Day One. Now What?

OK, our first day of operation went great. I didn't know what to expect, after all we'd never sold BBQ before. But, low and behold, we had 5 customers for lunch and all of them ordered pork - two had sliced pork and three had pulled pork. One customer, about at 3pm pulled up and ordered one pound of brisket and one pound of pulled pork.

Then came darkness and no one came for dinner. I kind of expected that. After all, most folks call and make reservations months in advance at their favorite place and it was colder than, well any place only Al Gore could appreciate. Table for one and two Polar Bears.

So, New Year's Day, come on by and see us. I was pleased with the way things went.

Eat More "Cue in 2010

Everyone always makes silly New Year's resolutions and most of them never see Groundhog Day, well we have another reason to derail those "notions" right out of the gate. Come by Chain Gang BBQ's new location in Nixa and have some BBQ because we'll be open New Year's Eve AND New Year's Day.

We got our trailer set up today and the electrical was "hot-to-trot" so we're getting geared up for our first day in business. Hope to see you there.

We've got plenty of ribs, briskets, chickens, hot links and Pit Chili. All that's missing is you.

There's Now And Then There's Then

Well, first thing this morning I called the Nixa Electric folks knowing we'd passed final inspection Christmas Eve to see when our meter would be installed. I'd been told last week that it would be 1-3 business days, but needed to know so we could open. Well, I'd called at 9am and was told I'd hear back from them in a few minutes. Hummm!

Time passes quickly. It's now high noon and no call back. I decided to take a drive by for a look-see and low and behold A METER!!! Chain Gang BBQ has its own electrical meter. I felt like Steve Martin in "The Jerk," when he proclaimed "I'm somebody now." Well, anyway, once I get my first electric bill I'm sure the enthusiasm will dwindle.

So with meter in hand, we signed the lease with the Bridge Church this afternoon and we hope to open Thursday, December 31, 2009.

As an aside, and not many people know this, about the time my BBQ skills began, I was GM of KWTO and we featured to the community a hot air balloon race. We invited 40+ pilots, families, chase crews, advertisers, and friends to one big HUGE barbeque dinner prepared by yours truly. I rented a HUGE smoker with a hydraulic lid to access the pit. I did ribs, turkeys, chickens, briskets and I don't know what else. The smoke filtered through the entire neighborhood and soon, folks came down the streets like Zombies, drooling for some 'cue. Well, to make a short story long, we fed everyone and the room was as quiet as a church.

Before I knew it, one of the balloon pilots, related to the owner of Silver Dollar City approached me and asked me to go to work for SDC and run their BBQ joint. What?? Well, I never took them up on it, but maybe everything worked out for the best.

I wonder if Silver Dollar City has room for a Chain Gang?

Chain Gang's New Website

We have completed construction of our web site. I've been working on it a little at a time, but got it completed and uploaded today.

The address is   www.chaingangbarbeque.com  We feature our full menu and a map to guide you to our trailer. I'm hopeful we'll be up and running the week of 12/28/09. We had our final inspection of the electrical hook-up yesterday - I'm not sure we passed - but the last hurdle is to get our meter installed.

I'll keep you posted, but regardless, we'll be up and smokin' in 2010.

BBQ So Good, A Vegetarian Could Eat It

Sorry for not posting much lately, but man it has been goofy. We had to prepare for the Nixa Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting on December 21, 2009 so that took some strategic planning for completion of four sides, pit chili and 8 types of meats. But we pulled it off and arrived at the C of C with only minutes to spare. Man, that was nuts; almost like being at a cook-off.

I should have photos of the ribbon cutting ceremony tomorrow that I can upload, but it was a huge success.

Since I came up with the idea of "Pit Chili" I wasn't sure how well it would be received. Well, let me tell you, that was one of the first dishes that went the quickest; and I do mean quick. Brisket and sliced Pork Tenderloin went quickly as well. We put four squeeze bottles on the table, each one containing a BBQ sauce and I was curious which type would go over the best. Without a doubt my Original Recipe came in first, followed by Holy Chipotle, Carolina Mustard and dead last was an Eastern Carolina vinegar based sauce.

But the priceless moment came after everyone had finished their meal. Come to find out, one of the chamber members was a vegetarian. I thought, great; talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time, but no. I feel like stealing the insurance company line, "so easy a caveman could do it" but replace it with "BBQ so good, even a vegetarian could eat it." Let me tell you, she did. That woman ate every type of meat we put out; from brisket to burnt ends to hot links to pork. BAM!

How many of you BBQ guys out there has converted a vegetarian with your cooking?

We Are Go For Launch

Even though the temps never got above freezing this afternoon, we did pass our final health inspection allowing us to finally open the doors. Once we get the health department permit then we can get the others, so maybe we can open the week of December 14, 2009. If not, it'll be Christmas week which I'm not wild about, but I want to get going. Not to mention the fact we have our Chamber ribbon cutting on December 21 and I also want to treat the Nixa Fire Department to our Pit Chili because these guys don't get the recognition they deserve and they would love a free dinner at their place.

Also, another development today. We sent in our fee to attend a two-day seminar in Murphysboro, Illinois with "The Legend" Mike Mills at his 17th Street Bar & Grill. It's a hands-on training event to teach the in's and out's of running a BBQ joint. I've attended his class on competition BBQ techniques, but I can't tell you how fired up I am to attend this event. The entry fee wasn't bad, but the information and knowledge will be priceless.

I know of no other Pitmasters from around here who have taken as much "continuing education" as we have invested in and I know it will be a valuable asset in the day-to-day operations of Chain Gang BBQ.

Ice, Ice, Baby

Well, what can I say. Our final health inspection did happen on Friday with one exception; they couldn't test our hot water because the water lines had frozen!! I walked into the trailer Friday morning to discover the temp had fallen to 16 degrees and knew we were in big trouble.

I tried to get the heat up, but I needed more time, so our final final health inspection will be Monday December 7 and then we can get our permits to open the doors, well at least a serving window. Hopefully the wintery weather being forecast for Tuesday won't decide to show up early.

