i want to start my own bbq team??

juergenssmokehouse · 07-30-2012, 12:51 AM

what do i all need to do to do that i live in rockford,il

chambersuac · 07-30-2012, 05:29 AM

A a great place to start is the book "Starting the Fire" by George H. From the team Who Are Those Guys is (WATG on here)
Well written, informative, inexpensive.
Good luck and have fun

porkingINpublic · 07-30-2012, 07:10 AM

Friends with $ and a willingness to participate

roksmith · 07-30-2012, 08:17 AM

Stop by the Sam's Club event this weekend there and talk to some teams.

Wampus · 07-30-2012, 09:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by porkingINpublic

Friends with $ and a willingness to participate

Yes. Money and hard work are a MUST. Everyone must be able to equally pull their weight in both work and finances. It takes a bit of both to compete on a regular basis.

GreenDrake · 07-30-2012, 11:28 AM

Go "pit bi@#ch" for a team and get some insight. I just jumped in with a friend, first comp my turn in boxes were horrendous. Had a great time, still having a great time. There are some truly genuine and wonderful people in this game. Met a lot of great friends in the last few years doing this thing. You'll enjoy it.

Southern Touch BBQ · 07-30-2012, 11:39 AM

Exactly....befriend and offer to help a team for a weekend at an upcoming comp. That will be invaluable. Expect to wash dishes, clean etc.; but, you may get to help with more. Regardless, what you will learn will help alot.

Gowan · 07-30-2012, 03:36 PM

That first Pro trophy is going to cost you about $10,000, minimum. Make sure you have the cash or a well-heeled backer before you start down that road. Otherwise, stick to backyard where the learning curve and costs are less steep.

Pack-A-Smokes · 07-30-2012, 06:49 PM

I saw in the KCBS Bullsheet where you can send in your location and info and they will place it in the paper that you are looking for a team.
I kind of suckered my best friend into it. Sold it to him as just hanging out and drinking beer all night. He took over the chicken after the first year and we have been together ever since. You may be surprised how many of your friends and/or family would be interested.
One word of caution. Choose wisely. There are those who seem like they really will be OK, but are looking for more of a party. The best way to figure out just how into it they will be is to practice pretty often and tell them they have to be there for the practices and not just the competitions.

Pelkster · 07-30-2012, 09:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pack-A-Smokes

One word of caution. Choose wisely. There are those who seem like they really will be OK, but are looking for more of a party. The best way to figure out just how into it they will be is to practice pretty often and tell them they have to be there for the practices and not just the competitions.

Can't agree with this more. My so-called teammate never came out for practices, or if he did it was only for an hour or so. The day of my practice before our first comp this year he didn't show up until the very end, AFTER the food was already out and was being eaten. For the comps, he shows up after the set up is done, and at our local event, he never came back to help clean up, even though he lived right across the street!

bigdogphin · 07-30-2012, 10:11 PM

Get a clean up crew for when you are done cooking and your dog tired....

cmohr74 · 07-31-2012, 07:28 AM

Being a rookie competitor myself, it is hard to start out. I wound up starting off by going to 2 KCBS comps and a backyard and just walking around asking questions. Be respectful of finish line times and if someone looks like they are doing something team secretive, let them finish and come back. For me, starting off with a rib competition and a rib and chicken comp helped calm my nerves. I was able to get a taste of the competition world without getting overwhelmed. Read, read, read the brethren and practice, practice, practice. I too wound up helping two different teams so that I could learn what a competition was like. Help where they want help, hide when they want you to hide, and don't be lazy. The teams put a lot of money into these competitions, so make sure for their time and knowledge, you take care of them. I still til this day am grateful for the two teams that let me help them out that when I see them setting up will still walk over and help. I competed in one KCBS event and have more on the way. IT IS EXPENSIVE...and addicting. Have fun with it and don't be afraid to ask questions.

GreenDrake · 07-31-2012, 09:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pelkster

Can't agree with this more. My so-called teammate never came out for practices, or if he did it was only for an hour or so. The day of my practice before our first comp this year he didn't show up until the very end, AFTER the food was already out and was being eaten. For the comps, he shows up after the set up is done, and at our local event, he never came back to help clean up, even though he lived right across the street!

Yep, best to have your expectations out there. When I first started it was all about the fun of it, still is, but I wanted to win. Another teammate showed up late to the comp, didn't help do anything, pitch in financially or help with the workload at all, just brought a half rack of beer. I guess I may have been a bit stern in my requirements and expectations as we moved forward, after not asking him back I found that what I wanted out of it was different from my teammates, so I left that team and started my own.

Just showing up to cook at a comp is not the way you want to do it, the fun is getting better at it, learning, sharing ideas, practicing and collecting paychecks. Competing is a lot of fun, you'll love it. Just make sure you choose wisely. I have one other guy on my team, we like it that way. I am not a fan of doing it alone, done did that already.

K-Train · 07-31-2012, 07:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chambersuac

A a great place to start is the book "Starting the Fire" by George H. From the team Who Are Those Guys is (WATG on here)
Well written, informative, inexpensive.
Good luck and have fun

Thats a good call

Wampus · 08-01-2012, 01:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreenDrake

Just showing up to cook at a comp is not the way you want to do it, the fun is getting better at it, learning, sharing ideas, practicing and collecting paychecks. Competing is a lot of fun, you'll love it. Just make sure you choose wisely. I have one other guy on my team, we like it that way. I am not a fan of doing it alone, done did that already.

