The first ever ‘Smokin on the Bay’ competition was held at Tracys Landing, MD and what a great competition it was! We had not competed since June and we were ready to try out some new flavors and techniques that we had practiced throughout the summer. Initially this competition was only going to have 15 to 20 teams and in our mind it was the perfect venue to try out our new flavor profiles and methods. Little did we know we’d be cooking amongst 40 other teams including 6 teams that were already qualified to compete in the Jack Daniels invitational competition. Needless to say, we were caught off guard when the contest organizer told us, “Why don’t you guys set up your camp next to Myron Mixon of Jack’s Old South.”
Myron Mixon cooking next to PepperMonkeyBBQ – Serious competition!
A sneak peek at our 4th place rib turn in box.
This was only our 5th competition so we are extremely happy with the results. We still have A LOT to learn and realize the results of the next competition could be totally different. We will keep cooking and having fun and see where it takes us! Congrats to the grand champion, Myron Mixon of Jack’s Old South, and to the reserve champion, Tuffy Stone from Cool Smoke. Hope to see everyone again next year!
Chicken turn in box from Swinetastic 2011
Swinetastic was our first full KCBS barbecue competition for 2011. This was also the first year for Swinetastic and it was a well organized competition held at the Frederick, Maryland fairgrounds. We had an absolute blast meeting new people and seeing teams we hadn’t crossed paths with since the fall of 2010. The true fun in competing like this is the comradery and the friends you make along the way. Like all KCBS competitions, we cooked four meat categories: Chicken, pork ribs, pork shoulder, and beef brisket. This time the ancillary category was seafood. Ancillary categories are more for fun as they are not factored into the overall competition score and they are completely optional. We always enter these because it’s just another chance to show off some creativity and get a professional judge’s opinion on a new recipe. So far we’ve usually placed in the top ten in this ‘extra’ category. Our overall scores improved when compared to last years competitions, but many other teams came with their game face on as we still placed middle of the pack in a couple categories, and my overcooked ribs put them toward the bottom of the pack! Luckily, Erin’s seafood recipe allowed us to walk away with some pride! After three days of little sleep, and spurts of 60 mph winds and hail, we still left with a smile and can’t wait to go back to Frederick, MD next June to do it all over again. Now we have July and August to improve on our techniques and recipes and we’ll test them out against the best in West Virginia next September.
Grilled Sausage Oysters 'Best in seafood' category.
Rib turn in box from Swinetastic 2011
Pork turn in box from Swinetastic 2011
Brisket turn in box from Swinetastic 2011
