform the public, what do you think?

A New Sponsor

2010-03-12T13:33:00.000-08:00

FAB makes it better

Who are those guys? BBQ team is proud to announce a new sponsor for the 2010 competition season, The Ames Company, Inc. makers of FAB and AmesPhos Products. For those that don’t know, FAB is a product that is injected into meat to help enhance flavor and retain moisture. We have used FAB injections on both our pork and brisket submissions at each contest that we have cooked.

I first met the Ames family in 2006 at the New Holland Summer Fest while I was cooking with my friend, Steve Farrin from I Smell Smoke. They are a family business that specializes in producing quality products and good old fashion friendly service. Their entire selection of available products as well as specifics with regard to FAB meat injections can be found on their web site http://theingredientstore.com/

I encourage you to check them out and give their products a try. If you are attending a contest we are cooking, stop by, (after turn-ins of course), and taste our FAB enhanced products, we know you will like them. Just don’t tell the guys on the other teams how good they are!!!

Two years of blogging

2010-02-21T11:56:00.000-08:00

Time flies when you are having fun!

I was doing a little research last week and realized I have been blogging here for over 2 years this past December 11th. Two years, it doesn’t seem like it has been that long. A lot of water has passed under the bridge in that short period of time. Our team has come a long way; we got a few calls and even won our first Grand this past October.

We are about to enter into our 4th year on the competition circuit. As I look over the contest possibilities for the up coming season, I notice there are an increasing number of events to pick from. For a team in our section of the mid atlantic region, you have 20+ contests to pick from with-in a reasonable driving distance. That is not counting events that are a little further away.

The WATG? gang again figures on cooking 6-7 contests for the 2010 season. This is about all that we can handle considering work, family and other obligations that seem to pop up every weekend during the summer months. We like the fact that there are more contests in which to choose from and wish that we could find the time to cook a few more. We also appreciate the fact that there are more events that require less driving, a sorter drive home, in my opinion, is a good thing.

We have posted our tentative schedule on the website, www.watgbbq.com and will post here as soon as a few more dates are confirmed. If you are out and about and decide to visit a contest in which we are cooking, please drop by and say hello. We would like to meet you. This brings me to my next and most important point, saying thank you to my readers.

Throughout the two years this blog has been posted, I have received numerous e mails, comments, personal visits, phone calls and other communications from folks that have been reading my written words. I even had one reader tell me, “You ought to write a book!” Well, this past year, as many of you know, I did just that. As I journey through this process of being a fledging author, I take all of your comments and words of encouragement with me. I am not sure where this road will lead, (if anywhere), but I am sure that it will be an experience I won’t soon forget.

I hope that my book is a help to those that would like to become involved in the sport/lifestyle called competition BBQ cooking. In a way, I am passing along some of what I have learned from so many others on the BBQ trail, to folks just starting their journey. As I have said many times in the past, it is a trip that you won’t regret.

I know that I kid around that I have only two readers, and one is my mother, but you and I know there are at least 8 of you out there in cyberspace, and for that I say thanks. Thank you for reading this blog and thanks for your encouraging words over the years.

I would also ask that if you like the blog, that you click below and become a follower, it doesn’t cost anything, and is very helpful in showing sponsors and others how many people are stopping by to take a look. Likewise, I ask if you are on Facebook, that you add me, who are those guys? BBQ team, and Startin the Fire to your friends and fans list. I am hoping to use the Startin the Fire page as a forum to answer questions and help folks interested in starting their own BBQ team.

It is mid February already; the contest season is just around the corner. I have begun ordering supplies and I continue to practice and refine my technique. Our first event will be Salisbury, MD in mid April. It will be here before I know it.

I have a couple of events associated with the book scheduled in the month of March, which will make things go by even quicker. As you probably know, I will keep you informed as to my trials, tribulations and experiences as a beginning book author. I am sure, as is anyone that knows me, that there will be a funny story or two to come out of all of this……stay tuned!

The BBQ Guru

2010-02-08T19:04:00.000-08:00

Our newest sponsor!

We are pleased to welcome The BBQ Guru as an additional sponsor for the who are those guys? BBQ team. The BBQ Guru is a company based in Warminster Pennsylvania. They design and manufacture high quality smokers and power draft controls. We use one of their Caldera Tall Boy smokers with a Guru fan and control set up. We are able to load our cooker with fuel, light it off, then relax and get some shut-eye as the Guru system stays on duty all night long and maintains the cooker chamber at whatever temperature we ask it to.

Their system is great, and the power draft systems are very reliable and adaptable to most cookers on the market today. In addition to high quality equipment and a complete line of accessories, Fred, Bob, Kenny and the rest of the Guru gang offer customer support that is second to none. Whether it is by phone, e mail or in person, these fellows will work hard to make sure you are getting the full potential out of your equipment and will stand behind everything that they sell.

If you watched the Pitmaster TV show you saw BBQ Bob respond to a customer’s site to assist with a problem at a contest they were both cooking. I have had personal experience in the contest setting where the Guru guys will help to answer a question or solve a problem if the need arises. In short they are a great company and we are very fortunate and proud to have them as one of our sponsors.

If you see us at a contest, stop in anytime and check out the Caldera Tall Boy in action. We’d be happy to answer any question that you might have on our experience with our unit and its performance.

Check out their website for a complete list of products offered.

800-288-GURU (4878)

The BBQ Guru
357 Ivyland Road
Warminster, PA 18974-2205
Email: info@TheBbqGuru.com
http://www.thebbqguru.com/

At Last!

2010-02-03T10:20:00.000-08:00

The new web site is here!

After months of painstaking work on someone else’s part, (thanks Brian) we are pleased to announce the release of the newly remodeled “who are those guys?” web-site.

http://www.watgbbq.com/

The site contains numerous upgrades and new features which include contest photos and recipes, as well as past news and contest results from the team. My book, Startin the Fire will also be available on the site, just click on book or buy the book.

Brian Milito, team webmaster, has taken the last three years worth of info and made into a very user friendly environment that we hope you will bookmark and visit from time to time. You will also find many useful links to other BBQ sites as well as links to articles and reviews I have written for other publications. (in case you haven’t gotten enough of my drivel on the site)

Brian has also created a Facebook page for both the WATG? team and the Startin the Fire book. If you are currently a Facebook user, we ask that you become a fan of both. If you’re not already on FB, you might give it some thought, it is a great way to stay connected with folks and reconnect with old friends. Its also a great place to waste an hour a day!

Anyway, stop by the new site and give it a looksee when you have a minute, we’ll be glad you did!

“A Bunch of Creeps”?……hey,I got feelins you know!

2010-01-19T19:00:00.000-08:00

These folks have got to read the fine print!

Just before Christmas I saw a post on one of the forums that I visit which mentioned a website where several BBQ Team logos and banners were being displayed in a not so flattering light. The name of the site is Suicide Food,

http://suicidefood.blogspot.com/2009_05_01_archive.html

That should just about say it all right there, but my curiosity got the best of me and I decided to take a look around.

I clicked on the link and started to peruse the site, sure enough, there were many team logos on display along with some colorful, extremely one sided, venomous comments apparently added by the sites host. The comments were, how should I put it, non-complimentary to say the least. Now, I gotta tell you, for a bunch of peace loving, Kumbya singing vegans, this guy was really spewing some hatred. What ever happen to the “lets all just join hands and sing We are the world”, just like the old Coke commercial.

I started at the beginning and thought that I would see if I recognized any of the teams that were lucky enough to have made it onto this, what I am sure must be extremely popular web site. Sure enough, the longer I looked the more familiar team names I began to see. Each team banner would be accompanied by a short, spiteful blurb.

As the roll call of mentioned teams began to increase, I am not sure if I had a feeling of relief or angst? Relief, of course, as my team name wasn’t disgraced by the sharp barbs hurled by this lettuce eating wannabe food critic, or angst because my team was being ‘left out”, becoming the redheaded step child so to speak. Either way, I continued to read on and chuckle each time I saw a team name that I knew. Surely this guy had no interest or even knowledge of a newly formed team from Street, Maryland that only cooks about 6-7 contests a year, we would be considered small potatoes for sure. (I think these folks are allowed to eat potatoes, but I am not sure, maybe they also run that anti-Mr. Potato Head site that I heard about recently on the Today Show)

All of the sudden it hit me, there it was, the Who are those guys? banner in all its glory. The tirade that was below our logo called us a bunch of creeps. They said that we were trying to frighten a chicken and a pig to death! Tears welled into my eyes as a feeling of dread poured over me, nearly causing my knees to buckle, that is of course, if I had been standing. My stomach did a flip flop that under normal circumstances would have had me reaching for my always handy bottle of Rolaids. I wasn’t sure if I could go on. I have spent several years attempting to build the good name of WATG? BBQ team and now, or so it seemed, my efforts had been dashed, crushed like a stale Pall Mall on the floor of a cheap hotel.

It seemed that forevermore, the entire world, or at least those that were connected to the internet, would think the Who are those guys? gang were a bunch of creeps. They would think that we got our jollies chasing around innocent livestock up here in the northern Maryland hinterlands known as Street, Maryland.

As bad as this whole scene was playing out, me, being the eternal optimist, quietly thanked my lucky stars that we hadn’t decided to include a sheep into what we originally had thought, was an innocent drawing for our BBQ team. Lord knows what we would have been accused of if we had!

The thought that millions upon millions of internet surfers would be reading this fellow’s commentary and then thinking that we were a bunch of creeps really started to get the best of me. I do have feelings, contrary to what the members of my team would say. The fact that folks wouldn’t like us without even knowing us was weighing me down like I was George Costanza.

Then it hit me, this guy must have used an older version of our logo. I quickly enlarged the banner shown on the Suicidefood site and my suspicions were confirmed, there was no disclaimer.

Now, you may wonder what a disclaimer has to do with a BBQ team, which is exactly the same thing I thought 3 years ago when I first formed the team. Everyone knows that we live today in an extremely litigious society. Me, being the forward thinker that I am, took one look at the banner after our first season and realized that we were leaving ourselves wide open. Disclaimers are everywhere in today’s lawyer invested world, they even have them on the Viagra commercials.

I immediately consulted with the prestigious Washington DC law firm of Dewey, Cheatum and Howell. After several meetings we came up with the disclaimer that you see below. The full verbiage has been added to our banner, website and blog.

Disclaimer: No animal was harmed unnecessarily in the creation of this BBQ team. The chicken and pig depicted on our banner are professionals and were only acting; they were not harmed in any way. The chicken is actually from Street, Maryland and the pig knows damn well who we are.

I felt as though the weight of the world had been lifted from my back, we were vindicated. I wanted to scream from the mountain tops, we aren’t creeps and we’re not trying to scare the pig and chicken to death. But who could I tell, the damage had been done. The world already thought we were creeps, how could we right this wrong? After all we had a disclaimer.

I tried in vain to contact the Suicidefood site master, I wanted to let him know he was messin’ with the wrong guys, we were not creeps and certainly were not trying to scare those poor animals to death. We were only trying to catch them in order to make them contest ready. You know, get them ready for the show, make them boxworthy. Could there be any better tribute to our friends, the chicken, pig and cow than a first place call at a major contest? I think not. So it is onward and upward, as we try and reclaim our good name, all the while paying tribute to our friends from the barnyard. It is my vow to you and to everyone within the sound of my voice, that we will work to treat our barnyard pals with the utmost respect, all while striving to get highest calls possible for our finished products in this upcoming contest season.

That is the easy part; the difficulty here will be reclaiming our good name. Everyone knows that once your name is tarnished, it is a constant struggle to make it shine again. We will continue to trudge forward, spreading BBQ cheer and working to restore the luster into our sullied name. I can’t help but think, if only that guy had read the fine print, things would be different.

The ‘Off Season’

2009-12-15T14:08:00.000-08:00

Does it really exist?

As the 2009 BBQ season winds down and we enter the so called off season, it causes me to reflect a minute on the year gone by. It seems like a week or two ago, everyone was eager with anticipation as the new season was beginning. And now, before we knew it, it’s finished. My question is where did it go?

I know that some folks say the older you get, the faster time goes. As a fellow on the back side of a half of century old, I have to say there is some truth to that. There’s also the thought that, “time flies when your having fun”. So, I guess when you have an old man that is having a load of fun, you have a guy that shouldn’t even wear a wrist watch for fear of the hands rubbing together starting a fire!

As we finish our 3rd year on the competition trail I realize that I am having a heck of a lot of fun. This year we cooked in 7 contests and were fortunate enough to win our first Grand Championship. Over the past 3 years, I have made some really good friends, had some great times, and occasionally eaten some pretty tasty BBQ. No wonder time is flying, cause I have had a ball.

As for the off season, it is my opinion it doesn’t even exist. Some folks will stow their cookers for the winter months, others will be used, but a not at the frequency as in the months just past. Many teams will use the off time to tweak their recipes and or procedures, maybe purchase a new cooker or some other sought after piece of equipment. Toss in a few holidays, a BBQ trade show or two, a couple of Sundays in front of the tube watching football, and before you know it, it is time to start gathering items for the first contest of the year. In other words slowing down but not off.

For me, winter brings some of the things I look forward to. The holidays, family time, hunting season, and a fire in the fireplace, are all things I enjoy this time of year. I have some projects under way, along with several I have been putting off that I am sure will keep me plenty busy during the long nights of winter.

Of course, there are the inevitable practice cooks. During the few weekends that we have nothing scheduled, I plan to do a few practice runs. You know, where I want to try that new twist, method or procedure. My problem is, I will try and clean the garage or rotate the truck tires while I am supposed to be taking notes and or observing my new twist, method and procedure. This multi-tasking usually results in forgetting to add the new twist, option or procedure, or adding it without remembering when it was done, or better yet, what specifically WAS done. Either way, relying on my failing memory is not an option, it must be written down if I want to have any hope of remembering and or repeating the newest twist, method or procedure.

My other form of entertainment during the ‘off season’ is reading the numerous BBQ forums. These are places where other bored BBQ cooks hang out and discuss anything from the pros and cons of injecting your meat to whether or not judges know what they are doing. (For the record, I believe that they do) Along about February or March, things occasionally get a little dicey which makes for some interesting reading during those long cold winter nights. By April, as the days get a little longer and things start to warm a bit, discussions turn to the upcoming season. This results in the earlier squabbles being removed to the forum archives, many never to be seen again. At times, this is a good thing.

Next thing I know, spring is just around the corner, where does time go? Before I know it, it is time to order in supplies, review and complete contest applications, load the trailer, and try and remember the new twists, methods and procedures that I supposedly perfected during all of my ‘off’ time. Now, if I could only remember where I put those notes.

So much for an off season, as I stated earlier, I believe an ‘off season’ doesn’t exist. Maybe what needs to happen is we need to change the name. Instead of ‘off season’, we should call it the ‘slow season’ or maybe ‘practice season’. The suggestion of, ‘the non competitive but still cooking season’ seems to make a lot of sense, but doesn’t really flow that well so I don’t see any chance of that catching on.

So I guess we are stuck with ‘off season’, which really isn’t that bad. It is an off season where you’re not really off. After all, in a few short months, it will be spring and time to start all over again. You had better get to work on that new recipe or that big project you have on your list for around the house, because before we know it, the contest smoke will be rolling again. Remember, time flies when you’re having fun!

As the Holiday Season approaches, I would like to take a moment to wish all of my regular readers and their families a joyous and safe Holiday season, as well as a happy, safe, and prosperous 2010.

The Accidental Author

2009-11-29T11:33:00.000-08:00

Or how to write a book without really trying!

Of course you know that I am only kidding about writing a book without really trying. Writing is hard work, a very strenuous and taxing undertaking for anyone involved in such a venture. In my opinion, those involved should be rewarded and paid very handsomely, especially those that have written a book. And now, the rest of the story.

As some of you may or may not know I am in the process of having a book published. For me, that’s some pretty exciting stuff. Currently I write monthly columns in both the National BBQ News and the KCBS Bullsheet and have been regularly posting to this blog since December 2007. As a side note, I receive nary a penny for my monthly contributions to these fine monthly publications. My reward is knowing that the few people that read my monthly columns, find excitement, enjoyment, tranquility and inner peace each month from my written words. In other words, like all those big time artists claim, “I am not in it for the money, I am only in it for the satisfaction of knowing that others appreciate my work and for what I can do to further advance the greater good of all mankind.” Yup, that’s me, greater good of all mankind and all.

I didn’t really start out to write a book or to even write this blog, it all happened sort of by accident. What follows is the story, or what my failing memory can remember about the story on how I began. What I can’t remember, I will just evoke my literary license that I now possess. For those that are wondering, literary license means as an author, I can write the story any way I see fit. Sort of like a politician citing approval ratings, unemployment numbers or giving a budget report!

Wickipedia notes:
In summary, literary license is:
• Entirely at the writers discretion
• Intended to be tolerated by the reader (cf. "willing suspension of disbelief")
• Useful for filling in gaps, whether they be factual, compositional, historical or other gaps.
• Used consciously or unconsciously, intentionally or unintentionally or in tandem.

Not bad huh? Now, that is a license worth having!

Some of my regular readers will recall that my friend and BBQ mentor Steve Farin is the guy I have to blame/thank for my current BBQ addiction. Well, he is partly to blame/thank for this excursion into BBQ story telling that I currently find myself. Back in December of 2007 Steve was launching a blog site. He was going to include stories and pictures from all around the BBQ circuit.

Steve sent me an email asking for information or stories to post on his blog. Things were a little slow around the office at the time due to the Christmas Holiday season so I thought it might be neat to write a short story on how our team was started. I banged out the story and attempted to follow Steve’s instructions on how to add it to his blog. Being the internet and computer wiz that I am, I promptly went to the blog server page, opened a new blog account and posted my newly written story onto its own blog page. I never even got close to Steve’s page.

I was now a blogger and didn’t even know it. I sent Steve a note to tell him I posted my story on his blog and to see what he thought. To which he replied that he has not seen the story and has no idea where I could have posted it. A few more e mail exchanges and I realized what I had done. The simple solution would have been to go in and delete the new blog site, post on Steve’s site and be done with it. But, anyone that knows me would know I am not one to take the simple way out. I had some time on my hands, so why not scratch out another post or two, this could be fun. I could be a blogger. The beginning of the end is what it was!

I started to tell the story of how I came to get involved in competition BBQ cooking complete with suggestions and guidance to others that might be thinking of getting started. Back when I was planning on starting a team I searched around on the internet for available information for the nuts and bolts of starting a team. I found some information scattered about, but no concise one stop shop with the collection of pointers and info that I needed. I thought, while writing my blog, that I would give the readers, (both of them), a complete ‘how to’ guide on starting a BBQ team.

The posts would cover information that I had discovered through my own experience as well as info I had uncovered through my extensive research on the subject. As I told the story I also included recaps, results and mishaps from contests that my team had entered during its rookie year. While the number of posts began to grow, a funny thing began to happen; I started hearing from folks that had actually been reading my stuff. Most of the feedback I was getting was very positive. (Of course, there was that one guy that chased me down the street, but that is a story for another day) I even had some folks tell me what I already thought I knew, “I don’t think there are any books out there that cover how to start your own BBQ team, you ought to write a book.” How many times have you heard that one? This time was different, this time it was sounding like a good idea.

Now, I have to tell you the thought of writing a book had never crossed my mind. But the further I got into the project and the more research that I did, it started to appear that I might be onto something. As little as I knew about writing a book, I knew even less about having a book published. I searched the web and was overwhelmed with information dealing with publication companies.

Ray Lampe, better known as Dr BBQ is an accomplished writer and author. He is also a regular visitor to several of the BBQ forums that I visit from time to time. I dropped him a note to see if he would have moment to speak with me on the phone about my project. To my surprise, he did, and in February 2008 we spoke. Ray glanced at my blog and offered some thoughts to a fledging writer/blogger/wanna-be author.
I continued to work on my blog and as time moved on, I kept thinking about the book idea. Maybe it would work; there wasn’t anything like it out there. So I combined some of my posts along with some other info together and sent it along for a friend to edit. What the heck, I had nothing better to do.

A couple of months later, I received the edited copy back and set about to make the changes to my original draft. Once that was complete, I read and re-read what I had. It was good stuff, very informative, just a bit dry. It was like, maybe it could use a little salt and pepper. Something was needed to wake it up a bit, maybe a dash of cayenne pepper wold help. I had a bunch of other stories that I had written, some with a touch of humor, maybe I could add a few of the stories that were relevant to the particular information that was being given and see how that looks. What I ended up with was a combination of helpful information along with what I am calling ‘the lighter side” of starting a BBQ team, it seemed to work well together. Now what do I do?

