Propane at KCBS contests

When the BOD votes on propane use I hope they will take the following into consideration.

1. Allowing propane will allow many additional makes of smokers to compete. This should open doors for increased sponsorship to both the KCBS and to contest organizers.

2. Allowing propane will allow restaurnat owners, caterers and vendors using top quality cookers to compete in KCBS contests with the rigs they use every day and with the fuel they use. Some may say it's an unfair advantage but we all know it's the cook not the cooker. So now more teams will try to compete.

3. IMHO the most compelling reason to allow propane. The average John Q public not a member of KCBS today and probably not even on these Forums and he will now be allowed to bring the grill they have on their back deck to a contest and compete against the big guys. Surveys say people choose propane over charcoal for backyard use by this group. Give them a chance to build smoke packages, or buy a higher end grill with smoker attachment and give them a chance. The KCBS expands their market, the contests gain more teams and the public is a lot more interested. Get John Q public to enter and invite all their friends to a contest. Then they find out what smoking is really all about. Everybody wins and the KCBS continues to educate the public about BBQ.

Fellow Brethren, I'd appreciate your comments understanding that the BOD will probably vote sometime late tomorrow or early Saturday. I've stated my reasons on why I think it's a good idea. I'm sure some have valid reasons why it's not. Maybe before the vote some BOD members will check this. Maybe not.

bigabyte said:

I'm not necessarily against the idea of propane, I agree with Ford it opens the door to more competitors/sponsors, and you still have to make good food.

However, I find it hard to imagine restaurant owners cooking their food the way they are used to in their restaurant having a chance in hell of winning. Just saying. I'll go back ot my corner now.

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Very well said. I put thousands of pounds thru my FE's last year and I cook differently than for a contest. Just need to keep the 2 apart. Until they learn that they will be field fillers who may occasionally be lucky.

crd26a said:

If you allow propane, just open it up to all methods, including electric. Whereas I see your points Ford, also consider the mission of KCBS

Our mission is to celebrate, teach, preserve, and promote barbeque as a culinary technique, sport and art form. We want barbeque to be recognized as America's Cuisine.

To me, to truly "preserve and promote barbeque as a culinary technique" doesn't include propane style cookers. To me, it brings forth the idea of an open fire, wood, and care, not of a weber gasser set to high searing a steak. Its two completely different things

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Good points but may I point out that nothing in the nission statement includes the phrase over an open fire. I agree many people hear promote and preserve and think open fire but the fire is the heat source and what makes good BBQ better isn't the heat source but the rubs, marinades, sauces and injections that cooks use and the ability to blend them to create the perfect piece of meat. That's a tradition that is passed from father to son or daughter and sometimes the other way around.

And have you ever tried to get a backyard gasser to keep 250f for a period of time like 10 hours? It's a lot more work that you tink. Now the big SP's are easier to use.