I have to start off with the bright spot for the weekend... my 4 year old (almost five) daughter walked! She finished 3rd in the under 11 age group (out of seven kids) and got the first plaque of the day! I was about as proud of her as I could be! And she loves that award too! She did a small pork tenderloin stuffed with bacon and apple, rolled up, tied, given a pork rub and wrapped in bacon. Smoked in cherry (no apple at the contest). It was a LITTLE dry and not as tender as we would have liked. She had to be coaxed to go up and get the award. She was embarrassed! hehehe!
As for me, not good, guys... There were only ten teams in this. Finished 4th in ribs, 7th in brisket and 7th in chicken. And DAL in pork which shocked the living crap outta both myself and Wayne! Wayne came down to help out give me some pointers and assist at turn-in time. We both though we had NAILED the pork in all three areas and ended up getting HAMMERED by two judges! I'll have to get pictures posted as soon as I can find my cable to download from my camera (daughter lost it at the contest). When I hadn't gotten my name called after the got to the money places (1st through 3rd), Wayne said I had it. We both got pretty excited when 2nd place wasn't me... and when they called someone else for first, I think I was visably unhappy (hope not too bad). Overall, a hugely disappointing 7th place. I felt like I was on an uphill battle with little concentration all weekend. Maybe lack of time to prepare? Maybe 3 contests in 4 weeks? Who the heck knows? Anyway, a definite step backwards. But a learning experience just the same. One thing that was fun... they gave plaques to I believe 7th place and up with money to the top three in each category so even though I didn't finish very well overall, I still got to see how it feels to hear your team name called, walk up and accept an award. I don't HAVE to tell my family and friends around town there was only ten teams! LOL! So I got a 4th and two 7th plaques. Hey, hardware is hardware, right?
To top things off, had a heck of a time getting home. First, I about lost my WSM but got pulled over and secured it. Second, the cover and lid to my Weber Kettle flew off the trailer. My wife was following and was able to retrieve it before it got hit (only a small dent in the rim). Then, my $50 cover to my BSKD started to tear in the wind and before I got home, it had farking shredded and had pieces of vinyl and that nasty cottony stuff it's lined with flying out the back for miles!
Anyway, thanks Wayne for driving all the way down to Harrisonville to support and help me! Your help at turn-in time was awesome! Sharing my Newcastle and sending you home with some Q was a small price to pay for your expertice and experience! You're a great friend!