Red Todd is a friend, a writer, and a darn good BBQ cook. He helped me with introductions to both the folks at KCBS and the NBBQN when I was thinking about writing monthly columns. Last year he self published a book containing many of his favorite recipes. I contacted Red and was advised how to self publish using the same company that he had used. I contacted Kristal Shade of Sherman’s Computer Service, Beach Creek PA, and was on the way to being self published.

I received the first shipment of my books in late July. I then began to send copies around to anyone I had an address for, just kidding. I did send out copies to folks that I had come to know while hanging out in the BBQ world for the past 3 years, asking for their thoughts and opinions. I even sold a few copies.

One afternoon my phone rang with a number that I didn’t recognize, it was Dave Dewitt, the former publisher of Fiery Foods and BBQ magazine. Dave is an accomplished writer/author and has written the forward in the first two of Dr BBQ cookbooks. I had sent Dave a copy of the book about 3 weeks prior. We spoke briefly on the phone, he said he glanced at my book and thought I might have something. He said that as far as he knew, there wasn’t anything like this book currently on the market. He then asked if I was looking for a publisher. Dave had a publisher friend out in Albuquerque NM that he had worked with in the past and they would be looking at the book and would be in touch in a couple of days.

To say I was shocked would be a huge understatement. Maybe it was all a dream. I ran downstairs and told Jo my wife what had just happened. The news was greeted by a large yawn along with the question, “what do you want for diner?” Maybe it WAS a dream. (Truth be told, without using literary license, she was very happy for me.)

A week came and went with not a word from Dave or his publisher friend. Was this the classic, don’t call me, I’ll call you scenario? I know, I’ll have my girl call your girl. The trouble was, I didn’t even have a girl, except for my wife Jo, and I know her well enough that she AIN’T answering any phone calls for me, that’s a fact! Boy, I am in trouble, no girl for me, who would his girl call? Maybe Jo would let me hire a young secretary for phone call answering only, hmmmm, maybe not, wouldn’t hurt to ask though would it?

Maybe I’ll call him, nah, best to wait. You have no idea how many times I picked up the phone. Finally almost a week and a half later, the call came. Dave said they had looked over my book and wanted to publish it, but first he had a few questions of me. “What were my expectations with the book?” Dave asked. I then launched into a five minute dissertation about how I just wanted to satisfy my readers hunger for information and try to accomplish something for the greater good along with a bunch of other horse hockey that I myself didn’t even believe. I could tell I lost him just after the “satisfy my readers” comment. As soon as he had the chance Dave asked the next and probably the most important question, “You aren’t expecting to get rich with this project are you?” As soon as I said “no” he seemed very pleased and ready to move onto the next step, a contract would be sent out shortly. Welcome to the world of published authors.

The next day the contact arrived via e mail. I read it over, signed and sent it back. I am on the road to being a published author of my own book. Pretty amazing if you ask me. I am told that the book will be released this spring. I have found that things move very slowly here in the book publishing world, even with a literary license.

Dave thinks there is market for a book on this topic, I hope he is right. Time will tell. I am looking forward to marketing the book and I hope that some folks might read it and become involved in this sport/lifestyle called competition BBQ. That would make it all worthwhile, for the greater good you understand.

I see in the fine print on the contract I signed that I may have to appear at book signings if requested. I knew I should have read that thing before I put my name on the dotted line. Book signings, I didn’t see that before, besides, who in the world would want me to ruin a brand new book by signing my name in it; I guess time will tell us that one as well!

Meanwhile I have a few ideas for my next book that I want to run by you when you have a minute, or maybe I’ll start a new blog, if I could only remember how I started this one, hmmmmm……Now, where did I put that license?

My book, entitled Startin the Fire is a detailed 'how to' guide on staring your own competition BBQ team and is on schedule to be released this spring. It will be available at www.watgbbq.com

JOS BBQ Cooking Class

2009-11-16T18:38:00.000-08:00

Unadilla Georgia, here I come

This past weekend I traveled to Unadilla GA to attend a cooking class given by Myron Mixon of Jacks Old South fame. I flew into Atlanta Friday morning, had lunch in North Atlanta with an old friend, and then began the 100+ mile drive south to Unadilla. South of Macon, just off interstate 75, Unadilla is a sparsely populated town located in Dooley County Georgia.

After checking into my motel in Perry Georgia, I traveled another 10 miles south to Myron’s house located in Unadilla. Friday at 6 pm he had a ‘meet and greet’ on the schedule. I arrived around 6:15 and found the yard already packed with a large group of eager BBQ students from all over the Country. As soon as I set foot into the lighted area under the Ezy-ups I was greeted by one of Myron’s staff and the fine southern hospitality never stopped from that point forward.

Everyone was given a name tag and a goody bag while a few of Myron’s gang laid out a fish fry that really hit the spot after a long day of traveling. Myron made the rounds and greeted everyone personally, much of the discussion was centered on what you wanted to accomplish or learn in the next two days of his class.

After dinner and a few cold beers, I was ready to head back to the motel for some sack time as we were instructed to be back at 7:00 Saturday morning to begin to work on the whole hog. Most of the others were as tired as I was and also adjourned to their rooms to get some rest.

The following morning found all the students back on site, notebooks and cameras at the ready, as Myron and his team began to work on the 210 lb hog that was being readied for the cooker. From that point on, it was a full morning as Myron moved from hog to shoulder to the KCBS meats. We took a short break to eat some burgers and hot dogs before we began the afternoon session which went right up till dark.

As soon as the sun set, Myron’s crew spread out a low country boil for supper that was delicious. Not long after diner, folks started to drift off to their motels to get some much needed rest as we were told we had at least as much, if not more, material scheduled to be covered on Sunday.

As promised, Sunday morning we were right back at it as meats were finished and presentation boxes were made. During the entire session Myron was clear and very thorough with the information he was presenting. Many times adding in some of the famous ‘color’ that he has come to be known for around the BBQ circuits.

Myron Mixon is a 3 time World Champion that has won many contests in an assortment of sanctioning body’s all across the Country. He has been cooking competitively since 1996. With his trademark hairstyle and black shirt he has become one of the most easily recognizable figures in today’s BBQ World.

Some might say that he is not going to give up all his secrets to a BBQ class, whether he does or doesn’t, no one knows for sure. What I can tell you is this, he gives enough information to fill a spiral note book about ¾ full and that’s for a guy that is not a super note taker. He allows his students to take pictures and ask questions, appearing to hold nothing back. Myron will explain that teaching his students his current methods makes him work harder and get better in order to keep up with or beat the folks that he has taught. Makes sense to me.

The mix of people that were in the class ranged from complete novice non competition, never cooked BBQ before, to guys that have already won more than a few contest Grand Championships, and everything in between. If you ask me, hearing Myron Mixon give his MIM whole hog presentation was worth the price admission all by itself, not to mention sampling some mighty good tasting BBQ.

Overall, there was a lot of good information disseminated and a ton of questions answered. The information was presented and demonstrated in a clear and concise manor. Recipes, formulas and mixes were all given including all measurements and amounts. Sources and websites used to gather needed supplies and equipment was provided. Was information held back? I think not. Will Jacks Old South be doing their contest cooking exactly like presented next season? Maybe not, but I think it will be very close. Will Myron Mixon continue to work to improve his product each and every time out? Without a doubt, I believe he would be doing that even without giving the classes.

The huge question now is can I take any of the information and apply it to my competition cooks, only time will tell. What I do know is you could give 10 cooks all the same box of cake mixes, the same type of equipment, and you will get 10 different cakes, every time. I am hoping I can bake a cake somewhat similar to what I saw this weekend. I am looking forward to trying some of the things I was shown and plan to begin this Sunday. After all, there are only 150 days until Salisbury and I have a lot of work to do.

Additional note:
Be sure to watch December 3 at 10 pm on TLC for the new show called the BBQ Pitmasters. The series will be shown in 8 segments which includes BBQ contests from all around the Country. Highlighted teams include Jacks Old South, Cool Smoke, Woodchicks, Slap Yo Daddy and many more.

Diamond State BBQ Championship

2009-10-29T14:46:00.000-07:00

Ain’t this suppose to be fun?
What’s with Mother Nature, doesn’t she like to Que?

The first two years we competed on the BBQ trail we cooked in a total of 11 contests. Out of those events, with the exception of a brief shower at Dover in 2007 during the tornado, we were operating in dry conditions. We had a lot of fun. This year was quite different.

April found us in Salisbury, no rain, but we had a huge wind gust come out of nowhere Friday afternoon and destroy a bunch of equipment including our brand new 10X20 canopy. In May we cooked in Green Lane PA, heavy rain the week before the event made the contest grounds a sponge, no rain fell while we were there, but it wasn’t for lack of trying.

June we signed up for an event to be held in a horse arena in Upper Marlboro MD. Again heavy rain preceding the contest day played heck with the set up conditions. Late Friday night we received torrential rain for about 1.5 hours, making for some interesting waterways and ponds around the entire contest area.

Our next contest was Bel Air in August, nearly perfect conditions, that was fun. Then came New Holland, the party was over. It rained all day Friday and on and off during Saturday morning and afternoon, the skies clearing just before awards. Most of the gear was put away wet and had to be dried after returning home, a royal pain.

Harrisburg PA was in early October, showers Friday evening and overnight caused a few minor adjustments, but overall, most of the equipment was dry before being packed. Dover DE was next on the list and up to be our last event for 2009. Looking at the forecast the week before the event would have one questioning ones sanity. Jo, my wife, even went as far as suggesting that we scratch, stay home and stay dry. “Never”, I think was my reply, besides, the weatherman is usually wrong in my book. What does he know?

To say it rained at Dover this year would be an understatement. It rained, it blew, then it rained some more. Couple the rain and wind with temps in the mid 40’s and you’ve got yourself some miserable conditions. Oh and did I mention the wind, steady at 10-15, gusts 25 to maybe 30, everything had to be tied down. At times, I felt the entire operation was going to lift off and sail into space, fortunately for us, it did not.

My point here is, this was not fun. We set up in the rain, cooked in the rain, slept in the rain, walked to the bathrooms in the rain, tore down in the rain, well, you get the picture. It even rained Sunday and Monday following the contest. The first dry day was Tuesday where things could be spread out to dry.

Now, don’t get me wrong. We made the best of the circumstances, but to say that this was an enjoyable weekend would be like saying it is fun to stand around in the same damp clothes for 2 days, fun, it ain’t. My question is, when would a forecast be dismal enough to say, “we aren’t going, we’re going to sit this one out”. I guess I will answer my own question, never. We like to cook too much, we enjoy the camaraderie, the friendship, the competition, if we are signed up for an event, we are going, no matter what. Some might say we have more heart than brains, and you know, I think that some would be right. Nevertheless, 81 teams braved the elements and cooked their hearts out in the rain at Dover this year and we were proud to be one of the field. The field, by the way, contained some of the premier teams from all around the Country, some from as far away as Texas and California.

The who are those guys? team finished the year with a 16th place overall finish at the Diamond State BBQ contest, nothing to scream about, but somewhat respectable considering the competition. And even though it took a week or so to dry out all of our equipment, we are all looking forward to next April when the BBQ season begins around these parts with the Pork in the Park contest at Winterhaven Park, Salisbury MD. Let’s just hope that it is a sunny weekend!

The Turn-in Window

2009-10-12T12:57:00.001-07:00

10 minutes seems like forever…or does it?

If you think back to when you were in high school and the clock on the wall said there were10 minutes until dismissal, sometimes it almost seemed like time was going backwards. At the very least, it certainly seemed like time was standing still. In a KCBS BBQ contest you have a window of 10 minutes, 600 seconds, in which to submit your entry to the judges. To the non contestant, I am sure this seems like plenty of time. Most times it is, sometimes it’s just not enough.

The importance of time is stressed to the BBQ teams from the moment you decide to enter a contest. Most events require entry forms be submitted by a deadline date. When the information packet is sent to the head cooks, they are told what time to arrive on site, the times for the cooks meeting, when meat will be inspected, when turn-ins begin, even when you are allowed to leave for home. While at the cooks meeting, the contest reps again go over turn-in times, when they begin, how long they are open, when they end. Also present at the meeting is the official contest clock. The time is shown to all present in case anyone would like to synchronize their watches. Although in today’s world of cell phones and atomic clocks, synchronizing wrist watches is just about a thing of the past.

At most contests, the reps will stop around at each site on Saturday morning with the official contest clock in tow; again, so that the teams can make sure they know exactly what time will be used to determine the all important ‘turn-in’ window. The point of all this, everyone knows what time it is on Saturday morning at a BBQ contest. Now, if I can digress, knowing what time it is and completing a multitude of tasks within a certain timeframe are not the same.

It doesn’t happen often, but it does happen, teams receive a DQ for a late turn-in. A person on the outside looking in might say “how can that be?”…those on the inside know, “oh, it be”. While at a contest, I am constantly amazed how fast time moves. Early Saturday morning it seems like you have forever to get things done, things are relaxed, folks are shuffling about. Perhaps, many are suffering from a little bit too much merry making the night before, maybe some are just not morning people, I believe most think things are completely under control. For me, it is up early to get the ribs on, check the big meats, maybe grab some breakfast. Before I know it, its time to get the chicken started.

Now, I think I need to mention here, due to my own madness, my chicken cook has expanded into a 2.5 hour process. This procedure has severely limited me on any and all relaxation that might be available on Saturday morning at a contest. No matter how hard I try, it seems that as the magic time of 11:55 approaches, I am always behind were I should be. Being behind is not a good thing. I hustle, bustle, poke and prod all in an attempt to get the chicken into the box at a decent time. What is the optimum time you ask? I try to shoot for 12:00 on the nose. For whatever reason, it seems I always enter into the backside, (the last 5 minutes), of the window. Depending on how far our site is located from the judges’ tent, the backside of the window is not a good place to be. However, it seems I am always stuck in the backside, of the turn-in window that is!

Once we enter into the backside of the chicken window, it seems like we can never get out. We will be rushed and behind all day. I look up at the clock and know we have 25 minutes to get the rib box ready, more than enough time. I have a minute or two to relax, yea right. The next time I glace at the clock, it is 12:20 and my ribs are still spread about the cutting board. I look again after applying the finishing touches to the ribs and again we are right there in the backside, once again. Only this time, we’re stuck a little deeper.

The pork box for me is one of the most time consuming that we have and I can’t explain why. We don’t do all that well in pork; it just takes me a long time to prepare a mediocre pork box. Having to rush the box as a result of our presence in the backside surely doesn’t help. At this point I have stopped even looking at the clock and am relying on my teammates shouting out the time remaining until the lid must be closed. Our team runner usually whispers gently to me when I am in the backside of the backside for the pork turn-in. If you believe that one, I have a bridge to sell you.

Our brisket box usually assembles fairly quickly. Most of our time here is spent trying to determine which slices we will submit. Some times, the choice is made for us as a result of the contest submission being the best of the worse. Other times, we actually have to decide which we like better, and that is a good thing. The other time wasting issue I have found during the brisket portion of the contest is trying to find someone to help me taste and sample the cuts. Usually by now, no one on the team wants to put a piece of BBQ’ed meat into their mouths, no matter how small. Eventually, we get it done and the box goes in, hopefully on time.

For us, if we get behind early, we stay behind. If our 1st box goes in on time, we usually stay on schedule, with emphasis on the word usually. At a contest, every once in a while, you’ll hear that a team was DQ’ed for a late submission. In other words, getting stuck deep in the backside. You can see how it can happen, just don’t let it happen to you. Whatever you do, take whatever measures are available to avoid being late, after all, you’ve got 600 seconds!

Keystone BBQ Classic, Oct 2-3 2009, Harrisburg PA

2009-10-08T16:37:00.000-07:00

A shocker……….

While on the way home from New Holland, sitting on a butt-doughnut, nursing a sore rear from the spanking that we just received, I got a call from teammate Bobby. He was traveling home with Al and they had a conversation about what they felt was our dismal showing at the Summer Fest. They had an idea, why don’t we sign up for the contest in early October just up in Harrisburg PA. See if we could turn things around a bit, blow the stink off so to speak.

Keep in mind; these are two guys that have made rumblings about next season cutting back on the number of contests we are currently cooking. Was I hearing them correctly, they wanted to sign up for an addition event, one that wasn’t already on the schedule. “But that is only two weeks before Dover,” I said, as I have heard complainants in the past about the short time between Bel Air and New Holland. “We know, see if you can get us in” was the reply, talk about a shocker.

A search around the net, a few emails and before I knew it I was inking a check and sending it off to Harrisburg PA. Erich was already committed to a family obligation and would have to miss the show but it looked like everyone else was in. This first weekend in October was a busy one for BBQ teams, The Royal in Kansas City and a contest down in Front Royal Virginia would be pulling the teams in different directions.

Al and I met early Friday morning then drove north to Harrisburg. The contest was being held in conjunction with a livestock show that had been going on all week. The organizers had us set up on the front lawn of the huge farm complex. Level sights, free ice and clean indoor toilets made this set-up one of the best of the year. Twenty-two teams had signed up to cook in this second year contest. This was the first year the event was sanctioned by KCBS and it had been designated as a State Championship, meaning that the winner would qualify for consideration for entry to next years Royal and Jack Daniels invitational in Lynchburg.

Friday’s weather threatened all day but never rained. We had a few showers after dark, nothing too long or heavy, not bad at all. By midnight, the showers had quit and the nearly full moon was struggling to make an appearance. The cookers were lit; the meat was loaded, so far without a hitch.

Saturday morning broke with a beautiful sunrise, the rain was gone and it seem like all was well. Little did we know, the now famous BBQ gremlins had sent a squad into town during the night while we slept. I had figured that we may not see them this weekend with so many other contests going on, I thought they’d be spread too thin and not have the manpower, or the interest to cover a second year event in the capitol city of Pennsylvania. Boy, was I wrong.

As I reported earlier, Lettuceman Erich was unable to join us this weekend. Jo jumped in and did a fine job preparing the boxes, so that wasn’t the problem. The problem was, we were a man down. I have said in the past how well the team was working together and I meant it. Everyone has settled in and knows what has to be done and when. Very few directions, instruction, or requests have to be made or given. Stuff just gets done. When you remove a wheel from the cart, the cart still moves forward, it just wobbles a bit.

Let’s just leave it at that, our cart was wobbling with the absence of lettuceman Erich. Several times during the morning’s activities, Jo commented that I needed to lighten up, relax, get some mojo working. Our usually good mojo apparently was on vacation with Erich and his family just north of us in the Poconos. It just seemed like we couldn’t get anything right. We struggled, I cussed, the morning moved on. Its amazing how what seems like a very small issue can be turned into a mountain when accentuated by a short tempered fat guy swearing and tossing things about, most times un-necessarily.

One of the lighter moments of the morning even got a chuckle from Mr Doom and Gloom, yours truly. I have been sporting a new look the last three contests, a straw hat. The headgear has been worn at both Bel Air and New Holland without a lot of comment. (very unusual) All of the sudden this weekend, I was receiving sharp barbs and insults in reference to my new skyzoo, of which; I was becoming very fond of. I removed my hat when taking off my apron to make a dash to the rest room during the mornings prep work and wouldn’t you know it, when I returned, I couldn’t locate my new friend. I got busy with other things and figured I had misplaced the hat and it would turn up later. After a long and unfruitful search, I finally spotted my straw hat clipped to the upper support bar of the canopy, out of reach without a ladder, pretty funny. Of course, no one in the site had any idea how it got there, amazing. Maybe the work of the gremlins.

Turn-ins complete, the trailer packed, we sauntered over for the 4:00 awards ceremony which began on time. I ranked our boxes after submission, ribs, brisket, pork, then chicken. The judges were pretty close. We first received a call for 5th place for our submission of chili made from a 4.5 # hunk of Bologna given to each team by the contest sponsor. Chicken, I didn’t think we’d have a chance, 5th place. Next was ribs, 2nd place, pork (usually our anchor) 2nd place, brisket 3rd place. Bobby was standing next to me and looked over, he leaned in to say something, my head was swimming, I uttered something like “don’t count your chickens”, (notice the inevitable reference to my fine feathered friend). Reserve Champion goes to Flying Porkers, who were last years winner. Grand Champion honors go to”who are those guys?” wow, to say I was happy would be an understatement. We let out a war hoot and went as a group to collect our trophy. Pretty cool. A shocker for sure. Gremlins be dammed.

