Roll Call. Inside 30 days. Tom's Farm Wild West Showdown December 31st 2010 - January 1st 2011, Corona, CA

Jeff,

It was great to meet you. Thanks for all the info you gave us about the banquet. Hope to see you again in a couple of weeks.

Benny
 
Funtimebbq said:
Jeff,

It was great to meet you. Thanks for all the info you gave us about the banquet. Hope to see you again in a couple of weeks.

Benny
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You too, Benny! And give Harry my congrats on a very nice two day run and for the entire season! See you guys at the banquet!
 
What a great event! To the Brethren that were there and those that I got to meet for the first time (and take shots with, thanks Dennis!) thanks for the fun time. Even though we didn't do all that well in the rankings we did take #2 in Ribs which is our highest placing ever, that was amazing. Plus our tamales were a big hit with the public so overall we had a wonderful time and look forward to seeing you all in the new year.
 
Jeff_in_KC said:
I TRIED to post this to the Brethren yesterday on my iPhone from the airport but it screwed up and it takes forever to type much more than a sentence or two on that thing so I'll try again now that I'm home...

I have many people to whom I owe a HUGE thank you for making it possible for me to be at the Wild West Showdown! Neil (Mista) for loaning me his Spicewine to cook on, along with a couple of tables. Steph (BBS) for loaning me various equipment that I could not get to California by other means (coffee pot, bus tubs, tables, cooler, chair, etc) and making sure I had sauces, cutting boards and pecan. Dennis (4 Smokin Butts) who had his driver stop in Missouri and pick up a bunch of my stuff and carry it on out to California with Dennis's rig AND for letting me use an extra canopy, a table and various tools I needed! AND for transporting all my stuff and trophies back to Missouri! Dave and Lori Lopp (Ribs Are Rockin BBQ Team and KCBS reps) who brought me a tent, air mattress, sleeping bag and a space heater). Then all of you who offered to help and who stopped by to introduce yourselves and see if I was doing alright or needed anything! You all made me feel very welcomed in California! Finally, and maybe most importantly... had it been necessary to pay $800 round trip on Southwest Airlines (which is what it showed after we won Demopolis and decided to go to CA), the plan would have been dead in the water right there... but my buddy Stan came to the rescue and gave up not one but TWO of his free credits on Southwest so that I could fly in and it only cost like $57 for the round trip! Thanks Stan!!

I'm so very grateful for all of you folks! Ultimately, we only held our TOY ground and came out no worse (except for chicken but that's another story) but at least I was able to be there and give it my best shot, thanks to all of you! Many thanks and our sincere appreciation!
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Glad to help out Jeff and it was great to see you!
 
It was great to meat you! You guys were great neighbors! Looking forward to cooking next to you again!

JiveTurkey said:
What a great event! To the Brethren that were there and those that I got to meet for the first time (and take shots with, thanks Dennis!) thanks for the fun time. Even though we didn't do all that well in the rankings we did take #2 in Ribs which is our highest placing ever, that was amazing. Plus our tamales were a big hit with the public so overall we had a wonderful time and look forward to seeing you all in the new year.
Click to expand...
 
Wow, what a weekend! My occupation is one that typically has seen me working on New Year's Eve for the last decade so it was not only great to have this particular weekend off but a special treat as well to have the opportunity to compete this weekend as well. This event sure was a lot of fun and a lot of hard work too as anyone who has cooked a "2-for-1" weekend already knows.

Henry Silvestre, our Event Organizer and Promoter, did a wonderful job putting this contest together and hit the curve ball of a late inning venue change right out of the park! He has done a fantastic job in his "first season" as an Organizer/Promoter and I'm sure his enthusiasm and passion will take his events to even greater heights. Thank you very much, Henry, for all the hard work you did to make these events happen for us!

We were very fortunate to have as our neighbors for the weekend Smitty's Smoke Patrol, The Smokin' Yankees, It Ain't Prime, All Hogs Go To Heaven, Brazen BBQ, BLQUE Cuttin' Edge QN and The Game Over Cookers. We have cooked many events alongside some of these folks and just a few events alongside others in this group and it was really fun to be able to spend so much time together during the contests. No matter what time of the day or night, there was always a few of us up doing something and the laughter and camaraderie we share at these events is priceless.

We would also like to thank our fellow Grand Champion this weekend, the All Sauced Up team, for co-hosting the traditional "pizza party" after the contest. We were lucky to have a great little pizza place, Ultimate Sports Pizza, right at the venue and they took great care of all of us who attended. Due to the layout of the teams at this event, it was the only chance we had to visit with some of our friends and this was a great way to do it. Thanks to all who attended!

