Pelkster
Full Fledged Farker
- Joined
- Feb 9, 2011
- Location
- Boston, NY
Flyers Fans are cool. Everyone else is just jealous :becky:
Pre-Comp Jitters?
- Thread starter jcpetro97
- Start date
Flyers Fans are cool. Everyone else is just jealous :becky:
HarleyGirl14226
Full Fledged Farker
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2010
- Location
- Amherst, NY
Jealous that their team is home playing golf right now??? Or that they have to wear Orange? :laugh:
BBQ_Mayor
is Blowin Smoke!
- Joined
- May 14, 2007
- Location
- Cambridg...
At my first comp I was a wreck. Slept maybe 45min the whole night. But that was years, years, years, and years ago..
. Now it's second nature traveling, setting things up, prepping, cooking and even clean up but I'd be lying if I said I don't get nervous, jittery or exicited. I love the feeling!
Just have a good time, thats the only thing your guaranteed, everything else is left up to others.
Good Luck!
. Now it's second nature traveling, setting things up, prepping, cooking and even clean up but I'd be lying if I said I don't get nervous, jittery or exicited. I love the feeling!Just have a good time, thats the only thing your guaranteed, everything else is left up to others.
Good Luck!
Pelkster
Full Fledged Farker
- Joined
- Feb 9, 2011
- Location
- Boston, NY
Orange is a cool color. And as far as playing golf...if the :icon_devil's keep playing like they did last night, they won't be far behind on the tee time list.
HarleyGirl14226
Full Fledged Farker
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2010
- Location
- Amherst, NY
Touché...
didisea
Take a breath!
- Joined
- Nov 9, 2011
- Location
- Everett, WA
Set realistic goals for your comps. 1st comp should be:
Turn in all meats and on time. No DAL, and have fun.
Second Comp - No blocking and tackling errors, or at least don't make the same mistakes twice. I always have a problem remembering to check the dampers on the smoker when firing it up. Sure enough, I did it in the first comp this year. My dampers were shut, fire wasn't where it needed to be and I got behind. Write those "checks" into the cook plan. Which leads to the next good piece of advice, don't panic.
Third comp - assess your scores from the judges and look at what needs to be fixed, I'm not sure how you get your scoring, but look at what parts are not scoring well and ask yourself what went wrong to cause that score, and do I NEED to change something to fix it, or were you just judge farked.
Turn in all meats and on time. No DAL, and have fun.
Second Comp - No blocking and tackling errors, or at least don't make the same mistakes twice. I always have a problem remembering to check the dampers on the smoker when firing it up. Sure enough, I did it in the first comp this year. My dampers were shut, fire wasn't where it needed to be and I got behind. Write those "checks" into the cook plan. Which leads to the next good piece of advice, don't panic.
Third comp - assess your scores from the judges and look at what needs to be fixed, I'm not sure how you get your scoring, but look at what parts are not scoring well and ask yourself what went wrong to cause that score, and do I NEED to change something to fix it, or were you just judge farked.
Shot Fairy
Well-known member
- Joined
- Aug 17, 2010
- Location
- Woodrige...
You will definitely be having a case of the nerves . . . It's a guarantee. Try to relax and have fun. If your comp is having a 9:22, BE THERE! As a first timer, you need to make sure you enjoy the experience. What I find to be the most important advice, is this: Photograph each and every box you turn in.
Trust me (and we have not been in this as long as a number of the regular posters), what you think is a rockin' box in the beginning will make you shake your head two comps later.
Next most important: Make sure you have a bad-weather backup plan. We have found that canvas tarps are more effective at keeping your canopy cool/dry and also lend weight in the event of a "highly rotational, rapidly approaching storm system", which we have had the priveledge of enjoying on multiple occassions so far. As far as the "freezing my *** off comment, if you haven't competed in a bowling alley parking lot in mid-February in northern Illinois (think high temps between -2 and 30 with snow and/or rain), you don't know what freezing your *** off is!! There are a number of brethren who can attest to that!! But it's soooo much fun!! SERIOUSLY!!
Trust me (and we have not been in this as long as a number of the regular posters), what you think is a rockin' box in the beginning will make you shake your head two comps later.