This was our third year as a team. During our short time on the competition trail we have gotten a few calls and even gotten close to a grand a couple of times. Actually collecting a grand championship trophy was a first for our team and truly an amazing experience. I couldn’t have done it without my teammates, Al, Bobby, Erich and Jo, and for that I say thanks. Icing on the cake was my Mother and Father were there at the awards to see us get the win. Mom told me before the awards that she had a good feeling, I guess she was right. The only thing that could have made it any better would have been if Erich could have been there. Today is Thursday, 5 days since our walk, and the first day that my feet have even been close to the ground, a shocker for sure, one I am sure we won’t soon forget.

New Holland Summer Fest 8/28-8/29 New Holland PA

2009-09-06T08:55:00.000-07:00

From 1st to 67th in 12 short months
Excuses….I aint got.

In case you don’t remember, last year at this contest we took 1st place in pork ribs. Our score was a 174.857, not bad considering 180 is a perfect score. Our rib score was the highest score out of any of the four KCBS categories for the 2008 Summer Fest. As the old saying goes, that was then, this is now.

The weatherman spoke more and more about showers for the weekend as the days preceding the event rolled on. I am not even mentioning the tropical storm / hurricane that was also cruising around out in the Atlantic threatening to head further east and raise a little heck. The tropical disturbance stayed well out to sea, so much for using that as an excuse. Nevertheless, the team and I took off late Thursday afternoon for the short drive up to beautiful Lancaster County. This was a first for our squad, loading into a contest site on Thursday evening, and I have to tell you, it won’t be the last.

We arrived around 6 PM and got the entire site set up before dark. It was great, no crowds, plenty of room. Erich and I stopped and bought 2 dozen live large blue crabs, Al brought along some fresh sweet corn and tomatoes, we grilled some burgers and steamed the crabs, man, did we have a feast. It was nice hangin out without the inevitable pressure that a contest brings. There were a few other early arrivals, so we had a bit of a party. It was fun, not that a contest isn’t fun, it was just nice to be able to visit, hangout and kibitz without the worry that comes with cooking a highly competitive contest.

The evening weather threatened a few times, but over all it was very pleasant. We all hit the sack and had a great nights sleep. The morning found the entire park alive with newly arriving teams, working to get into place. Meanwhile the WATG? crew ambled off and took in a little breakfast at a nearby eatery, nice. I think I really like this early arrival stuff. So much for the excuse that I arrived at the contest late and had to rush my trimming and prep work, ahh, no big deal, I am sure I can still come up with a good one.

It began to rain around 7 AM Friday morning and continued on and off for most of the day. The intensity varied and some teams had to set up in a bit of a downpour. We had to make a few sidewall adjustments but overall stayed pretty dry throughout the entire weekend. Friday night found our team dining on homemade spaghetti, salad and fresh baked bread, wow, one thing is for sure, we sure eat well at these events. The precipitation did put a bit of a damper on the evening social activities. I find I really enjoy visiting with the other cooks and wondering around the contest grounds on Friday night. Folks had to make their site rainproof to avoid getting wet, they really didn’t lend themselves to being open for visitors. Everyone sort of just hunkered down, the Friday night visiting certainly suffered. Scratch the excuse that the head cook got too drunk wondering around the park yik yaking with the other cooks, I’m going to have to look a little deeper, this is not going to be easy.

The really heavy rain began sometime just before dark on Friday and continued on until after 1 AM. I would like to be able to use cooker performance related to the weather as an excuse, but the fact is, our cookers were lit, loaded and cooked without so much as a bump in the road. So much for that one. Several members of our team spent the night in their trucks due to the heavy rain. I took a short nap in my new zero gravity chair inside the trailer within eyesight of the cookers. Not a problem all night.

The meats went on and came off with relative ease. We had no real problems, just enough issues to keep the boogieman away. Last years Saturday morning grease fire did not repeat itself, no complainants about that. Overall the morning went well, this contest includes 2 additional categories which we were planning to enter, resulting in a very long morning of turn-ins 11:30-2:00, not quite a marathon, but longer than usual.

After everything thing was in, we talked amongst ourselves during the inevitable product review. I rated our boxes from best to worst, chicken, brisket, pork, then ribs. I liked the taste of the ribs; I just wasn’t satisfied with the way they went into the box. Out of all six boxes, we were running the closest on time with our rib submission. I felt it just didn’t look right. Our pork, well I don’t even want to get started on that one, never our strong suit, some thought it was the best looking pork box yet, For me, we had better taste in Bel Air. Oh well, it was in the hands of the judges. Time would tell bad they really were.

While my top flight team mates broke down and packed the site, I ran up to the upper end of the contest grounds to help a couple of local boys from our neighborhood who were cooking a whole hog in their first contest ever. They had done a great job cooking the entry and just needed a little guidance getting it into the turn-in box. Their meat looked and tasted really good and when they were finished with the box, it looked like it had a real good chance of scoring well, and they had done all the work themselves, who ever said contest cooking was difficult. Perhaps I could blame my rib score on my preoccupation with preparing the whole hog box. That might have worked if, IN FACT, I had done anything to help them boys get that pig into the box. Truth be told, they did most of it themselves, oh well, back to the drawing board. I am sure I can come up with something.

The rain stopped and the sun came out just in time for the awards ceremony in the center of the park. A cup of Lapps homemade ice cream was a welcome snack after a weekend spent in the BBQ smoke. We cheered our friends and even took a few walks ourselves. It wasn’t until after the score sheets were distributed before we knew how bad it really was. Right there in black and white, who are those guys? 67th place ribs. And this was in a in a 72 team field. My buddy Dan from 3 Eyz would say, look at the bright side, we beat 5 teams. Me, I couldn’t see a bright side on this one even if I wasn’t the huge pessimist that my wife claims I am. Addition low lights would be 51st place pork and 31st place overall.

We had traveled from 1st to 67th place in the rib category in one years time. A journey I wouldn’t recommend, even to my worst enemy. As for an excuse, being an avid deer and waterfowl hunter, I am usually never at a loss when it comes to this department. But here on an August day in New Holland, I am excuse-less, without excuse. I thought about some of the old standbys, ‘too windy’, ‘the sun was in my eyes’, or how about, ‘the judges don’t know what they are doing’. The truth of the matter is, I screwed up the ribs and am going to try damn hard not to let it happen again, I only have myself to blame. Maybe a little influence by the now famous BBQ gremlins who rumor has it were spotted in the area disguised as Amish and Mennonite farmers.

In all of the doom and gloom and attempted excuse fabrication I almost forgot to touch on the few highlights of this weekends contest. We had a great time hanging out together on Thursday night. The overall cook went fairly well. The team, again, worked flawlessly together. The hospitality shown by Melvin and his dedicated band of contest organizers makes it easy to see why this contest has become the favorite of many teams and judges on the KCBS circuit, including ours. Oh, and we took 3rd in sausage and 1st place in chicken with a score of 175.4288, again, the highest score for any of the 4 KCBS contest meats. Not too bad for a guy that has about 10,000 hours invested into his chicken cooking methods. I hope I don’t repeat the same slide in my chicken scores when it comes time for the next Summer Fest.

I think I’ll run down to the supermarket this morning, I saw where spareribs are on sale this week, maybe I’ll grab a case or two and do a couple of practice cooks. I wonder if anyone in the neighborhood likes ribs.........

Maryland BBQ Bash- 8/14-8/15 2009

2009-08-18T13:49:00.000-07:00

Things are running way too smooth…………

I tossed, turned, fretted and worried during the weeks leading up to the BBQ Bash. What would be the reaction to my blanket e mail informing folks that we would not be hosting the much anticipated party Friday night in Bel Air. Would I be shunned, scorned, stoned, or run out of town on a rail. The answer was none of the above. The overall reaction was that of understanding, support and well wishes. Gee, what a swell group of friends.

Jo and I took the trailer for the short drive to Bel Air Thursday evening and dropped it into our spot. Several teams were already on site while the set up crews were busy erecting fences, placing vendors and exhibitors. Friday was a scheduled day off for me. Al, Jo and I arrived at the site around 9 AM to begin to get things set up. In no time we had the site organized and were working on trimming the meats. Meat trimming went off without a hitch and we even had time to sit a spell and enjoy a bit of people watching. If you have never been to this contest and are in the area, it is a great venue with two day crowd totals over 20,000, meaning there are plenty of people to watch.

It was a beautiful summer evening, warm with a light breeze, couldn’t have been much better. We had some folks stop by, most hung around for a while then went on their way, certainly not any type of a distraction. By 8:30 or so, most folks cleared out and we were free to light the cookers and get things ready for the all night session that was ahead. Dean Ayers of Pork & Deans BBQ fame organized a team dinner for 9:00 Friday night. The spread that was put down was unbelievable. Many said that had never seen so much of a selection at a cooks dinner. What a feed.

Around 11:30 we took a walk around the contest and found most sites quiet and most cooks horizontal. A bit unusual, but not unheard of. We returned to our site and found our cooker purring along, topped her off with charcoal, then bedded down for the night. Wow, we might even get some sleep. I sat in my new zero gravity chair placed in front of the Tallboy and slept with one eye open. The Guru alarm never sounded the entire night, the cooker was dead on temp, no muss, no fuss.

Daybreak found the who are those guys? crew loading the ribs into the smoke. The big meats were on schedule and began to make their way onto the Cambro to be held until turn-in. The contest organizers put out a very nice continental breakfast that as far as I knew, had been previously unannounced. We noshed on bagels, muffins and sweet buns while our big meats finished their cook, right on schedule. The sauces were made, the chicken was prepped, so far, no problems, not even a hiccup. I even had time for a little late morning walk about. While drifting around exchanging pleasantries, in the back of my mind I was thinking, man, what would I give for some type of a problem. Not a big one, but something to knock the shine off of this morning and get us more focused.

I stopped by and wished my friends Dan & Jason with 3 Eyz BBQ good luck. Dan asked the inevitable question, “hows it going?” I proceeded to tell him the morning was running like a finely tuned engine, no problems, no troubles. As I railed on I could see the apprehension in Dan’s expression as I am sure he could hear the trepidation in my voice. Dan just stood there, shaking his head, “kiss of death” he was heard to say, “why don’t you go over there and cut yourself or drop something heavy on your foot, there is still time!”. We both had a good laugh, but deep down, I knew he was right.

I returned to the site to begin the chicken cook, again, the procedure was on auto pilot. My friend and cooking instructor Tom Meyer was joining us as a guest member on the team for this contest. He was a big help and jumped in like he had been prepping boxes all along. It seemed like the boxes went together without problems, although, we did venture into the backside of the turn-in window on several occasions, we never were really rushed.

Our stuff was in, we had no issues, no fights, no yelling, no disagreements, something just wasn’t right. I wasn’t very happy with what we sent to the judges, but that is another story. I ranked our submissions, pork, chicken, brisket, then ribs. After reviewing the results, I wasn’t far off. We did not get a call to the stage, at this contest; they call the top 8 spots. We finished 7th overall. We were the highest overall finish without a call to the stage. The next overall placement without a call was 16th. No complainants, just a good, solid, consistent cook, just no dingers, no homeruns. Its like we are hitting doubles, some triples, we are reliable, but can’t hit the long ball.

Rest assured, we will keep swinging, watching game film, practicing and working on our game. I don’t think we are far off, at least I hope we are not. What I am fairly certain of, another trouble/issue/problem free cook occurring during one of our remaining two contests for this year is not likely. Mr. Murphy, a longtime lurker throughout my entire life, will not permit that to happen. On the outside chance that he is asleep on the job, I know the gremlins are laying in wait just around the corner, just waiting for the chance to spring into action.

The Bel Air Quandary

2009-07-06T13:58:00.001-07:00

Between a rock and a hard place

Regular readers of this blog and friends of ours will know that the Bel Air BBQ Bash is our home contest. Located in the town of Bel Air, it is only about ten minutes from my home. This year will mark 5 years for me at this event counting the 2 years I cooked the Tailgater Challenge on Friday night. Each year I have cooked the event, I have asked a few folks to drop by and visit. The team whips up some extra grub for our guests and it usually turns into a great evening. Needless to say, the guest list has grown over the years due to my extra large claptrap. After the 2007 contest, which included a large crowd of folks on Friday evening, the team threatened mutiny at first, but later softened on their position and let me alone for 2008. Not really voicing a yea or nea.

That was until last year. By our calculations, we had about 150 visitors to our 20x20 site on Friday night, and that was just the people I could remember. The evening went off very well due to the team chipping in and we had plenty of food. But to say that it was a bit distracting, especially when the real reason we are there at all is to cook a BBQ contest, is a bit of an understatement. To say I have heard plenty of mutinous talk since that fine evening last August, would also be an understatement. It all came to a head last month while we were in Green Lane Pa, it was there that I was read the riot act and told if I was planning on a repeat performance, I would be flying solo. This time I think they mean business, I could see it in their eyes.

Since that night, I have spent many hours pondering the situation. The worse part is, I think I have to agree with the team, as much as it pains me to do so. It has become distracting, with all of the prep and site work involved in competing in a contest, added together catering a party for 150 people, and you’ve got a heck of a lot of work to do. Last year, we still had a full site after 10:00 pm as we were working to get our big meats into the cooker. Very distracting. It is almost a stretch when you try and call cooking in a BBQ contest ‘fun’, but add in a Friday night catering gig on the same weekend and you’ve got what I call a lot of work to do. Sort of takes what little fun is there and puts it into kibosh mode.

As you can see, I have quite a quandary on my hands. The question is not should I still have the Friday night party complete with beer and a buffet line, I have pretty much decided on nixing the food and drink for Friday. The question is, what I tell all of the friends and family that have come to enjoy the evening of socializing in the streets of Bel Air each year at the BBQ Bash. Many of whom, have been stopping by since my days in the Tailgater.

My teammates seem to have come up with a very good solution. Since the contest is so close, we all have a fairly short drive, why not tell folks to stop in on Saturday, after turn-ins and sample some of the competition food. We always have plenty of food; the festival itself runs till Saturday night, sounds like a good idea to me. I realize this would be a first for the WATG? team. Usually, we are all buttoned up before the awards and bug out just as soon as they are over. But I think the idea is a win win. The visitors will get some good grub and we can concentrate on cooking the contest.

Those that know me know I like to have a good time. The past Friday nights at the Bash have been a blast, the team and I will all admit. If you look at the time and money that is committed to cooking a contest, suddenly, the thought of a Friday night party starts to loose its luster, especially to the guys on the team. So, I am thinking of sending out an email explaining the change in what has become a summer tradition and see what happens. I think the team and I will plan on slipping out after the cooks meeting and eating dinner at one of the watering holes in the town of Bel Air. That way, we will avoid having folks dropping in while we are trying to eat.

Saturday afternoon, after turn-ins and awards, we will all be dining on some mighty-fine BBQ products, sitting back and relaxing, just like it was Friday night, only without the pressure. Wait a minute, on Saturday afternoon I have trouble sneaking up on a plate of BBQ, oh well, that much more for the guests, maybe I will just send out for a pizza.

Beltway BBQ Showdown, June 13-14 2009

2009-06-16T11:05:00.000-07:00

‘The Fire Marshal’ Fact or Fiction

The third annual Beltway BBQ Showdown was scheduled for Saturday Sunday June 13 2009 at the Prince Georges County Equestrian Center located in Upper Marlboro Maryland. Three years ago, this was the first ever KCBS contest that we ever cooked, there were 15 teams that year. This year, contest organizer Jonathan Jones has grown the event to include 47 teams. The contest was to be held on Sat/Sun, a first for our team. The good thing is no one had to take a day off of work for the contest. The bad news is, there would be no day of rest before heading back to work on Monday.

A contest week e mail from the organizer noted that all tents, tarps, and Ezy-ups had to be rated fire retardant, (you must present certification from the manufacturer), no alcoholic beverages could be brought into the contest grounds, and all glass bottles were strictly prohibited. Needless to say, this last minute declaration of these various rules, regulations and edicts was met with quite the backlash on the numerous BBQ forums that I occasionally visit. PDF files of flame retardant certifications were sent about along with scanned copies and web addresses for those that were searching for even more info. Dan from 3 Eyz even volunteered to dispose of anyone’s unwanted alcoholic beverages if they were accidentally brought to the contest grounds. I am sure he was only interested in keeping fellow BBQers out of trouble with the long arm of the law. Sort of like jumping on the grenade, so to speak, what a guy.

The equestrian center is used weekdays this time of year to host area high school graduations. The contest grounds had been pressed into service as an overflow parking area the week before the event was to be held. The weather leading up to the scheduled weekend consisted of thunder showers and storms almost every evening. As you well know, wet, grass fields, cars and large amounts of rain usually do not go well together. I spoke to Jonathon earlier in the week and was told the field had become a bit greasy. He assured me he was on it, time would tell.

The forecast for the weekend was for a slight chance of showers or thunder showers, I think like 30%. The up side was, that is 70% chance of no rain, and I like those odds. Besides, we had not had rain at a contest yet, why start now. Friday night I loaded the trailer with all of my uncertified flame attracting canopies along with 3 cases of long neck Corona bottles for the two day cook down in PG County. After all, who can cook BBQ without drinking a beer? I know I can’t, well, its not that I cant, its more like I wont. And I figured, if my canopies caught fire, I could dose the flames with cold Corona.

When we arrived on site around 10 AM on Saturday morning we were greeted by Jonathan himself. All around the contest grounds mixed in with the teams already set up were trucks, equipment, and workers busy spreading, raking, tamping and rolling. It looked like ants on an anthill, everyone moving about, getting it done. I wonder if one of those guys is the Fire Marshal?

We were assigned a spot, were given some instructions, and began to set up. Everyone was there this weekend and we had my neighbor Tony Melvin along for the ride. Tony is a Quer that has recently, along with his wife, become a KCBS certified BBQ judge. Tony was interested in seeing the contest from the perspective of the cooking teams. I hoped this experience wouldn’t scare him away.

We set up in record time and had just sat down to relax a minute when Big Jon, the organizer pulled up with some County official in his golf cart, (not the Fire Marshal), and asked if we would please adjust our setup to move the cooking area. The Fire Marshal himself would be by later and wanted all of the cookers in a certain spot. With reluctant enthusiasm and a few select comments mumbled, the gang pulled together and rearranged the entire site to accommodate the wishes of the yet to be seen Marshal. Who was this guy with all of this power, Matt Dillon?

After we set up for the second time, we began our prep work which came off like clockwork, in fact, we were finished early. Perhaps we finished so quickly because some very threatening clouds were bearing down on us and several nearby folks said the radars on their phones looked like we were going to get drenched. No matter, everything was prepped and in the cooler in record time. We sat around and even had time for a quick nap. We dined on fried crab cakes and enjoyed a beautiful evening listing to a great blues band brought in to play for the cooks. The grounds were not open to the public on Saturday, so the music was for our ears only, and it was good, what a night. The storm cloud had passed and it appeared we had dodged the bullet. Still, no sign of the Fire Marshal.

I have never met a Fire Marshal. In my mind, I am picturing a guy in a department issued turn-out coat, rubber boots, and a fire helmet with a huge star in the center. He even has a star pinned to his coat. The guy is cruising the contest grounds in a beefed up golf cart, painted red of course, complete with a full light bar and siren set up. On the front and back of the cart, are various extinguishers and assorted other fire fighting apparatus. I am thinking, this guy, who ever he is, is carrying a large 3 ring notebook containing all of the local ordinances and regulations. Attached to the front of the binder is a smaller citation booklet used to cite offenders and scofflaws. I think that this is a misconception, but am not sure, having never met one in person, at least, not yet.

The early evening was not completely uneventful. As Big Jon ventured past out site yet again, this time with some other County Official riding shotgun, he again stopped at our site. “George” he began,” “you are really letting me down”, my pea brain, thinking this was a set up line from Jonathan, as he usually has a great sense of humor on display at all times, replied, “hows that?” “Remember that e mail I sent about the glass bottles and the alcoholic beverages?” Jon inquired. Now it began to make sense, this must be the Glass or the Beer Marshal. Me being the quick speaking without thinking, slow witted fat man that I am, replied like any beer drinking BBQ cook worth his weight in brisket would, “there is not a drop of beer in our site!”

Now it was all making sense, Jonathan was putting on a show for the Beer Marshal, showing how he was enforcing the rules on this unruly gang of BBQ cooks, and he wanted my help. I knew I was safe, cause back at the site the gang was all using can/bottle coolers or cups, there wasn’t a visable open container to be found. The Marshal glared at me with disgust,. “there is a bottle right over there on your table”. She might as well finished her statement with the thought that she had, “you jackass you”. Busted cold. This wasn’t a good sign; could the elusive Fire Marshal be far behind?

