Comments Off on 12th Annual Recovery Fest/7th Annual BBQ State Championship Richmond, VA
by Mark Gibbs, Pitmaster of The Checkered Flag 500 BBQ
The McShin Foundation held its 7th annual KCBS sanctioned BBQ competition the weekend of September 9th and 10th. 25 teams came together in the 95 plus degree heat to compete and support the McShin Foundation in this annual BBQ battle.
The folks at the foundation put on a great contest with full amenities. The music, fellowship, cause and location of this contest make it a “must do” for many competitors. Despite the hot temps, all 25 teams got their entries in to the judges on time to make this contest a Jack and Royal qualifier. Honesty Liller, CEO of McShin did a great job of presenting the awards and taking care of the competitors. They really do make us a part of the family at this contest.
The results are in and I am happy to say that the Checkered Flag 500 BBQ Team repeated as Grand Champion this year successfully defending our title from 2015. Old Virginia Smoke of Bristow, Virginia with Luke and Kim Darnell and Leigh Anne Terry brought home the Reserve Grand Champion honors.
The Checkered Flag 500 team brought home top honors in Chicken and Brisket. Don and Sandy Wallace of Life is Good, but BBQ is Better from Purcellville, Virginia took home their first ever 1st Place Rib finish! Great job Don and Sandy! Top Pork honors went to J.D.’s Smokin Misfits of Virginia!
Mark and Sharon Gibbs win GC!
The Checkered Flag 500 Team also qualified for the OBR/BBQ for a Cause Virginia Champions championship at the 2017 contest in Urbanna, Virginia.
Congrats to every team that got a call and we are really looking forward to the 2017 event at McShin in Richmond!
First place winners:
Chicken – Checkered Flag 500 BBQ
Ribs –Life is Good But BBQ is Better
Pork –JD’s Smokin Misfits
Brisket –Checkered Flag 500 BBQ
Grand Champion –Checkered Flag 500 BBQ
Reserve Grand Champion –Old Virginia Smoke
Comments Off on Interview With the Champs – Wolf’s Revenge
by Brian Walrath, MABA Board Member and Pitmaster for Brown Liquor BBQ
Pitmaster Chiles Cridlin and Randy Grigg of Wolf’s Revenge from Richmond, Virginia have been on the competition trail for a while now. Chiles takes a more analytical approach to barbecue and puts in a lot of time practicing, researching, and learning his craft from a wide variety of resources. Wolf’s Revenge has become a marquee team in the Mid-Atlantic over the last few years and they have a legitimate shot to win anytime they pull up the trailer and light the smoker. Chiles agreed to answer a few questions about their team, approach, and recent HUGE win at the Sam’s Club Regional event in Charleston, South Carolina.
Question: Congrats on winning the Sam’s Club regional in Charleston, SC. How did you qualify for the regional contest?
Chiles Cridlin, Wolf’s Revenge:
Wolf’s Revenge takes GC!
Thank you and it’s still a bit much to believe. After all, we were competing against friends and mentors who consistently turn in award winning BBQ. We qualified at the Harrisburg, PA SAM’s Club back in June. We were fortunate enough to finish Reserve Grand behind that winning machine of a team Checkered Flag 500. Have you heard of them? 🙂 We also competed at our local home SAM’s qualifier in Richmond, VA. It’s a good thing we Reserved in Harrisburg because we landed 8th in Richmond and would not have made it to the regionals otherwise.
Q: Tell me about going all the way down to Charleston to compete.
CC, WR:
It’s a solid seven hour drive from Richmond with pulling a trailer and fuel stops and a trip we were not looking forward to. We competed in the SAM’s local there back in 2014 and were beaten up pretty bad with our recipes and swore we’d never go back (famous last words). We were over 6 hours into the trip when we realized the generator on the trailer had broken a weld on the muffler and had to be shut down. SAM’s club contests only offer a single 20 amp power outlet so having a generator is a must if you have a trailer when it’s hot – and boy was it HOT. We were anticipating not having ours to use but a trip to Lowes after dinner and some pipe clamps kept us up and going. It’s a good thing too because around 9AM, the SAM’s generator blew a radiator hose and the entire competition was without power. I’m thinking we may need add a spare to our spare.
