Roll call!

P.S. Photos are welcome.

OK, everybody must be shy! I'm getting over it!
We've done 4 competitions since getting our FE. We are trying to get experience and find out if we're on the right track to build a business.

1. Minneola Fall Fest, Minneola FL
FBA Contest 10/2004
2nd brisket

2. Plant City, FL
KCBS
nothing

3. Winter Haven, FL 2/2005
FBA
8th in chicken

4. Okeechobee, FL 2/2005
FBA
Peoples Choice Pork
We live in St. Augustine, FL. Jack is a certified sous chef. I'm a mammographer.

Our favorite contest was at Minneola. I think because it was our first one. Mary Jackson and Phil from the FBA made us feel really welcome and we had a great time trick or treating with the local kids. The brisket finish got us hooked. There's nothing like getting called up to make you want to repeat that experience!

We're building a business using bbq competition to start us off. It has been so much fun, I can't imagine not participating in the competitions. It's also frustrating at times trying to figure out what the judges must be thinking.

I love Jack's pulled pork! He doesn't like doing chicken, so that's my job.

The advice I would give anyone is just to enjoy the contests. Don't go with a win expected. What we thought was nasty stuff was what won for us in brisket. We had very little brisket experience. What we've thought of as better brisket, the judges haven't liked. So don't throw out anything. Turn it in even if it's not something you like. Mikey, the judge, might like it!
Peggy
P.S. Good job, Donna!

Up til now, I've competed, somewhat successfully, using Weber Smokey Mountains. Next month I'll be cooking on a borrowed FE100 for the first time in a comp. I've practiced most everything on my own unit except chicken (which gives me the willies reading about all the grease fires that have occurred) but will rectify that this weekend.

I'll certainly report my results when I get back from Hammond, LA

Dale,

I have NEVER experienced a grease fire on any of my FE's. Even the few folks that say they have had grease fires usually admit it was avoidable if they had just considered what would happen with a heat shield full of grease as they turned up the temp. I'd be willing to bet you won't have a grease. If your foil that covers the heat shield is not smooth enough to allow the grease to run off, then yes, you're asking for trouble. However, chances are that it will never become an issue.

Rod

Dale, I've foiled everywhere foil needs to be. And my foil is smooooth... Going to cook a 4" thick butt roast tomorrow (in a pan so cooker stays clean!) which will be this cooker's maiden cook. Sent you an e-mail earlier today asking about other stuff I thought you'd need. I'm just going to bring it, if you don't need it fine. Oh, I've never had a grease fire either.

I'm going to garnish!

Contest stuff: Last year I cooked 6 (5 KCBS 1 IBCA) under team name BBQr's Delight. Cooked Winchester with Dr. BBQ and Dillard with Chicks in Charge. I also judged 6 KCBS contests last year. Got to say Dillard was my favorite. I was the substitute Brisket Chick, so that's all I had to do. Lots of visiting time! I went from DAL in brisket in Sapulpa to 3rd place brisket at Dillard. Then followed that up with 1st place brisket in Lebanon the next weekend. That was the first time out for the trailer. I confess...those calls were not cooked on my
FE100. WSM both times. My next contest (Camden, AR) I cooked everything on the FE, took 2nd in brisket, 2nd in chicken, 4th in pork & 5 in ribs. Was RGC. Got everything but my butt whooped in IBCA, but they don't cook butt. Don't get scores either.

This year, I'm off to a pretty good start. Cooked Mobile first of the month. Did everything but chicken in the FE. Got a 6th place in brisket. I had a weird accident on Friday setting up...turned out I cracked my ankle. I didn't cook well, needless to say.

So far I've got Hammond, LA, then Charleston, MO then Bentonville, AR in April. I'll judge Huntsville, AL, cook Sevierville, TN & Hickory, NC in May. And I'm going back to Dillard in August. Probably more.

My advice to anybody...practice, practice and practice some more. Tweek one thing at a time and get folks to taste and give you an opinion. Pretend you're at a contest one weekend. Set up everything, put up your schedule, to turn in trays, do a contest. If you can, feed friends to get their opinions. Save some of everything for yourself. Take a shower after your done -- THEN taste your food.

