DECENT BBQ
Knows what a fatty is.
Doing this Friday night
I'm even going to park my butt outside the whole night in the cold to get acclimated.
LONG: First competition in a couple weeks, lots of questions
- Thread starter DECENT BBQ
- Start date
Doing this Friday night
I'm even going to park my butt outside the whole night in the cold to get acclimated.DECENT BBQ
Knows what a fatty is.
midwest_kc
is one Smokin' Farker
We used these for a long time. Being on a roll is nice...I'd really recommend the dispenser. They take up very little space on your table that way.
We use the smokey mountain boards now, for various reasons, but I think you'll like the stark boards as well.
Right on Q
is Blowin Smoke!
Welcome to the crazy world of competition BBQ!
Very good advice given. Couple of things I haven't seen mentioned yet.
1. Make sure to get as much rest as possible. Set yourself up with comfortable seating and bed arrangements. Our first contest our plan was to stay up all night. Poor choice. By the time we got close to turn ins we were exhausted and barely made it to awards. We've been working every contest since to make ourselves more comfortable. This has made it much more enjoyable for us.
2. Your assertion of "going slow to go fast" (my paraphrase of your post) is a very good one. stay true to that mindset and you'll be fine. When you get to the contest, you're going to see all kinds of fancy campers, trailers, smokers, etc. Don't pay attention to them. It's very easy to get distracted by all the fancy rigs and forget your process.
Update us on your results after the contest!!
Very good advice given. Couple of things I haven't seen mentioned yet.
1. Make sure to get as much rest as possible. Set yourself up with comfortable seating and bed arrangements. Our first contest our plan was to stay up all night. Poor choice. By the time we got close to turn ins we were exhausted and barely made it to awards. We've been working every contest since to make ourselves more comfortable. This has made it much more enjoyable for us.
2. Your assertion of "going slow to go fast" (my paraphrase of your post) is a very good one. stay true to that mindset and you'll be fine. When you get to the contest, you're going to see all kinds of fancy campers, trailers, smokers, etc. Don't pay attention to them. It's very easy to get distracted by all the fancy rigs and forget your process.
Update us on your results after the contest!!
West River BBQ
Full Fledged Farker
Doing this Friday night
This is dedication! By the way, I'm pretty sure that everyone will be interested in a telling of your experience at the competition. Please post.
ewatts2003
Full Fledged Farker
Theres no sense thinking I can come in with zero experience in competition cooking and run with the teams that have been doing this for years. There are going to be variables and circumstances that I have no clue about, and thankfully there are good hearted people out there to help people like me out along the way
Why can’t you? Anything can happen on any given day. I didn’t think I had a chance of anything but having fun. My first and only 2 comps to date I pulled out an 8th place ribs, 5th place ribs, and 11th place brisket. Both comps had 30+ teams and a lot of them were some big names. Don’t sell yourself short!
GrillBillie_D
Full Fledged Farker
When I entered my first contest, and to this day, I remind myself....it's just BBQ. Sure, experience has taught me lots but just go in with the mindset to cook some good BBQ and have fun. Good luck!!
timzcardz
Babbling Farker
If you don't cook chicken, I can tell you at least thing that you will not learn anything about!
jasonjax
Babbling Farker
That was pretty funny.
DECENT BBQ
Knows what a fatty is.
Will do!
I love your positive attitude!
I'm doing chicken
Thanks everyone for the advice and good vibes :thumb: I'm not so much nervous as I am stressing about being fully prepared. I tend to be like this with anything I do, so I'm just used to it by now lol.
Dry run this past weekend was a success. Still figuring out hold times with my Cambro. Its the newer version without gaskets on the door, doesn't seem to work as well as the older models. I'm doing some temperature rise testing tonight to see how long I can maintain temps in there.
DECENT BBQ
Knows what a fatty is.
Still practicing chicken. Getting better, but far from perfect
https://imgur.com/UE5SMgI
https://imgur.com/UE5SMgI
ModelMaker
Quintessential Chatty Farker
Interesting look, not same-o, same-o.
I would look forward to tasting them.
Ed
I would look forward to tasting them.
Ed
midwest_kc
is one Smokin' Farker
Looking at that, I'd say on appearance you'd get a lot of 7s and some 8s. Uneven color, and sizing.
For eating, though, I'd certainly look forward to trying that.
For eating, though, I'd certainly look forward to trying that.
didisea
Take a breath!
Dry run this past weekend was a success. Still figuring out hold times with my Cambro. Its the newer version without gaskets on the door, doesn't seem to work as well as the older models. I'm doing some temperature rise testing tonight to see how long I can maintain temps in there.[/QUOTE]
You can pre-heat your Cambro by taking boiling water and pouring it into a steel hotel pan, then sliding it carefully into the Cambro. When the meat is ready to go in, pull out the pan and dump the water out.
You can pre-heat your Cambro by taking boiling water and pouring it into a steel hotel pan, then sliding it carefully into the Cambro. When the meat is ready to go in, pull out the pan and dump the water out.
ewatts2003
Full Fledged Farker
I have also see guys use fire bricks wrapped in foil to preheat. Basically put them on the pit when it's coming up to temp, after they are hot remove from the pit and put in the bottom of the Cambro.
DECENT BBQ
Knows what a fatty is.
Dang, really!? I didn't think those would score anything above a 5 at best!
As far as sizing goes, where do you guys get your thighs? These were from Costco, and the sizes were all over the place.
West River BBQ
Full Fledged Farker
I agree with this comment but would probably give an 8. They look inviting and I'm not so interested in exact-same-sized-factory-produced food. When judging, I ask myself: "What could have been better?" and if the answer is nothing, I give a good score.
I know this last comment may prick at some purists about judging rules.
West River BBQ
Full Fledged Farker
Just have to get a bunch to choose from. Also, bigger is usually better.
