Jason in CA
TVWBB All-Star
Last weekend there was KCBS BBQ event near me. I figured I'd share some of my thoughts with you. When they have done it in the past I've strolled through but never stopped and talked to people. This year I decided to spend some time talking to the teams that were competing and check out the setups. Everyone was extremely nice and willing to take some time to talk and answer questions. There was two categories, Professional & Backyard BBQ. Some of the Professional teams must have rolled in with a hundred thousand dollars worth of equipment between the trailers cookers and other equipment they brought along. On the other hand, one team came in with a couple kettles and small dome tent. Just goes to show that anyone can come and give it a shot. When it got closer to turn in time I made myself scarce. It's crunch time for the teams and I didn't want to be in the way of anyone. The park where this was happening at was also having a festival going on so I walked that for a while and got something to eat. When the dust settled and the smoke was starting to clear I went back to the BBQ area and talked to some of the teams I had stopped and said hello to earlier. At this point there was a lot of BBQ food sitting around. Chicken, ribs, pulled pork, and brisket. One of the smaller backyard teams I was talking to told me they cooked up seven racks of ribs so they could choose what they hoped to be the best eight ribs from the seven racks to give to the judges. They did the same with chicken. They offered me and my sister who was with me food. I wasn't hungry having just bought food from the festival but hey, who could turn down BBQ. My sister and I sampled the ribs and they were good. We walked around a little more and one of the professional teams had tons of food laid out, and offered us some. We sampled the brisket and ribs from them also. Earlier when walking by the same team we were given pulled pork. It was unreal to me how much was cooked up so suck a small amount could be turned in for judging. I guess you want to take out as many variables as possible. I lost count of how many of the teams asked why I wasn't competing, and reminded me there was the backyard competition also. No one there was stingy with information. Yes they were competing, but it was more like friends gathered together than people competing against each other. Anything you have heard about this being a helpful community of people is what I encountered while walking around and talking to the teams. They are there for the love of BBQ, and to win.
Chris was also there in the judges tent. My sister and I had a chance to talk to him before he was busy sampling Q from the teams. And for a short time when he was available after the competition. I enjoyed picking his brain about the world of competition BBQ. It was interesting for me to get a chance to talk to someone that knows a lot about the world competition BBQ. I learned a lot in a short time about what it takes to be a certified BBQ judge, and what is looked for in the food that gets turned in, among other things we talked about.
Chris,
It was good to meet you and I'm glad we were able to cross paths, and that you had some time to put up with me and my sister. She likes to grill and BBQ as much as the next person but she had no idea that these types of competitions were a thing. Since leaving the event I think she wants to get involved. I got a text from her this morning about the next class for becoming a judge. We'll see where that goes. After the excitement wears off it may never happen. Or I could be wrong and she could go for it full steam ahead.
For anyone that has never checked out one of these events I recommend it. I was a bit hesitant to walk up to the teams and talk to them because I didn't want to bother anyone. But what I found is they welcome it and are more that happy to chat and answer any questions. Like I said before, it's like a large group of friends. And why not, everyone is there enjoying a common interest in Q.
Chris was also there in the judges tent. My sister and I had a chance to talk to him before he was busy sampling Q from the teams. And for a short time when he was available after the competition. I enjoyed picking his brain about the world of competition BBQ. It was interesting for me to get a chance to talk to someone that knows a lot about the world competition BBQ. I learned a lot in a short time about what it takes to be a certified BBQ judge, and what is looked for in the food that gets turned in, among other things we talked about.
Chris,
It was good to meet you and I'm glad we were able to cross paths, and that you had some time to put up with me and my sister. She likes to grill and BBQ as much as the next person but she had no idea that these types of competitions were a thing. Since leaving the event I think she wants to get involved. I got a text from her this morning about the next class for becoming a judge. We'll see where that goes. After the excitement wears off it may never happen. Or I could be wrong and she could go for it full steam ahead.
For anyone that has never checked out one of these events I recommend it. I was a bit hesitant to walk up to the teams and talk to them because I didn't want to bother anyone. But what I found is they welcome it and are more that happy to chat and answer any questions. Like I said before, it's like a large group of friends. And why not, everyone is there enjoying a common interest in Q.
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