Legal anywhere?

Coldholler · Nov 30, 2011

I have a pretty unique cooker -- it gets maybe 1/3 of it's heat from the firebox, and 2/3 from a propane burner 16" below the grill and shielded with a very thick plate. Here's a picture:

Question -- is there any competition category in which this might be legal? I'll blow away most other gassers (not literally -- it operates safely following the right protocol). This thing puts just as much smoke on the meat as most big stick burners I see, although maybe not as much as some of the vertical smokers. With a small firebox and just a 4" flue, I can only get the heat up to about 175 in the cook chamber with just smoke, though. That's with two chimneys of Kingsford Comp charcoal in the box and the oxygen wide open.

Sauced! · Nov 30, 2011

SCBA (South Carolina BBQ Assoc) allows gas so you would be good there. KCBS doesn't so you'd have to disconnect the gas once the food is on the pit.

dmprantz · Nov 30, 2011

Off topic, but where in Jackson County do you live? I lived in Forest Hills and Cullowhee for a while. That's where I first got into BBQ, cooking whole hogs for Pig Pickins with my family.

dmp

bbq.tom · Nov 30, 2011

Coldholler said:
Question -- is there any competition category in which this might be legal?

It would be legal in North Carolina Pork Council competitions. Basically, any cooker with any fuel. Large enough too, as the NCPC is "whole hog" only, with "on the grill" judging.

Let me know if you would like further information on NCPC. I compete in NCPC competitions and am also a CBJ for NCPC.

Coldholler · Nov 30, 2011

Cullowhee!

dmprantz said:
Off topic, but where in Jackson County do you live? I lived in Forest Hills and Cullowhee for a while. That's where I first got into BBQ, cooking whole hogs for Pig Pickins with my family.

dmp

I live in Cullowhee. Lots of friends in Forest Hills. Starting this past August, just after I got the pit, I do an annual pig pickin called "Buring Pig Festival." It's mainly for my little boys -- kids need cool traditions growing up...

Did you study at WCU, or work there?

Coldholler · Nov 30, 2011

Thanks and yes -- I'd like more info!

bbq.tom said:
It would be legal in North Carolina Pork Council competitions. Basically, any cooker with any fuel. Large enough too, as the NCPC is "whole hog" only, with "on the grill" judging.

Let me know if you would like further information on NCPC. I compete in NCPC competitions and am also a CBJ for NCPC.

I cooked a 140lb dressed hog in August, with just gas, before I added the firebox. It was a success -- took 17 hours at around 250. Itching to do it again with lots of smoke.

Here's my first attempt:

dmprantz · Nov 30, 2011

Coldholler said:
I live in Cullowhee. Lots of friends in Forest Hills. Starting this past August, just after I got the pit, I do an annual pig pickin called "Buring Pig Festival." It's mainly for my little boys -- kids need cool traditions growing up...

Very cool. Like I said, I remember many-a pig pickins up there, and they were always very fun. We always rented a large oil drum pit and cooked on that. I tried to do a pig pickin for my daughter's birthday party last year, and my wide was repulsed by the idea

Next year it's on though

Coldholler said:
Did you study at WCU, or work there?

Neither. My family lived and worked in the area, and I, being a kid, went where they did. I went to school at Camp Lab and went to summer camps at WCU and at Fairview Elementary. I remember when they built the Ramsey Center. I just got in touch with my best friend from the area a couple weeks ago. Coincidentally, a friend of mine from Memphis lives in Ashville and is about to get his graduate degree from WCU. Small world some times

JD McGee · Nov 30, 2011

Nope...not legal for comp meats here (PNWBA) unless you disconnect the propane.

TooSaucedToPork · Nov 30, 2011

Not legal for MIM, MBN.

Coldholler · Nov 30, 2011

In the Whee

dmprantz said:
Neither. My family lived and worked in the area, and I, being a kid, went where they did. I went to school at Camp Lab and went to summer camps at WCU and at Fairview Elementary. I remember when they built the Ramsey Center. I just got in touch with my best friend from the area a couple weeks ago. Coincidentally, a friend of mine from Memphis lives in Ashville and is about to get his graduate degree from WCU. Small world some times

Cool! Small world indeed. Not many doing BBQ here, but Cullowhee Fire Department still does its huge annual butt roast with the 15' high pile of hickory logs burning into coals the day before...

Coldholler · Nov 30, 2011

I'm good!

If it's legal in NC, I'd be good! Best of both worlds going on, here. Lots of flavorful smoke yet steady, easy temp.