After dinner, a fine cigar, a few beers in glass bottles, (the Beer Marshal let me off with a warning and the promise that we would not open another can or bottle of beer until after dark), no rain, no Fire Marshal, this was going to be alright after all. Along about midnight, just as we were preparing to nest up for the night, the air got that feel, and we started to see a good bit of lightning. The cookers were over the required 10’ away from my non flame retardant canopies. We use a Guru, which is an electric fan and controller on our Caldera Tallboy. I am no electrician, but I do know that water and electric parts do not go well together. What if we were to move the 8X8 canopy over the cookers to keep them dry? What if the Fire Marshal came by? Did they work second and third shifts? Most fireman I know do.

What the hell, we had already violated 2 out of 3 of the last minute rules. I no longer had any credibility with Jonathan or the Beer /Glass Marshal. Why not go for the tri-facta? Boys, grab a corner. As we carried the canopy to the cooking area, I felt like I was being watched. Was the FM out there watching, waiting, for his chance to pounce, citation book at the ready. I felt that if he were to appear, we wouldn’t walk away with a stern warning this time, we were going down.

It wasn’t long before it was pouring cats, dogs, chickens and pigs. No long after it started, the large amounts of rain, which had no where to go on the large very flat, freshly graded and packed dirt and gravel field, began to puddle and pool up. We had a class 3 stream moving through our site at the height of the storm and about a 3 acre pond when it was all over. Not to worry, we dug a trench with our charcoal shovel and drained all our water onto our neighbors the 3 Eyz BBQ team. What are neighbors for? Besides, I figured the heavy rain and swift moving water would keep the Marshal away.

We planned to move the cover back away from the cookers as soon as the rain stopped, but forgot. The next morning came and went, still no visit, the canopy remaining in clear violation, as if I was actually baiting him, and in a way I was. I wanted him, the big time Fire Marshal, the one that made all the fuss, to come out, to show his face. Come out in your hopped up golf cart with your siren blazing, just like on the TV show COPS, and move in for the capture. Maybe, they could even have a film crew following on foot, or better yet, filming from a circling chopper as the FM moved in and took us out for violating the fire code. For a moment, I thought I could here a muted chorus of ‘Bad Boys” drifting in the wind.

But alas, it was not to be. There was no visit from the Fire Marshal; he would not take the bait. Does he exist? I really don’t know. Perhaps, he is just a legendary figure, like Paul Bunyon, or Davey Jones, used to scare folks into submission. What I do know for sure is, Jonathan and his crew of hard working County employees worked long and hard for the entire time that we cooks were on site to make sure everyone had what they needed and to try to improve the condition of everyone’s site. Overall, I think they did a fine job, and I look for this contest to continue to grow and improve.

Congrats to our friends 3 Eyz BBQ for taking the Grand Championship trophy home, along with top prize in both chicken and ribs. Kenny, Bob, Fred and the BBQ Guru were reserve Grand Champs and took 1st place honors in pork. Chris Capel and the Dizzy Pig boys won brisket and were 3rd over all. The ‘who are those guys?’ team were called to the stage twice, for chicken and ribs and were 4th overall. It has been since May of last year since we have received a chicken call, I hope the trend continues.

The best part of the weekend was standing next to Dan Hixon from 3 Eyz BBQ during the awards ceremony. After collecting two firsts along with a 4th place brisket, it was more or less assumed by the crowd on hand that Dan and the 3 Eyz crew would walk for GC. The announcer called the BBQ Guru for reserve as the suspense built. Then, they decided while they had everyone’s undivided attention, to make a public service announcement, thank a few folks for doing a fine job, and draw the events winning raffle ticket. The raffle winner, who was not immediately available, was called to the stage several times as Big Dan Hixon quietly took the gas pipe while waiting for the naming of the eventual winner. It seemed like forever, but I know it was only a few minutes, I am sure it seemed like hours to my friend Dan. Finally, he got the call and took the walk, congratulations on a well deserved win.

EXTRA EXTRA READ ALL ABOUT IT!

2009-06-07T09:33:00.000-07:00

BBQ News now available on line.

For those that do not know and may be interested, (I realize of course I have severely limited my audience by including those that may be ‘interested’) I am now writing monthly columns in both the KCBS Bullsheet and the National BBQ News. The BBQ News is going to start an online paper and for now it is free. Check out the link below, turn to page 19, then click enlarge, check out the mug on that guy!!

http://www.server-jbmultimedia.net/NationalBarbecueNews/sitebase/index.aspx?area=doublepage&adgroupid=166787&pagenumber=1&view=double

You will have to copy and paste the above link to your browser, as I could not get the link to work.

An Important Announcement!

2009-06-04T15:44:00.000-07:00

and thoughts on getting out on a high note

Those that know me know I am a huge Seinfeld fan. Do you remember the episode where George decides he wants to leave on a high note? Does the old saying ‘quit while your ahead’ ring a bell?

The other day while surfing around the net I came upon the National BBQ Rankings. I was causally perusing the listings of overall standings and there it was, in bold print, ‘who are those guys? ranked number 117 overall. This is out of 3,536 teams that are currently ranked. I then clicked over to The Pickled Pig Power Ranking, and there we were listed at 118. I have looked at these rankings once in a while in the past, but don’t check them on a regular basis. Not that it doesn’t matter; it’s just that I don’t bother to look each week to see where we are, or more importantly, where we’ve been, as the ranking changes each time they enter another set of contest results.

Wow, to say I was shocked would be an understatement. Looking at some of the team names listed above and below our squad and I saw some of the premier teams from around the region and the country. A pretty nice neighborhood to be hangin out in, that’s for sure. The really amazing thing for me is, we only cooked 7 contests last year and are scheduled to do only 6 in 2009. I am not quite sure how the rankings are tabulated, but you can rest assured, I ain’t complaining.

After much reflection, I got to wondering, as I often do. Is this like going hunting and shooting a whopper buck during your first couple of hunts? Here we are, only into our third season and we are ranked, and not just for the number of beers consumed at a contest. Then I got to thinking, maybe we should fold it up, get out on a high note. The chances of getting any higher are right slim in my opinion. Is there any way we can freeze time and stay in this spot, at least for a year or two while we enjoy the view?

We have our third event of the season coming up next week in Upper Marlboro MD, this is the halfway point of our season. The way I figure it, if we pull the plug right now, quit while we’re ahead, we should be able to ride it out in the top 200 or so at least until wintertime. Not a bad way to finish out the year, in what I would call a very highly competitive field of cooks and pit masters. Upon further thought, it occurred to me, maybe, just maybe, we could improve our position, move up a notch or two in our next couple of outings. I realize it is a gamble, especially when I look at the team lists for the contests we have yet to cook, but what the hell, most of them are neighbors, and I like to at least try to keep up with the Jones. If we are lucky enough to break the top 100, then maybe we’ll take our ball and head for the door…..we’ll see….

I also wanted to take a minute to announce our first official sponsor. 3 Eyz BBQ Rub,http://www.3eyzbbq.com/, has become an official sponsor of the ‘who are those guys?’ BBQ Team. The 3 Eyz BBQ rub is a great product. Dan, Jason & Dan produced the rub with pork in mind, and it has done pretty well. Last year they took 2nd Place for BBQ Rub at the Great American BBQ Contest held the end of May each year. Their product was up against some of the biggest names in the BBQ business.

This year, the 3 Eyz boys improved their position and came home with a 1st Place trophy for BBQ rub, not bad for a couple of guys from Maryland, which is basically known for its seafood, not BBQ. Good thing they didn't decide to quit after finishing #2 eh?

Their rub is excellent on ribs and slow cooked pork as designed.As you can imagine, I have taken their product up a notch or two, I have used it with great success on chicken, brisket and even seafood. Salmon and mahi mahi cooked on the grill are great with 3 Eyz rub. I have even, dare I say it, used this product instead of that yellow can while mixing crab cakes and other crab dishes. And guess what, the cops didn’t knock the door down to arrest me for making a crab dish in Maryland and not using the yellow can. They did, however, stop by and enjoy some nicely spiced crab balls I jazzed up using the 3 Eyz BBQ Rub.

If you haven’t given it a try yet, I encourage you to do so. The rub is available on their website, the link is above, and at any contest they are competing. Also, some select fine shops around town, the complete list of vendors selling 3 Eyz Rub is also available on their site, give it a try, you will be pleased with the results.

Wow, I sound just like one of those race car drivers during a post race interview.Oh well, we have a sponsor and are proud of it! Thanks to Dan, Jason and Dan of 3 Eyz BBQ for choosing us to represent your fine product.

Smoke in the Valley- Green Lane, PA 5/15-5/16 2009

2009-05-18T05:26:00.000-07:00

Good friends, good times, times five.

I have lamented in the past about BBQ contest’s and the folks that compete in them. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, (I wonder if anyone under the age of 25 even knows what a broken record is), I feel I must reiterate.

First, let me say, cooking in a BBQ contest is a heck of a lot of work. I am not even considering the pre and post work that is involved. From the time we arrive at the site on Friday late morning/afternoon, we barely have a chance to sit down, let alone relax. You say up late Friday night then sleep under a canopy on a fold up cot for a few hours. Get up with the sun on Saturday morning, work all morning, get your boxes to the judges then receive your score. You then pack up what you just set up 20hours before, then drive several hours back to your home. Sounds like a blast doesn’t it?

Did I mention no showers and spending countless hours on your feet? Oh, and how about dealing with the weather, heat, humidity, wind, rain, uneven sites, mosquitoes, slippery grass, overflowing spot-a-pots, loud neighbors, and water that taste like garden hose. Then there is always the obnoxious drunk that stops by your sight while you are doing some prep work on Friday night and wants to tell you how great of a cook he is, all the while he can barely even stand up straight. And no, I am not talking about my team mates!

There is meat to be trimmed, sauces to make, boxes to build, dishes to wash and grates to be scrubbed. Unpacking, setting up, repacking, and this is if every thing is running smoothly. Please, form a neat orderly line, no pushing or shoving in order to sign up.

Keep in mind, we are PAYING to have all of this fun. That’s right, laying out hard earned greenbacks and burning a vacation time from work just to be able to play. And the cost, please, don’t tell my wife. You have the entry fee, the beer, the cost of the meats you are cooking, the beer, gasoline, tolls, camp food, camp beer, charcoal, beer, sauces and seasonings, garnish, tequila, well, you get the picture. I haven’t even mentioned the equipment cost, cookers, beer, trucks, trailers, beer, I have to stop or I’ll want to quit.

This gets me to my point. I would never even consider cooking a contest by myself. I have seen it done and done quite well. My hat is tipped to those that have pulled it off, but it is just not for me. The first and most obvious reason is for the sheer amount of work involved. As a somewhat portly, out of shape, on the back side of middle aged, wanna-be BBQ cook, flying solo at a contest would do me in. I have four super team mates that work as hard or harder than I when we are at a contest and when I get home on Saturday evening, I’m whooped.

The other more significant reason I wouldn’t do a contest solo is I would miss the fun we have as a team. I look forward to each contest as a great chance to spend time with my friends and my wife. As well as the chance to see my BBQ friends, old and new, I have met along the way.

Even though we are in the middle of a park somewhere in a town we don’t know, our gang always manages to have a good time. We will have a nice meal on Friday night, and then we wander around to visit with the other teams. Occasionally sipping a few drinks. Sometimes, we will prepare breakfast Saturday morning, either way; we have a lot of fun with an awful lot of laughs.

Speaking of friends, in my short time hanging out with this BBQ crowd I have been very fortunate to meet some really nice folks. Some I have met on-line in some of the various BBQ forums that I visit from time to time. Others I have met in person at the different contests we have cooked. Usually, after a conversation or two, it’s as though we have known each other for years.

This past weekend in Green Lane PA I was fortunate to have my old friends, my wife and a new friend hanging out with me. Bobby, Erich, Al, and Jo are my team and whose help I could not do without. Steve, better known as Sledneck, is a fellow Qer I met through the BBQ Brethren Forum. I invited Steve to hang out with us at Green Lane as he has been hoppled recently with a bad ankle injury.

Steve limped into our site mid-day on Friday and after some brief introductions and small talk was just one of the gang. Believe me when I tell you, his temporary handicap didn’t buy him any slack from the usual sharp barbs hurled around by the WATG crew, it was like he had been cooking with us from the start, and in a way, he has. Everyone one that I have met along this BBQ road that I travel is a part of my team, whether they like it or not! My buddy Steve aka Sledneck was no exception, he fit right in with the others. By midday Saturday as I walked briefly around the contest grounds I could hear the laughs coming from our site, good times, good friends, this is what it is all about.

For me, the time spent with my friends, old and new, is why I like to que. Sure, we could just stay home, surf the net, save some money, watch a movie, light the gas grill, toss on a few steaks, clean up with running water, take a shower and sleep in a nice comfortable bed. But it just wouldn’t be the same; we would be missing the contest ambiance and the camaraderie, both huge in my book. Not to mention the laughs.

The contest at Green Lane was a first time event run by the local volunteer fire company. The organizers did a great job taking care of the teams and ran the show like they had been hosting contests for the past 10 years. We had folks stopping by every hour or two asking if we needed anything, the service was phenomenal. Lo & Slo BBQ from New Jersey took the grand championship, congratulations to them. We were lucky enough to grab the reserve spot and we are very grateful.

The weather was great even though the weather man did his best the preceding week to rain on our parade. It threatened, but never rained. Good weather, great friends, tasty food, gracious hosts, and cold beer. I can’t think of a nicer way of spending the night in the middle of a municipal park in Green Lane Pennsylvania. You know the State motto of PA is “you’ve got a friend in Pennsylvania”, well, last Friday night, I was lucky enough to have five.

Time travel…the year is 1973 and we didn’t have to use the ‘Wayback Machine’

2009-04-30T05:33:00.000-07:00

Kenwood High School Class of 1973 35th Class Reunion Saturday April 25, 2009

A word of warning to some of my regular readers, this post is not BBQ related.

Last Saturday night, I ventured to my 35th class reunion which was being held one year late due to a change in the reunion committee. My wife and I arrived at the hall with our good friends Jack and Renee and were greeted at the entrance way with some blue and white balloons, (our school colors), tied to a walker, at least someone has a sense of humor. Once inside, Jack leaned over and asked me “did we go to school with all of these old people?”

From that point on it seemed like we had stepped back into time. All of the sudden, it was 1973 as I wondered around shaking hands and hugging anyone with a nametag on. At one point, I think I hugged one of the wait staff. She was a good sport about it. My wife said she didn’t buy the story that I thought the young lady had graduated in our class, as she probably wasn’t even born yet when we left the hallowed halls of KHS. But that’s my story and I am sticking to it.

I have a very good recollection of names and faces from 30 years ago, even though I can’t remember what I had for lunch half the time. I amazed myself identifying some of the folks that I went to school with. The class reunion is a funny event. You see a person that you used to sit next to for 3 years of high school and haven’t seen in 20-30 years and after a few minutes of conversation, its like you left school just last week.

The other interesting phenomenon about a reunion is, after the initial greeting, some catch up small talk, there is an awkward pause as you try and find an exit line. Early in the evening, it was very difficult, but as the night wore on I got it down and moved around the room like the 18 year old that I once was, only with a little more girth.

The best part was seeing the old friends. In our early fifties now, it seemed that most of the inhibitions were gone. Jocks, nerds, geeks and prom queens all stood together hugging and talking about life, kids, grand kids, and the good old days. It was if we were all young again, at least for a few hours, no worries, no concerns, just friends, old stories and what was left of our fading memories.

It reminded me of the Bruce Springsteen song ‘Glory Days’. It seems as more and more water passes under my bridge it becomes harder for me to listen to that song without welling up. Talk about hitting home, that song does it to me every time. It sucks getting old, but, it does beat the alternative.

The shot of reality came when speaking with folks. I heard success stories, tragic tales, cancer survivors, retirements, marriages (some for the 3rd or 4th time), grandkids, cancer patients, and of course the ever growing list of those no longer with us. The reunion organizers did a very nice tribute to that group of classmates, which made everyone stop, think, remember and reflect.

The DJ played a mix of tunes from our school years and today and some of the folks even got up to dance. It seemed like everyone that attended really enjoyed themselves. Except of course the spouses who could be observed sitting quietly at the tables or standing with hands folded in the background, occasionally glancing at their watches. Time standing still for them I am sure.

But alas, as quick as the evening began, the lights were coming up signaling it was time to go home. Many stood around hugging and exchanging contact information that will probably never be used. A few of the hardy ones announced some were adjourning to a nearby watering hole, this reunion we would miss. Some made the suggestion that we should do this every year. A good idea, but somehow, I think some of the luster would get lost in the sauce. Once every five years is perfect.

As our classmates made their way to the exits for their journeys back to reality, I believe the thought many people had was, ‘this is the beginning of the end’. While statistics say many will live well into their 80’s-90’s, reality is, the list on the table in the corner will do nothing but grow, that’s life. The truth of the matter is, we are approaching the backside of middle age, which is a fact. One only needed to look around the lighted room for confirmation if it was needed.

I think that was why I could see the occasional tear in many people’s eyes as we stood and said our goodbyes. Everyone promising to stay in touch, but again, reality is, we know we probably wont and just hope to be lucky enough to meet again in another 5 years for another trip to down memory lane.

Everyone is so busy just living life and trying to survive, sometimes all we can do is just hang on, hope and go along for the ride. It is for that reason, you must be sure to enjoy the good times when they present themselves, like they did for us on Saturday night. As a wise old man once said, (not me, I sure as hell ain’t wise), ‘life is too short’. I believe we are all beginning to see the truth in those profound words of wisdom.

The next day as I reflected on the preceding night’s events, I felt fortunate to be able to attend the reunion and blessed to be able to see many of the folks that were a large part of my younger days. I am also very thankful to have remained close with a handful of folks from those early years and extremely lucky to have them as friends today.

The 2009 organizing committee did an outstanding job preparing the time capsule for our journey. The year 2013 will be here before we know it. I hope there will be another gathering of our classmates for our 40th year reunion. I also pray that the guest list for the table in the corner doesn’t grow too quickly, there are already too many people sitting there.

As folks took off for the ride home and back to the year 2009, I am sure many reached for the antacid, Tylenol, and the Ben-gay. Many nursing upset stomachs, sore and swollen feet and aching backs, after all, we are nothing but a bunch of old farts! Give me three Tylenol and pass me my Rolaids, its way past my bedtime.

Pork in the Park - Salisbury Maryland - April 17-18 2009

2009-04-20T19:08:00.001-07:00

The best laid plans……yada yada yada

My wife Jo and I have been taking regular monthly cooking classes for the past 5 years or so with a small group that have become good friends. Last fall, we cooked a dish that both Jo and I thought was off the charts. A pistachio crusted rockfish, stuffed with a crabmeat and scallop mousse. The dish was topped with a beurre blanc sauce; it was a hit with everyone at class that night.

We had friends over during the winter and served the very same dish and again it received rave reviews. I cooked it at the regular Christmas dinner for the gang that I went to high school with and even had non seafood eaters gobbling it up. Big on flavor, a little wow factor, great taste and texture, this dish had it all.

Of course, my mind was working, could I pull this off at Salisbury this year for the anything butt entry. The dish was fairly simple to make, you only needed to bake it at 350 for about 30 minutes. Overall, very easy to prepare, much can be done in advance, hmmmm, it is looking good. I wonder about the seafood availability.

Last weekend I stopped at our local seafood monger and inquired as to the possibilities. The young man behind the counter seemed to glaze over when I started asking about dry scallops, FRESH rockfish and jumbo lump crabmeat, he suggested that I call first thing Monday morning and speak to Joe, the manager.

Monday morning found me on the horn to seafood manger Joe, He assured me he could procure everything that I requested and would have it ready for pickup on Thursday afternoon. The only thing left was to figure out how to serve my entry.

For the ‘anything butt’ category at this contest, regular KCBS garnish rules do not apply. The only restriction was the submission had to fit into a ½ aluminum pan. Jo and I scoured Bel Air for days looking for just the right dish to place my, what was sure to be a top five finishing entry, into. We finally found the perfect size and shaped dish, and the best part was, they were only 2 bucks a piece.

The long winded point that I am trying to make here is I put an awful lot of time and money, (jumbo lump crabmeat at $32.00 a pound) into this dish.

Now, let’s talk dessert. Wife Jo would not be attending the Salisbury contest this year due to an out of state wedding she was invited to the same weekend. When it came time to decide between spending two days on your feet in a field or going to Florida for a few days, well, you know what happened to my dessert cook.

I next tried to bribe my niece Jackie who lives in New York to come down and cook the dessert entry. She is a student at the Culinary Institute of America, a phenomenal pastry chief and cake decorator, in other words, she’s a ringer. She’s also a lot of fun to have around. Who, in their right mind could turn down two days in a grass field, cooking and hanging out with their favorite Uncle and a couple of his beer drinking, cigar smoking, somewhere on the back side of middle aged buddies? I don’t think you could find a 20 something girl anywhere in the country that would rather do anything else, what a weekend it would be, it is what dreams are made for. Unfortunately, (or fortunately), for Jackie, she had to work and could not make it. She missed the cultural and culinary experience of a lifetime, maybe next year.