By the way, if you follow this blog you know I have all my meats in place except Chicken but that missing link has been filled in on our menu. We will be serving Raised Right Meats brand of organic, free range chicken. RMM does not use antibiotics or growth stimulants or genetically altered feed. Another great aspect of using their chickens is they're raised locally in Bois D'Arc, and we are happy to offer their chickens to you. Their products must be good, I found them at the Farmers Market this morning and noticed they were selling eggs for $4+ a dozen. When I asked to buy a dozen the owner told me they started out the day with 78 dozen and were sold out by 10am.

The owner, Kip Glass and I were discussing how meats and produce had almost come full circle over the past 45-50 years. Back in those days people did buy their meats and veggies directly from the farmer, but then it shifted to the Supermarkets and now, it's returning to the way folks used to buy their food.

Chain Gang BBQ Is Comin' To You

Here's the latest news regarding our opening in Nixa. One big hurdle has been passed and that was our passing the food handler examination that Christian County requires before you can even think about selling food to the public. Had we tanked on that, we might as well be selling BBQ on the Titanic.

Friday morning, another biggie: final inspection of our trailer by health inspectors. We should do fine. I hope.

Once we get our license from the county, we can then get our multiple permits from the city of Nixa such as business, water and electrical. With that out of the way, we sign our lease and boom, or should I quote Emril and say, "BAM" we up and running.

So, I doubt we'll be open December 9 but I feel kinda confident that December 16 is more likely....depending on how long it takes to snag the remaining permits.

Where there's smoke, there's some darn good 'cue waitin' for you.

December 9th A Day That Will Live In BBQ Infamy

I'm not sure how many folks read this blog, but in case there's anyone out there who does, we've cleared our final hurdle in securing a location. Not only did we secure a location, we got the green light from the city of Nixa to locate at highways 160 and 14. Whew! It was nip and tuck for a while today, but everything came together at the last minute.

We've finalized our final version of our menu. Our serving trailer is 99.999% complete, I'm picking up charcoal and wood this week and an obscene amount of meat next week from Bichelmeyer's in Kansas City.

We're shooting for December 9th as Opening Day. A Nixa Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting December 21 and who knows what else.

By the way, as an addition to the Smoky Footprints post, here's a shot of my Granddad, Bob Henry tossing me, a little Pitmaster into the air in 1956. Sorry, had I known this would've been on the web 53 years later, I would've dressed better. See what good BBQ does for a smile!

Smoky Footprints

I was talking with my Uncle Bob via email the other day. He had written me to say that how proud my Granddad, his Dad, would be of me by following what he called, "his smoky footprints." You know, sometimes someone will tell you something that gives you pause. That comment did.

Years ago my grandparents lived on North Douglas; it was a modest home but it did have something no one in Springfield had: a BBQ pit in the backyard. It was a screened in BBQ pit with a firebox to the side, a big lid and tons of room to barbeque anything. I remember him cooking half-chickens and to this day, if I do yardbird, it's a half chicken even in KCBS competitions. And even though he passed away long before anything like barbeque cook-offs were thought of, he would've been on those contests like white on rice. Guaranteed.

So, after having pondering this "smoky footprints" comment for a few weeks, I began digging through old family photos. I knew there wasn't any photos of him at the pit, but I did remember shots that had been taken at a big family reunion, not long after Granddad had passed away. Well, I found one of them.

This reunion was the "mother" of all reunions. I can't remember how many family members came that day, but it was a crowd. So, my Dad, pictured on the left and other members of the family like my Granddad's bother, Paul Henry on the right, developed a huge make-shift pit. They used concrete blocks, sheet metal and handmade racks that were secured and their handles allowed for all the chickens to be rotated all at once. Corn was on the pit too as well as other smoked goodies that filled every square inch of that pit.

So maybe these smoky footprints are taking me on a journey I was meant to take. BBQ is actually soul food when you stop and think about it; Mac n' Cheese, Ribs, Slaw and the whole nine yards. So, if BBQ is in the soul, through such a thing as "smoky footprints" then our BBQ can't be equalled because when you cook from the heart and the soul, that is what will make all the difference. You can taste it.

We're Gettin' There

We're getting closer to getting our BBQ business off the ground. We've found an undisclosed location in Nixa with not only high traffic but a guaranteed draw to our spot. No one in Nixa is doing concession BBQ vending, so we should have a good opportunity ahead of us.

We've been trying to cut a new door in the back of our trailer, but it won't quit raining. Hopefully we can get a day or two precip free so we can get that done. We've installed everything required by the health people, so passing a final inspection shouldn't be a problem.

The menu and pricing is finalized and after months of creating rubs, we've finally nailed down the flavors for each of the meats we're going to feature. My sausage guy is hard at work (at least I hope he is) on stuffing my hot links into casings. It's weird that you can't give the packing plant your finished, seasoned sausage to stuff, but you can give them the seasonings and they'll do it. I should get the first batch of 25 pounds this Saturday. Any excuse to fire up the pit.

Keep you posted as we get closer.

"The Legend"

If you're into BBQ like I am then you can imagine spending an entire day cooking on 4 Ole Hickory Pit cookers with "The Legend" Mike Mills, well I had that chance this past weekend in Cape Girardeau, MO at the Ole Hickory Pit test kitchen. Wow is all I can say.

If there's one thing I've learned this past year is that are a lot of really nice BBQ guys out there and Mike Mills was truly one of those. But aside from being a super nice guy he's also an incredible BBQ Pitmaster with a wealth of knowledge that few will ever know. To coin a phrase, he's from the old school and when it comes to BBQ that is an invaluable asset. Mills talked about how "old timers" used pork fat to render down for seasonings, or how he cuts his own ham hocks to smoke for green beans and so on. Now guys my age have heard about stuff like that and I'll use hocks from time to time, but Mills knows how to squeeze out the flavors and apply them to BBQ and a lot of guys these days either don't know or recognize their benefits.