Next most important: Make sure you have a bad-weather backup plan. We have found that canvas tarps are more effective at keeping your canopy cool/dry and also lend weight in the event of a "highly rotational, rapidly approaching storm system", which we have had the priveledge of enjoying on multiple occassions so far. As far as the "freezing my *** off comment, if you haven't competed in a bowling alley parking lot in mid-February in northern Illinois (think high temps between -2 and 30 with snow and/or rain), you don't know what freezing your *** off is!! There are a number of brethren who can attest to that!! But it's soooo much fun!! SERIOUSLY!!
HarleyGirl14226
Full Fledged Farker
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2010
- Location
- Amherst, NY
What he said!
We went through our pics from our comps last year once the season was done and couldn't believe some of the boxes we turned in.
Now we know - take a look at that parsley again in the light of day - don't assume what you did at midnight/1am is really that good. :wink: I know they aren't supposed to judge the garnish, but let's face it - a big piece of parsley that is light green and wilted probably isn't going to look good to the judges...
El Guapo
Found some matches.
- Joined
- May 16, 2012
- Location
- Richmond...
JC,
That you are nervous tells me you are already way ahead of the game. Our first comp was the very first Roc City, which was ribs only. We rolled in without a care in the world - because we didn't know any better. Had we actually done some homework, as you have, we would have known we should have been a little nervous.
We have a few more comps under our belts now, and for what it's worth, here's a few things we have learned along the way:
1) plan your cook and cook your plan. Prep a timeline for your cook from beginning to end and stick with it;
2) Know that no matter how well you plan or how many contingencies you have in place, something is going to happen you didn't see coming - the temp dropping 20 degrees when the rain comes in, the small grease fire in your cooker when you are trying to finish chicken, etc. The best brisket we ever cooked came after our overnight cook was over-served and passed out and the fire went out. Stuff happens, but how you adapt and overcome is part of the fun;
3) make sure you stop once in a while and look around so you don't let the experience pass you by. Whenever I do I am always struck by how wonderfully absurd the whole thing is and it reminds me that first and foremost it is I about having fun with a bunch of fellow BBQ nuts.
Stop by and say hi at Roc City. We'll be in the back corner, actively adding to the aforementioned wonderful absurdity.
That you are nervous tells me you are already way ahead of the game. Our first comp was the very first Roc City, which was ribs only. We rolled in without a care in the world - because we didn't know any better. Had we actually done some homework, as you have, we would have known we should have been a little nervous.
We have a few more comps under our belts now, and for what it's worth, here's a few things we have learned along the way:
1) plan your cook and cook your plan. Prep a timeline for your cook from beginning to end and stick with it;
2) Know that no matter how well you plan or how many contingencies you have in place, something is going to happen you didn't see coming - the temp dropping 20 degrees when the rain comes in, the small grease fire in your cooker when you are trying to finish chicken, etc. The best brisket we ever cooked came after our overnight cook was over-served and passed out and the fire went out. Stuff happens, but how you adapt and overcome is part of the fun;
3) make sure you stop once in a while and look around so you don't let the experience pass you by. Whenever I do I am always struck by how wonderfully absurd the whole thing is and it reminds me that first and foremost it is I about having fun with a bunch of fellow BBQ nuts.
Stop by and say hi at Roc City. We'll be in the back corner, actively adding to the aforementioned wonderful absurdity.
jcpetro97
Full Fledged Farker
- Joined
- May 29, 2011
- Location
- Rocheste...
Thanks everyone! Looking forward to next weekend! I will try and see as many of you as I can. If you are around Saturday feel free to come see me too and say hello. Team name is Off Beat On Que
Cant wait!
Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk 2
Cant wait!
Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk 2
MattyB
Knows what a fatty is.
- Joined
- Jun 1, 2011
- Location
- Rocheste...
You can't miss our RV. It's filled with many leather-bound books and it smells of rich mahogany.
Pelkster
Full Fledged Farker
- Joined
- Feb 9, 2011
- Location
- Boston, NY
"English Baxter. You know I don't speak Spanish. What? You pooped in the refrigerator? And you ate the whole... wheel of cheese? How'd you do that? Heck, I'm not even mad; that's amazing. How 'bout we get you in your p.j.'s and we hit the hay."
