Help needed this weekend in Michigan!

[Jonny Rotisserie]

Brethren,
Anyone on the bench this weekend (Aug 13-14) but would like to come out and play? I could use some help!

I am posting in this part of GFAT (the Greatest Forum of All Time) for the first time as I am throwing my hat in the ring this coming weekend at the Smoke on the Water BBQ competition in Brooklyn, MI (which is combined with the NASCAR race). This will be my first KCBS competition and at this point I am going to be taking it on alone.

There is actually a lot of cash on the line and big players like Diva Q are in the mix.

So you know, I am cooking in a way many people would find challenging/absurd: I do everything over an open fire pit on rotisserie spits. That's it. You can get the idea at http://www.AuspitBBQ.com (http://www.auspitbbq.com/).

For my first test run I did it all on just one 37' pit I got at Lowe's. It really wasn't ideal for running all 4 meats, but at this point my RV and trailer can't take on any more gear so I may have to make do unless I can find one to borrow for the event.

Up for the challenge? For starters, I can offer tickets to the race and all the adult beverages you can stand. That, plus it should be a good time.

Please PM me for further information.

Even if you can't make it, please WISH ME LUCK!

[Smoke & Beers]

Can't make it buddy...but Good Luck! :thumb:

[Scottie]

Not sure about Diva. But me.. I want to beat Rod Gray, the KCBS team of the year last year or any of the numerous teams that are in the top 25 for the current year. That is all the motivation I need.

[Bbq Bubba]

Really?
From Nevada to compete in the most expensive comp. in town with a rotisserie over a open fire?
Good luck bro! :thumb:

After thinking about it, your NOT allowed to build an open fire. Check the rules before you drive up.

[Ford]

Not sure about Diva. But me.. I want to beat Rod Gray, the KCBS team of the year last year or any of the numerous teamsvthat are in the top 25 for tjw current year. That is all the motivation I need.
For sure but I'd also like to beat Scottie after the last 2 years at GR. :-P

[Scottie]

For sure but I'd also like to beat Scottie after the last 2 years at GR. :-P


You know I don't run Ford. I'll be there with Bells on. Oberon Bells.... :thumb:

[NRA4Life]

Good luck on your quest for bbq greatness. Doing your first comp by yourself with the method described will be quite a challenge.

[Jonny Rotisserie]

Good luck on your quest for bbq greatness. Doing your first comp by yourself with the method described will be quite a challenge.

Agreed! I know I could really use some extra ideas and extra hands.

Last week when I did a test run at the Indiana comp in New Palestine, I was fortunate that some of the kids of the actual competitors were looking for something to do and they jumped right in to help. They were awesome! They thought it was hilarious that they were able to give me quality pointers on presentation, etc. based on their experience helping their parents. It was fun.

I am hoping someone with some good experience will raise their hand for this coming weekend. The want ad remains posted for now...

--Jonny Rotisserie

[Jorge]

Really?
From Nevada to compete in the most expensive comp. in town with a rotisserie over a open fire?
Good luck bro! :thumb:

After thinking about it, your NOT allowed to build an open fire. Check the rules before you drive up.

KCBS allows it, but it is at the event organizers discretion. Has Ronnie Cates covered that already?

[Jonny Rotisserie]

KCBS allows it, but it is at the event organizers discretion. Has Ronnie Cates covered that already?

Panicked, I picked up the phone and called Ronnie right after seeing BBQ Bubba's post, thinking "I thought this was a _ _ BBQ competition!?"

I have since spoken to him and he said it is absolutely fine. Phew! That could have really upped the "challenging ante" for me.

Jorge, are you coming up for this one?

[Jorge]

Panicked, I picked up the phone and called Ronnie right after seeing BBQ Bubba's post, thinking "I thought this was a _ _ BBQ competition!?"

I have since spoken to him and he said it is absolutely fine. Phew! That could have really upped the "challenging ante" for me.

Jorge, are you coming up for this one?

I am not. Good luck!

[sfisch]

J.R.,
looking forward to meeting you and watching your cooking process, wife and I are going to Vegas on the 23rd!

Scott

[swamprb]

How many Rib-O-Lators do you have?

What is your game plan for this cook? Are you just doing it to showcase the Auspit?

[Diva Q]

lol pls check the KCBS standings I have only been out to a couple of comps this year LOL
Scottie and Rod are doing much much better.

[Jonny Rotisserie]

What is your game plan for this cook?

Shock and awe. ...Just kidding! My game plan is to try and survive while putting a respectable foot forward. I also see they are predicting thundershowers for the competition day, so I am also planning on trying to figure out how to protect my food and fire without burning my tent down.


