Here's my take on what makes a BBQ champion.
Over the top attention to detail is my number one.
The big winners are obsessed. There is an old story about Mike Scrutchfield where he cooked chicken 60 times in 60 days to get it right. That story is true. Mike was the first cook I know of that tried to cook his food to manipulate the judges into giving him all 9's. He was one of the best when he cooked. We all learned then that you had to pay attention to every detail. Before that, guys just cooked some BBQ and hoped their's was the best that day. Some of the "legends" of BBQ were very good at that, but faded fast when this new way came to be.
I've had the pleasure of cooking with guys like Chris Lilly and Myron Mixon, Dirty Dick and Fast Eddy, and I gotta tell you, these guys get real serious. Another new guy that has that same look in his eye is Adam Perry Lang. These guys go into the zone. It's a waste of time even talking to them. Everything from the lettuce, to the wood to the brush they use for BBQ sauce is as good as it can possibly be, or every effort possible will be made to fix it. No excuses. I suspect Kevin is like this too. There are others.
Practicing all the time is a close second, and probably fits under the obsession title anyway. It's easier for the guys with restaurants, but not exclusive to them. And I mean practicing everything. Don't skip presentations. The food doesn't always fit in the box like you think it will.
For me, I must admit that my current BBQ life leaves me a little short of this obsession. I have too many distractions to do all the things that need to be done, but I'll be back.
