New ZZ Que Smoker Picture

Steve has added a custom maple butcher block shelving assembly to this sharp rotisserie bbq pit made by Austin National.

ZZ Que Smoker

Steve and Linda Creech of ZZ Que sent me a picture of their rotisserie smoker today and I'm looking forward to the chance to get an up-close look in a couple weeks at the KCBS event in Carmel, IN.

I haven't yet confirmed this with Steve and Linda, but it looks like this might be a 4-ft rotisserie pit built by Austin National Smokers.

Carmel, IN KCBS BBQ Competition

Here are directions to the event in Carmel, IN.

(Directions from I-465 exit onto Meridian St /US 31 north)

Exit from I-465 (East or West) at US 31/Meridian St north

Travel north on US 31/Meridian to 116th Street intersection

Right on 116th St and travel east approximately 1.5 miles to So. Range Line Rd (intersection).

Turn left (north) onto Range Line Rd (City Hall building visible on left).

Contest is at the corner of 3rd Ave. SW and City Center Dr. running east along City Center Dr. and south along 3rd Ave. SW off of South Range.

This is two blocks north of the Civic Center.


Turns in Times are:

Friday:

Cooks Meeting at 4:00 PM

Turn in Anything Butt at 7:00 PM

Saturday:

Chicken at 12:00 PM
Ribs at 12:30 PM
Pork at 1:00 PM
Brisket at 1:30 PM

Awards at 4:00 at the stage!

Over $11,000 in Prizes

Grand Champion $2,000.00

Reserve Grand Champion $1,000.00

See you there!

New Layout for BBQ Web Site

My web designer just finished the layout for my new bbq web site.

You can check it out here.

What do you think?

Practice Cook for Bodacious Blues & BBQ

I pulled the the brisket and pork butts off the smoker at 6 a.m. and put them in the an Igloo cooler for holding until time for the simulated "turn-ins" ala KCBS official turn-in times of noon, 12:30, 1:00a nd 1:30 for chicken, ribs, pork and brisket, respectively.

I didn't get to sleep much last night. It's kind of funny, but I sleep more at a bbq contest than I slept here last night. I guess sleeping next to the cooker and shining the flashlight on the gauge makes it easier to keep one eye on the temperature without actually getting out of bed versus running to the window every 30 minutes or so.

I'm glad I decided to practice though. I've gotten a little rusty with a couple of things over the winter. It's good to get that ironed out now instead of waiting for the contest and then mess it up.

BBQ Smoker Collection

Here's a picture of my arsenal of bbq cookers from Good (Weber Smokey Mountain), Better (Backwoods Smoker), to the Best of the Bunch (McCullough). As you can probably tell, I am a big fan of upright cookers. This picture was taken early in the evening before I fired them up for tonight's practice cook.

So far I've put the brisket and pork butts on to cook and plan get a little shut eye before putting the ribs and chicken on in the a.m.

BBQ Woods: Better Barbecue Series, Article #12

Using hard woods to flavor bbq meat is as much an art as a science, although there is a fair amount of science involved too.

Choices of woods vary from Apple to Cherry to Peach or Pear and from Hickory to Oak to Maple or Pecan. I've never tried Mesquite, but I'm not sure it would be my cup of tea anyway. I cut my bbq teeth on Hickory, but I've also used Apple, Cherry and Oak from time to time.

I use a hardwood lump charcoal for cooking (Royal Oak brand is readily available in my area) and add "chunks" of seasoned hardwood for smoke flavor. I've found that less is more most of the time. It's pretty easy to oversmoke bbq meat. A word of caution--a couple chunks of wood is really all that's needed to produce a pleasant bbq flavor that's pleasing, but not overbearing.

Based on all accounts, Hickory wood is the most commonly used seasoning wood for bbq restaurants. Take a drive near any bbq restaurant worth it's salt in the southeastern part of the country and odds are, you'll notice a strong smell of Hickory smoke.

Several of my contest friends from Florida have been using Pecan, Oak and even Peach on the bbq circuit with great success. The fruitwoods are a little more forgiving and provide a milder flavor with less chance of over smoking.

But, if you're like me you'll take what I say as one man's opinion and with a proverbial "grain of salt". Half the fun is experimenting with various types of woods to arrive at your own personal favorite.

Happy experimenting.

View the previous article in the Better Barbecue series

BBQ Trailer Pictures

I ran across these pictures posted on the Smoke Break BBQ web site detailing what looks to be a well thought out and cost - conscious bbq kitchen on wheels.

As someone in the middle of a trailer conversion myself, albeit a slow moving conversion that is severely limited by personal budget constraints and the efforts of others, I can attest that it takes a lot of hard work to develop a bbq trailer of this caliber.

Spicewine Ironworks

I've been admiring these cookers on the Internet for a few weeks now and the more I look at them, the more I like them. I've already got three cookers, but I guess you can never have too many cookers. They are manufacturered near my old stomping grounds in Columbia, Missouri. Someday when I'm home visiting the folks in Missouri, I'm going to stop in and check them out.

Linda says that the only cooker I don't like is the one I haven't seen yet, and although I hate to admit it, she might be onto something. That's half the fun.