Q: Did you feel like you had a good cook and were confident going to awards?
CC, WR:
It was a very good cook for us, at least better than our average anyway. Our chicken was a bit overdone for our liking (I’m blaming the North Charleston heat on that one) and we were a surprised that we received a call. Our ribs were some of our best ever but no call (it happens) and we tried something very different with the pork box which paid off. Pork has not been a strong category for us this year. We definitely had some table luck on our side for that competition. The best part of the cook was when Tuffy Stone shared the North Charleston / South Carolina mustard secret with both us and Jimmy Richardson from Smoke-Aholics. I’d like to say it kept is in the running but we will never really know for sure.
Q: Let’s talk about Wolf’s Revenge…tell me about your team name, your team, and your competition set up.
CC, WR: My godson came up with the name back in 2011. I was competing as Big C’s Stew-n-Q prior but only doing one or two competitions per year. I had added a few friends to the team and it wasn’t just Big C’s any more. Everyone knows the story of the Three Little Pigs. Our version of the story has a different ending where the brick house gets turned into a smoke house and the wolf gets his revenge! Another friend did the artwork, T-Shirts were made and Wolf’s Revenge BBQ was up and running. Randy Grigg is our primary team mate and we have a few other friends that help out as their time permits. Randy’s schedule allows for the twenty plus competitions per year and he does most of the driving. We have a 34′ Custom Concessions BBQ vending trailer and I am thankful Randy does not mind doing the long hauls like down to North Charleston. By the way, I would recommend Custom Concessions to anyone looking for a commercial vending trailer. Their customer service and quality are amazing and I feel very good about the money invested in that purchase. If we are going to continue with this kind of schedule, we will need a 5th wheel with living quarters. The only other thing that would make us unique is our smoker. We designed it, built it with the help of Chase Architectural Metals here in Richmond and is the smallest, portable rotisserie that can fit all the competition meats and has its own built in temperature control system. I have three months of nights and weekends into grinding, welding and electrical work. Our first competition with it back in 2012 earned us a Reserve Grand right behind 3-eyze in Palmyra, VA. Its part water cooker, part Ole Hickory, part… well, it looks like a hotel ice maker so I am told. Anyway, it works great and we can’t afford to make another one any time soon.
Q: So, will you make the trek to Bentonville, Arkansas for the Sam’s Club finals?
CC, WR:
You better believe it! Hotel reservations and vacation requests have already been made so it’s just a matter of waiting for the date to get here. We have two more competitions between now and then. (Tilly’s Harley Davidson in Salisbury, NC and then Sunset Beach BBQ in Cape Charles, VA). We’re taking advantage of every opportunity to tweak our timelines and recipes.
Q: Ok, I always ask our winning pit masters this…what’s the one tip you have for those teams to help them break through and win their first GC or up their game in competition BBQ?
CC, WR:
Take a class. Take another class after that. There are a few teams that pick on me for taking as many classes as I do but here’s my philosophy…
Taking a class is cheaper than a contest by the time you add the cost of your meats, entry fees, etc.
Classes are usually full of really cool people that have the same interest as you such as learning and winning and there is more social interaction at a class.
There is no stress in taking a BBQ class like there can be at a BBQ competition.
There is always something to learn from an accomplished BBQ instructor.
You get more sleep at a BBQ class because most likely, the big meats will be on while you’re snoozing away.
BBQ almost always tastes better when it’s cooked by someone else and you didn’t have to stand in the smoke for hours.
You get free stuff like rubs and t-shirts and discounts with the major suppliers. The list goes on…
I can honestly say I have enjoyed some classes way more than some competitions. It’s just a win-win and I always take something away from a class that I can use. Also, don’t be afraid to try something new. Our biggest breakthroughs has happened because we ventured out of our comfort zone during a competition, but we only change ONE THING AT A TIME. You have to keep some control over your cook to learn from it.
