Most competition bbq cooks pursuing their first category win, top five overall finish, grand championship, or even team of the year award usually reach the conclusion after their first couple of contests that achieving bar-be-que nirvana is harder than it looks.
It seems easy enough as a spectator (and some judges probably fall into the same trap)...
1) Send in your contest entry fee
2) Buy an inexpensive (substitute "cheap") offset or water smoker at a local hardware store
3) Practice cooking on it a few times
4) After two or three attempts, invite the neighbors and relatives over for a "taste test"
5) Receive rave reviews and start day dreaming about how you'll spend the prize money
Of course all novices learning the ropes in almost any sport whether it's golf, bowling, baseball, basketball, or whatever else come to the realization that it takes dedication, persistence and lots of practice to achieve any respectable level of proficiency.
Some get lucky and achieve success early on, only to finish in mid-pack or worse in the next few contests. A certain percentage throw in the towel and don't continue the quest, while others see it as a nobel pursuit and welcome the challenge.
There's a growing number of people that have somehow reached the conclusion that the secret to good bbq is having the latest electronic gadget, marinade, spice rub, bbq sauce, bbq classes, newest style of cooker, "secret tips", and an elegant motorhome to transport them with. While some of these things might make contests more enjoyable, throwing lots of money at bbq without first building a base of experience is not adviseable, in my opinion.
Brand new competitors should first take the time to develop an understanding that even the best competitors sometimes go through droughts where they don't win any substantial prize money for months. "Buying your way in" hoping to hit it big doesn't really work any better in the sport of bbq than it does in horse racing, golf, auto racing, boat racing, or even lawn mower racing.
Sometimes you've got to go through alot of disappointments before the thrill of success arrives. And that my friends, is what makes it all worthwhile.
BBQ Contests for Profit
I have read reports lately on various forums about bbq from competitors that profess to compete for profit. I applaud those that can do it profitably. I'm jealous in fact.
Based on my experience, it's next to impossible to earn a profit from bbq contests, unless 1) you have a lucrative sponsorship relationship with a company that serves the bbq industry such as a charcoal manufacturer, cooker manufacturer, meat packing company, etc.; or 2) you win grand champion or reserve grand champion at 50% or more of the contests you attend; or 3) you manufacture a bbq related product such as cookers, smokers, grills, woods, charcoal, etc., and sell a lot of it as a direct result of competing in bbq contests.
BBQ contests have not yet reached the point where the contest itself offers a substantial enough purse to be economically feasible for more than one or two of the competitors at each event. By the time you factor in expenses for meat, travel, lodging, entry fees, wear and tear on vehicles and equipment just for starters, you're in the hole already....unless you are fortunate to win the $1,500 or $800 (average amounts, some contests pay less), you're never going to come out on the positive end of things.
Assume you receive a 3rd place at a larger than average event. It's possible that you will not receive any monetary rewards at all for your cooking effort, even though you outperformed all but two other competitors at the event. Most contests only pay prize money to 5th place and recently I've seen a trend that organizers are cutting back to 3rd place at some events, or rewarding non-monetary prizes in place of cash.
I think the bbq contest sanctioning bodies and contest organizers could take hint from NASCAR and the BASS Masters fishing tour in this regard. NASCAR has Nextel and BASS Masters has had various relationships through the years with prominent manufacturers such as Ranger Boats and others.
For barbecue to progress to a point of being profitable for the folks that provide the main attraction at the events--the cooks themselves--it's going to take a large push toward high level and high dollar corporate sponsorship. This will require professionalism at every level of the event--from organizers, judges, contest reps, and competitors--to attract the money that NASCAR and BASS Masters have enjoyed for decades now.
In my opinion, ultimately it's the sanctioning body that bears most responsibility for taking the sport the next level and no single person or sanctioning body can do it alone. The board of directors, organizers, contest reps and contestants must work in unison--pulling and pushing in the same direction and abandoning some of the in-fighting that I've witnessed first hand to progress.
BBQ Apprenticeship
At the bbq contests we attend during the course of the year, whether in Florida, Tennessee, Indiana, or Michigan, I am often asked how I got started competing and many ask how they can get started out in competition.
You really have several options for learning to compete and one of least expensive is to frequently visit bbq web sites, blogs, and discussion boards on the internet and read everything possible about bbq. It's free, but time consuming and besides that, there's a limited amount of information you can learn from a web site without putting some of the instructions and examples into practice.
A second approach is to plop down anywhere from $250-$500 or so and enroll in one of various bbq classes offered by some most excellent instructors that are also successful contest competitors.
A third approach, and one I hope you'll consider, is to come out and cook with us at an actual KCBS event and gain some first hand experience in an actual contest setting. You'll become an honorary team member for the weekend and be able to observe up close and personal exactly what we do at bbq contests. You're welcome to spend as much or as little time with us at a contest as you want. We usually arrive early Friday morning and leave Saturday afternoon following the awards ceremony.
You'll be our guest for the weekend and "learn by doing". I can't think of a better way to learn the ropes at a bbq contest, get all your questions answered, meet some new people, and eat all the bbq you want.
Drop me an e-mail if this idea appeals to you.
How to make a BBQ Rub
One of the first things to learn about when you're ready to take the next step and get serious about improving your bbq results, is how various spice flavors interact with one another. Some meats taste better with more salt than others--pork for example. Some meats taste better with a little more heat in the rub than others--brisket or even chicken other examples. However, in the final analysis, what's good to you might not be good to someone else. If cooking for others, it's best to stick to middle-of-the-road flavors rather than veering too far in any one direction.
There are plenty of commercial bbq rubs on the market. It's fun to experiment with them and try out different flavors and styles of rubs. Some are hot, some are sweet, some are salty and some have a near perfect blend of heat, sweat and salt; but, the best way to learn what tastes good to you is by learning to make your own bbq rub.
Making your own rub will teach you more about flavors and "blends" of flavors than buying someone else's idea of what they think tastes good. You may end up going back to the commercial rub eventually, but by experimenting with your own rub too, you'll learn what to look for in a commercial rub.
Let's begin be defining a bbq rub....
BBQ Rub = Mixture of spices that are combined are sprinkled or "rubbed" onto the meat before cooking. This could be a mixture as simple as equal parts of salt and pepper, or it could be something as complicated as a mixture of 10 -12 difference spices with subtle differences.
Here's a good basic rub that you can use to get started. After using it a few times you may find that you'd prefer a little more pepper, a little more sugar, or something else added, but this will give you a good base to start out.
Basic BBQ Rub Recipe
3 tablespoons of sea salt
3 tablespoons of granulated sugar
3 tablespoons of mild paprika
1 teaspoon of granulated garlic
1 teaspoon of granulated onion
1 teaspoon of black pepper
1 teaspoon of white pepper
Basic BBQ Rub # 2
1/2 cup paprika
1/4 cup ground black pepper
1/3 cup salt
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons onion powder
1 teaspoon cayenne
Some other optional items you may to experiment with by adding to or subtracting from this recipe from time to time include: nutmeg, oregano, cummin, cayenne pepper, chipotle powder.
I've found that cummin goes well with pork and oregano goes well with beef.
Apply this rub to the meat you're preparing to bbq and let it marinade in the refrigerator for 8 hours or more (overnight works well) prior to cooking. This will allow the rub to penetrate the meat better than if you apply it directly before placing in the smoker.
In my opinion, it's better if the rub is a little on the hot side when you mix it up because after cooking, rubs tend to lose a little of their heat, especially if you use foil during the cooking process.
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