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.