Cumming Duel

[MikeJ65]

The TOY race has exactly two teams left in it, and is very close to being over.

I might be wrong, but I think Tim needs 4 GC's to tie AND win the tie breaker. Of course, 3 wins in Cumming would help (if they get 35 teams to do the double turn-in).

 

[Gowan]

I'm curious what you mean here?

OK. Here is my perspective as someone who has spent the better part of the last two decades fooling with BBQ (or just a cranky old man if you prefer).

Comp BBQ used to be "low and slow"... and that phrase represented a culture as much as a cooking method. People gathered to cook outside, and while the meat was cooking they would wander between camps, socializing and swapping stories. You'd have to put a log in the firebox every 45 minutes or so and there was no shortcutting the process. Folks had no choice but to stay up and slow down; have a cold beverage, chat with the neighbors and enjoy the ride.

Being Americans, we have naturally done everything possible to speed up and automate the process while maximizing comfort and adding lots of expensive toys. Today's BBQ event has more in common with a truck stop parking lot than the festivals of the past - we wedge our giant aluminum boxes in and microwave some popcorn while we catch up on Game of Thrones. Around dawn we emerge from our cocoon long enough to crank our computer-controlled cooker up to 400 so we can cook our premium meat in a couple hours. Next we slather on a "secret recipe" that consists of mixing a few commercial products together. Finally we leave the air conditioned trailer to attend awards, where we will see some of the other cooks for the first time all weekend.

The next logical step in this progression is to condense the events themselves - why not pack two contests into one weekend? Heck, why stop there? How about three? Four? Maybe compress an entire season into one BingeBBQ Event week?

More efficient? Probably. Less effort? Definitely.
But I can't help but wonder about what we have lost in the pursuit of making competition barbecue "better", and I'm not talking about the quality of the food.

<end of philosophizing/rant (you choose)>

 

[Robert]

OK. Here is my perspective as someone who has spent the better part of the last two decades fooling with BBQ (or just a cranky old man if you prefer).

Comp BBQ used to be "low and slow"... and that phrase represented a culture as much as a cooking method. People gathered to cook outside, and while the meat was cooking they would wander between camps, socializing and swapping stories. You'd have to put a log in the firebox every 45 minutes or so and there was no shortcutting the process. Folks had no choice but to stay up and slow down; have a cold beverage, chat with the neighbors and enjoy the ride.

Being Americans, we have naturally done everything possible to speed up and automate the process while maximizing comfort and adding lots of expensive toys. Today's BBQ event has more in common with a truck stop parking lot than the festivals of the past - we wedge our giant aluminum boxes in and microwave some popcorn while we catch up on Game of Thrones. Around dawn we emerge from our cocoon long enough to crank our computer-controlled cooker up to 400 so we can cook our premium meat in a couple hours. Next we slather on a "secret recipe" that consists of mixing a few commercial products together. Finally we leave the air conditioned trailer to attend awards, where we will see some of the other cooks for the first time all weekend.

The next logical step in this progression is to condense the events themselves - why not pack two contests into one weekend? Heck, why stop there? How about three? Four? Maybe compress an entire season into one BingeBBQ Event week?

More efficient? Probably. Less effort? Definitely.
But I can't help but wonder about what we have lost in the pursuit of making competition barbecue "better", and I'm not talking about the quality of the food.

<end of philosophizing/rant (you choose)>

This^^^^^^^up here is the way it used to be. Our first cook-off was March 23, 1996. Things change, we know that. However, we still kick it old school somewhat. Other than having an air conditioned kitchen, we sleep outside or in our truck if the conditions warrant. Offsets, WSM's, pellet cookers, Jambo, Gravity feeds, drums etc we've followed the latest fad. We still have fun or we wouldn't be doing it. However, the past 4 or 5 years, the cost is beginning to put a damper on the fun. But the most important part is the friendships that have been made throughout the years. That's really what keeps us going. So yeah, now to make the rounds, sometimes we have to knock on a few doors. Sidewalks do get rolled up around 10: p.m. though.

Another old fat bald guy rant over (and thread high jack too).

 

[cpw]

OK. Here is my perspective as someone who has spent the better part of the last two decades fooling with BBQ (or just a cranky old man if you prefer).

Comp BBQ used to be "low and slow"... and that phrase represented a culture as much as a cooking method. People gathered to cook outside, and while the meat was cooking they would wander between camps, socializing and swapping stories. You'd have to put a log in the firebox every 45 minutes or so and there was no shortcutting the process. Folks had no choice but to stay up and slow down; have a cold beverage, chat with the neighbors and enjoy the ride.

Being Americans, we have naturally done everything possible to speed up and automate the process while maximizing comfort and adding lots of expensive toys. Today's BBQ event has more in common with a truck stop parking lot than the festivals of the past - we wedge our giant aluminum boxes in and microwave some popcorn while we catch up on Game of Thrones. Around dawn we emerge from our cocoon long enough to crank our computer-controlled cooker up to 400 so we can cook our premium meat in a couple hours. Next we slather on a "secret recipe" that consists of mixing a few commercial products together. Finally we leave the air conditioned trailer to attend awards, where we will see some of the other cooks for the first time all weekend.

The next logical step in this progression is to condense the events themselves - why not pack two contests into one weekend? Heck, why stop there? How about three? Four? Maybe compress an entire season into one BingeBBQ Event week?

More efficient? Probably. Less effort? Definitely.
But I can't help but wonder about what we have lost in the pursuit of making competition barbecue "better", and I'm not talking about the quality of the food.

<end of philosophizing/rant (you choose)>

I agree and disagree :biggrin1:, but I've only been doing this a few years. I have a trailer that I hide out in when it's hot, but I also look for contests that I know my "bbq" friends will be at so I have a chance to hang out and talk chit and catch up. Honestly that's half the reason I like to compete. It sure aint for the money.

Back to the original topic, I could care less about TOY points and jamming in as many contests in one day as possible to rack up points, but it I still think it's a great concept and am slightly interested in trying it out, more for the experience of it all.

 

[gettinbasted]

The TOY race has exactly two teams left in it, and is very close to being over.

Hmmmmm. After today in Wisconsin, there might be a little crack in the door!

 

[CBQ]

On the perfect perfect issue, the rules say ties are broken with computer draw. The board minutes show that they didn't know if SCORE used alphabetical order or if the order was actually a computer draw, but they changed the rule without investigating.

At the contest, the reps told the teams that it was alphabetical. That doesn't mean they were right about that, of course, but if it WAS a random draw, coincidentally the finishes WERE alphabetical. (1 - Little Pig Town, 2 - Quau, 3 -ZBQ)

It's surprising that nobody on the board knows how KCBScore works, but since it IS a dead even tie I think assigned the same points to all the perfect-perfects was the right decision.

 

[Burnt at Both Endz]

It's surprising that nobody on the board knows how KCBScore works, but since it IS a dead even tie I think assigned the same points to all the perfect-perfects was the right decision.

So we should just throw out the rules for some cooks? They could have flipped a coin.