[bcis93]

Entered the Fiddlin’, Brewin’, Bar-B-Q’n Tennessee State BBQ Championship Cookoff this weekend. This was my first contest to compete in. My cooking buddy Jeff had only used his NB Black Diamond Smoker (my old one that I gave him) twice. I use a NB Bandera Smoker. The Backyard Division required you to cook Chicken & Ribs. We do Brisket & Ribs so we entered the Pro Division. Our plan was to just do ribs & brisket but once we got there the cookoff staff suggested we enter all four classes. I was hesitant cause I have only cooked 1 butt in my life and I have always done chicken on a grill. We decided to give it a shot anyway. There were 85 teams including some big names like “Blinddog’s Outlaw BBQ” & “Music City Pig Pals”. I expected to finish 85th. If we had a good time and learned from our experience it would be a success. That was our goal. Anything better, would exceed our expectations. Out of 85 teams we finished 54th! I am STOKED! We beat 31 teams! I can’t believe it! We finished 64th in chicken, 42nd in Ribs, 58th in Pork, & 45th in brisket. Several competitors that gave us advise with lots of experience finished below us! What a great experience! We are already thinking of ways to make our Q better. Cant wait till the next one!