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Cooking Class or Not

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Smoky River BBQ

Knows what a fatty is.
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Ok...here is my question. Do you think that a cooking class is a necessity to win at comps, or can just plain ol' trial and error get it done? I am debating about a class, but there are none close to me. Thoughts? :?:
 
I don't think a class is necessary, you can win without the classes. The thing the class would be good for is to maybe shorten your learning curve some.
 
I'm really considering the myron mixon class in feburary down at his home in georgia,,, but not sure I can make it ,,might have to wait for another one,, but I do want to take one,,, think it would be allot of fun,, and very valuable in helping at comps.
 
The Myron Mixon class should be very informative and a fun getaway. He definately has championship credentials.

Most all the different classes are taught by folks that have won in different styles of contests. They won't teach anything that the crew here (or any other forum) points out and reccomends, but the chance to spend some quality time with a group of other serious and not so serious cookers and maybe learn a thing or two can't be all bad, if you have the time and money for that type of experience.
 
Tinybud said:
I'm really considering the myron mixon class in feburary down at his home in georgia,,, but not sure I can make it ,,might have to wait for another one,, but I do want to take one,,, think it would be allot of fun,, and very valuable in helping at comps.
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I've heard a lot of good stuff about this class & talked to Myron about it in Lynchburg. If my wife didn't just get layed off I'd be considering it.

For me the reason to take a class is to pick up the little things or to tweek something that will give me a couple more points here or there (And maybe introduce a new chicken cooking method to consider).

I wouldn't expect a class to make me a champion though any more than I would expect a couple of guitar lessons would get me a gig with Van Halen.

Tom
 
I was talking to RonL about his experience with the cooking class he just took. He said that one of the keys to it is to develop consistancy with your cooking. That claim can certainly be backed up by the many comp. cooks here like Rod Gray that are usually in the money.
 
It all depends on where you're starting point is at. A decent cook, who plans well and has spent some time on the forum asking or reading can gain a ton of insight to assist them in cranking out a decent performance.

I don't think classes are necessary to win at all, as many here have proven over time, but a comp class will help with some of the finer points, provide creative ideas to adapt to your own style etc and many do have a lot of fun hanging with other cooks as well.

Good Luck !!
 
i have taken classes and i have learned more from you all here and from trial and error and cooking an contest with other teams

york
 
We are big believers in classes. We took QN4U's class early, before we learned many bad habits, but then again we were so green that most of the information flew right over our heads. We repeated the class at the beginning of this year, which set us up for a pretty nice season. Taking the class for the third time last weekend, we can honestly say we STILL learned new things. It's as if your relative skill level expands what you infer from the same data presented.

We'd love to go do some other classes, but the travel involved, missed work and having two boys in school aren't making it look good at the moment.
 
If somebody is winning, and willing to share some of that info I'm willing to learn. After talking to several people that have taken the class, Rod Gray and Johnny Trigg will be getting some of my money this year.
 
DivaHerself said:
We repeated the class at the beginning of this year, which set us up for a pretty nice season. Taking the class for the third time last weekend, we can honestly say we STILL learned new things. It's as if your relative skill level expands what you infer from the same data presented.
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I wondered about that too. I thought about taking another class but given by different instructors/champs. Everyone does things just a little bit differently and the more info the better.

We learned a lot at our class - all the champs seem to have their thoughts about BBQ and its really interesting to hear why. The big focus for us was all the info about how to make a good rub/sauce. Being consistent was the theme with everything. Once you can consistantly produce the same results (whether good or bad) you are on the right track.

Taking all the information from a class and applying to what people do or say here has been unbelievably helpful. We havent won anything but it sure has been lots of fun in the process!
 
Smoky River BBQ said:
Ok...here is my question. Do you think that a cooking class is a necessity to win at comps, or can just plain ol' trial and error get it done? I am debating about a class, but there are none close to me. Thoughts? :?:
Click to expand...

people have won before there were classes.
 
We've taken classes in order from:

1. Texas Rib Rangers
2. Myron Mixon
3. Fast Eddie and Paul Shatte
4. Mike & Debbie Davis
5. Chris Lilly
6. Bart Clarke & Donny Teel
5. Rod Gray and Johnny Trigg

I can honestly tell you that we've taken something away from every class we've taken and have put little bits of it from each class into practice with our own style of Barbecue. Has it made us grand champion anywhere yet? No but we've improved from the bottom of the second half of the contests to a level of consistency that usually puts us in the top 10 consistently and gives us a shot at doing well. Last year in a two month span we had three reserves, a third, and a fourth and missed the Grand at Madison by .0006 of a point. So for us anyway it has helped and we had a wonderful time meeting these great people that teach the class and share their knowledge with us. Highly recommended!
 
True, people have won before classes, and without classes.

But look at it this way... If a class gives you a 3-4 comp boost in learning things competition oriented, and it costs you $300, that's saving at least $1200 in learning at comps along the way, maybe more, by saying you'd spend $500 for 3 comps to learn as much.

Heck, it costs less than a comp, and it's fun anyway. If you can afford the class, have fun and take it.
 
Double D's BBQ said:
We've taken classes in order from:

1. Texas Rib Rangers
2. Myron Mixon
3. Fast Eddie and Paul Shatte
4. Mike & Debbie Davis
5. Chris Lilly
6. Bart Clarke & Donny Teel
5. Rod Gray and Johnny Trigg

I can honestly tell you that we've taken something away from every class we've taken and have put little bits of it from each class into practice with our own style of Barbecue. Has it made us grand champion anywhere yet? No but we've improved from the bottom of the second half of the contests to a level of consistency that usually puts us in the top 10 consistently and gives us a shot at doing well. Last year in a two month span we had three reserves, a third, and a fourth and missed the Grand at Madison by .0006 of a point. So for us anyway it has helped and we had a wonderful time meeting these great people that teach the class and share their knowledge with us. Highly recommended!
Click to expand...

I'd say 2009 is your year !
 
My wife and I took a class from Paul Kirk. Good class and a lot of fun. Where we really improved our skills was hanging out with a client and very seroius competitor. He posts on several forums as Gordo, a frequent GC, he's been very sharing of bbqing technique. Emulate those that are successful, find folks that are will to share their skills and talents.
 
As Podge said people win without classes. Also win with classes. I really beleive it's up to you what you get out of the classes. If you can't cook decent BBQ now then most of the classes mentioned here won't help you that much but if you can compete and get some calls now then these classes will improve your results. How much depends on how you can translate what is taught into what you do. These classes won't be something you follow step by step but rather like Dallas says it's some things you take away from each class and add to your own style.

My results improved after taking classes by DR BBQ, Mike and Debbie Davis and Rod and Johnny in one year. In 2003 I took classes by Paul Kirk and USA Smoke and while I learned a lot I didn't know enough about competition to really apply what I learned then
 
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