First Amateur Competition DONE!


 
Benji Chong

Benji Chong

TVWBB Super Fan
Popped my cherry and competed in the amateur competition at Pig Jam in Plant City FL this weekend. Had a great exhausting time, learned a lot and met some cool people along the way! Feel pretty satisfied for my first foray into the world of competitive BBQ.

Overall I came in 21st out of 30.
Chicken I came in 19th out of 29.
Ribs I came in 15th out of 30.
Pulled Pork I came in 21st out of 29.
Brisket I came in 21st out of 28.

Brought my 2 18.5 WSMs and a 18.5 OTS. Really learned a lot and know where I need to improve. Next one is in January so here's to the next comp!

Here are pics of my turn in boxes...props to my wife for making the putting green for the boxes...

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This was my 1st comp ever and if anything i'd have to say, make a comprehensive check list of everything to bring and make sure you don't forget anything. Also have the recipes you want to make rock solid don't go in trying to experiment with different injections or rubs, go with what you know and have experimented with already. I didn't pay extra for an electrical outlet but i was blessed by a friend with lanterns and flash lights so have a plan for when night fall comes and you're trying to marinate meats in the dark. Timing is everything, try to time when your meats will get done fairly close to the turn in time. I had meats ready and done way before turn in time and i was forced to wrap in aluminum and keep warm in a cooler which i think overcooked some of my meats. Other than that, just have fun, meet and talk with other teams. I felt lucky my assigned spot was next to such a friendly team who let me borrow things when i needed them. Oh here's a big one DON'T FORGET TO BRING FIRE!! I had a lighter in my pocket all day but then went home to change came back and realized i left my lighter in my other pants LOL. How embarrasing, at a BBQ Competition with no source of fire.
 
Looks great Benji; congratulations on stepping into a competition! Good luck with the next one and your cooking looks great!
 
Benji,

A Big Congratulations on a job Well Done !
Non-sanctioned events are a great tool to get one ready for the sanctioned events.

Wishing you and your team BBQ Excellence !

Bob
 
Looks to me like you pretty darn well! Congrats!

I second the idea of making a checklist of everything that needs go. I've been competing for a while now and I still break out my checklist for every comp. I even still print out (and post on the side of the fridge) my timeline and menu.

Russ
 
Thanks for the comments everyone! I figure you guys might like the team logo my friend made up for some tshirts. Last minute as all hell but I think they came out awesome LOL. Version 2.0 may be in the works for the next comp.

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I admire you for entering, and applaud your results. I have not gotten that far yet. congrats -

don't lift the lid...
 
Benji Chong said:
Thanks for the comments everyone! I figure you guys might like the team logo my friend made up for some tshirts. Last minute as all hell but I think they came out awesome LOL. Version 2.0 may be in the works for the next comp.

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I like the logo. :)
 
Thanks again for the comments!

Bob, awesome link, i was looking for something just like that since my buddy was slackin on me til the very last minute. I literally left work Friday around 3, went to the comp site to setup and get meats inspected, went to cooks meeting at 6, then went to go pickup t-shirts across town, then back home to pack up the rest of the stuff i didnt bring with me friday morning, played with the kids for a bit then back to comp site by like 11pm. It was a ridiculous night LOL.

Dwain, thanks for those checklists, they will definitely come in handy. It was funny i made a list on my work computer but then never printed it out, so i'm at home and the store like, *** was the point of making the list if i never printed it out!!
 
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