Tag Archive: Old Virginia Smoke

  1. 12th Annual Recovery Fest/7th Annual BBQ State Championship Richmond, VA

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    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!

    Picture of Mark and Sandy Gibbs wit the trophies
    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

    Check out the full competition results here.

  2. Tip From the Pros by Mark Gibbs

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    by Mark Gibbs, Pitmaster of The Checkered Flag 500 BBQ

    Mug Shot Mark Gibbs
    Pitmaster Mark Gibbs

    The Checkered Flag 500 BBQ has hit a nice stride this year.  People have asked, “What has changed?”   When are you going to have a class (self-serving plug my first class is September 2nd and 3rd and there are still spaces available!)  But seriously, much of the success can be attributed to finding consistency from week-to-week and producing as close to the same product as possible as a result of simple, repeatable, proven processes.  There is an old saying, “the cream always rises to the top”.  I have heard that for years in both business and in sports.  I really saw that saying in action in the BBQ world here in the Mid-Atlantic region.  How is it that the same teams can always be found at the top of the results list week after week?  3 Eyz BBQ, winners of many contests and numerous MABA ToY honors are always right there every week.  4:20Q, Aporkalypse Now, Old Virginia Smoke, Lo & Slo and too many others to name are always right there even if they have taken a few weeks off.  I wondered what they did to always produce winning results and here are my thoughts and observations that I have put in place in my own competition BBQ program.

    1. Repetition of a GOOD process results in consistency.  When you find a process that works with a meat category, write it down!  Put it in a spreadsheet and commit that process to memory.  Successful teams did not start out cooking all 4 meats great.  Most conquered one meat and repeated the process of finding that success with the other categories.
    2. Remember to do all of the “little things” consistently. Little things might be as simple as setting up your work area at the same time at each comp, loading your pit with fuel at the same time or lighting your pit at the same time.  I noticed that successful pit masters could be in the midst of a conversation with me and just say out of the blue, “gotta run….I have to do something back at my site.”  I realized I could set a clock to some of these guys doing the little steps each week.  I try to do all of those things I mentioned above and more at the same time each week.  That includes something as simple as tearing aluminum foil for everything on Friday after I trim meats.  Consistent prep practices are your friend!
    3. Have you ever asked a top competition BBQ team how they did before awards and they respond with, “well, we hit all of our marks, so we will see”? Those guys just told you that they did everything according to a preset timeline that they repeat on a weekly basis.  When a team can do that with a proven process, they will be successful more often than not.  For me, hitting my marks is not like KCBS turn-in times.  There is no five minutes before the mark and five minutes after that mark.  If 3am is the time to put meat on the pit, that is my mark and I shoot for it every time.  As a solo cook, you will rarely hear me say I hit my marks because it sounds self-serving, but teams with multiple members that are successful set and hit marks like a well-timed dance routine.
    4. Don’t be afraid to measure rubs, sauces and wrap ingredients (honey, sugar, agave, butter, etc.) until you find the process that works for you. I was a baker for a lot of years.  Commercial baking uses formulas, not recipes to make breads and sweets.  Recipes have room for change and are open to interpretation.  Formulas are more precise.  Competition BBQ results can hinge on a little bit of this or that in the wrong place making a big difference in your final product.  Use shaker cups and measuring cups when measuring out sauces, injections and rubs.  A sauce or rub mix is a formula, not a recipe!  Be precise!  Once you find the right combination, you may stick with those cups and bottles or you may be confident enough to shoot from the hip and measure by eye.  I don’t recommend that, but I am guilty of it sometimes.
    5. Write down what processes worked or did not work on the back of the KCBS scoresheet that you get from a contest. Keep your contest results in a binder or folder and refer back to them when going to contests at those same venues or geographic areas.  There is no substitute for experience at a contest and as the pit master, you have a wealth of information at your disposal after you have some contests under your belt.  If the judges liked that hickory-habanero mint jelly combination on your chicken at the Sons of Italy Competition in New York City, write it down because you probably will not remember that next year!
    6. My final though is that looking back on my 76 competitions at the time I am writing this article I thought that my first GC would never happen. Three years into my competition BBQ career and no GC’s.  I had category wins and a couple of RGC’s but I never saw my name at the top of the list.  Well, financial advisor Dave Ramsey says, “Nothing happens without focus.  Don’t try to do everything at once.  Take it one step at a time!”  Rarely does a new team or a team that does not compete much have a run of GC’s or top calls.  It happens, but it is rare to see it.  Focus on your competition program one step at a time.  Build on successful processes, repeat them, learn from them and watch your competition program step up to new levels!

    Most importantly have fun!  That is what the sport of competition BBQ is about first and foremost.  Success will follow if you keep it fun!  I look forward to seeing you all on the BBQ trail soon!

  3. 2016 Giant National Capital Barbecue Battle – Washington, DC

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    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.

    Image of the bbq competition in downtown DC
    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.

    Image of MABA teams participating in the National Capital BBQ Battle including Beer B Que, Dizzy Pig, Old Virginia Smoke, and Wilbur's Revenge!
    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

    Check out the full competition results here.

    Image of champions Aporkalypse Now
    Aporkalypse Now – Grand Champs and heading to the Jack!

  4. Roc City Rib Fest, Rochester, NY

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    by Luke Darnell, MABA President and Pitmaster of Old Virginia Smoke

    The Roc City Ribfest is one of the only events in the Mid-Atlantic during the Memorial Day weekend.  The competition features 50 teams over a three day event right outside of Rochester, NY.

    And boy, was it a hot time.  95 degrees and higher over the days of the competition, which is very uncommon this far north even for the summer.  The competition was even hotter, with Insane Swine from Massachusetts notching a GC and Old Virginia Smoke finishing at RGC.  Roc City is also home to the NY MABA Cup, which was won again by Stubborn Bull BBQ and Tim Rohrs.   Congrats to all that heard their name called!
    Picture of Roc City Rib Fest, Rochester, NY

    First Place Winners:
    Chicken – Black Dawg BBQ
    Ribs – Red Valley BBQ
    Pork – Insane Swine BBQ
    Brisket – Insane Swine BBQ

    Grand Champion – Insane Swine BBQ
    Reserve Grand Champion – Old Virginia Smoke

    Check out the full competition results here.