AGREED 100%.

I'm not a well seasoned competitor or anything, but for ME, the fun has been in the whole process, which includes the satisfaction of doing all the hard work as WELL as the successes and meeting new folks. We are a 2 man team and we like it that way. We've become very much in-synch and know what the next step is. This has come with many competitions so far this season and we truly improve more and more each time. The entire ride is the pay off for me, not just the awards ceremony.

07-30-2012, 12:51 AM	#1
juergenssmokehouse Knows what a fatty is. Join Date: 07-14-12 Location: machesney park,il	i want to start my own bbq team?? what do i all need to do to do that i live in rockford,il

07-30-2012, 05:29 AM	#2
chambersuac somebody shut me the fark up. Join Date: 04-02-09 Location: San Antonio, TX	A a great place to start is the book "Starting the Fire" by George H. From the team Who Are Those Guys is (WATG on here) Well written, informative, inexpensive. Good luck and have fun __________________ Dan IMBAS Certified MOINK Ball maker and IMBAS Sgt. At Arms. And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified. [Acts 20:32 KJV]

07-30-2012, 07:10 AM	#3
porkingINpublic is one Smokin' Farker Join Date: 09-30-11 Location: Beebe, ar	Friends with $ and a willingness to participate __________________ Myron Mixon Smoker 60 h2o

07-30-2012, 08:17 AM	#4
roksmith is one Smokin' Farker Join Date: 04-21-09 Location: Marietta, Ohio	Stop by the Sam's Club event this weekend there and talk to some teams. __________________ 4000 sq inch Wood Burner named Brutus - KCSB member/judge# 32129

07-30-2012, 11:39 AM	#7
Southern Touch BBQ Got Wood. Join Date: 06-29-11 Location: Rocky Mount, GA	Exactly....befriend and offer to help a team for a weekend at an upcoming comp. That will be invaluable. Expect to wash dishes, clean etc.; but, you may get to help with more. Regardless, what you will learn will help alot. __________________ Andy Southern Touch BBQ, Rocky Mount GA, Stumps Classic, Baby, Digi Q's

07-30-2012, 11:28 AM	#6
GreenDrake is One Chatty Farker Join Date: 06-21-10 Location: Right over there	Go "pit bi@#ch" for a team and get some insight. I just jumped in with a friend, first comp my turn in boxes were horrendous. Had a great time, still having a great time. There are some truly genuine and wonderful people in this game. Met a lot of great friends in the last few years doing this thing. You'll enjoy it.

07-30-2012, 03:36 PM	#8
Gowan is Blowin Smoke! Join Date: 08-08-07 Location: Cartersville, GA	That first Pro trophy is going to cost you about $10,000, minimum. Make sure you have the cash or a well-heeled backer before you start down that road. Otherwise, stick to backyard where the learning curve and costs are less steep.

07-30-2012, 06:49 PM	#9
Pack-A-Smokes On the road to being a farker Join Date: 09-13-11 Location: Johnson City, TN	I saw in the KCBS Bullsheet where you can send in your location and info and they will place it in the paper that you are looking for a team. I kind of suckered my best friend into it. Sold it to him as just hanging out and drinking beer all night. He took over the chicken after the first year and we have been together ever since. You may be surprised how many of your friends and/or family would be interested. One word of caution. Choose wisely. There are those who seem like they really will be OK, but are looking for more of a party. The best way to figure out just how into it they will be is to practice pretty often and tell them they have to be there for the practices and not just the competitions. __________________ Todd Lang 60DX 22.5 WSM x2 'There are two pains in life. There is the pain of discipline and the pain of disappointment. If you can handle the pain of discipline, then you'll never have to deal with the pain of disappointment,'- Nick Saban

07-30-2012, 10:11 PM	#11
bigdogphin is one Smokin' Farker Join Date: 05-12-09 Location: Sperry, OK	Get a clean up crew for when you are done cooking and your dog tired.... __________________ Jesse Movin' The Chains BBQ TEAM "Xquelibur" Black badazz Yoder Cimarron Custom Yoder Frontiersman II and YS1500 Reverse FEC 100 & Right Handed FEC 100 1 UDS Desert Thermapen W/ American flag Green Thermapen KCBS & PNWBA CBJ

07-31-2012, 07:28 AM	#12
cmohr74 Full Fledged Farker Join Date: 09-12-11 Location: Streamwood, Illinois	Being a rookie competitor myself, it is hard to start out. I wound up starting off by going to 2 KCBS comps and a backyard and just walking around asking questions. Be respectful of finish line times and if someone looks like they are doing something team secretive, let them finish and come back. For me, starting off with a rib competition and a rib and chicken comp helped calm my nerves. I was able to get a taste of the competition world without getting overwhelmed. Read, read, read the brethren and practice, practice, practice. I too wound up helping two different teams so that I could learn what a competition was like. Help where they want help, hide when they want you to hide, and don't be lazy. The teams put a lot of money into these competitions, so make sure for their time and knowledge, you take care of them. I still til this day am grateful for the two teams that let me help them out that when I see them setting up will still walk over and help. I competed in one KCBS event and have more on the way. IT IS EXPENSIVE...and addicting. Have fun with it and don't be afraid to ask questions.