Aside from getting some precious nuggets of BBQ tips, Mills also runs multiple BBQ joints in Illinois and Las Vegas. He's won Memphis In May a number of times and has been declared to have the best ribs in America, so restaurant knowledge and tips were discussed too. And since I'm gearing up to sell BBQ from our mobile pit, this was something I'd not heard discussed in other cooking classes and boy, did it help me out. Having never served BBQ to the public before I had a million questions and his answers really cleared up in my head how you go about the daily tasks of BBQing in the restaurant world. Believe me it is a total opposite from the competition circuit, but a welcomed change.

Mike did a ton of BBQ on Saturday. He did two whole pork shoulders; one he injected a cure solution and the other he did not. He did three or four pork butts too. He injected one, the other he did not and another had no seasoning except kosher salt and pepper. He did chickens and brisket as we all discussed his techniques and each class member, 24 total did a slab of ribs each removing membranes, trimming fat and eventually seasoning them with his "Magic Dust."

David Knight and Margaret Wiggins were a delight to work with once again. I'd worked with Margaret earlier this year when buying my Convecture Ole Hickory Pit and met David, the "big guy" of Ole Hickory when we picked up the pit in July. But they helped play a big part in making the class truly wonderful.

If there is any BBQ cook out there that thinks someone will have "the answer" to impart to you that unlocks all the secrets thus turing you into a super cooker: Quit looking because there is no one with a magic wand a "pit dust" to sprinkle you with. The answer is inside you. Whatever you like in your BBQ will work for you. Mike Mills stressed a number of times that there is no right way or wrong way because it's based on what you like. And it's true. Yes, there are little tidbits or tricks you pick-up as you go along the way, but those are the little gems that will eventually turn your cooking into the best.

Now get out there and some em if you got em.

Do You Have BBQ Principles Or Are You A Sell Out?

Way back in March of this year on a weekend trip to Texas to take delivery of a new smoker, I was really charged up to begin competing in KCBS (Kansas City Barbeque Society) cook-offs; we'd picked some established events to enter that were close to home to reduce long road trips.

Before venturing off to our first competitive gig in Bixby, Oklahoma I'd read a little bit of Chris Lilly's new cookbook in which Chris made reference to someone who'd said you can't win contests with good eatin' cue. That comment caught my attention right off the bat. What do you mean you can't win with good cue?
That's the heart and soul of BBQ; when it's done right, there's nothing better on the planet you could ask for. Little did I know at the time, there's a whole lot of truth in that powerful statement. Good cue can't win at competitions because teams now cook for the judges and not themselves; teams know how to play the game and I refuse to sell out my BBQ principles for anyone. End of story.

So, let me pass on some advice to you, especially if you're new in this. When it comes to seasonings, sauces, marinades and injections MAKE YOUR OWN. Why? Because your BBQ will have it's own taste profiles that no other team can duplicate, unless you give them your recipe. For example, throughout 2009 I tinkered with rubs by using store bought ingredients but nothing jumped out, at least not right way. That's when I decided to make my own Chili Seasoning, Seasoned Salt, Garlic, Onion and Celery Salts; take it from me the homemade stuff is 10X better and 10X cheaper than going to the supermarket. I began growing my own peppers and bought a dehydrator and ground my own spicy powders that I could add to my recipes.

Most teams lay off in the winter months, so now is a great time (minus growing peppers) to experiment and learn all the things that will set your BBQ apart from the others. Not only that, it's fun to build a spice cabinet that is full of things you've made and not by some spice company.

Invest in some BBQ cookbooks, but in regular cookbooks too because they might have an idea or two you can apply to BBQing. In my mind, you can never have enough sources on how spices interact and work with others and what goes well with a particular type of meat. I'm not so much into the actual slow-smoking recipes themselves because I want to make the BBQ mine and not just duplicate someone else's dish. Now if I can take an idea from a recipe like this that enhances my dish, then I'm all about that, but your cooking will never grow and evolve if all you do is follow some other guy's footsteps; you have to make your own tracks.

Hopefully, in a month or so I will have our Chain Gang BBQ trailer set up in Nixa selling some good barbecue. I've decided my BBQ is well received by people who eat my product, but not so much by KCBS judges, so in 2010 I'll be dishing up good BBQ to people who can appreciate it for all the right reasons. Hey, look at the bright side, that'll leave a lot more lettuce and parsley for the teams that still follow the old BBQ trail.

Golden City's Cook-off

The Chain Gang completed it's 2009 KCBS Competition BBQ tour by going to a wonderful event in Golden City, Missouri.

The weather on Friday was terrible. Rain by the bucket fell which actually prevented three or four teams from making the cook-off; flood waters in southern Missouri literally kept them homebound. Once the rain, mist and drizzle left, the clouds remained and the cold air came in.

By early evening, temps were in the upper 30's as the northwest winds continued to howl. However, the show must go on.

Our team hardly ever participates in "Peoples Choice" contests at these cook-offs. Not sure why except for the added prep and work added on top of the KCBS aspect of things. But, this being our last for the year, hey, why not. So we entered the PC contest with our homemade BBQ sauce and I'll be darned if we didn't take 2nd place. Now I'm thinkin' we should've entered a few of these Peoples Choice things earlier. But it was nice to see what the folks liked versus BBQ judges.

We did good in Chicken. I gotta say that our half-chickens were as moist and juicy as they've been in a long time. One of the greatest things about Golden City was being located right next to the team Munchin' Hogs at the Hilton, based out of KC. Just like everyone on the circuit, I knew of these guys, but for me, I'd never met them before. These guys are wonderful people. Friendly would be an under statement and they made the cook-off special for me; not only because they thought my chicken would take first, but because they were true BBQ ambassadors. Our chicken came in in the top 15. That's good for chicken breast because everyone and I mean everyone turns in thighs for judging. I've covered that on previous posts though.

In the Anything Goes category, the Chain Gang finished in the top 10 with our homemade hot link sausage. It is good - a tad bit warm maybe, but hey, they are hot links.

