Okeechobee Was A Blast!!!
 

The Okeechobee Top Of The Lake BBQ Affair was a Blast! This was my first initiation into the competition circuit and the "behind the scenes" action of a sanctioned event. I have to thank Kevin and Clara of Home BBQ and Jimmy of the Taylor Reantal Team for all their gracious assistance and allowing me to to ask so many darn questions. Kudos to Tim and Bridgette of Cosmic Cookers as well!

It was unbelievable to witness so many syles and techniques of barbequing, let alone the killer units that were spread out amongst the competition field. I have a new found appreciation for what it takes to produce competitive 'Q and the hard work of everyone involved to make it happen. (all the way down to the grounds keepers!) I feel for all those who have been up for the last 36 hours cooking and competing, only to break down their setups, attend the ceremonies, then farking drive home for hours! Wow! That really takes grit!

My wife, Cheryl truly enjoyed the event and all the wonderful "down to earth" people we met. There was not one person there that was ever too busy to say Hi, or lend us an ear. We both came away with smiles on our faces and were fed some outstanding 'Q.

Can't wait for the next one!

BTW..........a quick shout-out to Dave Little for all the helpful information he gave me prior to the competition and his patient guidance!

Thanks, Dave!

Hey Jeff, I am glad you and Cheryl enjoyed yourselves. Its a great group of people, and thats what makes it addictive.

Jeff, sounds like you had a great time. Meeting other Q folk is the highlight of any contest visit. It's awesome to meet others with our affliction that have never met a stranger either 8) :D

Got an E-Mail from Jimmy today. It sure was great to hear that they did so well and it was nice to see him putting my smoker to some good use.

That huge trophy looked great on top of my smoker!!!

Jay I know you think all your smokers are yours but you need to let it go. It is a big smoker now with a familty of it's own.

Glad that you all had a great time. Nice pics. Thanks for sharing!!!

Congrats to all!!!

My Baby has left the nest !!!!! At least it has a home in Florida !!

Post Pardom Mod.

Yeah, that's kind of why I took the shot like that...........thought you and Jimmy would probably like it. He's still trying to adjust to a different cooker, but he loved how little fuel he had to use. Your smokers really keep in the heat!

My pleasure, Belly! If you go to the Photos section (Competitions), I've posted an album with more pix and some pretty mean lookin' cookers!

Jeff,

It was great meeting you and Cheryl in Okeechobee. Hope we see you at competitions in the future!

I remember you expressing an interest in competing. I'd strongly suggest hanging with a team for a few competitions first just to learn the ins and outs of competition. Kevin is the best person for that. He doesn't charge too much to let you wash dishes, and he throws you a scrap every now and then! :wink:

Seriously, he stays sober and on track throughout the contest, and he's a good teacher. He won't show you crap about cookin' (you have to steal that), but he'll show you how to make it through a contest.

Tim

Hmm... The only thing I don't give away is the ingredients of my marinades, and sauces. Now, I do make you watch for the technique part. That was Frank in the last picture with me, he and his wife Ruth will be a new team on the circuit called "Just for Fun". I saw him running to his truck ever so often writing stuff down. I wonder if he was he hired by Mike (Woodhouse)? :wink:

:D Industrial espionage on the BBQ circuit!

It always helps to leave the KC Masterpiece bottle out and to make sure that the Kingsford lighter fluid bottle is prominently displayed :twisted:

Do you carry some Schaefer with you like Phil does?

We don't have any beer down here quite as "renouned" as Schaefer's :D

We might like you to think that. LMAO! Kevin's "secrets" have been a joke for awhile. Alot of his "secrets" he sells in his store, and the important "secrets" (confidence and consistancy) he's only been preaching for several years now on his site.

I'll reserve any comment on the lighter fluid. After I saw a world champion fire his cooker up using lighter fluid I'm not qualified to comment about it. I won't name names but Kevin ate some of the best whole hog he ever tasted cooked by this guy.

BBQ sauce is a different story. Last year 3 good cooks got beat in Arcadia by a guy that used Kraft BBQ sauce on his brisket. Go figure..........

Tim