Attending a competition as a spectator


 
J

Joey Rivera

New member
I'm still relatively new to grilling and smoking. I am interested in attending a competition as a spectator. I've never been to one before and don't know what to expect. Are the competitions mainly for the competitors and judges themselves? Is there much for a spectator to do? Can people purchase any of the barbecue? Can people sample from the different competitors? I imagine that the competitors are busy preparing food only for judging by the judges. Any information is appreciated.
 
Joey Rivera said:
I'm still relatively new to grilling and smoking. I am interested in attending a competition as a spectator. I've never been to one before and don't know what to expect. Are the competitions mainly for the competitors and judges themselves? Is there much for a spectator to do? Can people purchase any of the barbecue? Can people sample from the different competitors? I imagine that the competitors are busy preparing food only for judging by the judges. Any information is appreciated.
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Im glad you asked this question,...I been wanting to attend one for the past 3 yrs but I always forget and when I check its over.

The next Event thats near me will be in Santa Anita Race track
 
I've been to comps where teams can let you sample or purchase their bbq and those that you can't. Our local comp is mainly for competitors and not really for spectators but many of the teams love to show off their set ups and techniques and will talk with you while others will just give you a glare and send you on your way. A couple years ago I spent over 2 hrs with a team chatting and sipping their beer and eating fantastic burnt ends while they went about their business.
 
In the past, competitions didn't have much to offer in regards to spectators. Now, they are usually attached to some kind of event such as a car show or music festival. Some offer a lot for the spectator to do such as vendors, live music, demonstrations.

Most competitions have at least one or two BBQ vendors that you can purchase full plates from. Most have something called People's Choice where you can purchase tickets to be used for small samples. Best time to talk to teams is usually after 1:30pm, the last turn in.

Check out the California BBQ Association's website for upcoming events.
 
All comps are different with regard to what is available to spectators. Some allow food to be given away, some don't. Some allow food to be sold, some don't. Depends on local health department rules. If there is a people's choice, they generally allow sampling. Have to so people can vote on their choice.

Our local big comp event is a Rotary Club event that benefits charity. They will provide us with as much meat as we want to cook for the public, only limit is how much we can cook. We will take extra cookers for this just so we can cook a bunch of meat to give away. If I remember, Hy-Vee provided the meat last year and gave 10,000 lbs. Some of the teams used to not cook for the public, but I always felt that since the public was paying to get in, there should be plenty for them to eat. So did the organizer and now everyone is required to cook at least a little.
 
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 trailer, and oh yes, there's a bunch of cleanup work to be done inside where I won't be watching if somebody decides to help themselves. Get the HINT????

Unfortuantely, BBQ Competing isn't really a spectator sport. I know a lot of teams that will try to be extra friendly to folks walking by and be open to conversations, etc.

Whenever I do go to a comp where team samples can be sold, I try to 'hire' a local person or one of the competitors kids to do the sales and they get to keep half of whatever they sell.

So far I haven't gotten into trouble.

Russ
 
I have been to a few comps. All three I went to you bought tickets in advance. The tickets were good for everything they made except for ribs, that was a different ticket which was bought in advance too. All of the Pitmasters were very nice and would answer any questions I had except when it came close to turn in and they were very busy.
 
Up here in New England, BBQ competitions tend to be a bit rare I think. I hope I'm wrong. One of the big ones here in Mass/ Southern NH gets hosted at the Budweiser Brewery in Merrimack NH. There is more than enough stuff to see in a half day. The property is big, and there's plenty of space so nobody gets crowded out. Last time I went, they had a couple commercial BBQ outfits selling plates... as well as other food vendors selling everything from lobster rolls & burgers to hand scooped ice cream. Another thing that I always look for are people selling rubs & hot sauces. I guarantee you will rarely find any of their tasty offerings in a supermarket. They often are willing to serve up samples as a way to sell product. Most excellent!

The competitors are usually clustered in one area. I always ask if I can take pictures of anything, some teams will ask me to have a set of pics dropped into their email boxes. Some refuse outright, and those are few and far in between. I also always ask for a sample of what they are cooking, especially if they let me take pics. The reason is simple... free food. Hitting one of those commercial vendors can set you back 15-20 bucks a plate or more, however good it might be. Feeding a family can get expensive. Here's the thing though, cook teams may be prohibited from even giving away food. It all depends on how anal the local health dept. is about overall food safety.
 
I'll speak to the competitions in Michigan because that's what I'm most familiar with. On Friday afternoon and Friday nights, most teams are pretty open to having conversations with spectators and answering questions, they are usually setting up their cook site, and doing some socializing of their own On Saturday morning and usually from 12p-2p, not so much, that is turn in times and most teams might give you the wink and nod but they don't have time to get involved in lengthy conversations. As far as samples go, in Michigan if you have "friends" visiting your cook site say after the last turn-in you can feed your "friends", so as long as we are properly introduced, I feel I've made a new friend. Otherwise, the Health Dept. here forbids giving food away to the public and we don't sell our leftovers because we try not to interfere with the vendors.
 
Visiting competition teams on Friday night and Saturday after turn in time is over (after 1:30pm for Pro division, ??? for backyard if there are backyard teams @ the comp) is usually the best time. You might want to check with your event organizer's website, as sometimes they have spectator information there, admission price (if any) and hours of operation. You can also search for the event on the sanctioning body's website, (KCBS, IBCA, PNWBA, etc.) for the event information and maybe check with other competition forums like the BBQ Brethren by asking if you can come and hang out with teams there.

Teams will sometimes post that they are attending a competition and will ask for spectators to come and do some grunt work, such as washing dishes or taking out trash in exchange for watching how they do things at a competition.
 
Joey Rivera said:
I'm still relatively new to grilling and smoking. I am interested in attending a competition as a spectator. I've never been to one before and don't know what to expect. Are the competitions mainly for the competitors and judges themselves? Is there much for a spectator to do? Can people purchase any of the barbecue? Can people sample from the different competitors? I imagine that the competitors are busy preparing food only for judging by the judges. Any information is appreciated.
Click to expand...

Check out the California BBQ Association site www.cbbqa.com and look for an event and go for it!
 
I've been to the Jack several times. There are thousands of spectators. Memphis in May is the same. Everyone is watchin judging, cooking teams, visiting all kinds of cooker and cooking vendors, and other vendors/booths. As others have said, most teams are pretty social -- just regular guys -- until the heavy lifting begins for turn ins.
 
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