Competition Lessons

Podge said:

There's a thin line between enjoying yourself and having a good time. If you want to have a good time, I know of a thousand better ways to spend $700 for a good time. This is a contest, a competition, treat it as such. Besides, you "having fun" could be a nuisance to your neighbors.

I should add too, that BBQ people are the freindliest people in this country. If you have a question, ask. If you need help, ask.

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It is possible to have a good time, and compete. I know LOTs of teams that do it. Enjoying yourself is table stakes, right? Unless you have some DSM-IV classifiable issue that causes you to do things you dislike, you aren't going to drop the coin if you dont enjoy it. So it has to be about having a good time, and a good time competing.

Todd Ras said:

Our first and only comp was last year and I would say my list would be:

1) Water bucket of some sort (we forgot them)
2) Pre-prep/trimming of food
3) Ice can be expensive on site
4) We had a few 2-day practice runs with turn in boxes leading up to the event
that helped a ton!
5) Don't be scared that your doing something wrong. Everyone has there own
way and no one will think your stupid for lighting your pit at a different time
or putting your meat on an hour later than you neighbor.


We had a blast and got a call in chicken which we thought was pretty cool!! We did well at our first event last year and Donkey Punch BBQ will be doing 4-5 more this year, just not sure where yet

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If you forget your water buckets again this year we will loan you some again if we're there! Still lovin the team name. Hey can you get me a beer holster?!?! lol

KC_Bobby said:

I'd actually argue that it would be beneficial to compete at least 3 times prior to spending good money on a class.

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I agree.

monty3777 said:

I agree.

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That's exactly where I'm at... and now am taking Todd's (Plowboys) class in March. I also just took a CBJ class last night. It's all starting to make sense now :-D

Capn Kev said:

That's exactly where I'm at... and now am taking Todd's (Plowboys) class in March. I also just took a CBJ class last night. It's all starting to make sense now :-D

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I hope you like attention - you're gonna get calls!

New to competition

I plan on entering my first comp in April 2010 in Dothan, AL. I have always loved to barbecue, and loved watching BBQ Pitmasters. Should I just do the backyard division to get my feet wet? I'm practicing different recipes now, to narrow down to the ones I will use. I also have a 30 ft. camper, is that feasible to take to the competition? Any good pointers to an extreme newbie that loves to cook would be helpful. How much will this whole deal cost me in meat, fuel, fees, etc? thanks in advance!:icon_cool

Lookin for that match!!!!

charlie263 said:

I plan on entering my first comp in April 2010 in Dothan, AL. I have always loved to barbecue, and loved watching BBQ Pitmasters. Should I just do the backyard division to get my feet wet? I'm practicing different recipes now, to narrow down to the ones I will use. I also have a 30 ft. camper, is that feasible to take to the competition? Any good pointers to an extreme newbie that loves to cook would be helpful. How much will this whole deal cost me in meat, fuel, fees, etc? thanks in advance!:icon_cool

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Jump in both feet. The only difference between Backyard and a full comp, is more meat and the time needed to cook it, unless you are following the Flash/High Heat cooking theory.

You need to be sure that the size you request will support your camper. Most comps allow for 20x20 or 20x25 areas, so you may have to pay a bit more for the larger area for the camper. It is nice to have something like that around, though, sort of like a hotel room on wheels. I have been considering one myself.

charlie263 said:

I plan on entering my first comp in April 2010 in Dothan, AL. I have always loved to barbecue, and loved watching BBQ Pitmasters. Should I just do the backyard division to get my feet wet? I'm practicing different recipes now, to narrow down to the ones I will use. I also have a 30 ft. camper, is that feasible to take to the competition? Any good pointers to an extreme newbie that loves to cook would be helpful. How much will this whole deal cost me in meat, fuel, fees, etc? thanks in advance!:icon_cool

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We have a 32ft motorhome that we use. Most of the time we're able to
park it right there in/on the site, others it's a short walk down the street
(if you will). You'll want to contact the organizers of the cookoff for
specifics. Some have an extra $50+- for larger sites; we've always paid
for the extra room to have the RV right there...

There are pluses and minuses to doing a few backyard divisions before
going with the pros. I did one backyard, enjoyed it, then began with
the pro sanctioned cookoffs. Frankly, I learned more at my first pro
comp than anything learned in the backyard. Meaning, you'll learn more
back doing it (succeed or fail) than watching. Practice, practice, and
practice. Make the practice as close to live as you can. Set
pre-determined turn-in times for yourself; see if you can hit it, with nice
warm/hot bbq that looks appetizing. If it's a KCBS cookoff, practice with
multiple turn-ins, 30 minutes apart. If you can do this, and identify all
the tools you'll use (for packing list), you're ready for it. I suggest even
if you're not all the way ready to just jump in on the pro thing. Who
knows, you might have a good day and land in some money. I, for one,
would hate to have had a good day and not get much of the rewards...

As far as costs go, we end up spending right at $800 on KCBS. I have about
$100 of that for gasoline. The others are about the same no matter how far
you travel.