One of the funniest things happened when my two daughters decided to pass the time using my iPhone and a window in our pick-up truck. Instead of posting a picture of an entry, a cooker or all the smoke in the air at the cook-off, I threw this in. My younger daughter doing a pressed pig impression under glass.

Well, at least kids can have fun at these cook-offs too.

Two Days In Texas

Even though there were 13 KCBS sanctioned cook-offs being held the weekend of September 25-26, 2009, I elected not to compete in any of them so I could attend a BBQ Cooking Class with The Baron of BBQ, Chef Paul Kirk.

Traveling the 475+ miles to McKinney, Texas on Friday I wondered if it was even possible to learn a fraction of what Chef Paul knew about the art of BBQing in just two short days. Paul Kirk has won a BBQ award for each mile I drove to attend his class, so the odds were in my favor that I would learn a lot about BBQ.

Friday night, our hosts Sue and Brad Sparr served up a wonderful dinner as 12 class members enjoyed bouncing questions, ideas and the like off the Chef. During the evening it became clear to me that things I'd played around with and experimented with were on the right track but needed a little more tweaking.  It was truly gratifying to discover that.

To make a long story short, the main crux of the weekend was this when it comes to BBQ: Do what works for you. That's pretty much the nucleus of Chef Paul Kirk's philosophy and he's right. I once saw a DVD on BBQ competitions and how they function. Chef Paul happened to be one of 12-15 BBQ experts on this video. He said in a nutshell, cook the way you would cook for you or your family and let the chips fall where they may. Chef Paul's advice is dead-on and here's why. Anyone who has attended a cook-off knows there can 50-200+ judges tasting everyone's entries and scoring them on appearance, taste and tenderness. There is no way your BBQ is going to hone in on that many pallets. Your odds of winning the Powerball are better than that.

He and I had a conversation Saturday during a break in which we discussed principles in BBQ. Chef Paul will not use aluminum foil to cook his meat in; he calls it the Texas Crutch. He told me that his friends would say, "but Paul that's what's winning." Chef Paul said he didn't care because he would not betray his principles. I told the Chef I felt that way with chicken at competition because I do half-chickens and the rest of the KCBS crowd does thighs. I told him that I didn't care if it hair-lipped the Governor, I was going to stick with half-chickens for the same reason: Principle! Simply put, to me half-chickens just means real BBQ and that's what competitions should be about versus the latest craze or some trick-in-the-book notion.

Of the 12 people who took Chef Paul's class, to my knowledge I was the only one there who had competed in a KCBS cook-off and I had lost sight of that simple low and slow rule. It's easy to do so because of the number of BBQ cookbooks on the shelves, the never ending cooking shows on TV and the advice people on the competition circuit pass on to you. Now I'm not saying you can't learn something new to adapt to your cooking technique, but just imagine how long it would've taken Henry Ford to get the first car off the assembly line if he'd tried to make his cars to fit everyone's tastes; we'd still be on horseback.

The Chef was a great guy to learn from. He knew more jokes that anybody I'd ever met and the man is genuine. If you ever get the opportunity to take his cooking class, do so. It's money well spent.

BBQ Classes With Mike Mills & Chef Paul Kirk

Even though I've been BBQing for over 20 years, it's never too late to see if this old dog can learn some new tricks. 

Next weekend I'll have my Ole Hickory hooked up and smokin' in McKinney, Texas participating in a cooking class led by none other than Chef Paul Kirk, the Baron of Barbecue. I can't wait to learn something - anything from this guy. In case you don't know, Kirk has won over 450 BBQ awards and has won the Royal, the Jack and many others. Two things he'll cover is how to pick the best meat for a competition and how spices compliment one another in both rubs and sauce. That is an area, the spices, that I've always struggled with. I hope this well be helpful.

Then in October, after the American Royal I'll be in Cape Girardeau, MO at the Ole' Hickory test kitchen to learn from The Legend, Mike Mills. Like Kirk, Mike Mills has amassed many a BBQ trophy himself and operates numerous BBQ joints around the country. In fact, three of his operations are based in Las Vegas which isn't considered a BBQ mecca, but has been very successful there. I won't have to take my cooker to Cape as the class will have access to 3 Ole Hickory Pits in their kitchen.

So, by the end of October I should have garnered some valuable knowledge that up until now has alluded my smoked cranium. Looking forward to that.

Need A Butcher? Problem Solved

Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of darn good BBQ is the quality of the meat.

Obviously the better the quality, the better the taste. The better the taste, the better your chances are of winning in competitive BBQ. Easier said than done, however. I give you this as an example:

In the town where I live, there is a market chain whose initials are H-H and they are the "know-all-end-all" of meat. NOT! To give you an example, to get St. Louis style ribs trimmed the right way, I had to take the "butchers" a picture of how I wanted them trimmed.

Now, many of you might say, "hey, trim the ribs yourself." I say, "hey, if I'm paying for the meat, I'll have it done my way." But, to no avail, the so called butchers at "H-H" couldn't trim squat. Sorry if I sound frustrated, but I was; until today.

I took the drive from Springfield/Nixa to Kansas City, Kansas to a place called Bichelmeyer Meats; they boast a 60 foot long meat case, so I thought, why not drive up there. OMG!!!

Walked through the doors. A guy asked if he could help me and I told him what I just described above; I'm frustrated and wanted to know if anyone there knew how to trim ribs. That's when I met Matt Bichelmeyer. He was incredible. This guy could trim ribs in his sleep. Come to find out Paul Kirk is his Uncle. And the funny part was his 80+ year-old grandma prefers Matt's ribs over Kirk's.

I was given a grand tour of the store. Well, I shouldn't say store because this family operation grows their own cattle and pigs, slaughters them there on site, butchers them and sells the meat as fresh as you can get.

Folks, if you live within 200 miles of KC, load up some coolers and head for this meat market. I can promise you this, without checking the facts, there's probably not a hand full of places like this left in the US.

For my meat from now on, hands down it's Bichelmeyer's. Google it. 