Most of all, I would like to thank Alexa, my partner in both barbeque and, more importantly, life. Alexa and I have cooked 76 contests since we started competing in late 2006 and the chemistry we have together is something beyond my ability to describe. It just works. Barbeque has brought us some of the best friends we could ever hope for and we couldn't imagine not having our barbeque family in our lives. And I can't imagine not having Alexa in my life!
 
Awwwwwwwwwww!!!
hearteyes.gif
 
HEY! There's no sappy allowed in barbecue!!! :roll:

Oh wait... guess I blew that philosophy at Sam's Club's Invitational, huh? :redface:
 
Just a Visitor...

I am a "backyard guy" who spent the better part of New Year's Day eating samples of BBQ from some of the most talented pitmasters in the country. I can't think of a better way to spend the day.

I met up with Big Mista and even though I had met him just once at one of his farmers market events, he treated me like an old friend. Two booths down was Harry Soo, whose class I had taken a couple of weeks before. I was able to sneak a sample of his competition pork and it was just like he taught us in the class. Harry was just as personable and friendly in the middle of a competition as he was at the class; I think it says a lot about his character. The fact that Slap Yo Daddy finished 4th in the country says even more about his talent.

Speaking of characters, I spent a few minutes with Johnny Trigg of the Smokin' Triggers. I was prepared for him to be aloof and distant given the media exposure he has enjoyed. But he could not have been more charming and friendly. He chatted with me about the competition and travel. I only wished that I could have tried one of his ribs. Maybe some day.

I can't get over how willing the teams were to talk about technique and equipment. If just a little bit rubbed off on me, my family and friends will be eating better BBQ than ever before.

Thank you for the education.
 
It was a great event from top to bottom. Every time I went to the pisser I walked by Triggs set up and he always had people milling around and chatting him up. I noticed for a while his ez up was sealed which meant he was getting his business done so dont come a knockin. Every time I passed by I wanted to stop and shake his hand but I figured the guy probably gets tired of people always coming up to him at comps, I don't know that but it's what I've seen in celebs before. I had a positive view of him and I didn't want to risk him being rude to ruin my esteem and respect for him (wish I could say that about some musicians I've met).

So anyways, long story short here, I never stop to meet him and I kind of regretted it at the awards ceremony on the final night. I was standing in the back watching everybody get their awards when they called Johnny Trigg for 4th overall in Ribs. Then they announce All Sauced Up (the previous nights GC) for third place. Then they call second place to a team named "Bang A Drum". Hey that name sounds familiar, THAT'S US!!!! YEA BABY!!! It's pure adrenaline from then on.

So after the awards as we're leaving I see Johhny Trigg walking towards me (and the three foot trophy we had won) and I stop him, shake his hand, tell him what a pleasure it was to compete against him and I thanked him for coming all the way to California. He's said, "good job Son, you did great, good luck to you in the future". What a great farking guy.
 
Jason, you did a great job this past weekend and you got the chance to experience one of the most exciting aspects of competition barbeque: that you can mix it up with the very best the sport has to offer, beat them and then shake hands and compliment each other after the awards ceremony.

Johnny and Trish Trigg are two of the warmest people we have ever met and they always greet us with smiles, handshakes and hugs on the all too few occasions when we are at contests together. Like you, we have watched as the crowds form around them at events and it's a great thing to behold. Were it not for people like Johnny and Trish and all of the other pioneers of competition barbeque, teams like ours wouldn't have the opportunities we have today to compete in so many different events.

The Triggs are very deserving of their celebrity status and it is always exciting to see them and to compete with them. And that's something I hope we never get tired of feeling!
 
Jeff_in_KC said:
HEY! There's no sappy allowed in barbecue!!! :roll:

Oh wait... guess I blew that philosophy at Sam's Club's Invitational, huh? :redface:
Click to expand...


Big time, Jeff. You blew it big time!

But one thing is very true about "couples teams" like ours: it's the partnership that makes the magic. We are both very lucky to be teammates with women who are as talented, committed and willing to work as hard as necessary to make our teams as successful as they can be. They deserve a little sappy for having to put up with the likes of us!
 
Thats it I'm firing my brother in law and getting me a woman. Maybe the redhead from the weber commercial is looking for a man.


This is her after our last turn in:

weberredhead2.jpg
 
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