Barefoot BBQ
Knows what a fatty is.
- Joined
- May 27, 2014
- Location
- Columbus...
From my last few results, POORLY!
Hot N fast. I get a full night of sleep at a hotel and fire is lit at 5am.How do you cook if you're asleep at a hotel? LOL
That is truly awesome! Congrats and I tip my hat to you. I would love to be in a position to dig in and take my shot at this as well but just too many outside factors at this point in my life to take that kind of risk.
And I don’t know how many teams realize this, but I came to realize a couple of seasons ago that guys like me can’t really compete with guys like you week in and week out. Sure, can I have a real good cook and land on a couple of good tables and beat you or someone like you in a category or two? Yes. Can I even maybe have a great overall cook and possibly finish higher at a comp overall than you? Perhaps.
But to truly be great at something requires commitment and time and practice to create great skill. Folks that are cooking 35 plus contests per year and doing restaurants and or catering on the side will fire up their smokers more in a month than I will all year. I have come to accept that guys like me are there at contests to fill out the field and make sure there is plenty of prize money for guys like you to take home. Lol. I realize that if I truly want to be able to compete on the circuit more consistently then it’s on me to find a way to fire my smokers up more and practice more to increase my skill level.
But you know what? I love being at contests, I love the whole BBQ culture. And even though I know we are fighting long odds of winning at most contests, I still love doing it. We’ve had enough success to know that we are gonna eventually pop a grand at some contest in the future and that will feel wonderful. But I also know that will never be the norm for us because of time limitations and quality of competition from folks like you.
In the end it’s al good because I just love being around it and meeting great folks and learning all the time. And I never resent being at contests with teams that compete all the time. I actually love being in tough fields at comps because I love trying to match up against them and see if I can pull the upset. Lol. I have tremendous respect for people that do this all the time like you do. It’s damn hard work and you’ve found a way to make it work for you! Very cool indeed.
I ask "How much?" quite often.
Just because you aren't rich and have a budget don't mean you can't do this and be competitive. It's knowing where to spend the money and where to save. I'm a low budget team and have held my own pretty well.
Glad to see you posting again.
Your definition of low budget and mine is completely different. :becky:
Low budget to me is 2 ez ups and 3 homemade drums. Not a new trailer with an Outlaw on the back.
With that being said, this hobby is damn expensive. No way around it. I started like everyone else with a pop up and a couple of basic smokers. It morphed into the monster it is now. Has it been worth it? Depends on what day. But the feeling of your name being called last is unreal.