www.barbecuecoach.com ?

[TrustTheDust]

This could be placed in the competition Q section, but i have seen lots of training type threads over here so...

Anyone heard anything about this site?
http://www.barbecuecoach.com

I also saw they have books for sale too.
http://www.bbq-book.com/

I am getting into competition cooking this summer and want a good head start. these sound like a gimmicky "All Secrets Revealed!!!" kind of deal, but let me know what you think.

Any other suggestions for a comp noob besides practice/reading every inch of this board?

Thanks!

[bigabyte]

From what I have observed over the years, your best bets are to offer to help other teams, that will give you some great ideas. Also, take a CBJ course to learn more about what judges are looking for, then judge some comps to get an idea of what people are turning in. You can post sample turn-in boxes here to have people judge your box, and look for responses from the CBJ's, this will help you get your box set-up nailed down ahead of time.

[TrustTheDust]

Originally Posted by bigabyte

From what I have observed over the years, your best bets are to offer to help other teams, that will give you some great ideas. Also, take a CBJ course to learn more about what judges are looking for, then judge some comps to get an idea of what people are turning in. You can post sample turn-in boxes here to have people judge your box, and look for responses from the CBJ's, this will help you get your box set-up nailed down ahead of time.

So... do you need some help?


I did participate in the GAB last year helping judge as a non-certified help. But I do plan to get KCBS certified and do more of it this year.
Thanks for the tips.

[bigabyte]

Originally Posted by TrustTheDust

So... do you need some help?


I did participate in the GAB last year helping judge as a non-certified help. But I do plan to get KCBS certified and do more of it this year.
Thanks for the tips.

Trust me, you don't want my help. I am a comp noob, a longtime comp noob. I do not compete regularly enough to be anything more than a noob. I only know all this because I've been looking at it from this same perspective as a noob for a few years, and this is always the advice doled out by the guys who are the REAL experts. I've seen people who took that advice go on and do very, very well. Many members here went from being a noob to winning comps, they can chime in with their thoughts, and I'm sure they will. In the end, you have to compete a lot more than i do to really get anywhere IMHO.

There is a subforum in the Competition BBQ forum specifically geared to help you called BBQ Brethren Team Mentoring. You might want to make a post over there and see what comes up.
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=49

BTW, have you signed up fro a CBJ class? I'm attending the one in May in Overland Park. Maybe I'll see you there?

[TrustTheDust]

Originally Posted by bigabyte

Trust me, you don't want my help. I am a comp noob, a longtime comp noob. I do not compete regularly enough to be anything more than a noob. I only know all this because I've been looking at it from this same perspective as a noob for a few years, and this is always the advice doled out by the guys who are the REAL experts. I've seen people who took that advice go on and do very, very well. Many members here went from being a noob to winning comps, they can chime in with their thoughts, and I'm sure they will. In the end, you have to compete a lot more than i do to really get anywhere IMHO.

There is a subforum in the Competition BBQ forum specifically geared to help you called BBQ Brethren Team Mentoring. You might want to make a post over there and see what comes up.
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=49

BTW, have you signed up fro a CBJ class? I'm attending the one in May in Overland Park. Maybe I'll see you there?

I think Smoke&Beers and i will both be attending that CBJ class if the date works out. I will be there for sure.

[Jorge]

There is a lot of info in the Comp forum. Beyond that, I'm cooking in Pleasant Hill, Mo. the first weekend in April with some good friends from this forum. You are more than welcome to come by.

Beyond that, I know that Rod Gray (Pellet Envy) does a great class and you might find one fairly close to you during the year. I've taken his class, and he lays it all out there. Process, ingredients, and he'll answer any question you may have. I wouldn't try to beat Rod with his own recipe and process, but I came home with a lot to think about that really helped me when I sat down to look at they way I'd been cooking for a long time.

[CivilWarBBQ]

I know both Bill and Lee of Chatham Artillery, and they are solid competition cooks.