Another Call for The Chain Gang

Just completed the Cattlemen's Ozark BBQ Challenge this weekend in our home town of Nixa, MO. and took 9TH place in Ribs. In doing so we scored better than some of our formidable competitors such as Little Pig Town, Hogzilla and Southern Smoke BBQ. Not bad.

We photographed our presentation boxes at this cook-off, a first for us, so we could look back and see why presentation scores were given by the judges. Getting meat in boxes and arranged just right with seconds ticking away to turn-in time is hectic and stressful. As a result, I photographed every box except the Ribs which took 9TH. Go figure.

It was funny, though how many competitors came by the Chain Gang spot to look at our Ole Hickory Pit convecture oven - even teams cooking on bigger Ole Hickory Pits! The guys using O.H.P's said they had heard about these cookers, but after seeing one in action, they were going to place their orders for one. By my count, there were at least 5 teams, including us, cooking on an Ole Hickory Pit cooker.

Trying to decide now whether to keep entering competitions for the remainder of 2009 or just lay low until The Royal in KC. Decisions decisions. All in all, out of 5 cook-offs Chain Gang has had two calls at the Award Ceremonies, so we're not doing too shabby.

The Cook-Off at Laurie, MO

We, and 76 other BBQ Teams just concluded competing in the 17th Annual Hillbilly BBQ contest in Laurie, Missouri. The weather for this event was unbelievable for late July and early August in the Missouri Ozarks. Friday's temps were in the low 80's and Saturday morning it was in the low 60's with a nice breeze.

When we checked in to set-up "camp" organizers asked if we could cook wings for an event they were having later that night. They asked, with big puppy dog eyes and you had no choice but to say yes, even though I'd never smoked wings before; they're just not my cup of tea. I ended up preparing about 70 wings and handed them over later that night.

We had our cooks meeting at 8pm, that where you get your four numbered styrofoam boxes in which you place your meats and garnish at turn-in the next day. KCBS does Chicken at 12:00 noon, Pork Ribs at 12:30, Pulled Pork at 1:00 and Brisket at 1:30. If you are one second past the turn-in deadline your entry is disqualified. We managed, as with previous cook-offs to make each deadline without being DQ'ed. 

This was the first contest I used our new Ole Hickory Pit, the Convecture model. I'd cooked on it five or six times at home and loved the results, so I was pumped to use it in competition. It was a dream come true, our meats looked incredible especially the half-chickens. Our turn-in box with those six breasts I thought we would get our first call in chicken. Not so; we finished 21 out of 77. The reason we placed 21st is because I'm probably the only team at competition to cook half-chickens instead of thighs. I've always cooked half-chickens at home, so I am comfortable with them. Granted, you can't put six half-chickens in a turn-in box, but slicing off the breast meat with the skin attached makes for a beautiful presentation. With most cookers, breast meat is fairly dry, but with this Ole Hickory pit our chicken was as moist as it could be. I'm just not sure going to thighs is change I can believe in. Stubborn? Not me.

Our next event is the Cattlemen's BBQ Cook-Off at Summer's On The River, and as of now 32 teams are signed up to compete. Time to make our rubs, sauces, brines and marinades and suit up for another challenge.

Breaking In The Ole Hickory

Yesterday I decided to fire up the new cooker from Ole Hickory, not knowing that I would put it to the ultimate test: the weather.

The cooker took about an hour to get up to temp, which was 225. During that time I prepped two slabs of ribs and two chicken halves, since they both take about the same time to cook.

Once they were on for about an hour maybe, here comes a thunderstorm. 9 times out of 10 most BBQ competitors run around like chickens with their heads cut-off trying to prepare for what's coming: temps on the cooker drop like a rock because of wind and rain. But not so with this cooker. I was amazed. It never wavered one degree even with a brief, but heavy downpour fell directly on the cooker.

Another tidbit from my first run on this cooker is the way it's built. The only place smoke comes out of these things is the exhaust pipes on top so there is no wind getting into the cooking chamber and that makes a big difference.

The result? This photo was taken about 2 hours into the cook and you can see how things were turning out, but the finished product was amazing. For the first time in a long time, the ribs came off the cooker with a beautiful dark red color and the chickens were a dark-light brown color with crispy skin.

Next on the docket is a brisket and pork butt. But seriously, this Ole Hickory Pit is the best I've ever cooked on and I am looking forward to our first cook-off in Laurie, MO.

Wonder Boy and Savoy Special Rolled Into One

If you've ever seen "The Natural" then you know the backdrop that led to the title of this posting.

Like Roy Hobbs, I had been knocking around in the "minors" as a backyard BBQ warrior for over 20 years. Not until this year, at the tender age of 53, did my family and I decide to enter KCBS BBQ competitions, aka, the major league of barbecue. 

As Pop Fisher told Hobbs, "People don't start playing ball at your age fella, they retire."

Well maybe so, but not this Hobbs. Despite the fact that our team, Chaingang BBQ has only competed in four KCBS events and already received a "call" at competition, I knew there had to be more; we needed a way to break out. 

Like Hobbs, I can now finally show folks how good my 'cue can be with my version of a Wonder Boy slash Savoy Special baseball bat in the form of a BBQ cooker. Now, Chaingang BBQ can step to the plate and knock one out of the park with our new Ole Hickory Convecture Tri-Oven pit. 

No more sleepless nights at competition. I am really looking forward learning the in's and out's of this Ole Hickory Pit. It features over 19 1/2 square feet of cooking space with four large sliding racks and 46,000 BTU's to get the party started using either charcoal or wood chunks - your choice.

By the way, if you're in the market for an Ole Hickory Pit let me tell you the team there is top notch and wonderful to work with. Check out their cookers at www.olehickorypits.com

The Four Seasonings

Well, after much thinking, web browsing and limited marketing skills, I've decided to jump into marketing my barbecue seasonings locally.

Coming up with a catchy name, one that would identify the product with barbecuing was tough. There are countless names on the market like Bubba's this and Junior's that, but I wanted one that would stand out and be rememberable; in marketing that's not always easy.

