Finding a First Competition

www.kcbs.us Click on contest schedule and pick one out in your area. I'm sure the sanctioning body in Texas has a Web site too with more contests. I'm not familiar with it but I'm sure some of your fellow Texan Brothers will help out.

I would try to find one that has about 25 teams or less. Not that the competition would be any less , but you won't be overwhelmed or lost in a sea of doubt. Look at who is cooking that particular comp and know their skill level. If you are cooking with a group that the majority has a high skill level you might be discouraged with the results of your first cook. Then again if you cook with a group that has no track record you might get a false sense of how you can compete. Then again you may come into a contest of the best out there and whoop there arses and be a true Brethren. Long story short--- you don't know unless you try and please give it more than one contest before you judge yourself.

You will be like most of us that compete----First contest you are hooked!!

Good luck Brother!! You have allot of folks behind you here!!

Roll the dice!!

Spice

Find someone that is cooking and ask if you can tag a long and help out. Great experience. Then go to the KCBS like Jeff said and find yourself one.

If you choose a KCBS event you will have to drive out of state, unless one has popped up on the schedule that I don't know about.

Try ibcabbq.org . There are some good size competitions around Austin every year. Taylor comes to mind. Austin livestock show and rodeo isn't too bad.

You can also check lonestarbarbecue.com. They have quite a few events around the area as well.

ApronGuy, my wife and I went to our first competition this last weekend, just to look around. I don't know if you've been to them before, but I know we learned a LOT from just watching the teams and talking to them. I would think that if it's all new to you, too, you might hang around a couple of comps first, or maybe get involved with a team, then compete.

Being a non-competitor that may be naive advice, but it's all I gots.

I'm going to respectfully disagree with the illustrious gentleman from Choctaw... Adam, find a comp and jump in! Or the other advice about joining a team for a comp works, too. I would think comps would be easy to find in Texas.

My theory is the more you get involved, the more you learn.

LOL The cautious approach vs the just-do-it approach!

Early this year I was trying to find a BBQ contest near Austin because my cousin wanted us to come down and visit. I found this one not to far away from you. It is in Round Rock. www.texasbbqcookoff.com

You will have to make up your mind pretty fast though, the cookoff is Nov 17 & 18th. It looks like they only allow up to 70 teams.