Mainly, I'm thinking about how much I'd get to learn at a comp. I might just go to one first, and soak up the scene without any responsibility.

smokeyw · Nov 30, 2011

The next NCPC event will be in Newport NC. It is the largest whole hog competition in the country. They usually have about 80 teams. It will probably be the first weekend in April. Here is a link to the Newport contest. http://www.newportpigcooking.com/

This website will list the NCPC sanctioned events when they begin putting them out there for 2012.
http://www.ncpork.org/apps.ncpork.org/pages/bbqcookoff/index.jsp

Good Luck!

dmprantz · Nov 30, 2011

Coldholler said:
Not many doing BBQ here...

This begs the whole propane legal thing, but they've had KCBS competitions in Franklin (Where I also used to live), Johnson City (Where my father used to live), and Sevierville (where the Forest Hills family now lives) the past few years. They used to have a comp in Maggie Valley too, but I think it's done.

dmp

Lake Dogs · Dec 1, 2011

TooSaucedToPork said:
Not legal for MIM, MBN.

Not legal in GBA. I dont think FBA either.

bbq.tom · Dec 1, 2011

About NCPC:

The North Carolina Pork Council (NCPC) is the statewide advocacy organization that was chartered in 1962 to support producer and allied industry partners within the North Carolina pork industry. Today, the pork industry provides over 46,000 full time jobs and $9 billion to North Carolina’s economy. Representing 2,300 farms, NCPC is both a center of knowledge for pork producers and an advocate for professionalism and high social, ethical, and environmental standards in the pork industry. NCPC provides access to meaningful educational programs and services and leadership in public and industry affairs.

The North Carolina Pork Council’s objective for hosting and sanctioning barbecue contests is to increase public awareness of the pork industry within North Carolina, increase awareness of pork’s positive nutritional advantages, and to help local NC towns and communities generate funds for civic organizations or community relations.

The judges for the on-site competition are NCPC certified judges who score the pig based on criteria such as skin crispiness, brownness, and moisture. The judges go to each cook's site and, as the cook stands proudly by, scores the pig while still on the cooker.

Immediately after the cook is judged on-site, he has to create a blind taste sample of chopped barbecue blended with his secret recipe of spices or sauce. When he is satisfied with his sample, it is taken to the four blind taste judges. These judges focus on the texture and taste of the barbecue.

After the on-site judges and blind taste judges complete their scoring, the totals are tallied to determine the winner/contest champion.

This was from their website on competition.
I'll see if I can come up with any more information. Check out the website listed above.

smokeyw · Dec 1, 2011

Actually, very few of the NCPC events do a "blind taste". Of the dozen or so sanctioned events in a given year, only 3 or 4 do a blind taste. The NCPC State Championship is one of the ones that does. I like having a blind taste as part of a contest but I don't really like the fact that this part of the contest is done by un-trained judges, some of whom have no idea what good BBQ is. The judges are usually some celebrity type judges or local dignitaries etc.

bbq.tom said:
About NCPC:
Immediately after the cook is judged on-site, he has to create a blind taste sample of chopped barbecue blended with his secret recipe of spices or sauce. When he is satisfied with his sample, it is taken to the four blind taste judges. These judges focus on the texture and taste of the barbecue.

After the on-site judges and blind taste judges complete their scoring, the totals are tallied to determine the winner/contest champion.

bbq.tom · Dec 1, 2011

The NCPC contests that I've competed in have used the same judges from the "on-site" to do the "blind"; however, the NCPC contests that I've judged have either not had "blind" judging or used "celebrity" judges. The Seaboard Lions Club BBQ Contest this year used VIPs (Visually Impaired Persons) to judge the "blind" - rather fitting the blind judging the blind.

I was just reprinting what the NCPC website stated.

chad · Dec 1, 2011

Best of the Best sponsored by NBBQ News allows all comers. You just declare what you are cooking on/with.

smokeyw · Dec 1, 2011

You are correct about the Seaboard contest using visually impaired people for the "blind". However, the "blind" at Seaboard was not a part of the "onsite" judging. It was a completely separate contest and was done mostly for fun. I think it did pay $100. I think it was appropriate and well received since the money raised at the Seaboard contest goes to help the visually impaired. David runs one of the better organized contests in the state.

bbq.tom said:
The NCPC contests that I've competed in have used the same judges from the "on-site" to do the "blind"; however, the NCPC contests that I've judged have either not had "blind" judging or used "celebrity" judges. The Seaboard Lions Club BBQ Contest this year used VIPs (Visually Impaired Persons) to judge the "blind" - rather fitting the blind judging the blind.

I was just reprinting what the NCPC website stated.

bbq.tom · Dec 1, 2011

smokeyw said:
You are correct about the Seaboard contest using visually impaired people for the "blind". However, the "blind" at Seaboard was not a part of the "onsite" judging. It was a completely separate contest and was done mostly for fun. I think it did pay $100. I think it was appropriate and well received since the money raised at the Seaboard contest goes to help the visually impaired. David runs one of the better organized contests in the state.

I HIGHLY agree!!! This was the second year that I've judge his contest as a NCPC CBJ.

Legal anywhere?

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