Then the other night it hit me. Remember that old rock n' roll song "Goin' To Kansas City"? Well, there is a street corner in the song, 18th and Vine. "Bam!" That's it. Not only did Jazz and Blues get their start at 18th and Vine in Kansas City, so did Barbecue. 

I've posted a picture of the label here for you to see. There will be four rubs available for sale such as "Sweet Stevie's Rhythmic Rib Rub", "Big Ella's Yardbird BBQ Rub", "Boss Tom's Brisket Rub" and "Cool Pappa's Pork Butt Rub."

I have ordered UPC bar codes and plan on ordering containers this week. If all goes well, I plan on doing 25, 16 ounce bottles of each. Still working on the pricing, and heck, if all goes well, I'll add BBQ Sauce to the line. I also have an application to join AGRIMISSOURI this week, which designates your product as being Made In Missouri. They allow members to participate in trade shows for independent grocers and sponsor product fairs for the general public to buy your stuff; it also opens doors to the area farmer markets.

The main point of the rubs are the fact they're all natural ingredients. No chemicals or artificial flavors. 

Let me know what you think.

Sedalia, MO Cook-Off

Boy, talk about crappy weather, we had it this past weekend in Sedalia, Missouri. We had strong southerly winds at about 25-30 miles an hour which absolutely killed our firebox on our Series 70 Diamond Plate smoker. Running with full charcoal and logs, the wind sucked the heat out of the firebox not allowing the smoker to go above 50 degrees. I believe in "low and slow," but let's get real.

Around Midnight there were tons of thunderstorms to our south. We watched them fade over the horizon thinking we'd dodged a bullet. Then the wind died down and the temp on the cooker went up to 225; perfect temp. We're cooking now, I thought. It wasn't long before the storms reversed engines and headed back our way. With that the wind picked back up and the temp plummeted.

I continued to play the damper game, but to no avail. Then, the skies opened and it rained for 2 to 3 hours straight. Our fire was dead. Our brisket and pork butt was way behind schedule, so we had no choice but to pack-up and head for home.

It's a real "whizzer" to get all geared up and then have the charcoal yanked out from underneath you. Oh well, So-long Sedalia, so-long.

Our First Call at Competition

With the disappointing results of the GAB in KC behind us, we spent the past two weeks tinkering with some things prior to this weekend's KCBS sanctioned competition in Sallisaw, OK. 

For the competition we agreed to participate in the "People's Choice" competition, which we didn't win and to remain Saturday night and sell BBQ. This was in addition to the KCBS competition. 

Once again we were up against some formidable teams such as Butcher BBQ, Twin Oaks, Smoke n' Ice and Little Pig Town; there were about 40 teams, but some were well seasoned, if you'll pardon the pun. Nevertheless, we were in it to win it and competed with the best of 'em.

Sallisaw's Cook-Off was very smooth and the organizers, a husband and wife duo did a great job in taking everything into consideration and the planning of the event.

We had a support team for this event as family drove up from Dallas to lend a helping hand and boy, did we ever appreciate all that they did. To Sandy and Terry, a huge thanks for all of your efforts, support and just plain old hard work. As it turned out, they arrived at our site just minutes before the Awards Ceremony. I told them we didn't have a prayer in Chicken and Ribs, because yours truly was an hour late on getting these two entries on the grill. I thought to myself, IF we had a snowball's chance in hell of anything it would be the Pork Butt or Brisket.

Towards the end of the ceremony the announcer got to the Pork category; here's the first chance we had of anything. 10th place, 9th place, 8th place and so on was called and we weren't in the names announced so I began to see all hopes fade. Then it happened: 4th Place Pork goes to Chain Gang BBQ! I stood up kinda dumbfounded and my oldest daughter began jumping up and down screaming. WOW, our third competition and we win a big red ribbon and $100. Now, we can honestly say, Award Winning BBQ.

We just get back to our seats and we hear "Chain Gang BBQ" from the awards stage. What? Again? Back-to-back? What the hell did we win? Come to find out it was first place for the "Best Dressed Smoker" category and it paid $200.

So now we're home and pouring over the judges scores and getting ready for our next cook-off in Sedalia, Missouri.

Damn! A ribbon. Makes a guy feel like Hank Hill or Homer Simpson. 

Aside From That Mrs. Lincoln, How Did You Enjoy The Play?

Oh, my. What a disaster the GAB in KC was. Obviously we had no WiFi, otherwise I would have sent out a distress signal.

First of all, the entire cook-off was on asphalt. Second, there were 161 cookers fired-up and the humidity was sky-high. Teams complained all weekend how their cooker's temperatures were all over the map; I had the same problem.

I guess when I read the small print I had NO idea there was an "invitational" and an "open" BBQ contest all rolled into one. So, we rolled in Friday AM and set up and that's when we found out about the two cook-off's; I couldn't get meat inspected until Saturday morning. In addition to that the KCBS meat turn-in times were a half-hour later than normal.

Once again upon arrival we discovered our trailer-slash-kitchen had no electricity. Every time

we plugged in the cord, POP, went the GFI and we had nothing. So, in 90+ degree heat on asphalt we had to run extension cords to plug in a mini-fridge, box fan and a light. It was miserable, to say the least.

I knew this trip was head shot before we left. The week before I had ordered 2 CAB briskets for the cook-off; these CAB briskets are almost top drawer briskets. Certified Angus Beef briskets are not carried by all markets, so I had ordered two 13-14 lb. briskets to be picked up the day before we headed out to the GAB. After a 78 mile round-trip to pick them up, the frickin' butcher had failed to order them. NO BEEF BRISKET??? Well, it's time for a back-up plan. The next day, I had things under control with two 13 pound whole briskets; they weren't CAB, but they were briskets.

Anyway, to make a short story long we bombed. We flopped. It sucked.

Now it's on to Sallisaw, Oklahoma. Keep you posted. 

The GAB in Bonner Springs, Kansas

We arrived late this afternoon, Thursday. Tomorrow we, and 159 other teams will set up for the cook-off. Aside from the usual KCBS entries, we will also be competing in the "sides" category with our wonderful, sinfully sweet, baked beans.