Q: Tell our MABA audience about the special thing you serve at the traditional MABA good luck shot on competition Saturday morning.
CC, WR:
First, let’s be politically correct and call it the MABA Toast. MABA Shot just does not sound good coming back from the Recovery Fest.
Randy is our resident Barista. Coffee drinks are his specialty but right now he is making something he calls the “Peppermint Patty” He always has a cooler filled with chocolate, coffee cordials and schnapps’. What he makes is full flavor, not full alcohol though. We all still have to cook and be on our game.
Q: What’s in store for the rest of the year for Wolf’s Revenge?
CC, WR:
They say be careful what you wish for and there is some truth to that. I cooked my first contest back in 2008 and dreamed of getting to the American Royal Invitational or the Jack Daniels. We’ve been blessed (truly) to be invited to participate in both this year which means a lot of driving, logistics, time away from work and families. As much as we are looking forward to the experience, we also know that we are the small fish in a very big pond. We still have a lot of work ahead of us to get where we want to be. Oh yeah, and let’s try not to forget Rule #1 of BBQ… Have fun!
Q: Anything else to add before we sign off?
CC, WR:
Wow, there are so many folks that I want to say thank you to for helping us to get this far. Let’s start with KCBS and MABA for providing the framework for the hobby that we have all fallen for. The other teams for some great camaraderie and of course our friends and families that support us while we pursue BBQ perfection. Oh… and the Tuffy Stone North Charleston BBQ Mustard secret? Tuffy walked over to our trailer with a bottle of French’s and waived it over our smoker like he was blessing it. He said that’s all we ever need to know about using mustard in North Charleston.
Comments Off on A Chicken in a Pair of Blue Shorts
by Todd Rushing, Pitmaster for No Rush Q
One of the funniest things I have seen lately was a video of a chicken running around in a blue pair of shorts. I’m not sure why I thought this was so funny, but it was simple and it made me laugh. Why would someone put a chicken in a pair of shorts? Even better, why would someone post it on social media and it get thousands of views? Who thinks of this stuff? But it served its purpose and it caught my eye.
In the mastery of cooking KCBS chicken have we gone so far as to put our chicken in the preverbal “blue shorts”? Maybe so. Having cooked many competition over the past few years I am as guilty as the rest of trying to make the perfect pieces of symmetrical little pieces of meat that taste like chicken. Running the gamut of pans, tins, toothpicks and such to make that box get appearance scores of “9”.
All of us eat with our eyes first. If it looks great then we have won half of the battle. But who decides what looks great. Well of course the judges do, but have we polled them and asked lately what constitutes “great” looking chicken? I’m sure some have and others have not. But I am also sure that if you ask 10 judges you will most assuredly get 10 different answers of some variation therein. In the end, I know that appearance scores are not weighted nearly as high as taste and tenderness but you better not overlook them or your overall scores will suffer. However, as of late it does seem that chicken can look more like “chicken” and be okay. That’s good news in my book. It allows us to focus more on cooking the meat and flavor profiles.
This sport of competition barbecue is so very subjective. There is no defined goal line, goalpost, or home run wall that will give you a predetermined score. Your game plan must involve the knowledge and experience gained over time to hopefully be at least 1/10th of a point better than your competition. As it relates to chicken…well if that means putting it in blue shorts make sure you check his waist size and get some that fit nice!
Comments Off on Mountain High BBQ Festival & Car Show Franklin, NC
By Stephanie West, MABA Vice-President and “The Neck” Pitmaster for Team 270 Smokers
Thirty-four pro and 12 backyard teams vied for ~$12K in cash at the 9th annual Mountain High BBQ Festival and Car Show in Franklin, NC. The competition was held at the Wayne Proffitt Agricultural Center, with 46 teams nestled on the grass between the livestock arenas. (Likely rather unsettling for the cows who were snuggled in their pens just 25 yards or so from the smokers! Rest assured, they were all safe and accounted as we departed on Sunday morning!)
