Competition Site Set-up Advice

Smokesman said:

Greg - What the hell are we doing up at 4 am? I'm up because of a cranky 2 yr old. Guessing we have some overlap here in our posts. No way you read my and typed your reply in 3 minutes...if you did then kudos!

Just writing my reply gave me some ideas on how our team can organize further. I'm going back to bed!

Click to expand...

I fell asleep on the couch and when I woke up I did a quick check on the forum...........it was just after 3 AM. I didn't see your post at the time.

I totally agree with you on the food safety strategy.

boogiesnap said:

hi smokesman, my timeline has it such, that when the finished meat is ready to get rested the other raw comp meat is coming out of the cooler so it is then washed and ready. as far as putting some MOINKballs and beers and water in the same cooler for personal consumption i don't see too much issue really, as long as you're careful with packaging. there is food-safe certification among my team and sanitation and cleanliness are top priorities. as they should be.
but, might be easier the way you do it.

Click to expand...

We never put our drinks, etc. in any cooler that had raw meat. We just want to be extra careful.

Ford said:

A very good friend told me "Ford - you have way to much stuff. SIMPLIFY!" Thanks Steph :biggrin1:

And you sure don't need a TV. Go talk to your neighbors or just enjoy the night.

Click to expand...

Not an option.............that was the BlackHawks in the finals! :-D :-D I believe that was game one. We have never taken a TV before.

thillin said:

Us as well. I do have an enclosed trailer that helps, but the stuff that is there for emergencies or bad weather is packed into 1 container. It doesn't get moved and provides a seat in the trailer.

Click to expand...

Packing the emergency stuff in one container and leaving it in the car is a good idea. There are some boxes that are fully unpacked when we set-up. Instead of leaving empty boxes to take up space I should just put them back in the car..........simple.............why didn't I think of that before! :doh:

ZILLA said:

A 20x20 space is a small space. The smallest I've ever had was a 20x40. 40x40 is the most common around here. The diagram below is my set up no matter what the space size I have but would fit in the 20x20 spot you describe. It is based on two 10x10 Carvan canopys. I have one more chair, a zero gravity recliner that I sleep in, That is not in the diagram. That's it.

I do have storage on my pit that helps. I only have three storage bins tha are 14x14x18 that I use and a cook box on my work table. You really have to strip down you supplys. That fact is you really don't need that much stuff if your only there to compete.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the diagram........this keeps me thinking. I have the Gator Pit BMS, so I have some storage in the trailer. There's enough room to store boxes, etc. without getting them hot from the cooking chamber. I've been thinking of adding some removable sides to the trailer to give me some deeper storage.

The Pigman said:

Take a step van and build a 15 ft. by 7 ft stainless steel kitchen in back of it and your worrys are over.

Click to expand...

No room for that..........I got 2 young adults at home, each with their own vehicles. Good idea though!

Bbq Bubba said:

We have a 8x16 trailer & don't have that much chit! A blender & TV?
KISS my friend.

Click to expand...

See my other comment above..........Blackhawks in the playoffs........an understandable situation. We will probably never need a TV again, at least not for a very long time.

I will make room for the blender!

I got a lot of good advice from all of you. Now I need to rethink my strategy and layout.

Thanks again for the great ideas,

Brauma said:

Dude, what you need is a 2nd TV: a big screen LCD. A 2nd blender designated for margaritas. And bring at least 2 more half gallons of liquer. Four should do it. I would love to see you pull up at a comp with all that chit. :wink:

Our team has a one-word motto: FOCUS.

Mainly what I see when I look at your setup is clutter and distractions.

Click to expand...

Nah, I don't need all of that stuff, my neighbor team has all of that stuff! They had a 42" LCD for the Hawks game and a bar!

There is definetely clutter and that's why I started this thread..........to get ideas and to see what other teams are doing. And now I have some ideas to work on........thanks to everyone here.

Focus........we too are focused, but we also have fun. If I'm not having fun I ain't doing it. I have a very strict time line that we follow and I make sure everyone knows what their roles are. Prior to key times I get everything organized, dig through boxes, whatever it takes to be ready. Actually, it's not as bad as it sounds. I pretty much know where everything is at........it's just too much! I've learned to work through this, but I just want to make it better and easier. I re-evaluate after each comp to see what went right and what went wrong, so that I can improve for the next time..........a lessons learned review. I keep a spreadsheet to log the history. Sure, if I can reduce the clutter then it would be easier to focus.........and the more fun I will have.

Thanks,

Just so you know what I bring please see attached competition checklist........there are 2 files (one in notepad and one in Excel). I didn't show food items, only equipment. Some of the items are only used when it's cold out.

Thanks,

JD McGee said:

Here's our set up...

2 pop up's...
1 prep table...
1 sauce table...
1 wash station...
2 coolers...
3 bullets...
1 cajun bandit...

Click to expand...

JD, very nice, organized and clean.............my goal! I think that second tent will be key. I already got some ideas. I may just pitch the tent in the backyard and try out some ideas. I need to be more streamlined.......I need to fit everything into a Ford Freestyle..............cash for clunkers pryed my beloved, but well beat Ford F-150 out of my clutches.........I still miss it! My brother brought some stuff, but I need to be self sufficient just in case he can't make an event.

One other thing that I notice from many teams, including yours is the use of PVC pipe to extend the table legs. I keep forgetting that detail........it would really be a back saver! Next time! :doh:

stallardmark said:

Nice clean setup, JD. Are those road cases for your WSM's? Very Nice :thumb:

From our first comp this year (and 3rd overall) to our second comp, I was able to eliminate about 30% of the crap we brought. It also took us 1/2 the time to pack! I made a checklist eerily similar to yours Greg and I'm still refining it and eliminating more stuff. The checklist is a must to make sure you dont forget the essentials and I really like how you organized by storage location (which I did as well), made packing the van a breeze last time out. Best of luck!

Click to expand...

Thanks!

Marking the storage locations is key to a quick inventory. I even took pictures showing how I loaded the smoker with stuff. It's amazing how much stuff is on that list. We have a lot of family that shows up at the events, so we need to bring extra stuff like plates, cups, forks, buns, extra pop and lots of lawn chairs. There's probably an extra storage box just for this stuff...........but it's worth it.

Thanks,