I plan to blog from the cook site, if there is WiFi at the site. My youngest daughter brought her camera, but forget the download cable. So, if all goes well, perhaps blogging in the wee hours of the morning will keep me awake.

So, until Sunday, we're still in Kansas, Toto.

The 2009 American Royal

Last night I sat before my computer and completed the entry form for the 2009 American Royal BBQ contest in Kansas City. Now granted, this isn't the invitational contest reserved for winners of the various State Championships, but nonetheless, it's still the Royal.

They call this contest the "World Series of Barbeque" because 500+ teams compete for the honors of winning or coming in somewhere two through whatever.

We're jazzed. We're pumped and we'll be ready. KC, WOW!

Chain Gang BBQ's Logo

I guess it's official now, we're a BBQ Team. I have absolutely zero artistic talent, so when it came to a logo for our team, I turned the work over to a professional.

This is a cool logo and sums up what being chained to your work really means. 

We will put this on T's and our trailer currently undergoing a restoration process; a real make-over.

In my last post I told you the Bonner Springs cook-off would be bigger than our first in Bixby, Oklahoma and it will be. As of now, 160 teams are due to compete in the KC area BBQ competition. 

Will keep you posted.

Bixby In The Rearview Mirror

All went fairly well for our first Competition BBQ contest in Bixby, Oklahoma this past weekend. When we first signed up for Bixby's cook-off I thought we were going to compete in a somewhat small competition; you know 35 to 40 teams. Boy, was I wrong. Ends up, Bixby became the biggest cook-off in Oklahoma's history with 90+ teams competiting.

Our space was adjacent to the Royal Oak Championship BBQ team. These guys have won more competitions including the American Royal Invitational in KC, Memphis In May and the Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational BBQ Contest in Lynchburg, Tennessee. After scouting the scene out I also saw other championship teams at the Bixby cook off. Teams like Butcher BBQ, Little Pig Town, Caveman Cuisine, Spicy Spitfire and probably 10 more big-time competitors. To say the least I thought we could maybe finish in the top 50- maybe.

Since it was our first cook-off, and encountered some snags in setting up, teams near-by were all too happy to help. They introduced themselves to us, asking us if they could help, offering advice and so on; there was never a feeling of "sorry kid, we went through the same thing, good luck though" attitude. You felt welcomed right away.

Even though I hate quoting a damned Democrat, like Hillary Clinton, "I was in it to win it." The night before I had back timed my meats based on entry times the next day including the time it would take to be in its marinade, allowing meat to rest, preparing it and eventually the submission to the KCBS judges. By the way, rumors spread though the competitors that the percentage of Certified BBQ Judges was less than 50%. You have to keep in mind Certified BBQ Judges, or CBJ's must be certified by the Kansas City Barbeque Society. They're instructed to judge the entry strictly based on appearance, flavor and tenderness; no personal biases are to get in the way, and that's a tall order. I later learned on the KCBS website, the CBJ percentage was 100%.

A lot of teams partied. Some invited friends and family to the Friday night opening to enjoy BBQ and drinks. Some teams kept partying until 3, 4am without their competition meats being on the smoker. For example, at 3:25pm Friday my brisket was on the smoker for turn in at 1:30pm Saturday. Some teams near me said they would put their brisket on a 4am or 6am. Others went to bed without firing up their cookers until 6 or 7am Saturday morning. Knowing it takes 1 1/2 to 2 hours per pound to cook a brisket or pork butt, I thought, "what are they thinking?"

My Mom and oldest daughter made up the team for Bixby and I couldn't have done it without them. My youngest daughter can't wait to go to a competition, so my team is going to expand. We all monitored the temp on the smoker all night adding charcoal, wood and spritzing meats to keep them juicy. I maintained a vigil on the marinading meat, watched the clock, cooker dampers and sometimes the inside of my eyelids. Then the meat was ready for submission - one by one and turn in times were 30 minutes apart. Yikes, here we go. The first was chicken.

Everything turned out perfect. Chicken was juicy and flavorful, ribs were spot-on, pulled pork simply fell apart and the brisket was perfect. We made it to the submission table right on time and then we waited. The last meat turned in was at 1:30 and the awards weren't until 4pm. Best way to kill that time and keep your mind off the possible outcome is to pack everything up.

We went to the awards ceremony and sat there waiting to hear the name Chain Gang BBQ announced, but it was not. At this point you begin to think, "well just how far down the ladder did we finish?" I'll tell you.

Overall we finished 23rd out of 90

Chicken we finished 31st out of 90

Pork Ribs we finished 28th out of 90

Pulled Pork we finished 28th out of 90

Brisket we finished 28th out of 90

I must say the judges liked our BBQ, just not as much as the others they selected to win. Our chicken no score less than a 7; many judges gave us 9's and 8's. Ribs were 8's and 9's, except for one 6. The pulled pork received 8's and 9's and one judge gave us a perfect score of 9-9-9; the brisket was given 7's, 8's and 9's.

That's not too bad for the first cook-off in a state that had its biggest cook-off in history with a huge percentage of championship teams. Heck, in Brisket, we even beat the Royal Oak team. And I thought I would never ever be able to say that.

Next stop? Bonner Springs, KS which promises to be even bigger than Bixby.

Competition BBQ Schedule

This has been a busy two weeks getting ready for our first BBQ Competition. Aside from the new smoker, we also purchased a 19' foot long trailer in which to prepare meats, marinades and to sleep (if we're lucky.)

Getting all the things together for a cook-off is no little thing; it's a lot of work with a lot of details. Even though we've been getting things together for a few weeks now, you can't help but thinking you've waited until the last minute. We'll see soon enough, I suppose. Thankfully, there's always a Wal-Mart near-by just in case we've over looked anything.

I've already decided that good quality meat is everything. Having ordered my meat a week in advance, I have selected the best meat available simply because CBJ's base their decision on taste, or flavor and tenderness. Higher grade meat will always have better flavor and tenderness and you want to leave nothing to chance.

