Tag Archive: pork

1. Interstate BBQ Festival Hagerstown, MD

   April 20, 2017 11:00 pm Comments Off on Interstate BBQ Festival Hagerstown, MD

   by Mark Gibbs, Pitmaster of The Checkered Flag 500 BBQ

   

   The second annual Interstate BBQ Festival is in the books for 2017.  This competition has quickly become one of the “must-do” contests on the Mid-Atlantic schedule.  In two short years, Rob Immer and his team have put together a well-organized, top flight contest that hosted 57 teams and Chamber of Commerce weather all weekend!

   The contest hosted Dessert, Burger, Kid’s Que and People’s Choice categories as well this year.  Dessert and Kid’s Que was brought home by We Rib U Long Time.  Top scoring Burgers by Brother-Uncle BBQ and People’s Choice was brought home by the Sauce This!  BBQ team.  I am sure they put some addictive chemical in their people’s choice because they have people drooling every week!

   Perhaps the most impressive presentation of the weekend was the MABA good luck shot hosted by Life is Good But BBQ is Better.  Or more accurately, the good luck shot, bloody Mary bar, and food spread. Many folks pitched in and Don and Sandy Wallace played host to what will be hard to beat for future good luck shot hosts…but they’re sure encouraged to try!  Check out videos here of the spread and actual toast given by LIGBBIB pitmaster Don Wallace!

   This contest included a lot of vendors, bands and activities for everyone.  Good Smoke BBQ from New York brought home KCBS Grand Championship.  MABA’s own Drilling and Grilling from Glen Rock, PA brought home the Reserve Grand Championship.  They are on a nice little roll here in the beginning of the season.  Keep it up guys!

   The Chicken category was won by 2 Rhodies BBQ and 2^nd was Rhode Hog BBQ (I see a pattern here).  Rib honors were brought home by Piggin’ Whiskey BBQ.  These guys are starting to hit their stride in competition BBQ.  Remember that team name folks!   Drilling and Grilling brought home 1^st Place honors in Pork and Bill Gillespie’s Smokin Hoggz MA brought home the big Brisket plank!  Great job to all of the teams that were called and we hope to be back for year three of this great event!

   Individual meat winners:

   Chicken – 2 Rhodies BBQ
   Ribs – Piggin’ Whiskey
   Pork –Drilling & Grilling
   Brisket – Smokin Hoggz BBQ – MA

   

   Grand Champion – Good Smoke BBQ
   Reserve – Drilling & Grilling

   Full results can be found here.

2. Not One, But Two Great Recipes From BBQ Bob of BBQ Guru!

   March 21, 2017 11:49 am Comments Off on Not One, But Two Great Recipes From BBQ Bob of BBQ Guru!

   Recipes By: BBQ Bob Trudnak with The BBQ Guru. www.bbqguru.com

   

   
   Easter Pizza/Easter Pie

   This recipe is very near and dear to my heart. It was passed down from my Grandmother to my mother and then down to my wife. I have been eating this on Easter Sunday since I was a little boy.  The tradition came from the fact that we did not eat meat on Fridays during lent and we did not eat meat from Good Friday until Easter morning after Sunday mass.

   

   We are now cooking these in our smoker and they are delicious!

   1 pizza dough (brought to room temp- let is rise)
   White flour
   6 hard boiled Easter Eggs sliced
   1 cup of sliced or chopped pepperoni
   1 cup of sliced or chopped Soppressata
   1 cup of sliced or chopped hard salami
   2 cups of sliced extra sharp provolone cheese
   Olive oil
   Set Smoker to 375°F

   Roll out the pizza dough and place it in a half size (12×14) aluminum full pan with has been dusted with flour.

   Layer the cheese, eggs and meats in the center of the dough and when you are finished, pull up the sides of the dough and pinch together tight so the dough does not separate. Brush with olive oil and place the pizza (in the pan) in the smoker. (We do not use smoke wood, just charcoal)

   Cook until the top browns and the cheese has melted. Approximately 25 minutes. Let cool slightly, cut and serve.

   Jalapeno Cilantro Pork Steak Bacon Burger

   

   1 Pork Butt roast (about 3 lbs)
   1 pack of onion buns
   3 stips of Jalepeno & Cilantro Bacon (www.bespokebacon.com)
   1 medium fresh jalapeno
   Fresh cilantro
   1 medium vidalia onion
   4 oz. sour cream
   Kosher salt
   Black pepper
   Garlic powder
   3 tsp. Olive oil
   Pre-set smoker to 275° F.

   Rub pork roast with olive oil and season it with kosher salt, black pepper and garlic powder. Slow smoke Pork roast until it reaches 175°F internally.

   In a medium size skillet, fry up the jalapeno cilantro bacon until crispy then set aside on some paper towels. Using the grease from the bacon, carmelize thick sliced rings of the vidalia onion and set aside as well.

   Finely chop a small bunch of cilantro, 1 jalapeno pepper (seeded) and the sour cream into a bowl and mix lightly. Set aside.

   When the pork roast has reached 175° F internally, let it rest for 20 minutes then slice it into 1 1⁄2” thick slices.

   Assemble burgers by smearing jalapeno/cilantro sour cream on both sides of bun, place pork steak onto bun, top with carmelized onions, Jalapeno cilantro bacon and serve.