Smokin’ Hot Reps!
This was one of the stronger showings for a dual pro/backyard event in the MABA region, and it was heartening to see the enthusiasm and talent of these backyard teams – many of whom also participated in the 3 ancillary events! The Franklin Chamber of Commerce aptly rewarded with huge trophies for the Backyard competitors, along with ample cash. For those who heard their name called, they are now certainly hooked on our sport of competitive BBQ! Grand Champion of the Backyard contest was Sunnyside Smoke, a protégé of Two Old Men & A Grill. RGC was The Smokin Hot Reps, in their very first contest as cooks rather than as KCBS Reps! Julie & Rusty Cook, Doug Reid, Tom & Angela Morris, and Wayne & Rachel Harper have a new appreciation of the work involved “on the other side of the table”!
Franklin’s reputation along with the promise of cooler mountain air lured teams from near and far, including the host and two of the featured teams from the latest BBQ TV series “Smoked”. In parallel, the Chamber hosted a competitive Car Show and a fundraiser – teams provided pulled pork for the Tasting Tent that raised $1,000. The hospitality was excellent, electric and water lines were plentiful, indoor bathrooms & a shower were provided, and rarely did more than 10 minutes pass without a volunteer asking if we needed anything. Garbage bags barely had a chance to touch the grass before a volunteer was there to pick them up. Overall, we’d definitely recommend Franklin on your “to do” list.
First place winners:
Chicken –Hickory Prime
Ribs –Rocky Top Barbecue
Pork –Midnight Burn
Brisket –270 Smokers
Grand Champion –Hickory Prime
Reserve Grand Champion –Midnight Burn
This KCBS competition was held as part of the 53rd Annual Das Awkscht Fescht. Located in the private Macungie Memorial Park which boast a robust 43 acres full of classic cars, vendors, community swimming pool, and auto flea market. The auto fest offered live entertainment from noon until 10:30 pm Friday and Saturday. If you enjoy classic cars, classic 60’s era music, lots of fair food, and an awesome professionally produced fireworks display, this is one competition you need to put on your schedule for next year. Did I mention the fireworks display Saturday night to end the days event…which were set off right across the street where competitors were set up. The sight, sound, and percussions could be felt from each and every one launched, you will be hard pressed to find a better location and display of fireworks.
The organizers did a great job with this 1st time event, making sure competitors had ample electric and city water from one of the parks fire hydrants. There were oversized team sites as well as 20 x 20 regular sites to accommodate teams of all sizes. Fortunately the competition area was on grass to help absorb the hazy, hot, humid, dog days of summer, unlike those that baked on the asphalt of Sam’s Club in Laurel, MD this same weekend. So it is easy to see with 52 years’ experience running the auto fest that this new event has the possibility of longevity and becoming a team favorite in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Twenty-three teams went at it for the title of Grand Champion at the 1st Annual Pit in the Park. As the sun was setting in the early August evening the title fell to the well-known, well respected, 5-time Pennsylvania State Champions Tom & Michele Perelka of Lo’ –N- Slo’ BBQ. The event also held a chefs choice and dessert categories which were cooked and turned in on Sunday. Eight teams were registered for these two categories which were to be done in German or PA Dutch cuisine theme. The overall winner of the combined categories went to Tom & Stacie Feil of Christmas City BBQ.
First place winners:
Chicken – Smokin’ Tex BBQ
Ribs –BBQFLY
Pork –Christmas City BBQ
Brisket –Top Gun BBQ
Grand Champion –Lo’ -N- Slo’ BBQ
Reserve Grand Champion –Smokin Foolz BBQ
By Stephanie West, MABA Vice-President and “The Neck” Pitmaster for Team 270 Smokers
SUPERHEROs prevail!! Once again, the brother-sister power house of (MABA Board Member) Jerry Stephenson and Roxanne Stephenson Manly knocked it out of the park to capture their 5th Grand Championship of the year, secure their lead in the Old North State Series, and propel them into the Top 10 KCBS teams in the world!! What an awesome run for Redneck Scientific!!