Our competition schedule is as follows:

May 8 & 9: Bixby, Oklahoma

May 15 & 16: Claremore, Oklahoma

May 22 & 23: Bonner Springs, Kansas

June 5 & 6: Sallisaw, Oklahoma

June 19 & 20: Sedalia, Missouri

Other dates remain open as once you get further out than this, most Cook-off's don't have their entry forms available. But our plans are to compete two to three times per month through October.

We hope we encounter "Chamber of Commerce" weather where ever we go, oh and a ribbon or trophy now and then would be nice too.

Here Come Da Judge

Well, after 20+ years of backyard BBQ, and after having decided to enter the world of competition BBQ, I have become a KCBS Certified BBQ Judge. 

Anyone can become a BBQ Judge, but, one needs to have a firm grasp and understanding of the art of BBQ; it isn't possible, in my humble opinion to have no understanding of the art, process and technique of BBQ and judge the meat cooked by those who do.

From a soon-to-be-competitor's standpoint, tasting, handling and scoring of BBQ entries will serve to be an invaluable tool. Aside from that asset, simply volunteering as a judge will open the senses to what type of BBQ skills that are out there. After all, every cook has a secret ingredient, recipe or angle to make their BBQ the best it can be.

So, as a KCBS CBJ, I promise to taste all BBQ with the pledge all CBJ's take. Including to make BBQ a growing and ever-healthy part of American cuisine. 

Let the Competition Begin

Been away, but have not forgotten. A lot of research has been done looking into entering the competition BBQ circuit. I have been doing BBQ for well over 20 years, but now I've decided to get serious about it.

Aside from targeting some 12-15 competitions I will enter this year, I just took delivery of one huge smoker manufactured by Diamond Plate Products in San Angelo, Texas. They call the cooker their 70 series; it's the biggest they make and their best seller, too. 

I began "seasoning" the smoker today. It was cold; only 42 and stiff winds out of the west and constant drizzle. I built a fire with Big Green Egg lump charcoal and seasoned Hickory logs. Now, for those of you who try to BBQ in this type of weather know how difficult it is to get a hot fire and maintaining it.

The 70 Series was incredible. With in 45 minutes, my temp hit 190. I kept it with in the 190 to 225 range all afternoon without feeding it a ton of charcoal and wood. This cooker is and will be an excellent tool to have in the arsenal. 

I did my research before buying this smoker and found only one negative. The firebox on the 70 Series has it's draw underneath the firebox. With the firebox open, say halfway, hot coals fall upon the ground. I didn't think that would be a big deal, but over time, enough coals fell to melt the chip and seal on my driveway. So, I filled two aluminum pans with water under the firebox and the problem was solved.

If you're in the market for a great smoker, google Diamond Plate Products. You'll have a drive on your hands, but it will be worth it's weight in gold.

Ribs: It's What"s For Dinner

Unfortunately, in Southwest Missouri good BBQ is all but impossible to find. Granted, there are some locals who participate in BBQ cook-offs that can generate some good eating, but if you want good Q, you gotta do it yourself.

I used to believe that Babyback ribs were the end all. Sure, most people believe that they're the best; I did too until I discovered St. Louis style ribs. Babybacks are easy to spot. The rib bone is curved and more rounded because they come from the top of the pig's rib cage. St. Louis style ribs come from the center part of the rib cage and are flat; the ribs are oval shaped and in essence are Spare Ribs. Another BIG difference is the price. Babybacks are around $5 a pound and the St. Louis style ribs are around $2 to $2.50 a pound.

Now, St. Louis style ribs need some trimming. Either you can do it or the butcher can, but St. Louis style also contain the portion of the rib cage where "riblets" come from. Those need trimmed as does a meat flap that is found on the back side of the rib. St. Louis style ribs are meatier and have much more flavor because there's more fat that what you find on babyback ribs.

I've included a shot of what my ribs look like before they hit the grill. When these wonderful slabs of heaven come off the grill, you know you're eatin' "high on the hog."

One Place You Can Smoke: Your Backyard

Most people find smoking offensive. Communities and states have even banned smoking in various places of business and government buildings; even hospitals have joined the bandwagon.

But smoking is OK just as long as you smoke hickory, apple, maple or a wide variety of woods found throughout the United States. And no place better to fire up a hickory sapling than your own backyard.

Some folks use one wood when they smoke/BBQ and I guess it depends on what type of meat you are cooking 'low and slow' because different woods impart different tastes.

We have a place in Springfield, MO. called "Outdoor Home." Aside from grills, smokers, cookbooks, rubs and accessories you cannot find a wider selection of woods. I'm going by memory here, but woods include Sassafras, Plum, Peach, Wild Cherry, Persimmon - more than 20 types of woods. 

Recently I've found Apple and Hickory impart a wonderful flavor. But for ribs, my all type favorite is a blend of sassafras and persimmon because they grow naturally in the Missouri Ozarks. One whiff of this blend, and you'll become a believer. The apple/hickory blend is good for brisket; for chicken or turkey try a maple, peach and cherry blend.

If using chunks of woods, soak in water overnight or longer; chips can be soaked for a shorter time. Do not over smoke your meat or you'll be sorry. Too much smoke makes the meat black versus a dark cherry color and it'll be bitter as hell. I've learned over my 25+ years of BBQ 'ing that when you first put the meat on the smoker, give it a damn good dose of wood and no more. Now, if it's a whole pork or big pork shoulder then add more throughout the smoking time. The one time, up front shot is for ribs, chicken and such.

The thing about BBQ is it's OK to experiment. Ask questions, read BBQ books, surf the Internet and learn some things. The first BBQ 'ing I did was at a resort at Lake of the Ozarks. It was a cookout type cooker with an adjustable shelf so I got my charcoal, way too much if I remember right, doused it in lighter fluid and proceeded to soak my wood chips. Once the fire was good, I threw on the chips, sit the chicken on the grill and went to work. I knew nothing of 'low and slow' so my burnt-to-a-crisp chicken was ready; it tasted good at the time, but there's been a ton of water under that bridge since.