For a totally green cook starting out in KCBS comps, their book is probably a good investment. It doesn't contain anything you can't learn elsewhere, but to do so you would have to spend hours searching online or hundreds to take a class. Thirty bucks to have much of the basic competition information compiled in one place is a pretty good deal IMO.

Dunno about the paid forum subscription though - you can probably do just as well hanging here or one of the other popular free BBQ forums online.

[Smokin' Gnome BBQ]

I was wondering about this one myself. I contacted them and asked how much for the DVDs? They only offer the subscription. To get all the catagories its $500.00 and you can view them as much as you would like on line.

If a championship team offered their class on dvd or video, I would shell out a couple of hundred (or more) $$ for it. That way I could watch what I wanted to when I wanted to.

Sal

[Finney]

Chatham won 4 Grands last year. I don't know how much of what they did to win those is on the videos. I thought about getting them when they were 1/2 price but Bill sent the email late in the day, the day the 1/2 price offer expired.

As a side note, Lee is no longer part of Chatham Artillery... he is cooking this year as Sweat's BBQ. We'll have to see how Bill does without him.

[pahutchens]

Originally Posted by TrustTheDust

SNIP
I also saw they have books for sale too.
http://www.bbq-book.com/

I bought the Book P.B. (pre brethren) was pleased with it at the time of purchase. It was a late season purchase so I only did a couple of cooks using it so far. Will probably margin note it with brethren diversity of views and technique. Taking the CBJ class in a month.

[TrustTheDust]

Originally Posted by Jorge

There is a lot of info in the Comp forum. Beyond that, I'm cooking in Pleasant Hill, Mo. the first weekend in April with some good friends from this forum. You are more than welcome to come by.

Beyond that, I know that Rod Gray (Pellet Envy) does a great class and you might find one fairly close to you during the year. I've taken his class, and he lays it all out there. Process, ingredients, and he'll answer any question you may have. I wouldn't try to beat Rod with his own recipe and process, but I came home with a lot to think about that really helped me when I sat down to look at they way I'd been cooking for a long time.

Hey Jorge, thanks for the tips. I am currently enrolled in a class on Briskets and Butts later this month with Chris Marks @ Backyard Bash, and will be PMing you when it gets a little closer to April. I would really like to see how you run things over there, and am more than happy to lend a hand if needed.

[TrustTheDust]

Originally Posted by CivilWarBBQ

I know both Bill and Lee of Chatham Artillery, and they are solid competition cooks.

For a totally green cook starting out in KCBS comps, their book is probably a good investment. It doesn't contain anything you can't learn elsewhere, but to do so you would have to spend hours searching online or hundreds to take a class. Thirty bucks to have much of the basic competition information compiled in one place is a pretty good deal IMO.

Dunno about the paid forum subscription though - you can probably do just as well hanging here or one of the other popular free BBQ forums online.

Awesome, that is kind of what i was thinking...(going the book route) I figured if it saved me from totally farking up a good cut of meat, that it would be worth its weight right there.

[TrustTheDust]

Originally Posted by Smokin' Gnome BBQ

I was wondering about this one myself. I contacted them and asked how much for the DVDs? They only offer the subscription. To get all the catagories its $500.00 and you can view them as much as you would like on line.

If a championship team offered their class on dvd or video, I would shell out a couple of hundred (or more) $$ for it. That way I could watch what I wanted to when I wanted to.

Sal

I think you might have an interesting idea right there. On a side note, I do video production for a day job, just saying...

[motoeric]

I'm not a competition cook, so take this with a grain of salt: I would suggest that you volunteer at the judges booth at as many comps as possible. If you can judge, great. If you can't, help with turn-ins and clean up.

You will get the opportunity to see a wide variety of turn-ins, check out box layouts and kibitz with the judges to learn what they are looking for.

Eric

[CivilWarBBQ]

Originally Posted by Finney

As a side note, Lee is no longer part of Chatham Artillery... he is cooking this year as Sweat's BBQ. We'll have to see how Bill does without him.

Now that I didn't know.

Chatham's fortunes faded when the two broke up before, so it will be interesting to see if either is successful at going it solo in 2010.