Redneck Scientific wins again!
This was the 3rd year for Pigs & Pedals in the charming town of Asheboro, NC and 47 BBQ teams turned out to vie for $12K in prize money. The BBQ comp is coupled with cycling and foot races, and you can feel the energy and enthusiasm for this event throughout the entire town. Local sponsors generously donated a dozen or more “door prizes” for the BBQ teams along with an ample goodie bag, and the City provided breakfast at nearby HOPS BBQ. They opened the city pool for BBQ teams, including free use of indoor showers. Live music was provided on Friday and Saturday, with quiet hours fully respected (thank you!) Contest organizer Pam Morgan and her team of volunteers were awesome, shuttling ice and other necessities to the teams all weekend.
A few tips: If you plan to attend next year, get there at 8am on Friday as team placement in the parking lot is pretty much sequential to your arrival time – the later you arrive, the further away you’ll be from the judging tent. (Teams are not allowed to set up on Thursday night as the event is held downtown.) Meat inspection was conducted roadside (not at your site) where teams queued up on a side street for check-in, so pack your meat cooler where it is readily accessible. And, if you can, bring a large misting station and an extra garden hose. It’s August, it’s North Carolina, it’s steamy hot in a beautifully paved parking lot. You get the idea!
First place winners:
Chicken – Contagious Q
Ribs –Wolf’s Revenge BBQ
Pork –Redneck Scientific
Brisket –Wolf’s Revenge BBQ
Grand Champion –Redneck Scientific
Reserve Grand Champion –Smoking Butt Heads
By Bill Jones, MABA Board Member and KCBS Master Judge, Table Captain, & Life Member
As a Master Judge, I am often looked to for advice by newbies. I define newbies as new judges with less than 10 contests judged.
Some of their questions are related to how to apply to judge contests, why I apply for the ones I do, and help with discussing their entrée they just judged and scored. But the one that gets asked more times than not – How do you meet a team to work on getting your Masters cook completed?
With the divide in KCBS with judges and cooks, versus that of MBN — judges, especially new ones, have wonderment about talking with teams. How to approach? Who to approach? When to approach?
For both newbies and cook teams, it’s an easy process. You just have to ask. It helps though to know the person or persons to ask.
Many teams are also judges or have members of their team that judge to keep up with the new trends of other teams entries or what’s the hot new trend in box building. Many teams also like to have judges cook with them as part of the team to get an insight into their cooks. They may or may not get comment cards to help them fix issues, but a judge in the trailer with them can maybe point out that issue. So sometimes you can find cook team members in the judges tent. You can ask them.
For teams, you can come to a contest and ask the reps to announce during a judges meeting you wish to have a judge cook with you for their Masters. Have them share where your site is and that judges are invited to come meet and talk about upcoming dates after the judging has taken place. You can exchange contact info then. But please do not use this as a time for asking questions of that days turn-ins. A newbie is going to be a bit out of their element in coming to ask a favor of you.
For judges, ask a master judge who they would recommend. I have three I can name off top of my head whenever I am asked. I am sure other master judges also have teams they can recommend. Sometime you will also find in the BullSheet a team advertising for a judge to come cook with them. Also check Facebook and BBQ Brethren website. But the key here is quite simple – all ya gotta do is ask.
For teams wondering if they would ever consider adding a judge for a contest, here’s a story that I can share that occurred some time ago – I have changed, or maybe not changed, some of the details to protect the innocent. Maybe this might help make up your mind if considering it.
They were taking left over pork, chopping and placing in bottom of their box to lift up the pork they were presenting. They’d been doing so for many contests. They were shocked to hear from the guest judge that if it’s in the box a judge might try some not realizing it was not to be considered part of the entry. They were only using it as a platform and it was bland tasting.Once this was brought to their attention they quickly placed sauced and good meat in bottom of box…and walked that day in pork. Was it because of what the judge told them? I do not know. But they sure like to have judges come and cook with them to point out possible concerns that might cost a point here or there.
