B
BrooklynQ
Guest
Hey Brethren.
My name's Robert Fernandez, live in Brooklyn New York and a dedicated follower of all things Barbeque. I've been grilling all my life, but started to make BBQ about 10 years ago. Since then I've become extremely interested in the sport.
To earn my keep, I am a technology consultant, which is a fancy term for a guy who works with computers for small offices. I do networking, infrastructure, training, and whatever a small office requires to keep or setup its computer network. I also work as a project manager/jack of all trades/slave for midsize firms setting up disaster recovery sites, doing support and designing/implementing remote offices. I work for myself, and am always looking for new clients. (What a shameless plug!)
I'm convinced that I want to start competing on the BBQ circuit. For the last 2 years I've been working on mastering my craft and researching all I can about BBQ. I got together with a couple of friends of mine and laid out a plan to start competing.
In the spring, I went and got myself certified as a Kansas City Barbeque Society Certified Judge. My feeling was that before I could compete, I should learn what the judges were looking for. Being a New Yorker, and currently a city boy, I figured that my idea of BBQ needed to be refined before I could be successful. Next step was to attend some BBQ contests and see what happens there. The only one I had ever seen was MIM and that was on TV. There was no way we were ready to enter a contest like that.
But like most things in life, my BBQ partners weren't as committed to the actuality of competing, only the idea. So I went out alone and started lurking at my first BBQ contest. I was keeping to the plan, damn it!
I met Phil and Greg as they were winning in the Long Island Grill Kings contest. They were/are two of the nicest guys I met that day. I saw the bbq-brethren banner hanging on their booth and said, "Hey, I'm a member of that." Phil asked my id, I told him “geeklad.” (which is my id in most internet groups.) Watching the look on his face, I could tell he thought I was full of it. In reality, I thought I was already a member of this forum, but turns out I was only lurking and really a member of the Yahoo Bandera Forum. It's good to be here with you folks.
Walking around the Long Island contest, I was kicking myself for not entering. I saw all different levels of smokers from a Southern Yankee trailer, to Klose to home made smokers. I didn't know it that morning, but I do now, I'm ready to compete. But the joy of being a nosy spectator was that I got to taste a lot of the food before it was submitted. I walked around and judged it all in my head. By the end of the day I knew who most of the winners would be.
So, in the spring, I'll be out on the circuit. Look for me there and here. And if there’s anyone in the NYC area who wants to talk about BBQ or anything else, give me a shout.
My name's Robert Fernandez, live in Brooklyn New York and a dedicated follower of all things Barbeque. I've been grilling all my life, but started to make BBQ about 10 years ago. Since then I've become extremely interested in the sport.
To earn my keep, I am a technology consultant, which is a fancy term for a guy who works with computers for small offices. I do networking, infrastructure, training, and whatever a small office requires to keep or setup its computer network. I also work as a project manager/jack of all trades/slave for midsize firms setting up disaster recovery sites, doing support and designing/implementing remote offices. I work for myself, and am always looking for new clients. (What a shameless plug!)
I'm convinced that I want to start competing on the BBQ circuit. For the last 2 years I've been working on mastering my craft and researching all I can about BBQ. I got together with a couple of friends of mine and laid out a plan to start competing.
In the spring, I went and got myself certified as a Kansas City Barbeque Society Certified Judge. My feeling was that before I could compete, I should learn what the judges were looking for. Being a New Yorker, and currently a city boy, I figured that my idea of BBQ needed to be refined before I could be successful. Next step was to attend some BBQ contests and see what happens there. The only one I had ever seen was MIM and that was on TV. There was no way we were ready to enter a contest like that.
But like most things in life, my BBQ partners weren't as committed to the actuality of competing, only the idea. So I went out alone and started lurking at my first BBQ contest. I was keeping to the plan, damn it!
I met Phil and Greg as they were winning in the Long Island Grill Kings contest. They were/are two of the nicest guys I met that day. I saw the bbq-brethren banner hanging on their booth and said, "Hey, I'm a member of that." Phil asked my id, I told him “geeklad.” (which is my id in most internet groups.) Watching the look on his face, I could tell he thought I was full of it. In reality, I thought I was already a member of this forum, but turns out I was only lurking and really a member of the Yahoo Bandera Forum. It's good to be here with you folks.
Walking around the Long Island contest, I was kicking myself for not entering. I saw all different levels of smokers from a Southern Yankee trailer, to Klose to home made smokers. I didn't know it that morning, but I do now, I'm ready to compete. But the joy of being a nosy spectator was that I got to taste a lot of the food before it was submitted. I walked around and judged it all in my head. By the end of the day I knew who most of the winners would be.
So, in the spring, I'll be out on the circuit. Look for me there and here. And if there’s anyone in the NYC area who wants to talk about BBQ or anything else, give me a shout.