Oh well, we just wouldn’t do the dessert. I already had the anything butt in the bag. The clock was ticking. Sometime, late Tuesday afternoon, it hit me, I could do the dessert. I had a recipe for a pecan dish that would kill, yea, we’ll do it! No time to shop for dishes, I would just cut it into squares and place them into the tray, the dish, after all, was called ‘Pecan Squares’.

I copied the list of ingredients onto my shopping list and it was off to the races. Everything was on tract until we arrived at the contest site. It took Arthur and I a little longer than usual to set the camp, then we had a huge wind come through and do a little damage which set us back about 1 ½ hours. Meat trimming took a little longer than usual due to an additional step or two in my chicken program. Bottom line, we were behind.

I was bound and determined to get the anything butt entry to the judges, after all, there was $1,000 in prize money that would go a long way to buying a new trailer. It was mine for the plucking, money in the bank.

Three times during the late afternoon I announced to anyone that would listen that we were not going to do dessert. There just wasn’t time. Wait a minute, I glanced at the recipe, (for the first time since last fall) and figured we would only need 45 minutes of baking, we had an hour after the award winning anything butt submission went in, it was doable, desert was on.

Bobby got things started, blending the dry ingredients while I worked with Arthur and Erich assembling the sauce. We got it in the cooker just in the nick of time. The way it looked, the pan would be finished baking at about 7:50, which would give us enough time to cut into squares before building the box.

At about 7:45 I decided to take one last look at the recipe. It was then I noticed the next to the last step, “cool in refrigerator for 40 minutes before slicing into squares.” This blunder on my part illustrates what normal preparation and readiness can do when properly carried out. In this case, I was again on the short end of a stick, and the only one I had to blame was myself.

My first thought was to keep it quiet, how hard could it be to slice? I would whack it into squares and stick them into the box, no problem. That was until I removed the pan from the cooker. I stood staring at a molten hot pan of bubbling butter, sugar and pecans’, slicing into squares was not an option. Tick tock the clock never stops. Turn-in for this entry opened at 7:50 while I stared at the pan of lava this time came and went, what to do? Give up, not an option. Think.

I have an idea, Bobby, take the remaining heavy cream and whip it with some sugar. Erich, lets you and I cut some Styrofoam coffee cups to size to fit into a ½ pan. Pass me that spoon. The finished product at this time was very runny; I could scoop it out along with some of the crust. This I would dump into the cut down coffee cups, we would put a cup of whipped cream into the center, in each cup we would place a spoon, plastic was all we had, it would have to do, it goes well with a Styrofoam cup anyway!

Arthur drizzled the cups with some melted chocolate and there you have it, time? 8:03 someone cried out. I took the box and started towards the judge’s tent. This was my first trip in that direction for the day, I had not attended the cooks meeting and wasn’t exactly sure were the table would be set. I noticed I did not see the normal stream of runners heading towards the judges, most were coming back, having already dropped their boxes with plenty of time to spare.

It was then I heard a voice, “George, you’d better hustle, it is 8:04”. Who ever yelled that, thank you, I thought I had plenty of time. Those in the know will tell you that anything after 8:05 is not good. I began to run. Now, picture this if you dare, an over the hill, more than slightly rotund, athletically challenged, with two left feet BBQ cook with a dirty apron holding a ½ pan out in front of his self while he attempts to move his large frame without stumbling over his own extra large two feet. Funny, would be an under statement.

I dropped the box on the judges table at 8:04 and 45 seconds, what’s the rush? I had a whole 15 seconds to spare, yea right.

I suppose now you expect me to launch into the awards and how it was so exciting to walk forward to collect our first place prize for the anything butt category. My well planned, overly expensive AB entry. Well, let me give you the thumbnail version, who are those guys? Anything butt 43rd place, dessert 7th place. Ah, the benefits of a well planned and well executed contest submission. Just goes to show you, well….., I don’t have a clue.

The next day the KCBS portion of the contest went fairly smooth for WATG? Considering this was our first outing for the year. There were 92 teams entered and we finished 5th overall. Our only call to the stage was for 3rd place brisket. We were also very fortunate to receive the award given for the highest scoring Maryland team in the contest, which included a very nice prize and of course those ever important braggin rights.The contest was won by my friend Steve Farin cooking as I Smell Smoke. Steve was cooking with his parents and it was his birthday. Congratulations and Happy Birthday!

The moral of this post is to never say never. Like the Marine Corps, improvise, overcome, adapt. If you run into a problem, don’t panic, think, then work around it, do your best, or some other B-movie cliché. As for me, I gotta start thinking about my AB submission for next year, how about a bowl of chips with some salsa? Something easy, not a lot of planning, something with some yada yada yada.

Bloggers note:
Friday evening two folks stopped by our site on separate occasions to visit. They both commented on how much they enjoyed reading this blog. I was able to acknowledge their visit with a thank you but little else. As you can see from the above story, I was up to my ears in alligators Friday evening. I want to thank you for the kind words about the blog and I hope you get to stop by again sometime when we will have a minute to talk que.

KCBS / NASCAR

2009-03-12T17:52:00.000-07:00

Haven’t I heard that somewhere before?

After competing at the Diamond State BBQ contest held on the infield at Dover Downs in Delaware for the first time in 2007 I had a few thoughts and ideas. The teams were cited inside the track in the area where the NASCAR drivers’ motor homes are parked for a race weekend. The spot is very spacious and includes water, electric, sewer and even a hook up for cable TV. The area is level, easily accessed, comfortable, some concrete, some grass, in other words, a great place to hold a BBQ contest.

When it came time for the contest awards on Saturday, the organizers had chosen a spot in the middle of the infield near the team area. There was no stage or elevated platform to announce from, the announcer just stood in front of the band at ground level and gave out the awards. The contest was fairly large for around these parts and included over 80 teams. After everyone, sitting and standing surrounded announcer, most of the folks, us included, couldn’t see a thing. Which I guess is not a real big deal, but I like being able to see all of the cooks receiving their awards after their name is called. For me, that is part of the fun.

I also felt that, although we were inside of the notorious Monster Mile, there was not one reference to the world famous surroundings during the entire contest. For me, it was like going to Fenway Park for a baseball card convention, and no one mentioning the Green Monster. It was, how do I put this, an abomination.

In late October 2007 I sent along an e mail to the Dover contest organizers. In that note, after I thanked them for their hospitality, I highlighted several ideas and suggestions that I had for improving their contest. The main thrust was tying together the speedway, NASCAR, and the contest. For starters, my suggestion was to include more of a Monster Mile tie in with the contest in general with tee shirts, racing type decorations and logos within the contest site.

I then suggested that the awards ceremony be held in victory lane, which is set up perfectly with its bleacher style seating. Everyone could see all of the awards, plus I think it would be cool to be there accepting awards. Again, in keeping with the racing type theme, sponsor logos and signage would provide a great backdrop for photographs of teams as they accepted their awards. Even teams that were not called to the stage would probably opt to have their picture taken in front of a neatly designed backdrop. This would be a win win, the organizers would get the contest name out and the sponsors would have their logos live on through the many pictures that would be taken. One thing we all know, most BBQ folks take a lot of pictures, and many post their contest pics on the net, again, a huge plus for sponsoring companies. If for some obscure NASCAR rule, victory lane was off limits, have the ceremony on or near the start finish line, on an elevated stage complete with checkered flags and bunting, again, running with the racing theme.

My alcohol soaked brain then went into overdrive. You have these speedways all around the country that are idle for many months of the year. Why not marry NASCAR with KCBS, using the speedways for contest venues, they are perfect. The demographics for the BBQ participants and NASCAR fans are very similar. I am not a marketing expert, but I surely think that some advertising wiz would certainly be able to come up with a slew of clever adds and merchandising gimmicks linking the fast cars of NASCAR to the slooow cooks of the KCBS circuit. I have a half a dozen in mind already and I am not even on the payroll. It would be an advertising agencies dream account, a slow one over the middle of the plate ready to get knocked out of the park. A home run, waiting to be hit.

The contests could be held inside the tracks, like at Dover, which is a great set up. If the accommodations inside the track would not work at a particular location, most of the race tracks have huge parking areas which could easily be turned into a contest venue for a BBQ weekend, using the track as a background. Again, mostly everything needed for the logistics of a contest is already present at the racetracks.

I thought that with some planning and a little forethought, someone could develop a BBQ series similar to the NASCAR Race to the Chase. This could include the events that were held at the speedways. The championship contest, based on season points, would be held near the end of the year, crowning the Champ for that season. I know it needs some work, but it has got some possibilities.

I would not envision the contests being held at the tracks on race weekends, but during the year when the NASCAR boys were else where. There could be some tie-in bringing the top cooks to race weekends for demos and such, or bringing the occasional driver or crew chief to a BBQ contest, the possibilities are endless, in my opinion.

Some NASCAR teams could choose to send their display cars to set up at the BBQ contests, again, a plus for the sponsoring companies, more exposure. There may even be interest, if the crowds were large enough, to have some of the race team souvenir trailers at a contest weekend.

NASCAR’S involvement in the sport would have several positive effects. I think it would bring in more money for contest payouts, therefore generating team interest. There would also be more sponsor interest in the BBQ teams as well as more interest generated to the general public, you know the millions and millions that DON’T watch the Food Network. Heck, while we are at it, lets bring the Food Network on board as a partner too, the more the merrier.

I know, I know, there are many that say there is already too much money in BBQ and to bring in a large outfit like NASCAR would be the beginning of the end. I will save that discussion for another day. One thing that can’t be argued, competition BBQ cooking is quickly becoming a very popular sport.

Of course, I received no response to my suggestions other than the standard ‘thank you for your suggestion, we will take it under consideration’ reply. I then digressed to telling my brilliant idea to anyone that would stand still for more than five minutes for a week or so before it was lost in the fog of everyday life. Every once in a while, the thought would resurface, I would knock it around, add a little to it, take a little off, then forget about it for the next few months or so. You can imagine my surprise when I got to the 2008 Dover contest this past October and saw not one of my suggestions or ideas being used. So much for that brilliant idea, I thought to myself.

So, how do you think I felt when last Thursday as I walked back from the mailbox glancing at the front page of the Bullsheet, the monthly publication put out by KCBS. There was an article about the annual banquet that was recently held in Nashville TN. The word NASCAR jumped out at me and I almost fell over. There in black and white was an announcement at the banquet that NASCAR and KCBS were teaming up for an experimental contest. As I read through the article I saw the statement, “It seems that someone has finally realized that the bbq demographic and the NASCAR demographic are pretty similar. Kudos to MMA.” Hey wait a minute, those are not my initials! Who is this guy MMA and where did he come up with that one? Well, you can imagine how I felt, another one of my great ideas, down the drain due to my inaction.

So that I am clear, I am not saying that anyone or any group stole my idea. It was not mine to steal. I had the thought, told a few folks, but did nothing to further or promote the idea. I just sat on it. (as usual) And, as anyone that knows me will tell you, if I am sitting on it, it ain’t goin no where! (not that my can is all that big, but you get the picture) Therefore it was not mine. I just thought it would be an interesting topic for this blog entry.

I will, however, say that throughout my short time on this planet, I have had a few other good ideas that I have not acted upon only to see someone else take to the next level and enjoy great success while I watched from the sidelines. Home delivery for pizza and subs comes to mind about 30 years ago, can anyone say Dominos?

I guess the point here, if there is a point, if you have a great idea, don’t be afraid to act on it. Get out there and run with it. “Just do it”, as the tag line goes. Because if you don’t, you might find yourself watching as your idea goes up in flames, right before your eyes. As for me, it doesn’t really bother me anymore; I have seen it all before. Meanwhile, I am going to track down this guy MMA to see if he will hire me as a consultant I’ve got a few more ideas on this KCBS/NASCAR deal!

Bloggers note: MMA Creative is the agency of record for the Kansas City Barbeque Society, handling the organization’s promotional and sponsorship efforts. KCBS is the nation’s largest barbeque organization, sanctioning nearly 300 competitions from coast to coast and consisting of more than 8,000 barbeque professionals.

Crave the Que

2009-01-19T19:02:00.000-08:00

Too much of a good thing?

I can remember a time when just the smell of a SIA, (smoker in action), would set my mouth to watering. If you recall in one of my first blog entries, I rode around the streets of Bel Air on Saturday morning of the 2003 contest just to whiff the air. That was the truth. Intoxicating would be putting it lightly. As the old saying goes, that was then, this is now.

One would think that if a fellow was into cooking BBQ contests, well, that guy must love his BBQ. I remembered a thought I had while driving home from the 2004 Bel BBQ Bash after first meeting Steve with several zip lock bag full of BBQ’d delights. Why in the world would a BBQ guy give away all of these fine eats? I just couldn’t figure it out. It made no sense to me.

A subsequent conversation with Steve in 2007 when I cooked with him at Salisbury helped fill in the blanks. “ I just can’t eat that stuff any more”, Steve told me on Saturday after the turn ins, as I once again loaded up my zip locks with Steve’s championship submissions. How could that be, I thought. Oh well, all the more for me, no sense in it going to waste.

The family would be waiting in the driveway upon my return if they knew I was in possession of bags of smoky goodness from Steve. As I arrived back at the homestead, there were no questions, how was the trip? Did you have fun? How did you do? The only question I would hear is “where is the cooler?” My, how times have changed.

After cooking a couple of hundred pounds of Que in the past 3 years I can honestly say, “I can’t eat that stuff.” Well, maybe not that direct, let me explain. When we travel to a BBQ contest we always have a camp meal on Friday night, one thing is certain, it won’t be BBQ. Pasta, seafood, steak, anything but Que.

Saturday during turn-ins we have to sample our product as we proceed through the schedule. I have to tell you, when we get to brisket, the last turn-in, I sometimes have trouble taking a sample. When the contest is over, and its time to divide the remains, I have to force myself to take some home. Even the other guys on the team have become less than excited when it comes to left-overs. When we first started this operation, there would sometimes be shoving matches while divvying up the take outs. Today, when asked who wants some Que to take home, sometimes, the only shoving is the team members knocking each other over to get away from the bagged goods. Amazing.

After a contest, I don’t want any BBQ for at least a couple of days. Saturday dinner when I return from a contest weekend is usually pizza, fresh fish or a crab cake, anything but the 4 KCBS meats, and especially nothing that has been anywhere near a brush filled with BBQ sauce.

Much has been written and discussed on the various BBQ forums that I visit from time to time about what others prefer to eat after a contest weekend. Some prefer sweets, pasta is another favorite. There does seem to be a consensus among most BBQ cooks, ANYTHING BUT BBQ. While it is very hard to get two cooks to agree on anything, there does not seem to be much disagreement on this question.

Upon reflection, I gotta say I don’t much like it. It almost seems that I have lost my desire for BBQ’d meats, I know my family has. I guess that they could be justified in their lack of desire for my Que. They have eaten an awful lot of BBQ product in the past 36 months. (I won’t even mention the Chicken obsession of 2008) They never request Que for dinner anymore, who could blame them. My biggest complaint is, I no longer want BBQ for dinner either, or for lunch for that matter.

This past holiday season I cooked several slabs of spares to take to a Christmas party. I ate one small rib to test for seasoning, that was it. At the party when they were served, I opted for a ham sandwich and a bowl of soup. Wow, I can hardly believe it myself.

I will still eat and sample my product as I test cook for the upcoming competition season, but to make a meal of “that” stuff, I think not. I think I’ll just have a salad. On second thought, last weekend as I was working on my chicken attack, I stumbled upon a new twist for my formally feathered friend that has some possibilities. I made the same recipe again this weekend for a football party and actually found myself going back for seconds, hmmmmm I could be onto something here.

Maybe, it’s just like another old saying goes, too much of a good thing. Not that I am trying to say my product is good, well, you get the point, maybe it’s just too much Que. I sure hope not. I know that through the power of positive thinking and a lot of hard work, I can recapture my desires of old and once again learn to “crave the Que.” I can’t wait!

BBQ Folks = Good People

2008-12-10T15:00:00.000-08:00

My good friends Tuffy and Jack

Many stories have been written over the years about the good people that you can meet on the BBQ circuit. I had read a lot of those stories over the years before I became a competitor. Stories about people helping each other, offering tips, lending equipment, helping set up, sharing camp food and drink, and even praying when needed. After two seasons on the BBQ circuit, I can tell you that those stories are true.

As many of you already know, I owe the success that we have enjoyed as a team to my good friend and mentor Steve Farin of the I Smell Smoke BBQ team. Steve took me under his wing and showed me the ropes, let me cook with him and still today, offers advice and guidance whenever it is needed. I have gotten to know his parents as well and now it is easy to see why Steve is who he is, good people all around.

In our two short years, we have also become friends with many of the other competitors from around these parts. Teams we have set up next to are the easiest to meet, we always try and introduce ourselves as we are setting up. Many that I have come to know on the various forums that I visit from time to time have also become good friends. I enjoy looking up a team that I have communicated with over the net and speaking to them in person. It is great to put a face with the name. I have even known a guy that let a forum friend prep his chicken. Although I can try and blame that one on too much firewater on behalf of the trimmer, the fact remains, these are some really good folks.

The only complaint that I have is in the contest setting, there is not a lot of time for visiting. At least, this has been my experience. It seems that when on site at a contest, we are always busy with something. The ideal situation is arriving at the contest site very early on Friday, get set up, get your prep work finished, then you might have a few minutes to walk around and visit. That is, of course, if the folks you are trying to visit have time to speak with you. I don’t like to walk into someone’s camp when they are trying to prep their meat, least we be accused of shigging.

After we get our big meats loaded into the cooker and get it somewhat stable, we will take a stroll around as a team and visit with some of our friends. I think many times this is my favorite time at a contest. Most of the crowd has gone; it is just the cooks and the smokers. We wonder about with a cold drink and shoot the breeze. Toss in some nice weather and you have got yourself a perfect evening.

There is also another time that I like to visit, that being late Friday night. I do not sleep very well when I am on the road and wound up in a contest, so I will usually wonder around the contest grounds after the rest of my team nests up for the night. I will keep stopping back to make sure our cooker is doing what I’ve asked it to do, but for the most part, this too is a relaxing time for me. The cooks are up tending their cookers and fires and all are very willing to engage anyone that comes by in a discussion about BBQ or anything else for that matter. It is a great time to exchange ideas, meet new people, tell lies, embellish stories and or BS. Good fun, good people, it don't git no bettter than this.

Aside from those times, we do not get much time to visit. Saturday morning I am busy with sauces, chicken, ribs and finishing the big meats. Erich dresses the boxes and sometimes we will even cook breakfast. With the first turn in due at 12:00, the morning usually rolls by pretty quickly. After the last box is sent to the judges, we begin to break everything down. Clean and wash the equipment. Cool the cookers, pack the leftovers, load the trailer, well, you get the picture. Most times we just get loaded up and it is time to head to the awards, every once in a while, we get a few minutes to sit down before the ceremony, but not too often. After the awards, a few handshakes, then its head for home, a hot shower and something to eat that isn’t BBQ, anything but BBQ. (More on this in another post)

At first I thought we were doing something wrong, we were not managing our time properly. Then I would see the posts on the forums, "sorry I didn’t get around to see everyone”, or something similar. Others have the same problem; they are busy at the contest with the contest. It is for this reason that I propose a KCBS sanctioned meet and greet. All teams are invited, we have a huge area reserved, teams arrive early Friday, cook all night, then on Saturday at 12:00, we have a giant picnic, everyone brings a dish. We sit around and kibitz, eat, drink, and be merry, then at 5:00, we pack up and head for home, with our designated driver of course. No contest, no trophies, just for fun. KCBS judges would be invited as well and could offer their opinions as they sampled everyones fair. I think it could also be very informative, getting input from the judges on your product. Sounds like a good time to me.

This brings me to the point of this entire post, the good people I have meet on the BBQ circuit. I have almost forgotten to mention two of the very best, my good friends, Tuffy Stone and Jack MacDavid. The truth be told, neither one of these guys has any idea who I am and have never heard of 'Who are those guys?' At a contest, they are just like your old friend. I have had the pleasure of speaking to both from time to time and found them to be very personable. They are always very friendly and will go the extra mile to help anyone they can. While I was at a contest in New Jersey, I saw Jack giving hands on advice to a first time team that had set up next to him. In addition to being nice guys, these two are both very good BBQ cooks. Tuffy and his team have won 9 Grand Championships this season and Jack has done it all from winning many Grands, to appearing on TV along side of Bobby Flay on the Food Network.

