Competition BBQ Secrets

Archive for March, 2009

Bill,

By the way, I thought I would let you know that the advice you gave me recently about checking the temperature at the grate as opposed to the lid of the smoker was huge. You were absolutely right. The temp ranged from 50 to 100 degree difference. The lid thermo was always hotter. Ribs came out much better this last batch! That which I’m struggling with the most, and I know experience will help, is temp management as you say in your book. I think that is probably the single most difficult part.

Thanks again for clueing me into this other book. I’m going to get this one too.

Best,
Neal

Bill,

My husband makes some really incredible BBQ sauce that he wants to bottle and sell.  We figured…what better way to get the word out about his sauce, than by entering BBQ competitions.

We bought a $37 Brinkman smoker and cooked some chicken on it a few times and it came out really good. 

We heard about a BBQ competition only an hour from our house…so the day before the event we decided to enter it.  We had to turn in chicken and ribs…and we’d never even cooked ribs on a smoker before.

So the day before the event I purchased your e-book and read the entire thing.  It was full of really great information! 

The next day at the event, the meat expector came around to check out meat.  He looked at our ribs and said…”Oh you cut them St. Louis style.  Looks good.”  We felt like we actually knew what we were doing thanks to your book.

While we used our own sauce and rub recipes, your book was invaluable when it came to how we timed the entire day.  We wrote out a time line of exactly what to do when, all according to your book.

There were 61 teams in the compeition and many of them had huge rigs and matching t-shirts and what not.  We just kept reminding ourselves….it’s not the size of your rig, but the taste of your meat.

It came time to announce the winners.  As they were calling out the place finishers for chicken….10th, 9th, 8th, 7th…the lower they got, the more we realized we weren’t going to take a place.  Then they got to 1st place chicken….Team Moo Mouton!  We were shocked and ecstatic.  Our chicken beat out 60 teams and this was our first competition!  Next it was ribs..10th, 9th…8th place ribs…Team Moo Mouton.  Again we were shocked.  I think if the other teams knew that what we turned in was our first ever ribs cooked on a smoker they would be shocked too!  Then it was time to announce the Grand Champion…yep, you guessed it…Team Moo Mouton!!!! 

We are now, of course, hooked on BBQ competitions!

I just wanted to tell you that your book was apparently spot on!  Great work and well worth the money!

Thanks,
Niki
Team Moo Mouton
1st Place Chicken – 2009 Smokin’ Blues & BBQ Backyard Boogie
8th Place Ribs – 2009 Smokin’ Blues & BBQ Backyard Boogie
Grand Champion – 2009 Smokin’ Blues & BBQ Backyard Boogie

Mr. Anderson,
     Would you happen to have a good recipe for Brunswick stew that you would like to share?

Steve
Warner Robins, GA

OK BILL ,I’D LIKE TO ATTEND A COMPETITION AND DO SOME “TASTING”. WHICH ONES WOULD YOU RECOMMEND? [TOP FIVE] HOW ABOUT KANSAS CITY.REGARDS, JIM

Hello All:

The Chatham Artillery BBQ team won Grand Champion in Albany, GA this weekend. We took 1st in pork, 2nd in chicken, and 2nd in brisket and overall 1st place. This was an FBA Contest with some of the best teams in the Nation present.

Bill

Hey Guys,
 
Just wanted to say thanks. I usedthe chicken suase from the book for the frist time in Albany, Ga and KICK SOME BUTTS
We took 1st in chicken,ribs, pork, and a 2nd in brisket and the all over GRAND CHAMPION.
It was nice to meet you guys. Ya’ll took off before I got to say this to your face but thanks again.
I need to get one of those two probe temp gauges from you. I’ll do that soon.
keep up the great work and congrats on you big win there too.
If you have any pics from there I would love to get copys PLEASE
If you know of any cookoffs coming up in the area let me know I’m HOOKED BIG TIME now.
we live in Jacksonville and would do a 250 mile run again so let me know, I think somebody at your site said something about
one in Jeckell island, the guy who gave me the bag of new Kingsford.
give him my email if you need to. I love this stuff some much more fun when you win and with you book and practice I DID IT>

–
CLAY GORDON
Got Smoke BBQ

Bill,

I want to thank you for compiling such an awesome book. You have a great sense of humor too. I have bought and read the e-book version and took a crack at some backyard “Q”. I decided to focus on spare ribs until I get it right. I have recently purchased one of the Char-Griller smokers from a local grocery store, HEB, and seasoned it. I cooked the ribs between 200 and 250 for 6 hours, trying to keep the range as tight as I could, but the ribs still came out under cooked. I had to throw them in the oven at 300 for another 45 min. I’m wondering if you could throw some light on what might have gone wrong. Your book, and many other articles I’ve read say that 180 to 220 is the ideal temp. I even purchased a better thermometer at an Outdoor store, a Brinkman, to replace the one that came with the smoker.

I apologize if I shouldn’t be contacting you with questions, but I thought I wouldn’t know if you’d answer if I don’t ask.

Thanks!
Neal
San Antonio, TX

Just one of the many rubs and sauce recipes you’ll find in “Competition BBQ Secrets”…

Rib Rub:
1 cup Granulated brown sugar
2 tsp white sugar
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp granulated garlic
1 tsp granulated onion
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp Country Time Lemonade mix

Here’s a pic of Vera’s smoker mentioned in the post below…

Thanks Bill, I am a beginner at BBQ competition. I bought your book and have won third and second place brisket the last two cook-offs. My son in law does the chicken and ribs and this weekend is our first cookoff for the year and I have convinced him to use your receipes because at our last cookoff in November 08 I did everything by myself and placed 6th chicken and 5th ribs, but will admit I over cooked the chicken and the ribs because I not only had competition meat going, but I was trying to cook cornbread, peach cobbler while warming flour tortillas (yes we are in Texas) But I love the book and thank you for your wisdom and your knowledge and ever so grateful to you for putting it all down on paper. Sending just a couple of pics – An old horse trailer converted to hauling around my most prized bbq pit. Looking forward to more good times and hopefully an award or two. Thanks again

Vera Ploch

Within the heart of every stray animal, lies the singular desire to be loved.