Going In Big and Blind!


 
Rusty Breaux

Rusty Breaux

TVWBB Fan
Not sure if this should be in the Competition forum (not what i would call a real competition so here i am), but here I go anyway.

So our neighborhood has a annual BBQ Cookoff. I think there are going to be 18 teams. Its a very laidback and family oriented event, I dont think very competitive. Judging on Chicken, ribs, brisket, "other" and dessert are the categories. I have a couple of friends that showed a lot of interest in putting a team together. SO i stepped up and got a team "You Got Daved!", then started recruiting the personnel. WELL it seems that noone has ANY bbq ability NOR a means to cook meat on. Until yesterday we were going to be working with my WSM, my Kettle, my Weber Gas Grill, and an electric smoker. Pretty much a bunch of dudes looking to drink some beer and ME looking to take home a grand championship. WELLLL OK.. i can still pull this off...

THEN comes another neighbor... "i can get a smoker from my company if I can be on the team." Just has access to it, and no idea how to use it.
To this point i have only used my WSM, but spent enough time around the forums and youtube to know how to work a bigboy smoker. SOOOO the first time using anything other than my WSM, im firing up THIS bad boy and i have to say im pretty effin excited about it. Looks like a 12' reverse flow trailer. And i was told it has been painted and has a cover to the trailer now. I am tryign to get him to bring it over on wednesday so i can have a look at it. I am curious about tuning plates and the overall condition of it. BUT either way. Jumping into this one w/ both feet.

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rb
 
Wow! Aren't you the ambitious one :) Just pretend you're working with three smokers and it'll be easy peasy ;) Just like on MasterChef, you take charge, delegate then supervise.
 
Len Dennis said:
Wow! Aren't you the ambitious one :) Just pretend you're working with three smokers and it'll be easy peasy ;) Just like on MasterChef, you take charge, delegate then supervise.
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HA... i am definitely taking charge of this one. Iv gotten 4 emails from my 5 teammates saying they dont really know how to do much, but will be there to help w/ whatever I need. :)

Going to be FUN.

rb
 
You should probably do a practice run on that thing to see how it runs, how much wood , etc. Looks like a great time! Good luck!
 
Bob H. said:
Is that a bottle of charcoal igniter fluid sitting on the corner of the trailer?
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HA.. nice catch Bob. Iv actually never seen the trailer. That pic was sent to me by my buddy thats bringing it.

DustinDorsey, the Comp is saturday (3 days from now, and the trailer wont be here until probably thursday. Going to light the fires a couple hours earlier than necessary and try to get a feel for the ole girl.

rb
 
Wishing you the Very Best, Rusty.
Take it you're planning on getting as much rest, ie SLEEP, as is possible beforehand ? :)
 
Bob Bass said:
Wishing you the Very Best, Rusty.
Take it you're planning on getting as much rest, ie SLEEP, as is possible beforehand ? :)
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Being a fancy man of the world, I am actually going to an Opera (hope i dont get shunned off of the site for admitting that) friday evening with the wife. Meaning there will be VERY little sleep all around.

PS... its my first opera and the wife scored tickets from someone that probably hates me.

rb
 
LOL !!!

Which one ?
Spent part of my youth watching, from the very last balcony row of the Los Angeles Shrine Auditorium, the San Francisco Opera doing all the big operas. Didn't even try to understand what they were saying...
La Traviata, Carmen, Marriage of Figaro, La Boheme, Barber of seville...

One knows where they are, world wise, when it take a set of field glasses just to see the stage ;)

Enjoy, my friend !
 
Well boys...There she is... MASSIVE firebox and she can use a bit of a cleaning. nothing a brush and a shop vac cant fix.

So its an offset w/ a Solid plate running under the grill to about 2 or 3 feet from the far end. I have never really looked inside of a reverse flow. I was expecting plates that allowed SOME smoke to escape before hitting the far wall and rotating back through the chamber. Interesting for sure.

Overall i would say its not completely overwhelming. I think im up for the challenge.
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That's a man's bbq!! Get yer big-boy pants on, stick some lumber in it, & fire it up! Don't worry about lack of experience Rusty, consider it on-the-job training.
Good luck with the comp.

What opera are you going to see? The Barber-cuer of Seville?

Hat, coat......I can find my own way out!
 
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TonyUK said:
That's a man's bbq!! Get yer big-boy pants on, stick some lumber in it, & fire it up! Don't worry about lack of experience, consider it on-the-job training.
Good luck with the comp.

What opera are you going to see? The Barber-cuer of Seville?

Hat, coat......I can find my own way out!
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Thanks Tony, I think all of the mindless bbq forum and youtube surfing over the past year has fully prepared me for this coming wekeend.

the Opera is THE ELIXIR OF LOVE. It may or maynot be the story of Cosby, i cant be sure.

rb
 
L'Elisir D'amour was one of my late brothers favorite operas! The music is delightful, you will have a pleasant evening.
I listen to foreign language music when I want company but don't want to think much about what they have to say. That reads FAR more insensitively than I though it!
If you get really bored, you can think about how you will use that steel monster to best advantage. I used to do that during dull sermons at Mass!
Mea Culpa, Mea Culpa........
You all know what I'm talking about!
 
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Don't take this the wrong way but if I were in your shoes I'd bring paper and pencil or use my phone's recorder and jot notes throughout the process, holding the belief I'd learn something throughout the process not taught by watching YouTube. I've only been smoking and barbecuing for 11 months and I keep a log of every cook. For me, this log has proven invaluable.
 
BFletcher said:
Don't take this the wrong way but if I were in your shoes I'd bring paper and pencil or use my phone's recorder and jot notes throughout the process, holding the belief I'd learn something throughout the process not taught by watching YouTube. I've only been smoking and barbecuing for 11 months and I keep a log of every cook. For me, this log has proven invaluable.
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BFletcher, the cookoff was this past weekend and it was a GOOD time. Alot of work and I learned a good deal about offset smokers (trial by fire if you will :) ), building the fire, keeping it going, and fought through a few problems, but all in all was a pretty good cook. I have a few pix up in the Pictures section. I am pretty sure that firebox was TOO big and inefficient, also the smokestack was wither too small or too tall, but either way we had a backflow issue we had to figure out.

I took no notes since it was my first full cook and i had plenty enough going on trying to keep everyone involved helping and keeping everything on schedule and timely. But the experience was GREAT, i loved it and may start looking around for an offset of my own in the near future.

rb
 
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