In a contest, these two are just a couple of the cooks, or so it seems. What I find most impressive is, on Saturday, late morning, along about 11:00 or so, when we are up to our elbows in alligators, you will see them. They will come past each and every site wishing the teams good luck. The thing to keep in mind is these are two of the guys that everyone is trying to beat. They come by with a smile and a wave, “good luck today fellows!”, and in my humble opinion, they really mean it. Very impressive in my book.

This October at Dover, where we were lucky enough to take Reserve Grand Champion, the past two years the contest was won by Tuffy and his team Cool Smoke. As soon as the awards presentation was over, we were still reeling from the shock of the call, the very first person to walk up and offer his congratulations was my friend, Tuffy Stone. Good people I tell ya.

Diamond State BBQ Championship Oct 17-18, 2008

2008-10-21T18:39:00.000-07:00

Only 6 months till Salisbury

Getting ready for the cook-off at Dover Downs had its ups and downs. On one hand, we were anxious to get back and cook after our exciting time at the New Holland Summer Fest. Since New Holland, I had been working on our chicken attack, basically throwing everything out the window and going for what I thought would be uncharted territory in regards to the presentation, and it taste pretty good too. I figured it was either top ten, or the judges would kick it to the curb and we would be in the bottom ten, possibly DAL. Either way, I was looking forward to giving it a try.

On the other hand, this was to be our last contest of the year. Where did the season go? It seems like only a week or two ago we were loading up to head to Salisbury for the season opener. And last weekend weren’t we just in Bel Air with about 150 of our friends and family enjoying a warm summer evening? Time flies when you’re having fun is what most would try and tell you. I think it’s a direct result of growing older. It seems like the older we get, the faster time moves or something like that. Oh well, that is enough pontification on the aging process, lets get back to baabeque.

Everything was in the trailer, the coolers were packed, and plans were all made. I was taking the entire day off on Friday and was really looking forward to the trip. When I called the guys to arrange a departure time, they wanted to know why we were leaving so early. The short answer was I wanted to get over there and have a little time to enjoy the day on Friday, and that we did.

The drive down was uneventful, we arrived at our site and set up very quickly, after 6 previous contests this year, set up was a breeze. Although, I think that this was the first contest where everyone was able to arrive all at once and help with set up. Of course, the team members that had missed a few set ups, (me included), were being ridden hard by those that didn’t, thin skins won’t last on this team.

After we got everything into place, we grilled some burgers for lunch, and then began to trim the meat. We took our time and had a lot of laughs and before I knew it everything was trimmed and back in the coolers. Then took a stroll around. We walked onto the track and then into the turns, the banking in the turns is incredible, the straight-aways are even banked.

A few visits with friends then it was back to the site for, get this, and I think it’s a first, we all took a nap! Wow, time to relax and take a little snooze, we must have really gotten here early or we are getting very efficient. No, we didn’t pass out from drinking too much beer while trimming the meat, we were just relaxing.

There were 78 teams signed up for the Diamond State BBQ Contest, one of the largest contestant fields for us this year. The list included many top flight teams. The weatherman said no rain, but it looked like it could be a little breezy. Hopefully we would not get the winds that we had last year, but 10-20 mph would be windy enough, especially with the cool temperatures that they were predicting.

Everything went into the cooker on time and things ran smoothly until morning. When I got up to get the ribs on, most of the meat was a little behind. Nothing drastic, just not where I wanted it to be. A little nudge on the cooker temp and we should be OK.

The chicken cook was a combination of past and new methods; it would take several hands and some timing to pull it off. We had not cooked this way for a contest, I would recommend not trying this. Ideally, you should have practiced your methods BEFORE the contest, not AT the contest. I had done it at home, in the kitchen, with a lot of flexibility on my timing. Never using the cooker, on site, and up against the clock.

We went over everything in the morning and I have to say that the cook went very well. One thing was for sure, after building the chicken box, the rest of the boxes would be a breeze. The entire turn in went very smooth with the exception of fighting the cold wind. We tried our best to keep things warm, and I have to think that in some small way, we did.

The brisket box was in, and we were done for the season, happy and sad at the same time. We packed up the trailer in record time as the awards were at 3:00, we had to hustle. The team ambled over to the awards area and took up a spot. I really wanted to see how our chicken made out. Fred Bohn, the contest organizer began to call the chicken category first, beginning with tenth place. As he mover up the latter, I was getting more and more discouraged. First place chicken went to the team that was next to us, Smokey T’s. We had met those guys for the first time this weekend and they really seemed like good folks. Congratulations to Smokey T’s, first place chicken.

After chicken, Fred moved onto ribs. Al looked at me and I just shook my head, I just knew my chicken experiment had gone wrong, horribly wrong. Ribs came and went, then onto pork, still no mention for the team from Street. Man, we really blew it this time I thought. I spent the next 10 minutes trying to come up with a good excuse. Surely I could blame the cold breeze, everyone would back me up on that one.

He was well into brisket, the next to last category before we heard our name called for third place. Wow, that was alright, it certainly took some of the sting from my chicken defeat away. We could at least hold our head up with a third out of 78 teams in the brisket category. I was very happy, to hell with that chicken!

The overalls again started at 10th, no one team had really dominated where you could easily pick the top three before they were announced like you can at some contests, it seemed like it could be anybody’s game. Second place, reserve grand champion, goes to…..they even had a drum roll guy……..”Who are those guys?”...... what did he say? you are kidding…..what?....us….wow…we’ll take it….

The rest is a blur, the team stumbled up to the front to collect our extra large trophy, which, in keeping with the Dover theme, contained a working slot machine. Grand Champion went to the Midnight Smokers, the same team we finished second to at New Holland, congrats to them.

There were pictures, handshakes, smiles, and back slaps all around. Wow, I couldn’t believe it, second place, 78 teams, one call, 3rd place brisket, as my friend MC Dan would say, INDEED! Our other stuff was very solid, 13th chicken, 14th in both pork and ribs. Third place overall went to our neighbors, Smokey T’s, congratulations to those guys as well.

Next week end is the World Championship contest in Lynchburg TN, the Jack Daniels Invitational. Several teams that we have become friends with are making the trek to the hills of Tennessee. Maybe one day, if we are lucky we will get a chance to go down and cook against some of the very best cooks around, I am sure it is a very exciting time and we wish all of our friends well.

Our season has ended, but what a season it has been. We were second place in the last two contests we cooked, and for that I am very grateful. We had a very enjoyable season, met a lot of new friends, and learned a lot along the way. The team is really working well together and I am very thankful to have them as teammates and friends.

My wife, Joann, has been helping out in Mikes absence. I think she is going to submit an application to join the team as an official member; I will leave that discussion for another day. She has been a big help, and also a great sounding board for many of my wild ideas and plans, and for that, I am also grateful.

Finally, in an attempt to end this long winded, nonsensical blog entry, I say, we had a great time this season and look forward to next year, after all, its only 6 months until Salisbury, that should be enough time to work on my chicken…..

Bridgeton NJ, King Pig BBQ, September 19-20, 2008

2008-09-24T16:55:00.000-07:00

…what is this?

Thursday morning I received an email from Dan Hixon, 3 Eyz BBQ. Dan was cooking in Bridgeton NJ on Friday and needed some help. Mutha Chicken Dan was going to help on Friday but could not stay the night due to a previous commitment. Dan would be by himself for turn in’s on Saturday and was inquiring if I would like to come on down.

I glanced at the schedule and found nothing pressing. A quick call to the boss and I was clear for take off. Dan said I wasn’t needed until the morning, but I was welcome to come down on Friday. As soon I was finished work I was bound for New Jersey. After a few stops I made it on site by about 7:30.

I helped make the boxes and eat the chicken wings, it was a good time. It was nice being at a contest without the pressure. Don’t get me wrong, I still wanted to do a good job, but it was a different feeling than the usual Friday night stressing that I have come to know.

Dan and Dan had all the meat prepped before I arrived. After the boxes were made, we only had to light the cooker and load in the big meats at the appropriate time. After the meats went in, MC Dan took off for home, while 3E Dan and I wondered over to visit with the Dizzy Pig gang.

When the DP team is at a contest, their site is always a gathering place for many of the cooks. Chris and the crew always make everyone feel welcome, often times passing around samples of some really tasty camp grub. This time they made lettuce wraps and grilled pizza, good would be an understatement. Followed with a sip or two of some really smooth tequila and I was ready for the sack.

The next day I slept in and didn’t get up until after 8:00. If I could only sleep like that when I am cooking at a contest. Dan and I went over what he wanted to do when it came to crunch time. I would assist and run boxes, everything was in place. His meats came off on time and all was well, we were working together without a hitch. Chicken time came and our box went in with time to spare.

Pork ribs were next, into the box, then off to the judges, two down. Dan had asked if I would like to build the pork box, sure I would. His pork was tasty and I was working on separating my selection for placement into the box. Things were humming along.

I looked up from my task and saw the contest rep, Linda, heading our way carrying a turn in box. Correct me if I am wrong, but aren’t the boxes supposed to be going TO the judges, not away from them? I froze; Dan whose back was facing the rep could only see my face, which I am sure showed an expression of absolute shock. “What’s the matter?” He had barely uttered the words as Linda came to a stop along the work table. Soon, we both would know what was up.

Linda lifted the lid, lying in the box were two ribs. Stuck on the end of one rib was something sticking straight up. “what is this? “ asked Linda. Dan and I both were speechless, my mind was racing, my mouth dry. As you know, anything other than the meat and garnish in the box is an automatic disqualification. What could it be? I looked closer; it sure wasn’t anything we PUT into the box. Then it hit me, the item looked like a slivered almond.

Dan had encountered a crooked set of bones while slicing his ribs for the box. I remembered as he was not happy with the look of the rib on the end, if you looked, you could see the slice into the cartilage/bone. The sliver was a piece of bone that had apparently surfaced when the top layer of ribs was removed during judging, whew, that was a bit stressful.

Linda returned the box to the judges’ tent. When I dropped off the pork box and inquired, she advised the box had been accepted, as a bone sliver was part of the meat, wow, a close one.

The brisket box went in at 1:30 and we got everything cleaned up in pretty short order. The only hitch was the contest organizer decided he did not want a mass exodus of the cooks after the awards, so he announced the awards wouldn’t be given until 5:30. The contest reps had the results ready by 2:30 and everyone had to sit around and wait. The awards, as late as they were scheduled, were even late getting started, beginning at 5:45. As the awards began, it was announced if a team wins any prize money, they must report to the judges tent AFTER awards to have the check written. I thought that perhaps, the checks could have been written in the extremely long down time between turn in and awards, but that is just me.

The contest was won by Stumpy Coal BBQ, reserve was Jacks Down Home, Dizzy Pigs were a close third. The best part of the event was the trophies for reserve and grand. A local chain saw artist carves King Pigs from a whole log. Then there is the King Pig Crown, really cool.

Stumpy Coal, along with the winner from the contest held this weekend in Westport CT, R2BQ, were both graduates of the Steve Farin, ISS cooking class that I attended this past June. It seems that folks that have attended his class improve their scores, just an observation.

The weather was great, the food was tasty, the venue was nice, (along the banks of a large pond), and the festival music was rockin, who could ask for anything more. (Other than a more timely awards presentation) I had a great time cookin and hangin with Dan and Dan, Overall, a great weekend spent on the Jersey shore.

New Holland Summer Fest August 22-23 2008

2008-08-29T08:46:00.000-07:00

…is that thing supposed to be smoking like that?

After I recovered from what is now known as, the “Bel Air Chicken Incident” I began to look forward to New Holland. Some might remember that we had our best showing ever at New Holland last year, so in some regard, we were anxious to return. New Holland boasted a 72 team field, all of the sudden, 40th place chicken wasn’t looking quite so bad. Still, I wanted to try and improve, I knew we had it in us.

The weather forecast the week before showed the Summer Fest in the direct path from the remnants of a tropical storm, showing rain for both Friday and Saturday. I had been scheduled to have the day off Friday the 22nd, but at the last minute, things at work changed and I had to work, what a bummer.

Erich and Al came through again and hauled the trailer up to Lancaster County on Friday morning to begin the site set up. I don’t think I am paying those two enough, perhaps a raise in their salaries……maybe not. Anyway, it was mighty nice of them and it was a big time saver. I took off as soon as I was finished work and arrived just in time to trim the brisket and chicken, at least they left me something to do.

The weatherman changed his forecast mid week and it looked like great weather all weekend, comfortable days and cool nights, who could ask for anything more in mid August? The meat trimming went off without a hitch and we all sat down for another super pasta meal prepared by Al, complete with red wine and fresh baked bread. Erich remarked he was glad he didn’t have to run out for wine this time.

After dinner has become one of our favorite times at a contest, it was time for the evening walk. We all grab a drink and wonder around the contest site visiting and yacking with the other contestants. Of course no stroll would be complete without a visit to Jim, the guy with the magic cherries. Enough said about that!

Eventually, we all drifted back to our site, Erich and Bobby opting to hit the cots while Al and I decided we were in the mood for a nightcap. Al mixed some concoction of which I do not know the ingredients, which was, as it turned out, not such a good idea on my part. That drink, oh yea, did I mention the watermelon drink that Steve (Team Agave & I Smell Smoke) gave me just before dinner? Toss in a few of Jims cherries, well, you can see were I am going with this. Just a little bit too much of the high octane stuff for a 50+ year old light beer drinker from Essex.

Al and I also decided to go on another road trip while enjoying our night cap. We stopped at Sled’s site around 1:00 am just as he was preparing to trim his chicken. Sled was commenting on how he hated to trim chicken. I glanced over and saw the two packs, how long could that take, 12 thighs, piece of cake. With all the trimming practice I had this winter, this was a 10 minute job. “If you’ve got some gloves and a sharp knife, I’ll trim it up for you.” These words, or some other drunken, must have been out of my extremely large head comment, spilled from my unusually big clap trap.

Whatever the case, Sled was more than happy to pass this unwanted duty off to me. What I didn’t see was the additional packs that were under the two that were visible. To this day, I have no idea how many thighs I trimmed for my friend Sled, but I think he was planning to open a KFC the next day judging from the number of thighs on hand. I didn’t think I would ever get finished. The worse part was, as I told Sled the next day, the thighs I trimmed for him looked a hell of a lot better than what we had back in our cooler. I almost went up to his site Saturday morning to see if he was using them all. I have received several e mail requests for chicken trimming at Dover, our next contest, maybe I am on to something here. A small fee perhaps?

Upon finishing with Sleds yardbird, Al and I stumbled back to our site to grab a little shuteye. Usually at a contest I have a hard time sleeping, but I gotta tell you, I slept like a rock this night, perhaps it was the cool night air, who knows, but the next thing I knew, it was after 6:00 AM and we didn’t even have our ribs on the heat yet.

I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter, when out on the lawn, there arose such a clatter. The clatter, as it turned out was my aching head. Three Tylenol and 45 minutes later and I was as good as new and off to wolf down a fine breakfast prepared by the guys at Smoken Dudes. After, of course, we stuck the ribs into the cooker.

Our meats were coming off the cooker as planned, maybe even a tad early, everything sure was running smooth. Maybe a little too smooth. Just about everything was resting, it was after 9:30 and I was jacking up the heat in the cooker to get ready for our chicken cook. Everything was running itself, so I thought I would run across the street to the mens room to take care of a small matter. I told Bobby where I was going, Al went down to buy a raffle ticket and Erich was out visiting. Everything was fine, I would only be 10 or 15 minutes at most. We would assemble around 10 to get the chicken started.

I ambled across the street and had a successful visit. I returned about 15 minutes later and everything appeared to be normal as I walked towards our site, contemplating my latest attack on the waiting chicken thighs.

It was then that I learned the truth. Jo, my wife and Bobby had been the only ones in camp, Bobby’s back to the cooker as they were in deep discussion about the chefs choice entry that Jo was preparing. It was then that Jo noticed a large amount of smoke billowing from the cooker. “…is that thing supposed to be smoking like that?” Jo asked Bobby before he wheeled around and saw for his self. He moved toward the cooker, opened the door, then the smoke really rolled. They had to back out of the area to be able to see, Al retuned to the site and together he and Bobby got the fire under control and everything back to somewhat normal.

Of course, there were some shouts and jeers form nearby competitors, many inquiring as to the brand name of the tire that we were burning, and all of this happening before I returned to the site. Once I was back, it took a few minutes of convincing before I believed the true story. Fortunately for us, most of our meats had already been removed from the cooker. I thought the team handled the problem very well, despite their fearless leader being off site, preoccupied as it were. In other words, I am glad that I missed it.

The rest of the morning was fairly uneventful, the boxes came together very well and we were all happy with our product. We felt like all of our submissions were about were we wanted them to be. Even with the grease fire, we were still very satisfied. This contest included two additional non KCBS categories, sausage and a chefs choice. In total, we had 6 entries to prepare between 11:30 and 2:00 PM.

At New Holland during the awards, they call from 15th place up, which I think is very nice. The field is large, and to get the recognition of hearing your team name called is very fulfilling to anyone that cooks competitively. We sat as they called sausage, chefs choice, and chicken without a mention of our name. Ribs came and was getting down to the last, when we heard our name called for 1st place. Wow, our best call ever for ribs had been an 8th last year here, and now we were 1st, unbelievable. Looks like the ISS cooking class was a big help.

Pork came and went, no call. Brisket, we took 5th, very respectable considering the level of competition that was here. Now it was time for the overall awards, Midnite Smokers had taken 1st in brisket and pork, also getting a chicken call, so everyone figured them for Grand, but who would Reserve be? They started the call at 5th then moved up, some of the names we tossed around for Reserve had already been called, who could it be?

Honestly, we never even considered our team, I am sure no one would have predicted it, but there it was, Who are those guys? Reserve Champions, 2nd place overall. I was frozen, stuck to my chair. It wasn’t until everyone was urging me to get up that I could finally rise and head towards the announcer, after, of course, gathering the other members of the team. We walked forward together to collect our trophy, all of us absolutely astonished. Grins were all around.

The rest of the afternoon is a bit of a blurr. Many others came up and offered their congratulations, hands shakes and back slaps were a plenty. This would be another easy ride home. We had won Reserve Champion with only two stage calls, but, I guess our two other finishes, chicken at 22nd and pork at 24th were solid enough to keep us in the hunt. Jo’s submission of a peach & blueberry bread pudding with a rum butter sauce finished a disappointing 36th. I thought it was great; the judges however, had the last word.

It was very rewarding getting the kudos from the other cooks that day and later on the various forums that I visit. Reserve Grand Champion at New Holland, to say we were happy would be an understatement. The best part was the feeling that we had as a team, we had been working very hard all year and this was our best finish ever. Maybe we were improving. I think we all were surprised and at the same time satisfied with our finish. Additionally, we are all very grateful for a memory of a super weekend that will last a very long time, grease fire and all.

Bel Air BBQ Bash Aug 8-9 2008

2008-08-10T18:38:00.000-07:00

Did anyone get a tag number on that truck?

Have you ever been hit so hard that the wind gets knocked from your lungs? You struggle just to get a breath, your head spins, your heart races. Well, Saturday afternoon, around 4:45 PM, just after receiving the final score sheets for the Bel Air BBQ Bash, that’s exactly how I felt, and I wasn’t even physically hit. I felt, however, like I had been hit by a screaming Mack truck.

We were walking back to our site, the awards ceremony having just ended. We had one call to the stage for 5th place pork, we were fairly upbeat when I glanced at the over all finishing order and found we had finished 14th overall. The field at this contest was very strong and included a lot of very good teams, so we were quite happy with our overall finish.

The happiness was short lived however. While still walking, I turned to page two which contained the chicken results. Looking from the top down, as is a natural way to review such information, I was into the thirty somethings and had not found our name. My weary, over taxed, alcohol preserved, working on 2 hours sleep, pea brain was having difficulty processing this revelation. Surely, I had read over our name in my haste to read and walk at the same time, a difficult feat for me even without throwing in a marathon weekend BBQ contest. A multi task person I am not. (and don’t call me Shirley!)

I would just need to stop for a minute and take a good look. The team and I all thought our chicken box was one of our better submissions for the day. At Bel Air, they call from 8th place forward; we must have been somewhere near there, even though our name wasn’t called to the stage. Top twenty for sure, it was that good. Flavorful, bite through skin, tasty, tender, we had it all packed into that first entry of the day.

Oh, and did I mention it looked good too. We were able to get 10 thighs into our box, I think that’s gotta be a world record. In short, our chicken box had it all as they say, it was the complete package.