As a team, please let them help. Maybe not unleash them with knives and say trim my brisket. Some teams let judges trim, season, inject, stoke fire, build boxes, the whole job of cooking competition BBQ. Others take a we will do the work, you just watch attitude which teaches a judge not a lot and is quite frankly boring. I myself learned so much more participating in all aspects of the cook. I highly recommend allowing a judge to be part of everything you do.
I will end with a comment being made often these days. A judge does not have to judge 30 before cooking with a team. Some will say a judge should cook before they judge. I do not recommend this idea. I believe a judge who has never judged yet cannot offer any insight to a team they are helping to cook with. I do certainly think a judge should cook within their first 15 contests. And again all ya gotta do is ask!
Comments Off on Richmond Judge Hosts Judges Social Before Sam’s Club Event
By Bill Jones, MABA Board Member and KCBS Master Judge, Table Captain, & Life Member
When I became a judge some 5 years ago, I quickly found out the BBQ would is one huge tailgate party. Seldom have I attended a contest in which multiple teams are not hosting a Friday evening meal and time of socializing.
So when Sam’s Club started hosting contests in Virginia three years ago in Richmond, and just a scant few miles from our home, we decided to host a judges social at our home. Judges come from all over to judge barbecue contests, so we thought it might be fun to have a social at our home and welcome the visiting judges coming in the night before . We also invited any local judges who may not be judging the contest, along with local KCBS reps and teams.
KCBS judges enjoy an evening of good food and fellowship prior to Sam’s Club Richmond.
This year, 16 judges were able to join us during the evening to meet and greet judges they already knew as well as some they did not. Our menu included a crab and shrimp boil, cajun coleslaw, cheesecake and key lime pie.
All left hoping Sam’s Club will once again grace us with a contest in 2017 so this yearly get together can continue.
By Bill Jones, MABA Board Member and KCBS Master Judge, Table Captain, & Life Member
In this month’s “What’s in The Box” I will provide some info on what goes on once you drop off your boxes at turn in. Some of you may have never been inside the judging area and do not know all the steps it takes to get from drop off to the judges table. I hope this will be of interest.
So the clock is ticking down, the box needs to be turned in, and there are only seconds to spare when you arrive at turn in. Once dropped off, the box is moved behind a curtain or partition of some sort. Here, a new number is placed over the written number on the box, or YOUR team number. This now makes the box blind to judges as only the reps have the sheet to compare the team number to that of the box.
How do the boxes get to the tables as they do? With Chicken it’s very easy. The normal process is first six chicken boxes go to table 1, next six to table 2, and so on. There is no need to sort them. Next comes Ribs…this is where it’s handy to have people who know the process. Each table captain has a sheet in which they mark off the box entrees they have had for each category. The persons on the turn in tables need to review each table captain’s sheet and make sure boxes do not end up on the same table as they have before. Normally for ribs, two or three trays are held back to swap out entrees. With pork it can be four or five trays, and with brisket it might take five or six, or even more trays depending on number of teams in the contest that are held. Think back to that team who is standing waiting to turn in early. Their box could sit for over 10 minutes while this switch around takes place.
A new requirement this year is not to stack the boxes. Getting the boxes to the tables is a lot of times done by carrying them on bread trays. The trays are not made to hold six boxes, so in the past four boxes were placed with two on top of them, forming a sort of pyramid. The boxes now-a-days are getting flimsier and flimsier, so KCBS decided, no more stacking of boxes.
Now a misunderstood concept. We know the need to keep teams from hitting the same judges table twice. But some teams believe they also do not hit a table with the same teams more than once. That is not the case. It is not designed to make it happen but there is not any means to prevent it either. Team 152, 178 and 149 could conceivably end up on the same table several times and even all 4 categories possibly. Depending on when they turn in their entry, and how it gets shuffled to not hit the same table twice, it might, can, and does occur. In KCBS this should not matter as we do not judge for comparative. Can it be made not to occur? The answer is yes. But consider what has to occur. Now each team has to turn in with the other 5 teams they are assigned with for that category. If Team 152 turns in five minutes early and team 141 turns in with one second to spare, 152’s entry is sitting for 9 minutes 59 seconds. The option that has been discussed would be to reduce turn in windows to prevent the long sit time.