Are you just doing it to showcase the Auspit?

Getting the word out about Auspit is certainly one goal, but my reasons for participating in competitions run much deeper than that. By dedicating myself to the world of competitive BBQ, I am able to learn more about the product I represent. I can’t begin to tell you how much I have learned already in just doing my test runs and bouncing ideas off competitors. I am learning more and more about how BBQ is an art which has real science behind it. In competing I am learning more about both of these aspects and how they apply (or don’t always apply) to open-fire rotisserie.

I am also curious: Can a guy with some spits over a fire compete against the pros with the giant industrial cooking rigs? :boxing:Many people would simply say heck no and leave it at that. I happen to think it merits further investigation and see it as a fun challenge. The Auspit cooks up killer good food, but can it do competition-worthy good food? I won't know until I try. The Michigan event is one of several I am doing to help me prepare to try and be a legitimate competitor at the Royal. Sure it’s a long shot, but why not go for it?


How many Rib-O-Lators do you have?
Actually none at the moment. I sold out of even my demo unit at my last event and I am having some express shipped into me so for the event in Michigan.

The decision as whether to use the Rib-o-Lator in competitions is an interesting question, which I was coincidentally discussing with Ryan just last night. While it is a great cooking apparatus, the ROL isn’t necessarily well suited to the 4 food groups featured in KCBS competitions. That said, when I do chickens, I do whole ones (or just one whole one), but I find it tough to cut up my chicken into parts that look nicely presented in the box. Thighs are all the rage now, so I have been thinking about trying to do them on the Rib-o-Lator. It would save me a lot of hassle in terms of trussing the chickens and trying to cut them up consistently when they are done.

The challenge on cooking with the ROL on the open fire comes in getting a nice finish to the skin. I am thinking about trying to do a combo of skewering them on the Squeezeloc Spikes and finishing them on the Rib-o-Lator or vice versa. It requires more study for sure to see whether that is the best path or whether I should just stick to getting a better presentation out of my whole chickens. See the fun challenges I get to work through by competing?

[Jonny Rotisserie]

lol pls check the KCBS standings I have only been out to a couple of comps this year LOL
Scottie and Rod are doing much much better.

I am (clearly) new here and still learning my way around, but your name was top of mind for me as I just recently saw you being interviewed in some trailers for Pitmasters and also read that interesting interview you did with John Markus about his involvement in the show. Do you know if he is coming to Brooklyn?

I don't need to know everything about the scene to understand you don't become a household name without knowing something serious about Q. Standings aside, we know you are bringing your A game to Brooklyn.

I look forward to meeting you Friday!

[openstudent]

WEll Jonny, IF your still looking I'm in.

[Stoke&Smoke]

I am also curious: Can a guy with some spits over a fire compete against the pros with the giant industrial cooking rigs? :boxing:Many people would simply say heck no and leave it at that. I happen to think it merits further investigation and see it as a fun challenge.

Yes, well, maybe. Using Harry Soo as an example, you don't HAVE to have expensive equipment.

We also cook using only WSM's, and, for a team that's only competed in 13 comps over the course of 3 seasons, we do ok. We've done 3 comps so far this year, and walked 5 times. We just use the bullets, no gurus or stokers.
I think if we could afford to do more comps, we would do much better. Consistency comes with repetition, and we just don't do enough comps to be as repeatable as the top teams.

IMHO, knowing how to use your cooker of choice, and being able to repeat the same procedures consistently are more important than how much your cooker costs. There are folks out there using VERY expensive pits that still require more attention than a properly loaded WSM, and the folks that are using them often trade off shifts keeping an eye on them overnight.

Then there is the other school that uses pellet poopers, and can generally go to sleep knowing their meat will be cooked to perfection when they expect it to be. (unless they have an auger failure, power issue, etc.) Conversely, it's a fair bet that there are a lot of teams out there using expensive equipment who still may not be getting calls.

Can you do it on rotisserie's? Guess you'll find out:wink:

If its your first comp, be sure to remember to have fun! It's very easy to stress out.

[ique]

Is there a team list published for this contest? Just curious

[openstudent]

PM sent

[Jonny Rotisserie]

Is there a team list published for this contest? Just curious
Chris,

To my knowledge there isn't anything published but if you want to ask about who is coming, the people at Smoke on the Water BBQ can give you the low down: (870) 536-8175

While it may not actually be the ticket to financial salvation, you are still warmly welcome to come cook with me!

[openstudent]

Jonny, you still looking? Willing to help , but I need to know.

