Competition Classes-Is it the way to go?

I took a class in 2004, Dr. BBQ's, and it was great.. Took Rod and Johnny's in 2007 and it was also great. Ever since then, I've been trying to figure out how to try to be a step ahead of all the 100's of people who've taken all the newer classes. Ain't easy. Remember, if you take a class, and you go to a contest, I'd say an easy third there have taken classes too. Therefore, you're kind of back to square one. Whatever you learn in a class, you have to first make it work for you, at least parts of it, then you have to try to figure out what it takes to beat it. It ain't a cure-all to just take a class and expect to get calls.. Oh, then there's luck too.

Based on my own experience, I'd say to do a few more comps prior to taking a class unless you already have very specific questions/concerns about something. You might not get as much as you would like out of it if you just go in there looking for general knowledge.

I am one of those people who took xyz class and got a grand the next comp that I cooked. I do think, however, that if I did not have a good base of comp cooking and specific things that I wanted to learn, that I probably would have just wound up confused and frustrated. I could have seen myself trying to revamp what I was doing instead of just tweaking a couple of things to find tune what I was already doing.

I had come close to pulling a GC a couple of times prior, but never seemed to quite put it all together. I think the class gave me the couple of little things I was looking for to push me over the line.

Good luck with the decision. As others have already mentioned, just don't look at the class as any guarantee of success.

Hey Shane, The advice and ideas above are all good. I'll share what I'd do if I were in your shoes. Phat Jack's walked in every category and took GC at the Honky Tonk. I'd shoot him an email or give him a call and ask if he'd be willing to visit about how he got to this point at his young age. I suppose a lot of it has to do with his BBQ restaurant and the fact that he's Que'ing every day. That right there is a good hint.. Practice, practice, practice.... Competing in a few more comps and practicing whenever you can sounds like a good start. Then, if needed, consider a class or two to refine your skills. YMMV... Cheers, and good luck at your next comp!!!

I took Scottie's class before my first competition and don't think there was anything wrong with doing it prior to competing. He cooks on FE's, and I cook on drums so I didn't try to reproduce what he does but take his pointers and apply them to my techniques. It took me 3 comps to get a return on that investment.

At the end of my first season, I took Todd and Dave's Plowboy/Butcher class and did the same thing applied there pointers to my techniques.

From the people I talk to that regret taking a class it is usually because they are trying to reproduce everything exactly as the instructor did. With all of the different variables you can't do it exactly and have it taste the same.

If you can get to Chicago this Winter, Scottie's class is well worth the expense by helping fight cancer, the best goody bags, and top notch catered food. If he fires up the Jambo this Winter, I might be going for a refresher. :wink:

I am very new to competition BBQ and I am going to share my line of thinking and let those who truly know correct me if I am off base. To me it all comes down to what you want out of competition BBQ. What are "you" wanting to get out of it? If you are serious about being good, then you have to evaluate all options. For me, while I absolutely love the camaraderie, I want to win.

I know I make awesome BBQ for friends and family that have them singing my praises after they taste it. However, competition BBQ is "beautiful one bite BBQ" and through that presentation and single bite I know I must wow the judges. Eating a half rack of competition ribs isn't my cup of tea. I guess my point here is that competition BBQ isn't backyard BBQ and just because you may not be a winner on the circuit doesn't mean you don't cook great BBQ.

If your goal is to cook winning BBQ, which mine is, then you must do whatever it takes to (within your means) to get there. Many professional athletes hire private coaches on their own to help them with a weakness in order to get better. If I determine I am not progressing at the level I want and not seeing the results I want, I plan on doing what it takes to get there. When you think about it, a $500 class is about the same investment as a single contest and maybe even less. If I don't make the progress I am looking for after a few more comps, I will be looking for the right class to get me on track. I have faith in my ability to cook good BBQ but I can't say I know what will wow the judges with that "beautiful one bite BBQ". Obviously, some of the guys have that figured out as their results show it week after week. Since they have the knowledge that I want, I can either spend thousands of dollars week after week trying to discover the secret or I can spend $500 to $750 and get it much more quickly and cheaper.

As I said earlier, I do love the camaraderie but I can spend a lot less money drinking and having fun with my friends than doing it at a BBQ competition. I'm there to win and if I need help getting a jump, I will gladly do it with no guilt or shame.

Brew-B-Q said:

I felt this way for a while too. I took Scottie's class a few years ago and it really helped me. Not so much in recipes, but just a few lightbulbs that went off....a couple of "now why didn't I realize that sooner" moments. Scottie is the first to tell me at a comp that I'm doing this or that wrong (in fun) because I do things the way they work for me.

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I'm the first to give you grief and then you beat my ass the next day. No more Jack Silver for you at 2:00 am at a contest!!!

I am also the first to help out as well. Many a student trailer or camp I have gone in and helped. Heck I do it for folks that don't take the class. Obviously for my foundation is better to have folks come to the class.

And nothing better than helping folks with a recipe or tricks and they go out and win. I'm not in to bragging about students and their success. Unless they have told folks they came to the class. Not for me to divulge .. But it does make me smile when they do good. I personally feel that a class is worth it. It shortens the learning curve and it opens your eyes to new flavors or techniques.