I'm anxious to see these cookers up close and in person, but in the mean time if anyone has some pictures of a Spicewine cooker and wouldn't mind sharing them, I'd love to post some on the site for readers who are in the market for their next cooker.

I'm also in search of some folks that own one of these cookers to share some of their experiences and thoughts about them here on the bbq blog.

Better Barbecue: Day #11 in the series

The dates of our first bbq contest of the year, the weekend of May 20-21, are approaching quickly. The inaugural Bodacious Blues and Barbecue Festival sponsored by Red Gold was one our favorite contests last year. With several of the first year kinks worked out, I'm sure this year's event will be even better.

To prepare for the event I'm going to spend next weekend cooking a "simulated" contest in my backyard beginning with my arrival home from work next Friday afternoon. I'll simulate site set-up, meat preparation, cooking all four meat categories, turn-in box presentation and adhere to the contest timeline closely.

I think it's important to give it at least one run through before the first contest of the year to make sure all equipment is in working order, the needed supplies are packed, and if there are things missing from our stash of barbecue contest supplies, we'll have plenty of time to get them before the first event.

This week I placed a few orders from by favorite bbq sauce suppliers and picked up some other "secret" items here and there.

Simulating a bbq contest is an absolute must for 1st time competitors. In fact, before my first event I cooked several "events" in my back-yard to figure out the desire timeline I would need at the actual contest.

I take notes during all my practice cooks, but these simulated events are very important to gauge the accuracy of my assumptions and gain confidence as we embark on another exciting summer of competitive bbq cooking. They also help me knock the figurative cob webs out of the way before we travel to the first event.

If you're in Carmel, IN three weekends from now, be sure to stop by and say hello. We'll be set-up in the parking lot behind the City Hall.

To read the previous post in this series, click here

Better BBQ: Day #10 in the Series

I'd like to share some principles today that have not only helped me improve my bbq competition efforts, but that have affected my life in general the past several years.

I think there is a tendency these days to desire a "quick fix", a "magic potion", or even a "trick" that will allow us to take short cuts to obtain the results we desire. In extreme cases, depending on the root of the desire, there are those that may even consider bending the rules or even out right cheating to gain a competitive advantage.

Several years ago while waiting in the Nashville, Tennessee airport for a plane taking me to Baltimore, Maryland for a new position with my company, I purchased a book authored by Rick Pitino, currently a coach at the University of Louisville and previously a coach for the University of Kentucky and the NBA's Boston Celtics. The book is titled, Success is a Choice -- Ten Steps to Overachieving in Business and in Life and is a real "unsung" hero in the world of motivational business books in my opinion.

If you're looking for insight that will help you prepare for bbq competitions, reading this book would be a good start to get a "leg up" on the competition. This book discusses the principles that Rick Pitino has used to be a winner at virtually every level of basketball competition. I'm convinced these same principles will help you become a better bbq contest competitor.

I've been a competitive person starting at a young age and played baseball, basketball, participated in the cross-country and track field, sang in the school choir, and played in the band. The book is not so much a book about sports as it's a book about life. Although there are parallels drawn to sports relating stories and people that have played basketball for or with Rick Pitino throughout his career, there are other parallels drawn to the general day-to-day things like being a good student, a team player, a good employee, and a good manager.

Principles discussed in Rick Pitino's excellent book that he attributes to his success in business, on the basketball court and in life:

Build Your Self-Esteem

Set Demanding Goals

Always Be Positive

Establish Good Habits

Master the Art of Communication

Learn from Good Role Models

Thrive on Pressure

Be Ferociously Persistent

Learn from Adversity

Survive Your Own Success


I urge you to read this book. I think you'll be surprised at the thought provoking basic message that emanates from its pages.

One of my favorite parts of the book are the pages Pitino devotes to a story about Billy Donovan, a former University of Kentucky player and currently renowned basketball coach at the University of Florida. This average player has become one of the tip-top coaches in NCAA basketball by following the Pitino principles. Donovan wasn't the fastest, the tallest, able to jump the highest, or even score the most points, however, true to Pitino's teachings Donovan learned to make the most of what skills he did have. In a few years an average basketball player became a good player and a good player has become a great coach.

In the words of renowned economist, Milton Friedman, "There is no free lunch," and that goes for basketball, for bbq, for work, for family, and for life in general.

You must make a choice to succeed by working hard, being honest with yourself and being persistent.

To read the previous article in this series click here

Other books by Rick Pitino

The Ultimate BBQ Tow Vehicle

Every since I first laid eyes on one of these land yachts, I've often daydreamed about owning one.

I can't say that I would enjoy filling this baby us with diesel fuel at today's pump prices, but then again if my budget could afford this American Eagle Coach manufactured by Fleetwood, I doubt that I'd worry about purchasing the fuel to drive it to bbq competitions.

Back to reality.....

8-Passenger Ford Explorer 4 x 4; 21 miles mpg without trailer and about 14 mpg towing our 16 ft tandem axle bbq trailer

BBQ Price Index

I thought it would be interesting to post a survey today in the spirit of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) which the Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes on a monthly basis.

