Hi!
Never officially got around to introducing myself on here, but I'm happy to say its a great forum. One where I've learned alot by reading...rather than speaking.
Almost a year ago, my lifelong friend and I attended SummerFest in New Holland, PA. We hung out and watched for 6 hours on Saturday, and both walked away knowing we wanted to get involved. I picked up George Hensler's book 'Startin' the Fire' and read it right away....a few time in fact.
Well.... It all started with my lg. Big Green Egg and a dream. We both took the KCBS cert. judging class in April, to get a better idea of what a judge looks for. We had a good friend make us a logo, bought domains (just for a simple website that I'm now having redone) and started a plan.
Now, we're using that Egg, 2 UDS (we built) and a Traeger. We also took the plunge on a small (6x10) enclosed trailer...just weeks before our first contest this past June.
The past nine months have been nothing but family, work...and barbecue. Researching, watching, listening, and (mucho) practicing. I was lucky enough to help a great team here in PA (Hog Feathers BBQ) in May (Smoke in the Valley), and really got a much better idea of how it all worked when on site. Good people like Mark from Hog Feathers confirmed my thoughts that bbq'ers are great folks! Our wives and family have been very supportive and understanding of the time (and money) we're putting into things.
In our first contest (Smokin' Kobys/Cabela's Hamburg PA 'non-KCBS') this past June, we rolled in very, very late...and were SUPER unorganized. Worst part may be, I may have been the closest in proximity to the contest from home. We were a total mess, but somehow kept each other on sound ground through the night.
In the end, we earned Reserve Champ with a 2nd in chicken, 5th in ribs, and 2nd in brisket. The contest was only these 3 categories...with a mix of cert. judges and local celebs.
Honestly, I never felt like a bunch of time and effort had paid off. I know things well enough to know next contest might be a bomb. But either way, we're committed to trying our best and see where it may lead. Our 2nd contest (and first KCBS) is this coming weekend in Cumberland, MD (Mountain Maryland BBQ).
I'm very happy to say.... We're buttoning up some mods on our trailer tomorrrow night. We've already re-organized and pretty much changed our whole cook-site setup and plan for this event. Was lucky enough to purchase some equip at a great price (EZ UPS, Tables, Coolers,) from a local pitmaster and good friend a month or so ago. Our cooksite will be so much more organized and appealing now.
That first experience was a nightmare....but made the results so much sweeter in the end, I guess. So, so much to learn! Looking forward to it all.
Hope this might inspire anyone out there who is 'thinking' about getting into competitions!
Never officially got around to introducing myself on here, but I'm happy to say its a great forum. One where I've learned alot by reading...rather than speaking.
Almost a year ago, my lifelong friend and I attended SummerFest in New Holland, PA. We hung out and watched for 6 hours on Saturday, and both walked away knowing we wanted to get involved. I picked up George Hensler's book 'Startin' the Fire' and read it right away....a few time in fact.
Well.... It all started with my lg. Big Green Egg and a dream. We both took the KCBS cert. judging class in April, to get a better idea of what a judge looks for. We had a good friend make us a logo, bought domains (just for a simple website that I'm now having redone) and started a plan.
Now, we're using that Egg, 2 UDS (we built) and a Traeger. We also took the plunge on a small (6x10) enclosed trailer...just weeks before our first contest this past June.
The past nine months have been nothing but family, work...and barbecue. Researching, watching, listening, and (mucho) practicing. I was lucky enough to help a great team here in PA (Hog Feathers BBQ) in May (Smoke in the Valley), and really got a much better idea of how it all worked when on site. Good people like Mark from Hog Feathers confirmed my thoughts that bbq'ers are great folks! Our wives and family have been very supportive and understanding of the time (and money) we're putting into things.
In our first contest (Smokin' Kobys/Cabela's Hamburg PA 'non-KCBS') this past June, we rolled in very, very late...and were SUPER unorganized. Worst part may be, I may have been the closest in proximity to the contest from home. We were a total mess, but somehow kept each other on sound ground through the night.
In the end, we earned Reserve Champ with a 2nd in chicken, 5th in ribs, and 2nd in brisket. The contest was only these 3 categories...with a mix of cert. judges and local celebs.
Honestly, I never felt like a bunch of time and effort had paid off. I know things well enough to know next contest might be a bomb. But either way, we're committed to trying our best and see where it may lead. Our 2nd contest (and first KCBS) is this coming weekend in Cumberland, MD (Mountain Maryland BBQ).
I'm very happy to say.... We're buttoning up some mods on our trailer tomorrrow night. We've already re-organized and pretty much changed our whole cook-site setup and plan for this event. Was lucky enough to purchase some equip at a great price (EZ UPS, Tables, Coolers,) from a local pitmaster and good friend a month or so ago. Our cooksite will be so much more organized and appealing now.
That first experience was a nightmare....but made the results so much sweeter in the end, I guess. So, so much to learn! Looking forward to it all.
Hope this might inspire anyone out there who is 'thinking' about getting into competitions!
