How does your competiton team work??

[Captain P.J.]

(Mods please move if this is in the wrong location. Thanks!)

Hey guys! I am in the process of starting a competition team (my first comp was just me and my wife with a couple of friends to tend the fire overnight) and want to know, from those that have been around the block a time or two, your team structure. Does everyone cook a category? Do they have a specified job or duty? How do you guys work it?

My plan is for me to still do all of the meat prep, seasoning and a majority of the cooking. I will have 2 other guys that will be making the trip to the competition. I also plan on having them split the overnight so no one has to stay up all night (I will have 2 char griller pro’s with SFB’s that need a little babysitting). We are planning on a full scale practice a few weeks before the actual KCBS sanctioned comp. Any help or tips are welcome and appreciated!! Thanks for looking!!

[Ford]

I cook solo and do everything. Get a runner but that's really about it. I pay all hte costs and take all the money. Sometimes a person will work with me but they hold thigns, open doors, etc.

[rksylves]

I'm in the same situation as Ford. I've been cooking alone long enough now that it would actually be hard to take on a partner. I wouldn't know how to divvy up the work load. A DB would be nice every now and then but even that isn't a big deal.

Russ

[tmcmaster]

I am in the same situation as above. I do everything, but I think it's because I am too darn stuborn to delegate. I have my step-son help out when he can, otherwise, it's me.

[Candy Sue]

Agree with all above, but I figure it's cause nobody likes me.

However you work it, just make sure there's a plan and all involved know what their job is. Best model I know is Chicks in Charge, 4 cooks each with a category. Each contributes contest start up money to cover entry fee, meat, etc. When a cook hits in the category, she gets the money and the trophy. Overall goes into a kitty for the next contest (if there's ever any). I was proud to be substitute Brisket Chick at Dillard years ago which is how I know the setup.

[Lake Dogs]

KCBS there's 2 of us, we split duties pretty much in half. I do most prep of meat, my
teammate gets the fire going in the cooker. We both monitor and trade off short
naps at night. I'm on Pork & Ribs, he's on Chicken and Brisket final prep.

MBN/MIM completely different. We have at least 4 of us; 2 primarily on Pork, 2
primarily on ribs, and possibly another 2 IF we're doing whole hog. The amount
of prep work is staggering compared to KCBS. Notice, I said minimum. We usually
really get involved in the ancillaries here, so a few of the wives usually get
involved at this point, so there's 6 to 10 of us, depending... Also the wives are
primary on tent set-up. MBN on-sites usually are blocked off (fencing of some kind), and tables and chairs and decorations. They also really drive the presentation set-up in the cooker. For the on-sites we split the presentation; I greet and explain the cooker, my KCBS buddy does all the meat presentation at the table (but we've swapped this a time or two). The other 4 guys pretty much are running around behind the scenes with next-meat prep, last meat clean-up, next table setting prep, etc.

[Ford]

Originally Posted by Candy Sue

Agree with all above, but I figure it's cause nobody likes me.

If I ever get a weekend off and can get down there, I'd be glad to help you. Of course I don't make a very good runner but I can wash dishes.

[Goddahavit]

Myself Wife and 8 year old daughter.

We share prep, site setup, I am the cook, and take the responsibility for our poor product, I build the boxes, she does the garnish(thank goodness) and makes the boxes nice and clean.

Wife and daughter run.


I admire the ones doing it alone, I don't think I could, I depend on them very much.

Ohh yea, stump cooker, and a guru, so no tending at night, I get a good 5-6 hours sometimes too much....

I think I would have issues with other cooks, on the team, If I mess up(like usual), then it is worse with others depending on me, and if they mess up, then what? the help with funds would be nice though...

Best advise, is a written time line, I follow it religiously, I do not need to go tinkering with timing, etc, every time I do, something goes bad...

Don't forget its FUN!!!

[Brewmaster]

We are a two man team (me and my BIL). We split the bills and the winnings 50/50. Most of the equipment is mine. My BIL handles the ribs from start to finish. Everything else is a joint effort. I am responsible for cooking and he is responsible for flavor profiles. This works out fairly well. We don't step on each others toes that much and respect each others opinion. This system works for us.

Cheers,
Nate

[Candy Sue]

Originally Posted by Ford

If I ever get a weekend off and can get down there, I'd be glad to help you. Of course I don't make a very good runner but I can wash dishes.

Ditto, Ford! Here lately I'm not getting out to cook much (I hate that!). I don't believe in doing dishes at a contest! Pan liners, disposable cutting boards, at least one spare full-size pan, toss dirties in the cooker and head home to the dishwasher!

I wish you great luck this weekend!

[Anchors Smokeshop]

I did my first competition this past weeked and it was a three man team, me, my father and my uncle. I did almost everything. Going forward, I will probably do competitions myself. It is a lot of work, but it is do-able. Make yourself a schedule and stick to it.

[getyourrubonbbq]

I've pretty much done all the comps I've entered alone. Sometimes I get volunteers to run.

[comfrank]

Our team consists of myself, a buddy, my wife, and sometimes his wife and/or her sister. My buddy and I do most of the cooking. I take chicken and brisket, he does pork and ribs. We each do our own prep, use our own smokers, and cut/pull our own meats. My wife does the boxes, makes last minute taste corrections, and is the chief of all things artistic. I sleep on site at night (brisket's on a Guru!), and he gets up in the middle of the night to prep pork and ribs. My wife sleeps at home (got to take care of the dogs).

If there's a dessert category, his wife is in charge of that. If there are other ancillary categories, my wife or her sister will do those. We all pitch in to clean, pack, etc.

I was used to doing all the cooking myself, and I have to admit that it was difficult to let go of ribs and pork, but now that I've done so it makes the contest a lot less stressful.

Great thread!

--frank in Wilson, NY
Doghouse Willie BBQ Team

[Ron_L]

We are a two person team, and it works pretty well. I do the meat trimming, my wife and I share in the prep work at the comp site, we do the boxes together, I handle the cooking, she handles the site decor and we split everything else.

Like candy we use a lot of disposables like pan liners and disposable cutting boards. The only dishes the we wash are things that will be reused at that comp Otherwise everything else goes into a hotel pan and into the cambro for the ride home. We found that we were re-washing stuff at home anyway, so why do it twice :)

[YankeeBBQ]

I drink most of the Tequila, Charlie drinks the Jack, Carlotta drinks mostly beer but sometimes hits the Jack and Coke (not good), Doug will drink most anything you throw at him. Of course we all hit the Dougjitos and like to share them with other teams.