I moved to the side a bit to get out of the main flow of the large crowd and perused the list a little more carefully this time. Where was our name? It has to be there. It was then that it happened. Out of nowhere, bam, I was down. I believe that I lost consciousness, although maybe not completely. I had thought the road was closed to traffic.

Have you ever read accounts from those that have had near death experiences, many speak of the bright light that draws them. Some have even said they could feel the light pulling them. Well, I did not see just a plain light. What I saw was a large neon sign, the light was flashing, and I could barely see it through the thick fog that was also present, (possibly related to my Patron intake the night before.) A force felt as though I was being pulled to the light. I felt like I had to at least get a little close, I had to see what the light was saying. What was it trying to tell me? Just a little closer and the fog wouldn’t be so thick, I thought as I inched closer and closer, fighting the urge to run in the opposite direction.

As I moved closer I finally could make it out, I saw a large four and a zero, the numbers must have been over ten feet tall and were blinking wildly, like the disco lights from the Babylon Club on Route 40 back in the eighties. Maybe this is what they meant by a disco inferno. The lights were not pulling me. In fact, it was just the opposite, the closer I got, the more I wanted, or should I say, needed, to run. The light was driving me away, it was repulsing, it was making me ill, I had to get away. This must be what chemical warfare is like. The whole thing just wasn’t making any sense. I couldn’t breathe; my head was spinning and also aching. Somebody, quick, call me a Doctor.

The next thing that I knew, I was blinking my eyes and scratching my head, trying to get my bearings and remember what had happened. I was looking up from the ground, surrounded by my team members and several concerned citizens. I think a stranger asked if I was alright. I know Bobby asked me, “how’d we do in chicken?” Although I am sure he meant to say, “how you feelin?”

The score sheet was still clenched in my sweat soaked paw, I picked it up and glanced again at the chicken page, struggling to get my eyes focused, and there it was, in bold black ink,
who are those guys? 40th place chicken.

I tried without results to mouth the words to Bobby and the rest of the team, but they wouldn’t come out. My mouth was as dry as the Sahara desert, I couldn’t speak. Instead, I thrust the sheet in their direction and let them read it for themselves, as I struggled to my feet. I could see they were more concerned with our chicken score than they were of my well being. I can’t say that I blame them for that.

I stumbled back to our site, struggling to understand, to grasp, to comprehend. The crowd seemed surreal, I could hear faint voices from off in the distance, “you idiot you”, “what the hell did he do?”, “I wonder if he even KNOWS how to cook a piece of thigh meat?”, “**** that chicken”, were just a few of the comments that I can recall. I am sure there were more. The fellows just weren’t happy.

The 3 or 4 regular readers of this blog, (at least I hope I have a reader or two), will recall that I have spent a lot of time this past winter working on my chicken method. Some have even considered it a chicken obsession. I would have thought that, at the very least, I had a small understanding of the procedure. Now I think not. I have hit the wall. Maybe, striking the wall was what knocked the wind from my lungs, causing Saturdays episode. At the very least, it certainly knocked the wind from my sail. I feel dead in the water. I don’t know where to turn. I feel like I am spinning wheels. I suppose its back to the drawing board, again.

After a hot shower and a good nights sleep and it was time for the contest debriefing. The only thing I could say without question was the weather this past weekend was great, it could not have been better.

I looked our chicken score over, all 7’s and 6’s, with the exception of Judge #5 who gave us 3-9’s, the highest score possible. That Judge must have been one of the 150 people that passed through our site Friday evening. Either that or he was drunk. One or the other, or maybe both.

All 6’s & 7’s, nothing “wrong” with the chicken. Average. Just nothing right about it, no “wow” factor. The same chicken we finished 8th with two weeks ago in Stevensville. The only variable was the quality of the chicken we received from our supplier.

While for the most part, we have been very happy with the quality of the meat they have been giving us all season, this week was different. The thighs were all very small, and looked somewhat thin. I thought perhaps they gave us thigh meat from Cornish hens instead of chicken, but who knows.

But alas, they are not to blame, for it was I that trimmed, prepared and cooked the chicken. And we all know you have to play the cards that you are dealt. A good cook should be able to overcome adversity and still produce some decent product, and in this case, I failed.

Failure might be a bit strong here, but I will certainly try and do better. We have New Holland in two weeks and there will be over 70 teams cooking there, no time for a relapse.

The rest of our entries were fairly solid considering the field, 5th place pork, 15th ribs, and 19th brisket. Pork, which had been our anchor last year, seems to be improving.

The over all winner was the team from BBQ Guru. Congratulations to Bob, Fred and the rest of the gang for their first Grand Championship. Back in March, there was a post on one of the forums asking who would be a first time Champion this season. My prediction was the Guru gang, I am very glad for them. Also kudos to Stoddard and Brown for winning reserve, those guys are so hot, the rest of the circuit better watch out in Kansas City and Lynchburg.

I know, I know, there will be a draw for S&B to get to the Jack. I will tell you this, at the Guru/ISS class last month there was a drawing for a new Digi Que. And the winner was, Brett Brown, the Brown in Stoddard and Brown. Talk about hot, I told Brett he should go out and buy a few lottery tickets. On fire is an understatement, somebody call the fire department.

With the exception of our feathered friend we were very happy with our scores. The team again worked well together as they are becoming more familiar with the routine and are moving ahead making the operation run better at each outing. If only the head cook could pick things up a notch or two we might be able to improve our scores. We’ll see.

As I said before, we have New Holland in two weeks. This is always a favorite of mine. I like the area and the organizers do a great job of running the show. The only down side is, it is held in the end of August, summer is disappearing quickly, where did it go? Seems like only a week or two ago we were heading down to Salisbury. Time flies when you’re having fun is what they say. This time I think “they” are right.

That’s all for this weeks edition from the WATG? blog, be sure to look in next week when the topic of discussion will be, how to feed and entertain 150 of your closest family and friends in a 20 x 20 foot site while trying to compete in a BBQ contest or next year why don’t I just fill my shoes with hot coals and walk around instead? Stay tuned.

July 25-26 Stevensville MD Chesapeake Bay Cook-off

2008-07-30T04:51:00.000-07:00

A new team is forming and there is nothing I can do to stop it………

When picking days off during the summer months I was told that I could not have the date of July 25th as I requested. No big deal, I had been given most of the other days I had asked for and the contest was only 1 ½ hours away. Erich was taking the entire day off and volunteered to haul the trailer down to Stevensville and begin to set up. My wife Jo, who would cook the seafood contest Friday night, went along on the trip from Street to the eastern shore. Al picked up our chicken and would meet them there.

Everything came together as Bobby worked a ½ day then drove right to the site. The teammates set up the site and began to prep the meat before I was even off work. I finished work at 5:00 and took off for the contest. I had the radio on during the afternoon and was listening to the traffic reports for the Bay Bridge which is usually jamming on a Friday evening. All reports were saying no back ups so I decided to take a chance and take that route.

The trip went off without a hitch and I arrived at the contest site around 6:30 to find a complete set up, most of the meat was trimmed and resting in the cooler as it should be at this time, we weren’t behind at all, and I hadn’t even been there. Hmmmm, what did they need me for, I thought to myself. They did leave the brisket for me to trim, I suppose to make me feel at least a little useful.

They were going to let me help Jo get her entry boxed, although I noticed when I started grilling the shrimp, Al came over and took the tongs from my hands. Oh well, I took a walk around the grounds and greeted some of the other teams. After the seafood turn-in I returned to the site and trimmed the brisket. After which, we enjoyed a great meal complete with farm fresh tomatoes and sweet corn, man, was it good.

After dark, we were treated to a great 20 minute fireworks display, Erich broke out the stogies and all was well, or was it, things had run a little too smooth in my absence. I sensed something was afoot. I’d have to get to the bottom of this one.

My plan was to ply them with alcohol, then ask a few general questions to see what I could find out. The plan was moving along nicely, with plenty of beers being knocked off during dinner and the fireworks. Then I broke out the Crown Royal and Patron. Things get a little foggy from here on out, I think I forgot what to ask. Come to think of it, I think I even forgot the focus of the investigation. Oh well, we got the big meats in on time and took a leisurely stroll around the site visiting with the other teams, to hell with the inquisition, I’d work on that in the morning.

The weather was great and I think even got a few hours sleep, with the exception of a rather loud laughing girl a few sites down. I don’t think they knocked off until after 3 AM. These organizers really need to enforce quiet times. Most teams agree, but there are always a few…..

The next morning I was up early prepping the ribs for the fire. I was joined by the usual suspects, Bobby and Al, with a special guest appearance by Erich. He will claim he always rises early, to which we all disagree. We were all in stitches when Christy from the VA Pirates wondered into our site at around 9:00 AM and exclaimed upon seeing a vertical Erich, “what are you doing up?” Nuff said.

The cook went surprisingly well. Timing was on, no rushing; things went into the box without too much trouble. I think we only ventured into the last five minutes of one window. I ranked our boxes from best to worse, brisket, chicken, ribs, pork. The judges agreed for the most part, as you can see by the results. The best part was Jo’s seafood dish took 2nd place. We were all very happy for her and she was beaming when she walked up to collect her ribbon.

Our goal here was to try and break into the top ten overall, and we were successful for the first time this year with our sixth place finish. We are moving in the right direction, 16th Salisbury, 14th Chesapeake, 11th Landover and now 6th. I would like to keep it up, time will tell.

After we packed up the gear and were waiting for the awards, the fellows finally spilled the beans. They are considering starting their own team, now that they realize they don’t need me around barking out orders, they can get along just fine without me. Some are planning on passing out resumes at the Bel Air contest. I think they are serious, they have even come up for a name for the new team, “We were those guys!” Then, they say, I have to change the name of my team to “Where are those guys?”

I wonder what this is going to cost me. I wonder if it’s not too late, if I can reform and be a better person, a better, more understanding, more compassionate and flexible leader. Maybe I will experience a revelation of sorts, similar to old Ebenezer Scrooge on Christmas morning.

Wait a minute, hold the phone, me, more compassionate, more understanding, and dare I say flexible,……..nahhhh...... I don’t see THAT happenin!

ISS Competition Cooking Class

2008-07-10T05:38:00.000-07:00

You want me to do WHAT to my chicken?!???!

The weekend of July 28-29 team mate Al and I traveled to Warminster PA, just north of Philadelphia to the home of the BBQ Guru for the I Smell Smoke cooking class. The class was to be held in a contest format and included everything from meat selection to box building and presentation. Steve Farin even promised to reveal their new, top secret and successful chicken method. I couldn’t wait; we both were looking forward to the event.

Dan Hixon from the successful 3 Eyzs BBQ team, fresh off their third Grand Championship win at The Art of BBQ held in New Jersey, was planning to join us for the weekend. Al and I arrived early and began to set up. We were about halfway finished when Jim from Pequea Pullers parked next to us, remember Jim , the “cherry guy” from Bel Air. Jim is a good cook and an all around nice fellow from near Lancaster PA. He always travels with a jar of cherries that are usually swimming in some type of high octane rum. Another word to describe them would be flame throwers, wow, they are strong.

Anyway, before we finished our setup, out new neighbor Jim was set up, had out his lawn chair, had mixed himself a drink, and was lighting up a cigar as he sat down to watch the rest of us finish our work. Now, either I am bringing way too much junk or Jim has a bit of Houdini blood in his veins, (maybe from all of those cherries), but I gotta pay attention to my buddy Jim next time to see what I am doing wrong. He’s always got a prime seat to watching the world go by, and I have to admire that!

It wasn’t long and the class began. Steve and the rest of the I Smell Smoke team did a great job of explaining how they select the cuts that they cook and also what they do to prepare the meat for the cooker. They were very patient and answered all of the questions that were asked. Regular readers of this blog will know that Steve Farin is my BBQ mentor and basically taught me what little I know about cooking competition Que. I had cooked with Steve in the past but never had the opportunity to take notes and observe his work from a student’s perspective. It was great.

After demonstrating all the prep work, we were all given a full load of contest meats to take back to our sites and get ready to cook. The ISS gang wandered around, observed, answered questions, and gave pointers to everyone as we prepped our own meats for the cooker. Dan, Al and I worked to get our meats ready as instructed. It was then that Steve asked if I had any extra room in my cooker for his big meats, as they did not bring their competition trailer which contains the cookers they use in competition.

“Sure” I said without even hesitating. I had plenty of room. It wasn’t until after all of the meat, his and ours was prepped and shoved into the Tall Boy that it hit me. What if I blew it and ruined his meats. He was the teacher, the instructor, the Mack Daddy, if I didn’t properly cook his stuff, I couldn’t hide in the back of the class like I could if I had only ruined my meat, the whole world would know, particularly Steve, my friend and mentor. I couldn’t let him down. Needless to say, I didn’t sleep a wink all night, worrying about the cook. It was even worse than at a contest, and I can’t explain why.

The next day when I joked with Steve that he had applied too much pressure on me with his meat cooking, he calmly, (as he always is), said that if mine didn’t turn out, he would just grab someone else’s to use for demonstrational purposes. Why didn’t I think of that, if I had, I might have been able to grab a few hours of shut eye.

The BBQ Guru team did a great job with the class setup. They served up a super dinner Saturday night that included Phili style pork loin sammys, complete with broccoli rob and provolone cheese. I had never had this sandwich before, but it sure was good. After dinner we were given a tour of the Themomegatech / Guru shop. My only comment here is WOW. I always thought that Shotgun Fred, the company founder was an on the ball guy, but I think I had underestimated him, genius is more fitting. The guy has 23 US patents registered in his name. Speaking of Fred, you will remember he suffered a stroke while attending the contest in Salisbury this past April. Fred was in attendance at the class on both Saturday and Sunday, looking good and in great spirits. It was a real blessing seeing and speaking to Fred after what he has been through.

Overall, I found the class to be very informative and helpful and I look forward to using some of our newly acquired skills in the next competition, which for us is July 25-26 at Stevensville, MD. I also enjoyed hanging out with fellow competitors Dan, Steve, Brett and Jim. It was good having time to shoot the breeze without the pressure that exists when involved in a contest. Anytime you get that many BBQ cooks together, you know you are in for some good stories, a few cold beers, and a lot of laughs, trust me, this weekend did not disappoint.

If you ever get the chance and you want to try and improve your game, I would suggest taking a class. Even for an experienced cook, it is great to see what others are doing and I am sure you will pick up a few tips that will help you gain a few more points. It is money well spent in my humble opinion. Even for the average backyard BBQer, (like yours truly), a class cuts months and months off of the learning curve.

Some of you may recall my battle this winter past with our friend the yardbird. I have to tell you, these guys at ISS have a whole new twist on the chicken attack. If I had known then what I know now……well..…I guess its back to the drawing board!

Are you ready you retire from competition cooking?

2008-06-25T05:07:00.000-07:00

Retire? we are just getting started...........

There was an interesting post on the BBQ Brethren Forum last week that asked the question, are you ready to retire from competition cooking? I read with interest the numerous posts and comments with regard to this very interesting topic.

While I am not ready to retire as of yet, I will say that I intend to cut back a bit next year. This is due to two main reasons, rising costs and not enough weekends. This is our second year of competition. The first year we did 4 events, this year 7, toss in a weekend cooking class and that’s 2 months of weekends blocked out of the calendar. While some may say that’s nothing, I think it’s a lot.

For me, a contest is a 5 day deal. Wednesday, check over the trailer make sure everything is in place. Thursday, go to the store, pick up meats, prep sauces etc. Friday, travel to the contest. Saturday, travel home, crash out. Sunday, clean out trailer, empty coolers, odds and ends, etc. It is a lot of work.

Don’t ask me on Sunday if I want to do another contest, you might not like the answer. But, after a day or two of rest and refueling, I am anxious for the next contest scheduled for our team and busy working on ways to improve our product. Certainly not ready to retire.

We are about to enter into a stretch of 3 contests in 6 weeks, Stevensville, Bel Air, then New Holland. In retrospect, I don’t think this was very good planning on my part. Of course, in March, when planning the upcoming season, our team has been idle since October, causing a bit of fog to enter into my vision. Seven contests, 3 in a six week period, no problem. Bel Air is our home event and we really like New Holland, so my guess is Stevensville will be a one time shot for us, unless they move the date.

We then will go from New Holland at the end of August, to Dover, the season ender, held in the middle of October, another month and a half of down time. Although I am sure that after our six week run, no one will complain about a few weeks off.

One problem I see from a competitor’s viewpoint is the scheduling of events within our region. While we were at Landover, there was another event held just north of here in Yardley PA on the same weekend. The Stevensville date is close to Bel Air. More than likely, this will cause us to skip that event next year. I would think that event planners would try to spread events around a bit to try and maximize the amount of team participation.

I know I am drifting off topic here and for that I apologize. My original point is this competition cooking takes a lot of effort, which is a fact. Planning, competing, cleaning up, all takes time. I enjoy the effort and don’t mind the work. My only concern is the block of time involved, and what gets neglected as a result. My kids are pretty much grown, so its not a matter of running them around. Summer weekends are a prime time to have friends over to eat outside on the deck, enjoying the nice weather and the garden. That would be if my garden wasn’t over run with weeds, another result of my time limitations.

Seven events, 5 days per, that’s almost a month, that’s a lot of time, particularly when you have to work for a living. And I, for one, HAVE to work for a living, not only to pay for this rather expensive hobby, but to keep a roof over our heads. When the wife and I look over a summer calendar, with BBQ, family vacation, a few weddings and other events we are committed to, we have not much time left for entertaining and or working around the house trying to keep things in some order. Although I will admit, the ladder has never been one of my strong points.

So, in conclusion, I guess my point is, time flies when you are having fun. It is almost July 4th and before you know it, Labor Day will be upon us, the significance or point of this rambling post, I have no idea. What I do know is, when you are busy, time moves quickly, when you are bored, time goes in reverse. Am I ready to retire from this crazy sport? no way. Will we cut back next year? Today’s answer is yes, we’ll see what my answer is next March.

One thing is for sure, life is too short to work all the time. You have to get out and enjoy yourself in order to make life worth living. Even if it takes some work to be able to have fun. All work and no play, blah blah blah. I have enjoyed the first half of our season and look forward to the rest of the contests. As for retiring, I leave that for the other guys, just don’t ask me the day after a competition.

Landover MD Beltway BBQ Showdown June 6-7

2008-06-11T14:17:00.000-07:00

Do we really need red wine?

The plan was to take a half day off leaving the office around lunchtime on Friday. The trailer was loaded, the meats and the beer were on ice, everyone was ready to roll. I work from a home office and started work a little early to lessen the impact of taking a ½ day off, as we had a lot of work going on. I started work at 4:30 AM. It was close to 1:30 when I left to get on the road, which is not including a lunch hour. I might not be very good at what is now called the new math, but that sure sounds like 9 hours to me. No matter how you add it up, it sure is not a half a day off, oh well, gotta pay for this habit somehow.

Erich and I hit the road heading south to Landover. Of course, everyone one else had been waiting around for our departure which was only 90 minutes later than it should have been. Anyway, we arrived at the contest site around 3:30 and began to set our site. We were one of the last to arrive. Jonathan, the contest organizer greeted us with a big smile and a handshake. This is the second year for this contest and he does a great job, always stopping by to see if you need anything. His was our first contest a little over a year ago, my how time flies when you are having fun. It was very warm, with a little breeze, not too bad. Everyone was buzzing about the forecast for Saturday, record setting heat, along with a heat advisory, wow, I can’t wait.

As soon as we were set up, we began to trim our meat. It wasn’t long and we had everything ready in the cooler. Al had decided on spaghetti with meat sauce for Friday nights dinner. He made the sauce at home and brought along some great crusty bread, all the makings of a great evening meal. What about the wine, we were, after all, having pasta, even at a BBQ contest, I think red wine is required with pasta.

Not to worry, to the bat mobile, its time for a road trip. Al and Erich, armed with driving instructions from Bobby, were off to a nearby liquor store. ( It would later be discovered that Erich wished he was armed with more than directions when traveling in some areas of Landover)

The contest was held at the Prince Georges Sports and Learning Complex. A very nice facility complete with indoor pools, water parks, running tracks, exercise rooms, the works. The entire complex is located right next to Fed Ex Field, home of the Washington Redskins. While the complex and stadium are new and improved, the same cannot be said for the surrounding immediate neighborhood containing the aforementioned liquor store.

Team mate Erich does not travel out of the Harford County area very often, or so it seems. Upon arriving at the liquor store suggested by veteran Washington area traveler team mate Bobby, Arthur and Erich were first met by an off duty PG County police officer working as security on the parking lot in his marked patrol unit. Not a real big deal, Erich has seen plenty of squad cars sitting in parking lots. The best was yet to come.

