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Living in Florida I can tell you all about mosquitos. Funny thing is that I've never had any problem with them at competitions. If there's enough teams around and the wind isn't blowing too hard, I guess it's the smoke that keeps them away. I've slept in my zero-grav a couple of times and never...

Practice, practice, practice. Write down exactly what you do during your practice, including times/durations. Then when you go compete, follow it! Don't let anyone talk you into trying something outside of what you've practiced. Don't let the excitement/pressure of the competition get to you...

Before the trailer I would empty out the bed of the pickup ( I have a topper), put an air mattress in along with my sleeping bag and a pillow. It was very comfortable. Did that for about two years. Some contests would give me a little grief about having the truck on the site, but when I...

Glad it worked for ya. Always feels good to re-pay some of the Q karma that I got when I first started out. Russ

It's really hard to get particulate (minced garlic in this case) suspended and keep it suspended in a container. I've had some luck with putting a portion of the liquid and the particulate in a drink blender and give it a good whirl. Then it becomes close to an emulsion and stays mixed a lot...

There's an FBA event in Dothan April 12-13. One hour between turn-ins might be a little easier for a first-timer or single hander. Not knocking KCBS, just giving another comp idea. www.tristatebbq.com Russ

Jim, May want to check out New England BBQ Society (NEBS), it appears that they have comps listed. Russ

I'm with Dave, some of the worst ribs I've ever gotten were Smithfields. I've gotten to the point that if that's all they have in the case, then I just walk right on by. Russ

The vast majority of comps don't let you sell unless you have signed up to vend (I don't as I'm by myself). Hooooowever, I have been known to let people nearby know that everything on my leftover tray isn't going to be used, and I'm going to carelessly forget to bring the tray back into the...

I'm with Dwayne above except for FC down. The ONLY reason is that I don't want the Jus to wash off my rub. I've seen it done very successfully both ways. Russ

I also disagree with a list like that. Trying to rate a rub against another is like comparing apples to oranges. One rub mightbe aimed specifically at butts (ie. Bad Byrons), whereas another rub might be aimed at something else. Also, many of those listed put out several rubs so saying that ALL...

I try to get chicken done a day or so before the comp as it takes forever to get all of them done. I put them in a zip-lock bag along with the original package label(s) so it is very easy to see the labels. Ribs are easy. I can prep those in less than an hour. Pork butt can take quite a while...

Trim very close to remove any hard fat or silver skin on the outside edges that won't render. Season with whatever you feel is your favorite about an hour before going on. Keep cold (<40) before grilling. Definately do an idirect grill up to an internal of about 125-130, Then direct grill about...

I've never used fire bricks before. What's the theory for using them? I would think that you want to have the heat get under the meat without the actual fire being under it. Isn't that the whole premise of indirect grilling? The bricks would tend to block the heat, I would think. Maybe I'm...

I very much agree with the indirect grilling method. Pile all of the coals to one side and use the distance from the coals to regulate cooking speed. I leave all of the vents wide open. For steak and potatoes, give the potatoes a head start (you did), then go for the indirect cooking up to...

Since you're doing ribs, I wouldn't get too gung-ho about filling the ring with a lot of fuel. You'll end up with a lot of unburnt coals since the session isn't all that long (6? hours). My best recomendation is to get the fire going about an hour before you're going to put the meat on. That...

I've only had to add charcoal one time and I think it was because it was a very cold, windy day and I had to really put the air to it to keep temps up. I bought one of those el-cheapo fireplace shovels (small) and I just put a few pieces of unlit on it and gently slide it in through the door...

I wrap meat side down because I add a little honey, butter, some ******, and some ******. That way the meat is in direct contact with the 'stuff' I added. If I unwrap and they're still not quite finished then I just flip 'em over (meat side up), roll up the edges of the foil, and put them back...

I started out using BRITU method and to this day I still think it's the very best place to start with ribs. In fact, I still use a variation of the BRITU rub in my competitions with a lot of success. I've evolved the 3-2-1 to more of a 4-1-0.5 type timing but in the end, they're done when...

You can also thin down the sauce to where it just starts to run off the back of a spoon. Then you can spoon it on and it will even itself out, kind of like paint. Be sure to go in and get the tendons and veins from the underside of the thigh meat. I use a small pair of hemostats that I bought...