Bourbon Barrel BBQ said:

Is it really that much different in pouring over brethren reading and learning tips and tricks off of here? You are still learning what to do and what not to do you just didn't pay for it.

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For some maybe, but not me.

I did not come here for competition advice. When I was invited to the site in 2007 by BigMista, I had already been comepeting for 4 years and had two Grand Championships under my belt.

I am sure many have gathered much info from the site for competitions, I have not and it is not the reason I joined...

Check out what kind of class is being given, basic, advanced or competition. The thing that I believe helps the most in competition is to check to see if you have any 'backyard' competitions in your area where you present your turn-ins to a table of CBJ's who judge them in an open forum. In our area we have two or three of these early in the competition year for newer teams or experienced teams who want to see how their new rubs, sauces etc. are received by the judges. It also gives judges a chance to see how their scores match up with the other judges on the table.

Nothing wrong with taking a class! One thing I didn't see mentioned (or maybe I missed it) is being a judge. One of the best bang for money spent is judging in my opinion! You get to see alot of what others are doing, taste profiles, etc. Want to get better at bbq - be a judge!

Rich Parker said:

If you can get to Chicago this Winter, Scottie's class is well worth the expense by helping fight cancer, the best goody bags, and top notch catered food. If he fires up the Jambo this Winter, I might be going for a refresher. :wink:

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Had the Jambo cranked up this year, along with the FE. Just so happens...

The 4 classes that we have done the last few years have cleared over $70,000 for cancer research. They are an all volunteer class for the instructors and assistants. While I love seeing students excel at contests, I am really proud that we have taught that many students and more importantly have raised a **** load of money to help fight cancer.

I'll save you a seat Rich. Returning students get to sit in the front row...

Scottie said:

It shortens the learning curve and it opens your eyes to new flavors or techniques.

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I took Scottie's class in 2011. I have to say, it is the best money I ever spent. I didn't know what I didn't know until I took that class. I might be back for a tune up next winter too.

gooose53 said:

Nothing wrong with taking a class! One thing I didn't see mentioned (or maybe I missed it) is being a judge. One of the best bang for money spent is judging in my opinion! You get to see alot of what others are doing, taste profiles, etc. Want to get better at bbq - be a judge!

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Very true, but let me add a refinement:

To get the benefit of becoming a CBJ you have to actually go out and judge a bunch of contests, not just take the class. We've prepped food for judging classes, and I always make a point of letting the students know the samples they receive are far from competition grade.

In the CBJ class, the stuff you are given is prepared to match the standards and cost specified by KCBS. No way will you see Wagyu brisket there for example. You will see lots of purposeful defects though, since the class is designed to show you what they look like.

I know a lot of cooks take the CBJ class and then stop, or only judge one or two events and think they know what is going on in the judging tent. Not so! You have to judge quite a few contests to get a solid handle on both what other teams are turning in as well as the reaction of your fellow judges.

No matter what business or hobby you have, education, seminars and classes are an asset. In BBQ some of the classes offered are pricy where others are reasonable but each offers some knowledge which will be an asset in the future. I have friends who have taken the Myron Mixon class at $750 a pop and tell me it was the best money they have spent yet others have taken the same class and feel they wasted their time. I tend to think any knowledge is better than none and if you can afford it go for it.

I took a Todd Johns Plowboys class and found many ideas which I overlooked and made me a better cook and have taken others from some highly rated competitors which might be considered a waste of time if it weren’t for meeting some other newbies enjoying BBQ. Some times the simplest thought learned can be what kept you out of the winners circle, there are no bad classes if you can afford it but your fellow competitors are a wealth of knowledge.

I had been competing for a couple years,(about 10 contests a year) getting some calls and decent finishes. In 2007 I took Rod and Johnny class. The very next week I cooked in a contest and got our first of three GC's that season. :clap2: The class helped alot. I had a good understanding of contest cooking going into the class. It was the little things that I learned that helped.

My advice is to cook a few more contests and get some experiance under your belt. Then take the class and apply what you learned to YOUR cooking style. You don't have to cook the exact recipes and style you learned in the class.

Good luck.

For what its worth, I recently took the Rhythm 'n Que BBQ class, and the next weekend took 1st Place Brisket and GC out of 37 teams without practicing anything I learned, but still fresh in my mind, used some techniques I picked up on.

And one team in attendance at the class went directly to a charity 4 meat cook and won GC as well.

Your mileage may vary

CivilWarBBQ said:

Very true, but let me add a refinement:

To get the benefit of becoming a CBJ you have to actually go out and judge a bunch of contests, not just take the class. We've prepped food for judging classes, and I always make a point of letting the students know the samples they receive are far from competition grade.

In the CBJ class, the stuff you are given is prepared to match the standards and cost specified by KCBS. No way will you see Wagyu brisket there for example. You will see lots of purposeful defects though, since the class is designed to show you what they look like.

I know a lot of cooks take the CBJ class and then stop, or only judge one or two events and think they know what is going on in the judging tent. Not so! You have to judge quite a few contests to get a solid handle on both what other teams are turning in as well as the reaction of your fellow judges.

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You make a great point however, I did say be a judge. That to me means judging not just taking the class. But your point is well taken.

I all for classes just do it with people that actually have a proven track record and realistic first hand experience. I have seen a few dubious instructional guides out there.