Where to find non-KCBS comps?

Honestly; google.

Searching....

By the way, in most of these competitions (sanctioned, I mean) you can enter just 1 or 2 categories, pay only those fee's. I've seen more than a few competitions catering to local folks have unsanctioned competitions for a few years, then change over to sanctioned competitions. The problem is that the guys who did fairly well against little to no competition didnt fare so well against tough competition. The problem, as I saw it from a competitors eyes, is that they didnt learn anything. Meaning, there's no particular reason to compete in non-sanctioned competitions, unless you just like that particular competition, IMHO.

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Check both the MABA and NEBS websites. There are a lot of one day events in our region.

Check out Cue for a Cure http://www.bbqcookoff4acure.com/ Hatfield Pa.

IL bbq society they have backyard comp dates.

Quite a few of the KCBS sanctioned comps also have backyard categories. If you check the KCBS website for events in NJ and neighboring states if you click the comp listing it will give you additional information and most have a website link for the organizers. Sometimes you have to dig all the way down to the registration form to see if their are backyard categories but well worth it. Backyard comps along side a KCBS event are the best for new teams looking for experience and feedback.

If you are looking to further your skills and one day in the near future do some 'serious' competing, then I'd skip the unsanctioned contests, especially the backyard divisions of the unsanctioned.

Those are usually politically-laden judging procedures with the judges being local "celebrities" who also know many members of the teams that will end up winning. Sorry, but that is just the way I have seen it happen. Flame on...

Like Lake Dogs said, there are some KCBS (or other) sanctioned contests where you can simple pay roughly $75 per meat category and do those.

It costs a little more than the $250 to enter a contest. We are an 'old-school' team with nothing but some pop-up tents, utility trailers and what appears to be 3 tractor-trailer loads of stuff spread out after we set up. It is costing us somewhere in the neighborhood of $675 including a $250 entry fee, meat, rubs, sauces, pans, AL foil, etc. That does not include gasoline.

We have pared that down to minimum bare bones spending, too. Take that and look at the folks that are dragging in a $65,000 5th wheel toy hauler with a $55,000 pickup truck and diesel at $4.25/gallon and you're not even amortizing the expenses with winning GC every contest.

Our contest calendar lists all events from all sanctioning organizations as well as unsanctioned events.

http://www.thesmokering.com/index.php/component/webring/?controller=calendar

We actually learned about a bunch of small town comps by attending a big comp... people come buy with fliers trying to more cookers in their small town comp. The money isn't the issue with us... We entered a MBN for about $350 and got 2 little plaques but we were so pumped it didn't matter what the entry fee was! it was worth it!