Upon entering the store the two wine thirsty Q’ers found a store right out of Baltimore City. The store was complete with the waiting room or lobby, separated from the rest of the store with a wall of bullet proof glass, the whole thing centered with a turnstile that the money and goods passed through when a transaction is made. They had a large selection of red wine that would go well with pasta, Al said there were 4 bottles on the shelf. Most of the remaining wine selection was better served in a brown paper bag. Upon leaving the store, our two heroes’ were approached by a man selling some type of elixir from a shopping cart. I guess it was a modern day snake oil salesman. Welcome to Landover Erich.

Erich was amazed at what he had witnessed. A sad commentary on life near our Nations capital, but thoughts and musings along those lines are better left for a blog elsewhere on the net. The bottom line is we all enjoyed some decent red wine with our delicious pasta meal and a good time was had by all.

A few fine cigars, a stroll around the grounds to see a few of the teams that we knew, and before we knew it ,it was time to nest up for the night. Did I mention it was around 73 degrees, pretty warm for trying to sleep. I laid down after I was sure the cooker had leveled off and I began to sweat. Even as tired as I was after getting up at 4:30, I could only manage a few hours of restless sleep, a little warm.

As daybreak came, the sun stayed hidden and offered some welcomed relief during the mornings activities. By about 10:00, ole Mr. Sun broke out and you could just feel the temperature climb. By then things were pretty much moving along and again, as in Chesapeake, we were on schedule. Everything except one butt that must have been made of stone, seemed like it hung out at about 150 for most of the morning, eventually finishing and joining the rest inside the cooler to wait for turn in.

The Who Are Those Guys team members are really working well together. The guys are moving ahead and anticipating the next move, all to the benefit of time and pressure being lifted. Working well together and still having loads of fun. A pleasure to be around, even when the product the head cook produces is sub par. I was happy with the chicken and the pork, the ribs and brisket, well, that was another story. If I could only learn how to cook.

We got everything boxed up and delivered to the judges with plenty of time to spare, I ranked our turn ins from best to worse, pork, chicken, ribs and brisket. The judges agreed slightly. Our finish was 4th place pork, 8th brisket, 16th ribs, and 17th chicken. 11th overall in a 29 team field. Again we were pleased.

The awards were held in the middle of an open field which felt like a frying pan, man, was it hot. The drive home was not too bad, as we were only about 90 minutes away. I was able to cool down, get a shower, a shave and some sleep. I had to get up early Sunday morning to cook beef, ham, and turkey for 150 folks at a friend’s daughters graduation party. Team mates Erich and Al volunteered to lend a hand with the Sunday cook and it was much appreciated.

Our friends and neighbors Stoddard & Brown won their second Grand Championship at this contest, they are on a roll. I e-mailed Brett, the Brown of Stoddard & Brown, to ask them if they would consider skipping the contest in Bel Air. I am still waiting to get my reply.(just kidding)

We have almost a month and a half until our next contest which will be held in Stevensville MD in July. In the meantime, Al and I are taking a BBQ cooking class being put on by my friend Steve Farin and his team I Smell Smoke along with the BBQ Guru guys. The class will be held at the Guru shop in Warminster PA June 28-29. For info, here is the link www.thebbqguru.com I think its gonna be a good one! Perhaps after taking this class, I may finally be able to good some decent Que, or maybe not, we’ll see. Stay tuned!!

Chesapeake Jubilee, Chesapeake VA, May 16-17

2008-05-19T18:08:00.000-07:00

Driving to Mediocrity, is 500 miles too far?

The trailer was loaded and ready to go when Erich arrived at my house Friday morning at 3:30 AM. We were meeting Bobby and Al down near the interstate for the 5-hour drive south. It had been raining steadily most of the night and the forecast for Chesapeake was for possible showers until around Friday midnight, we hoped they were wrong.

The trip went off with out a hitch and we arrived at the contest site pretty much when expected. Skip, the contest organizer greeted us and he quickly showed us to our site. The rain had stopped and we set up camp in short order, it almost gave the impression that we knew what we were doing. Quite an illusion.

It was not long and we met our neighbors Steve Farin and Dirty Dick who had flown down to compete under the name of Dirty Smoke. Next to Steve was the gang from the BBQ Guru. (Bob tells us that Shotgun Fred is doing well considering what he has been through and is continuing with his rehab) On our other side were the Virginia BBQ Pirates, Tom and Christy, fresh off a great finish down in Salisbury. A very nice neighborhood.

On the bright side, it wasn’t raining and the sun actually came out after lunch, it was a really nice day, so far. We had decided we were not going to enter the “anything Butt” category that was to be held on Friday night. But, after some prodding from Steve, Al and I drove over to the Food Lion to see what we could find. We were thinking seafood but after a look at the seafood section, we opted for bratwurst, yea that’s close.

Our contest meats were prepped and in the cooler by mid afternoon, we cooked and entered the “anything butt”, the weather threatened, but never rained, all in all it was a very enjoyable evening. Well, until we decided to try to get some sleep. As the threatening weather blew out, the winds increased, with gusts in my estimate, 20-30+ mph at times. Our canopies stayed put, but a few teams were not as lucky, nothing as bad as Dover, but windy for sure. I usually bunk in the trailer near the cookers. Due to the direction of the wind, when a big gust would come, the roof of the trailer would buckle sounding similar to someone hitting the aluminum roof with rocks, and that was on the outside, you should have heard it inside. Between the rocking and the banging due to the wind, I thought I was in the haunted hold of a ship all night, needless to say, I didn’t get a lot of sleep.

Some teams complained later of the noise made by a few partying teams, but to tell you the truth, I couldn’t hear them over the noise my trailer was making, The Pirates next door were treated to my trailer noise as well, sorry guys! The big gusts finally subsided around 3:30 and I was able to get 2 hours sleep until my alarm sounded at 5:30.

The sun rose and it was a beautiful day. The meats came off on time and at temperature, it was if the Gremlins from Salisbury didn’t even make the trip. My guess is it was the rising cost of fuel, but who knows.

The chicken was prepped and went into the cooker on time. When we were finished we had bite through, moist chicken for the third week in a row, wow, I could not believe it! It’s amazing what a little practice will do. Did I say a little?

Everything went well, we were not behind, not rushed, no panic, no problems. I was even happy with all of the entries for the first time ever. That had me scared. This was a first. I felt that this thought alone was enough to sink us to the deep. After brisket was in, we broke down the site in record time, packed up the trailer and even had time to sit around and talk with Steve and Dick before the awards.

We wondered over to the stage area and were not in our seats long when we heard our name called for 8th place chicken. We also took a 4th place call in brisket. The rest of our results, well, let’s just say, not too good. This was a 29-team field, our pork was 20th and our ribs were a resounding 28th place, one away from DAL. Woohoo! We finished 14 overall. Mediocre. We received our first score of 4 ever from a judge, for rib tenderness. Which is hard to understand when another judge gave us a 9 in tenderness, (the highest possible score), but, that’s the way it goes. I hope not to make it a habit of collecting scores of 4. I think that maybe one of those Salisbury Gremlins might have a cousin living in somewhere in tidewater Virginia, but who knows.

Overall, we had a ball, even with the long drive. Congratulations to everyone that walked, especially to our neighbors Tom & Christy, the Virginia BBQ Pirates who won the grand championship while cooking in their forth contest ever. Way to go matey’s!

We had traveled over 500 miles in 2 days, spent a ton of money, gone with little sleep, cooked some good and some mediocre meat, (per the judges). Some might question our sanity, well, we already know I am not all there. Are we nuts? I guess a little. Will we go back next year? Better ask me later after I catch up on my rest. Will we try to improve our product? I think that’s the only thing you can count on, I am already working on that one!

Pork in the Park, Salisbury MD April 18-19

2008-04-22T06:05:00.000-07:00

BBQ Gremlins; fact or fiction

BBQ Gremlins, do they exist? Many have pondered this age-old question ever since the Caveman first put fire to meat. The debate has raged for years, rivaling the argument about Big Foot or the Loch Ness Monster. While I can not say that I have ever personally observed these pesky creatures, I have observed the signs left behind when they decide to pay you a visit. I can not say for sure, but if you ever get a chance to capture or possibly photograph one of these little buggers, you would be set for life. I will caution you however, that there are several alleged Gremlin photos circulating around the internet and in the supermarket tabloids, but most have found to be fake. Use caution if you see one, my advice would be to observe from a distance, take a photograph, then grab him by the throat and throttle the life out of him. (I realize that this sounds a bit harsh, but if they ever pay you a visit, you will know what I mean) You can then stick the remains in a bottle of formaldehyde and go on the carnival/daytime talk show circuit; you’ll never have to work again, particularly after you appear on the Oprah Show.

The Salisbury Pork in the Park contest was scheduled for April 18 and 19th. The weatherman promised good weather and then he delivered. Two days of sunny mild weather was just great for mid April in the Del Mar Va area. Contest organizer Sandy Fulton told me early on that she had a weather connection and I believe her. The first two years of this contest had rain for both days. It seems after a rocky start; Sandy has managed wonderful weather for this year and last, I think she does have a weather guy! What Gremlins?

Our team was really looking forward to the season opener and a chance to get everyone together again. The contest at Salisbury has really grown, this year there were 83 teams. Some of the big names in BBQ were there which prompted many on the BBQ bulletin boards to say they would have to bring their A game, which I pretty much think they would have brought anyway.

Mike couldn’t make it to Salisbury, my wife Jo went along and had agreed to cook the chiefs choice on Friday night. Al was going to handle the Perdue chicken entry which was also set for Friday. Everyone else on the team was there, and we blasted off early Friday morning for what should have been a 3-hour tour. (remember Gilligans Island)

Note to self: when cooking in a contest of many teams, do not wait until arriving in the town where the contest is to be held before buying your garnish. We stopped at a Food Lion as soon as we hit Salisbury and the green leaf lettuce had already been picked over, what was left was not very attractive. Not to worry, we bought four crappy looking heads, (just in case), and Jo would run out later and grab a few better looking heads. She did run out, went to three stores and could not buy a head of green leaf, valuable lesson learned. The BBQ Gremlins were just warming up.

After stops for breakfast, charcoal, ice and garnish our three hour trip turned into a 4 1/2 hour trek. We were just glad to get there. Bobby, who worked a ½ day wasn’t far behind us and we left at 7 AM. Did I hear a giggling Gremlin?

We arrived and got set up without a hitch, met our neighbors, had a few beers and got the two Friday night categories turned in without too much difficulty. Later on our big meats went into our preheated Tall Boy right on schedule. A couple of fine cigars and all was well in our little corner of the world. We even had time for a little visiting. A nearly full moon along with warm temps made for a very delightful night. Who is afraid of a few Gremlins?

Saturday morning at 5:30 AM, my alarm sounded. It was sometime around 6:00 when I drug my large behind out of the rack to get the ribs into the smoke. While I was at it, I would check temperature on the big meats which had been cooking all night. To sum it up, they were not where they should have been, they were behind, way behind. This set the tone for the entire day. I tried everything I could but the bigs were standing still, the only thing getting done was a flat and picnic I had in the WSM, if all else failed, we would have something to turn in. As meats were wrapped and finished, I would move others between cookers. It was a game of musical chairs and the clock was ticking toward chicken time. I think the Gremlins had stayed up working while we slept, or so it seemed.

Did I mention the grease fire? Sometime after breakfast, as I was steadily jacking the temp up in the Tall Boy the Guru alarm sounded for a heat spike. I opened the door and found a grease fire in the lower section of the unit. Nothing like the smell of burning grease emitting from a cooker filled with unwrapped meat that was to be used for a contest entry, man, that ought to give us a good flavor! We extinguished the fire, cooled the cooker and moved on, what else could we do, it was nearing 10:00 AM. The Gremlins were laughing their Gremlin butts off.

I was behind on starting my chicken prep and rushing was not fun. I got everything ready and into the cooker for the first leg of the cook which by all previous time studies would take about 1.5 hours. The chicken came to temp in 1 hour, how could that happen? Those dam Gremlins. There is nothing like holding chicken for 30-40 minutes while all of the juice slowly leaves the area right before your eyes, what a feeling!

All of the pork eventually came off at temp and feeing done. The ribs were pretty much on schedule, but a slight miscalculation in time caused them to be a tad over cooked, but not too bad.

The brisket was another story. We eventually got it to temperature, but it sure didn’t “feel” done. We pulled them and tossed everything into the cooler to await turn in time. The Gremlins had to be holding their sides by this time.

I think I can offer a brief summary of our entries. Chicken, rubbery skin, moist inside, tender meat. A beautiful testament to my winters trials and tribulations, can we say time well spent, I think not, Gremlins again. Ribs, a little over cooked, not very pleasing to the eye, flavorful and tender, a bit dry. Pork, the picnic and one butt felt very good, the other butt was like pot roast, overall, I thought it was our best pork submission yet. The brisket, we cooked two packers and a flat. The first flat from a packer I cut into for a taste test actually looked like it emitted a cloud of dust. Did somebody say dry, as dry as a popcorn fart. A repeat occurred on the next packer flat. That left the flat we cooked solo. At least the knife would cut it, but I don’t think I would go so far as to use the word tender. That had to be Gremlins I heard earlier, somebody get a net.

We got everything into the boxes, and by the way, Lettuceman Erich did a yeoman’s job making good looking boxes from crappy looking lettuce. We were behind in time during the entire turn-in procedure. The ribs, I wanted to take out and rebuild the entire box, but we were down to two minutes to go, we had to close the lid and send them in. Gremlins at work.

As Erich was slicing the remaining brisket into pieces for the team to take home, he had to stop several times as he was overheating the electric knife. Man, that’s what I call a tender brisket, who wants some? Needless to say, I brought home a ton of brisket meat this week, oh well, it does make good chili. Maybe I’ll feed it to the Gremlins!

We packed up the gear and shuffled over for the awards. This was our fifth contest and I honestly sat down and thought there is no way we are getting a call in the strong field that was there. I was almost right, we heard our named called for 4th place pork. Pork, which had been our anchor in Landover and New Holland. Our first call ever for pork, in a field of 83, not too bad. Just when we thought we ran the Gremlins out of town, we left the contest without ever taking a team picture; I guess they got the last laugh.

The score sheets would show we finished 16th overall, a decent effort in a very strong field. Our scores were 49th chicken, 22nd ribs, 4th pork, 36th brisket, 11th Perdue Chicken, and 46th in chefs choice. Not bad despite the efforts of the BBQ Gremlins.

While no official confirmed Gremlin sightings were recorded in Salisbury this past weekend we feel certain they were present. The signs they leave behind were everywhere at our site. I would swear to you that I could hear them laughing at me several times, especially right after I put out the grease fire, although, the laughter could have been coming from the teams around us but I really don’t think that was likely. So, the myth continues. I cannot offer any solid evidence as to their existence, it is all circumstantial, as is evident by this story. I can only hope that their visits are not frequent, and hope not to see or hear them again for the rest of the season, and if I do, I think I have a trap that will work.

We had a ball, the weather was great. We saw some old friends and made some new, overall, the trip was a success. There was one bit of sad news announced at the cooks meeting Friday night. Shotgun Fred Pirkle, the inventor and manufacturer of the BBQ Guru and the Caldera Tall Boy that we use suffered a stroke at the contest site on Friday morning. For those that don’t know Fred, he is a real ambassador for the sport of BBQ cooking and an all round nice guy. Very few cooks take their walk to the stage to accept an award with as much enthusiasm as Fred. Thanks to the quick reaction of bystanders and local paramedics, they were able to get him quickly to the hospital in Salisbury. The BBQ Guru team went on to take a 1st place call in pork and finish a very respectable 12th over all. We wish Fred a speedy recovery and will keep him, his family, and the entire Guru gang in our thoughts and prayers and ask that you do as well. Thanks.

Seven days and counting

2008-04-11T12:34:00.000-07:00

Checking my list and checking it twice

Today is April 11 our season opener is in Salisbury on April 18th , seven days from today. I have had all winter to get ready and guess what, I am behind. This past weekend I pulled everything out of the trailer, cleaned and organized all the drawers and boxes. Scrubbed the cooker and went over my checklist.

I still have a bunch of supplies to gather and of course, the last minute items. Why is it I feel like time is running away. I have 7 days left which includes a weekend, plenty of time, yea right. I think part of the feeling is anxiety and part is excitement. Both related to the new season beginning.

I think I need to listen to my own advice. Relax and have fun. That is what we will do. I have cooked a ton of various meats over the winter and have learned a very valuable lesson. I have learned that I do not know one dam thing about cooking BBQ, period. A very valuable lesson indeed.

One thing you can count on, we WILL have fun. I just received a new shipment of some mighty fine premium cigars, we have a jug of agave juice already on board. We are ready to go. If we get to Salisbury and don’t have it, we will buy it or we didn’t need it anyway!

I am looking forward to the new season, looking forward to seeing old friends and making new ones. I will enjoy hanging out with my teammates, drinking a few beers and maybe eating some good grub. If we get in the mood, we might even try our hand at some Que.

So, if you are out and about on the BBQ circuit this year and see our setup, please stop in, say hello, introduce yourself, sign our guest book and maybe have a cold drink. We would like to meet you. We would also like to take this time to wish all of the other competitor’s good luck and safe travels for the upcoming BBQ season. We look forward to seeing everyone again. Happy trails.

Spring 2008

2008-03-07T12:13:00.000-08:00

Get ready!

It’s hard to believe that it is already early March. Time sure flies when your having fun. Winter around here was not too bad so far. A little snow, a little ice, some cold days, overall I would consider it fairly mild. Although, you would not know it looking at the checkbook when paying the heating bill.

We are planning to compete in seven contests this coming season. I have checked with the team members and we have agreed on a schedule. Most of the entry forms have been submitted and the excitement is building.

I have been busy writing this winter. Of course, I have been writing in the blog. I am not too sure that anyone is reading, however, I will continue to write for both of my loyal readers out there! I hope to keep updates coming when the season begins. I may even attempt to submit some contest recaps to KCBS for possible submission in the Bull Sheet. We will see and I will keep you posted.

Practice cooking has been on my list for this off season. I have been cooking alot of BBQ. My wife thinks I should be committed. I have been spending a lot of quality time with chicken thighs. The neighbors don’t care, as long as I keep feeding them Que. As for the kids, they are about filled up on BBQ and I can’t say as I blame them. Its to the point now when I light up the smoker on Sunday morning, the kids ask if we can order a pizza.

This past weekend I worked on chicken and ribs again. I was hoping I would be finished with chicken after this weekend, but it looks like I will be at it again next week, I am close, but still have some work to do. I have been doing some experimentation with some interesting results. I have also been working hard on my pork and brisket. Did I call this work?;) Needless to say, it will be a while before I crave chicken thighs again.

I have been squirreling away supplies all winter so I do not have to buy then all at once and have just about everything we need. The trailer soon will be moved from its winter parking spot. I plan to pull everything out and reorganize, removing any items that we haven’t used and trying to make more efficient use of the space that we have.

Our first contest for the year will be April 18-19 in Salisbury MD. Last year I cooked with Steve at this one and had a lot of fun. This year he is cooking with his regular team, “I Smell Smoke”. This is a great spot for a contest and the folks that run it do a great job. The event website shows 52 teams already registered and it is only early March. Every time I speak to one of the guys on the team, the conversation quickly turns to BBQ. Everyone is anxious for the season to begin.

At Salisbury, they have two additional categories on Friday night. My wife, Jo, is going to cook the Anything But event. She has been working hard with her planning and possible presentation. There is also a Perdue chicken contest. I think we will also enter this one as well.

On the many forums that I visit, folks are also looking forward to the new season. Contests are becoming a little more frequent down south and I am sure they will be moving north with the approach of springtime and warmer temperatures. Threads on the forums have discussed everything associated with contest cooking from garnish to judges and gas prices. Folks all around are looking forward to the 2008 competition season. Cabin fever would be a good term here.

This winter I became a member of the Mid Atlantic BBQ Association. The organization has been around for a while and sponsors, among other things, a BBQ Expo in April. Recently, as a result of the hard work of some of the members, they have improved their website. The web site now contains past event photos and a newly added MABBQA discussion forum. It is a very good place to exchange ideas and thoughts on BBQ competition and cooking in general.

A few hardy souls competed this past weekend in two winter contests up north. I am not sure we are ready with our, “cots under the easy-up” set up to tackle a mid winter event yet, but kudos to those that did. Some mighty brave souls.

For many here in the mid Atlantic area, Salisbury is the season opener. I am sure I speak for many of the teams in this region; April 18th can’t come soon enough!