Candy, Are you going to cook on your new FEC 100 with the new design? If so let me know how it goes. Stewart sent me out a new fire pot and I installed it and did a test run. The unit still is very slow to come up to temp. It took 48 minutes to reach 400 starting at 275. Not sure what the problem is. Going to to talk to Stewart today. And yes I did put in a remote thermometer and it did read very close to the digital read out.

Candy Sue,
If you make it to Hickory will you have pellets with you to sell?

No, Dale's going to use the new one in Hammond.

Let me know what you want me to bring to Hickory and I'll do that.

Well, I will jump in for the team I am a part of, FireHouseBBQ.

So far, we have cooked together at three contests since we started together last November. Plant City FL, Sebring FL and Lakeland FL. We took RGC in Plant City with a first in brisket, 3rd overall in Sebring with a first in pork, and we got dumped in Lakeland. Had to happen sooner or later.

This year we plan on cooking at Huntsville AL, Tryon NC, Greenwood SC, Dillard GA, Grant FL(if there is one), Key Largo, Plant City, possibly Birmingham AL or Cusseta GA. And maybe a few other FBA's to fill in the schedule.

Don't know our favorite yet as we only started cooking together.

Advice for a new team, just do it! Best way to learn. Also, become a certified judge and judge some contests. And continue to judge contests when you are not cooking. This is one of the best ways to learn what judges are looking for. And to see great presentations.

Hope to see you at a contest Donna. And bring Stuart along!

John

John you for got to add this one. A little advertisment for the Cookshack. Ron Leflore Ball Hall of Fame. said he loved the Cookshack sauce and the ribs cooked on the FE last week. I hope the pic comes out this is the first try on here.

Craig
FireHouseBBQ.US

Ok that didn't work lets see if this works.
http://firehousebbq.us/images/baseball2005_009.jpg

Good job Craig.

Smokin' Okie may have you send the rest to him and let him post thru the server.

The pretty one on the left is team member Barbara,who tries to keep us in line.

I'm the tall slim one on the far right,with the full head of hair.

Notice the Cookshack aprons,bottles of sauce,and the FEC.

Hall of Fame Baseball may never be the same.

Tom-Fl

Hi.

I have a question for you Tom. As I looked at the photo I noticed what appeared to be an aluminum foil type pan under the FEC. Is that right? If so, do you have to adjust it in any way or does it slide right in the grooves?

Thanks,
Kate

The full sized disposable pan fits perfectly in the drip pan that comes with the FEC and is easier to dispose of when running long cooks-if that is the question.

Tom-Fl

Thanks Tom.
You answered my question exactly!

Kate

Craig,

How come I am not in the picture? I guess I must have been the only one working! LOL

John

Well John if you look close your right. You are behind the trailer flirting with the unknown woman...John is our lady's man. I was the good looking one taking the pic.I should post the ones that Tom took before he got glasses or was that after he had a beer?

Craig
FireHouseBBQ

Started going to comps last year. Did 5 using WSM's. Got bit by the bug. Compete in the Lone Star Barbecue Society. Team name is Freebird Trailer Park.

I live in Georgetown, Tx. bout 30 miles N of Austin. Got my FE100 about two weeks ago. Got to use it at a comp last weekend, and I love it.

Mike

We started doing comps with the FE last May. Four total so far. First time out was Modesto, CA and we came in 2nd overall, 1st Brisket, 2nd Ribs and burnt the chicken. Second event we won Pork in San Diego. Third event was Smokin at the Ocean in Oregon. We placed 3rd in Seafood and 2nd in Ribs. Our last event was Asuza, CA where I cooked alone. Placed 3rd in Tri-Tip and skunked on everything else. Note to self: Bring wife to cookoff.

Hi, my team name is Mojave Hot Stuff BBQ. I've done 4 competitions since I got the FE100 -

August, 2004, Go For the Gold BBQ Championship, Azusa, CA

Chicken, 2nd Place
Ribs, 8th Place
Pork, 4th Place

Overall, 5th out of 27 teams

August, 2004, West Coast BBQ Championship, Fairfield, CA

Chicken, 3rd place
Pork, 1st place
Overall, 3rd out of 27 teams

December, 2004, Rose Bowl BBQ Contest, Pasadena, CA

Chicken, 4th place
Ribs, 1st place
Pork, 1st place
Brisket, 2nd place

Reserve Grand Champion

May 2005, Best Dam Barbecue, Boulder City, NV

Pork, 2nd Place

Overall, 5th out of 25 teams