[Jonny Rotisserie]

Jonny, you still looking? Willing to help , but I need to know.
Nice speaking with you. I look forward to cooking with you this weekend!

Other teams should start shakin in their boots now because Jonny Rotisserie's cook team has just doubled in size as Big Marcus is going to be IN DA HOUSE!!

[Scottie]

I just heard of a couple more that are coming.. Probably shouldn't post, as I have no clue if they really are.

some real players. I'm just happy to compete against them. Hopefully I can get my picture taken with them... :thumb:


Is there a team list published for this contest? Just curious

[Jonny Rotisserie]

Any other takers? Someone has got to help us drink all this beer.

[EatonHoggBBQ]

Well I would be glad to help drink some beer after the judging. I saw your set up in New Palestine. I guess I should have stopped and introduced myself.

[sitnfat]

I saw your set up in new pal. You may wanna pit some sort of rack over your pit invade something gets so tender it falls. :idea:

[KnucklHed BBQ]

Best Wishes Jon!!! I know you'll have a blast regardless of what the outcome is! :thumb:

[Jonny Rotisserie]

I saw your set up in new pal. You may wanna pit some sort of rack over your pit invade something gets so tender it falls. :idea:

So far the only things I recall truly making a run for it by sliding sideways off the spit were 1) marshmallows 2) eggplant (which I caught just in time) 3) bread dough stuck straight on the spit 4) chorizo (kesplat almost the moment I stuck it over the fire--a mess).

When I did the 18-pound tuna, I pulled it before it was completely cooked because it also seemed to have serious intentions of making a break for it. In general, however, it hasn't been a problem. If I ever start having meat falling from the sky, I may have to revisit it, though. Maybe add a trapeze/high wire act net?

[Jonny Rotisserie]

Well I would be glad to help drink some beer after the judging. I saw your set up in New Palestine. I guess I should have stopped and introduced myself.
Sounds good, I look forward to meeting you there.

I discovered the perfect beer for this competition just in time: a Smoky Porter called ...Smoke on the Water. It's pretty tasty, too.

And right after judging, nothing like a chewy beer to help you through your food coma! (I'll have lighter options, too.)

[swamprb]

Bob showed me an Auspit, you sent him, and I'd really love to play around with one sometime. I think it would be a perfect fit for those of us with the La Caja China! What better way to utilize all those briquettes!
You could showcase it in a variety of setups, say a kettle or WSM with a Cajun Bandit rotis ring, a La Caja China, or even a cinder block open pit.

Have a great time!

[INmitch]

Sounds like you guys got a break. Don & Robyn's (Steel Smokin Bbq) RV took a sh!t. Just upped the odds foreveryone else!! They've been kickin some serios a$$ this summer!!

[Stoke&Smoke]

Just Googled that AusPit. Kind of a neat contraption! Not sure how you're gonna do pork and brisket on it though
Post pics please

[Jonny Rotisserie]

Bob showed me an Auspit, you sent him, and I'd really love to play around with one sometime. I think it would be a perfect fit for those of us with the La Caja China! What better way to utilize all those briquettes!
You could showcase it in a variety of setups, say a kettle or WSM with a Cajun Bandit rotis ring, a La Caja China, or even a cinder block open pit.


No hablo Caja China. :noidea: I'm not sure what a Bandit is either. You'll have to give me the lowdown when I am out there later this summer. Will you be competing in Yakima? I am planning on hanging out with the ROL guys and competing there around then. We'd have plenty of time to try and strap an Auspit onto whatever you've got. We actually have a couple adapters for them but I don't have them on the web yet. One might work for you, though.

--JR

[swamprb]

No hablo Caja China. :noidea: I'm not sure what a Bandit is either. You'll have to give me the lowdown when I am out there later this summer. Will you be competing in Yakima? I am planning on hanging out with the ROL guys and competing there around then. We'd have plenty of time to try and strap an Auspit onto whatever you've got. We actually have a couple adapters for them but I don't have them on the web yet. One might work for you, though.

--JR

http://www.lacajachina.com/category_s/1.htm

WSM/Kettle rotisserie ring
http://shop.cajunbandit.com/product.sc?productId=12&categoryId=3

Consider a WSM or kettle for brisket, you could possibly spit cook a boneless butt using a rotis ring over the beef.

[Diva Q]

It was really interesting to see your rotisserie this past weekend. Interesting concept for sure. Nice meeting you. Michigan was a whole lotta fun for sure!!

[Jonny Rotisserie]

It was really interesting to see your rotisserie this past weekend. Interesting concept for sure. Nice meeting you. Michigan was a whole lotta fun for sure!!
Nice meeting you as well. Congratulations on the wins!