The survey will derive the monthly "BBQ Price Index" and I will post it on a monthly basis going forward to help indicate whether the overall trend of consuming, preparing and selling bbq is rising or falling each month.

Please replay by e-mail or via the comments button below to participate in the survey. My replies are in red below.

1. What is the price per pound of a an untrimmed CAB brisket in the town where you live?

$3.30

2. What is the price per pound of a pork butt or shoulder in the town where you live?

$1.05 (pork butt)

3. What did you spend on the last bbq meal you purchased in a restaurant?

$23 including tip (for 2 adults)

4. How many opened bottles of bbq sauce do you currently have in your refrigerator?

9 bottles/jars as of last Saturday before we threw out 4 of them, 5 currently

5. How many bottles of opened bbq spice rub do you currently have in your cupboard?

8 bottles, and in a couple of instances there are 2 of the same kind opened

My own personal BBQ Price Index: 40.35

I look forward to your responses to the survey.

BBQ: An accurate indication of future beef prices?

Loyal readers of this blog about bbq may remember my previous post on the "bbq commodities market" from last year.

I was poking around on the internet tonight and ran across a futures trading web site that actually substantiates my basic point. BBQ influences the commodities directly and indirectly everyday.

Disclaimer: I don't trade the futures markets and do not profess to be qualified advisor for futures trading, but I thought it interesting that a futures brokerage web site used the "upcoming bbq season" as a justification to potential clients to consider purchasing a futures contract for live cattle.

As a side bar--If you believe futures prices are an accurate prediction of upcoming market trends, it sounds like beef prices will be falling soon, but someone forgot to tell my local butcher. Premium cut Certified Angus Brisket (CAB for short) is being sold locally here in Michigan for upwards of $3.50 per pound.

Three Compartment Sink

The BBQ Guy's mom admiring the new sink.




















The BBQ Guy taking a break during the sink installation.

These pictures were taken during the process of installing the new three compartment sink in my bbq trailer this weekend. My parents drove up from Missouri and worked all weekend installing the sink, which is complete with water hook-up from outside the trailer and an outside drainage pipe.

The hot water heater, fresh water and grey water tanks will have to wait until next year.

After 24-hours in Michigan...

He just couldn't take it anymore! LOL

Actually that's my father exhausted, but not too exhausted to act out for the camera, after spending the day working on my bbq trailer.

BBQ Practice

Practice cook for our first competition this year in Carmel, IN. We spent most of the day installing a new three-compartment sink in our mobile bbq trailer. I'll post some pictures soon.

Watkins Cookbook circa 1948

I acquired a genuine cooking artifact a couple of years ago by way of Ebay--a Watkins Family Cookbook.

I've been flipping through it tonight and getting quite a chuckle. I'm amazed at the amounts of "lard", "grease", "fat" and "drippings" used in the recipes.

I'll share some of my favorites with you soon.

There's a barbecue sauce recipe I plan to try. If it's any good I'll post it here.

How to Start Cooking in BBQ Contests

I ran across a question today on a discussion board fasking about what types of equipment is needed to begin cooking bbq with intentions of competing. I've listed them before, but since bbq season is upon us, I wanted to share them again.

These expenses can be minimized with careful planning, but starting with a limited budget, can be challenging. We spent about $1,400 on the equipment and supplies before we even bought the meat for our first contest. We also helped another cooking team for a few competitions to learn what supplies were absolutely necessary and which ones we could live without. Can it be done for less money? Maybe. It depends on how many "creature" comforts you need from the "nice to have" list.

Some “must have” items you will need:

Cooker(s)
Canopy
Ice Chests
Tables
Knives
Electric cords
Wash Basins
Lighting
Lawn Chairs
Cutting boards
Paper towels
Dish cloths
Dish towels
Heavy duty oven BBQ mitts/gloves
BBQ Utensils
Dishwashing detergent
Bleach

Some “nice to have” items:

Two-way radios
Utility Trailer
Hot water heater
Sleeping bag
Sleeping cot
Radio
Rain coat
Rain boots
Ash bucket
Team uniforms

You'll also need to decide how much meat to purchase, where to find the meat you'll be using, whether buy whole briskets or flats, whether you will cook breasts, thighs, or drumsticks, whether you prefer shoulders or butts and, lastly, spare ribs or baby back/loin backs.

All of these questions have pro's and con's. That's where your personal preferences, experiences, budget and what type of cooker you'll be using will come into play. And of course, answers to these questions will depend on what you think will win consistently.

Before we decided to begin competing we visited some contests and helped another team to get an idea of the commitment involved. We were able to haul of these items in the back of our Ford F-150 with some careful and creative packing.

Mountain Man Breakfast

(in #10 Dutch Oven)

1. brown a half pound of bacon and cut into small pieces

2. add one half diced onion

3. once bacon is brown and onion cooked remove onion and bacon

4. add 32 ounces of hash browns (I used a frozen package or Ore Ida)

5. once hash browns are browned, return bacon and onion back to oven

6. add 12 eggs scrambled and cook until eggs begin to firm up

7. add one half pound of shredded cheddar cheese

8. just before serving and as cheese melts, add salsa to taste

(This makes enough for 6 to 8 people.)