Does beginners luck exist in BBQ Contests???

CrackerJack from KC

CrackerJack from KC

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So I am thinking about doing my 1st competition, but it doesn't really seem worth it to spend all the money if I don't really have a chance to win.

I know I cook really good Brisket and Pork, I could learn a thing or two on Ribs and have a lot to learn on cookin Chicken thighs.

So my question is, does anybody have any good beginners luck stories about doing well at their 1st ever BBQ Contest?
 
I have seen a guy win a GC in his first contest and I have seen first year teams like Big T's tear it up their first year. I think you make your own luck by how much time, detail and dedication you want to spend at that contest. If you want to show up and drink all night with your buddies, probably won't fare to well. If you show up and do your very best, pay attention, etc you might surprise yourself.
 
You never know unless you try! I would not enter into a contest (first time) and have the goal to win. My goal would be to learn as much as I can. Learn about how a contest is run, learn from my neighbors and most important..... have fun!!!!
 
What he said... There really is no luck, but just because you're competing in your first
or second competition that you can't do well. We had a walk in ribs on our first comp,
walked in everything our 2nd and RGC'd, then third comp was bottom 1/3rd in
everything... Not DAL, but very close to the bottom. I will tell you, we learned more from that 3rd comp than we ever did from the others.

Give it a try. Be prepared. Practice. Take a look at pics for turn-in boxes (as you
wouldn't ordinarily do this at home). I think you'll have fun. Oh, that's the big key:
HAVE FUN.
 
We never would have entered our first contest if we were concerned about winning right away. Our goal was to do our best, but also learn as much as we could. Definitely learned the value of appearance scores when we lost a tie-breaker for a call in brisket :redface:.

If you can make it to Osage City 4/9-10, feel free to look us up and hang out.
 
I am doing my first competition this year as well. I am going into it exactly as these guys have said; expecting to finish DAL!!! :) Then if I do, I won't be so surprised, and anything better than that is just icing on the cake!!!

Good luck with your competition!!


Brandon
 
Yes, first time contestants can and do perform well.

Plus, you have to start some time.

(We walked with a 4th place ribs call in our first sanctioned contest, about 50 teams. We were satisfied with that.)
 
My first comp was an IBCA comp Sept. 2009. I had a goal of not coming in DAL. I knew I would learn alot and meet some really cool people. Both of those happened and I ended up placing 6th in Ribs and 8th in Chicken.

Maybe you might want to start off with a smaller competition to see how you fare. You will definitely learn more and more every time you compete. I have my 5th comp. this weekend and know there is still much more to learn. Good luck!!
 
Our first comp we walked with a 2nd in Ribs and 1st in Pork and RGC. Our second we comp we finished 24 of 25. next comp 1st in Brisket and another RGC. You will never know until you try.
 
You never know if you don't try. We did our first one last year and practiced for 4-6 months before hand. We took 12th overall out of 80 teams and got a call for 9th in chicken. So, make sure to do some full set up practices and have a lot of fun.

I met a lot of people on here last year including the guys from Border War and there always willing to help. Don't be afraid to ask questions and just enjoy your friends and family!
 
Rob, thanks for the offer, but I am cooking Q for close to 200 people that following weekend at church, and we are doing a lot of our planning and shopping that weekend.

The contest I am looking at is


18th ANNUAL LAURIE HILLBILLY BAR-B-Q COOK-OFF ​
AUG. 6th & 7th, 2010

$7225.00 IN CASH PRIZES+TROPHIES & RIBBONS​
LAKE OF THE OZARKS REGION STATE CHAMPIONSHIP COOK-OFF​
KCBS SANCTIONED​

My parents live about 2 miles from there, so I would have easy access to anything I might have forgotten, plus a soft bed if I chose to sleep that night. About 75 teams competed last year, and I think a fellow Bretheren came home with the grand prize last year.
 
Our first contest out Parrothead and I finished

1st in chicken
1st in rib
3 rd in brisket
5th in pork

what sucked was it was unsanctioned and the organizer took HIGHEST individual score as the overall winner instead of cumulative. So a team with a single high pork score was considered GC. If it was KCBS we would have walked with GC and invites.



DSCN1117.jpg





that just proved to us anyone has a shot on any given day. But doing that the well first time out, we really got bit by the bug. We did well in the following 3 (kcbs)contests with 3 3rd place(overall) finishes in a row. That year, we did a total of 5 contests and finished top 5 in all of them.


My theory is that we ALL know how to cook BBQ when we enter a contest. But the real challenge and learning curve comes with learning how to compete.. how to produce your "A" product, in a 10 minute window. The term 'its done when its done', does not apply in a contest. Competition BBQ is all about hitting that bullseye at 12:00 12:30, 1:00, and 1:30.
 
You'll always be a beginner if you never enter !!!
Cook with Love and Love to Cook, it will show up in your finished product.
awards are just a really nice bonus !
 
We took first place in Ribs in Rochester last year (Ribfest, non KCBS) for our first ever competition...It happens

CrackerJack from KC said:
So I am thinking about doing my 1st competition, but it doesn't really seem worth it to spend all the money if I don't really have a chance to win.

I know I cook really good Brisket and Pork, I could learn a thing or two on Ribs and have a lot to learn on cookin Chicken thighs.

So my question is, does anybody have any good beginners luck stories about doing well at their 1st ever BBQ Contest?
Click to expand...
 
Take your time to learn as much as you can about competition style bbq, ask questions, visit contests, and perhaps take a class. Your hard work and preparation will pay off. Beginner or not, luck is a part of the equation, that is just a reality of the subjective aspect of of this sport. However, when it comes down to it, the cream will rise to the top. If you have what it takes--what the judges are looking for--yours will rise too.
 
I did my first comp in 2008.

I had simple goals: 1) No DQs. 2) Don't miss any turn-ins. 3) No DAL finishes.

Those goals were met, with a bonus 5th in brisket and 6th in pork. 11th overall out of 39.

A VERY successful first outing IMHO.
 
I just did my first contest this past weekend at the NKC snake saturday one. I placed 8th in brisket which is what I was concentrating on and we finished 64th overall out of 109 teams. I consider that 8th place HUGE in my book being my first time competing ever and there being alot of quality veteran teams.

My advice is to pull the trigger and do one. If you dont like it you dont have to keep doing it. Its definately a challenge and not worth the money per se. I do it cause I love cookin bbq.
 
yes, luck has a huge part of the end results. But you still have to cook good food. We have no input on which table our food is going. Some days, it's the right table. Other days, it's the wrong table...

Can anyone win on any given Saturday? Yes. The learning curve has been shorted the last few years with the detailed cooking classes that are going on. So you do see a bunch of guys hitting it big their first year. Is that all because of cooking classes? No it's not. but it sure does relate to a bunch of new teams...
 
Like most the others say, practice, study, learn, and go after it. Most of all have fun.
If your in this to make money, you have the wrong hobby.
As far as luck goes, I didn't well right out the gate winning a WSM for best rookie cook in my first contest.
Of course since then, the luck has past me over many many times. Maybe it will stop in and say hi one of these days. I miss you luck, come back to me. :pout:
 
Is it better to start in a backyard competition and move to the big leagues after getting a few competitions under your belt? Or just jump right into the KCBS/FBA/etc Pro sanctioned stuff?
 
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