Another is comment cards. At the time I am writing this they are not mandatory for every turned in category. Should they be? Some say yes, some say no. I have no aversion to filling one out for every entry even if it is a 9 9 9 just to say “Great job, loved it”. What I can say is that I have tried this, it cannot be done in the time allotted without something suffering. Either less bites of meat or less information on the card. While 30 minutes sounds like a long time, in a judges tent it is not. A table is given their entrees, appearance has to be shown for all six boxes, then passed out to take samples, then eat first sample and score before moving to the next piece after a bite of a cracker and drink of water. Still sounds doable but depending on where you were in order of trays being delivered, you may have less than 30 minutes. If you were the last to get a tray in this category, you may be early in getting a tray in the next category as the sort goes.
Just recently, I was a table captain and they were calling me for my tray pick up and I still had judges judging. So no it is not as easy as it sounds to mandate comment cards without affecting something else or changing turn in time allotments. Instead of 12:00, 12:30, 1:00, and 1:30 turn in times, it may need to be 12:00, 12:40, 1:20, and 2:00. Doable? Sure. And so something else maybe gets affected – awards time. A sort of a ripple in a pond effect if you will.
Once the entree has been removed and placed on the judges placemats, judging begins. Your box is taken to what is called the grazing table. Here the extra meats are removed, the greens dumped into the trash and the boxes stacked. If anyone should ever question if their box was mislabeled, this can now be found by looking at the boxes that are saved until one hour following awards.
Comments Off on 2016 Giant National Capital Barbecue Battle – Washington, DC
by Mike Fay, MABA Past President and Pitmaster for Aporkalypse Now
I have that mixed emotional feeling of watching your evil in-law driving off a cliff in your brand new car every time the Giant National Capital BBQ battle comes around. It’s a great event located right down on Pennsylvania Ave between the White House and the Capitol in Washington DC, great prize money and you get to be in front of thousands of folks but this is all countered by the sometimes difficult load in / load out process, no running water, and an odd two day turn in schedule.
The location of the Giant National Capital BBQ Battle on Pennsylvania Avenue is unlike any other event!
This was Giant’s first year as the major sponsor and they did a tremendous job of raising the bar. Load in was the smoothest yet and the infrastructure was top notch; kudos to Giant. If you’ve ever considered this event but shied away due to the horror stories (they were probably all true) you should reconsider this event in 2017 as most if not all of these issues have been put to bed.
The event schedule is probably the oddest on the KCBS trail. Not only are turn ins at different times than a normal KCBS event, they are spread out over two days. Add to this the order of turn ins is different and you have quite the challenge. You turn in chicken and brisket at 6 & 6:30pm on Saturday then ribs and pork at Noon and 12:30 on Sunday. This makes for a long weekend.
Since it’s held DC, MABA had a large turnout, BeerBeQue, 3Eyz, Aporkalypse Now, Serial Griller, Dizzy Pig, Pork Barrel, Redneck Scientific, Black Cat BBQ & Wilbur’s Revenge just to name a few all headed downtown to face off against many of the famous names in BBQ such as Cool Smoke, Jack’s Old South, & Moe Cason.
MABA teams participating in the National Capital BBQ Battle including Beer B Que, Dizzy Pig, Old Virginia Smoke, and Wilbur’s Revenge!
When the Smoke cleared MABA members did themselves proud with Aporkalypse Now taking the Perdue Chicken Championship and Black Cat BBQ taking top honors in the Smithfield Rib Challenge.
First place winners:
Chicken – Aporkalypse Now
Ribs – Black Cat BBQ
Pork – Cool Smoke
Brisket – Historic BBQ
National Pork Champion – Cool Smoke
Grand Champion –Aporkalypse Now
Reserve Grand Champion – Bull Rush BBQ