3. Jerry Stephenson, Pitmaster of Redneck Scientific Opens The Redneck BBQ Lab

   February 21, 2017 4:16 pm Comments Off on Jerry Stephenson, Pitmaster of Redneck Scientific Opens The Redneck BBQ Lab

   by Brian Walrath, Pitmaster of Brown Liquor BBQ and MABA Board Member

   

   I know we’ve all dreamed about it…or to some had nightmares.  What is “it?”  Taking that plunge from competition barbecue and/or barbecue catering to opening your very own barbecue joint!  Well, Jerry Stephenson of Redneck Scientific fame (yeah, the team that finished fourth overall in KCBS in 2016!), took the plunge in January!  Jerry opened The Redneck BBQ Lab in Benson, North Carolina.

   

   I happened to be not-too-far away from Jerry’s restaurant the first week he opened visiting some friends to attend a Tarheel/Syracuse basketball game and we decided to stop in for lunch the day after the game.  The Redneck BBQ Lab is nestled in next to a gas station in a busy intersection on highway 210, just off of interstate 40.

   

   The first thing you notice pulling in is the big painted logo on the side of the building.  The rumor is that this impressive visual landmark was hand crafted by the Sean Manley, aka, “The Guv,” Jerry’s brother-in-law and husband of Roxanne Manley, Jerry’s secret weapon on the barbecue trail!  The front of the joint is equally impressive with a bold series of words that make you want to see what’s inside…PROVEN. WINNING. COMPETITION. BBQ!  The interior has a homey look with wood grain throughout and a country feel as local, historic pictures and signs with country slogans adorn the walls on your way to the counter.  The other thing you can’t help but notice is the trophy shelf that sits right above the windows to the food service line where your order is plated.  This trophy case is flat out impressive and I couldn’t help but look up and wonder about the times I’ve competed against Jerry and Roxanne and think of all the times they whipped my ass!

   

   After a handshake and some pleasantries with Jerry, he was off to run an errand as busy restauranteurs often do.  My buddies and I decided to get a sampling of several barbecue meats that included smoked spare ribs, pulled pork, and brisket burnts ends and slices.  The Redneck Barbecue Lab only sells burnt ends on certain days, and we were glad we hit the right one!  Our sides included local collards and the jalapeno mac ‘n cheese.  As a competition barbecue cook, sometimes our opinions are flawed when it comes to restaurant barbecue.  But I can tell you confidently, Jerry is doing it right!  The brisket was perfectly smoked and tender as a mother’s love.  The pulled pork was true to this region and succulent with great mouth feel.  The burnt ends literally melted in your mouth.  The spare ribs were done just right…not overcooked and falling off the bone, but just the right doneness to give you a great bite and chew.  The impressiveness didn’t stop there.  The collards and mac were among the best I’ve dug in to as well.

   

   Perhaps what’s most impressive about The Redneck BBQ Lab however, is the people.  Our service was quick, friendly, and with the southern charm that always makes me come back to these parts!  The joint is just that…a joint.  It’s not a big place and if you want to be sure to get some tasty ‘que, you better get there early.  As with all of the best BBQ hotspots I’ve found, they sell a finite amount and when they’re sold out, that’s it!

   All in all, it was a great experience and the food was killer.  It’s right off 40 and not too far off of 95.  If you get a chance, go, you won’t be disappointed.  Jerry and his team are doing it right.  I will be back for sure the first chance I get!

   Have you eaten great barbecue at a Mid-Atlantic barbecue joint lately?  Tell us about it and we’ll feature other restaurants in the newsletter and the MABA website.  Just email your review/story to me at brnwlr@aol.com.

   

4. MABA Team of the Year Scoring to be Conducted by BBQData.com

   February 13, 2017 6:02 pm Comments Off on MABA Team of the Year Scoring to be Conducted by BBQData.com

   

   The MABA Board has entered into an agreement with BBQData.com to calculate the 2017 MABA Team of the Year Contest. The standings will update weekly as results are posted to MABA-approved sanctioning bodies. A link to the standings will be provided through the MABA website at www.mabbqa.com.

   As a MABA member, you’ll be able to subscribe to BBQData.com for 10% off of the standard subscription price of $25. ($22.50 for MABA members.) Enter the code MABA2017 when you sign up. If you are already a BBQData.com subscriber and paid full price, you will be given a refund.

   BBQData.com features include–

   · View a synopsis for your team of the current year and prior years: The top ten scores, team averages and the number of contests by year.

   · View scoring details for each meat category (Chicken, Ribs, Pork and Brisket) and the Overall score.

   · See a summary of teams’ results. This is a quick way to get an overview of each team’s BBQ career.

   · Get a snapshot of estimated points standings.

   Several teams in the MABA area have been beta-testing BBQData.com for a few months, and find the service invaluable. Statistics update as soon as the contest results are posted by MABA-approved sanctioning bodies.

   In addition, BBQData.com is always adding different features and benefits to the system.

5. 12th Annual Recovery Fest/7th Annual BBQ State Championship Richmond, VA

   September 15, 2016 12:12 pm 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 7^th annual KCBS sanctioned BBQ competition the weekend of September 9^th and 10^th.  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 1^st Place Rib finish!  Great job Don and Sandy!  Top Pork honors went to J.D.’s Smokin Misfits of Virginia!

   

   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.

6. What’s in the Box?

   July 14, 2016 2:42 pm Comments Off on What’s in the Box?

   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.

   Bill Jones

7. What’s In The Box?

   June 14, 2016 4:31 pm Comments Off on What’s In The Box?

   By Bill Jones, MABA Board Member and KCBS Master Judge, Table Captain, & Life Member

   Last issue we talked about the National BBQ Conference and what a panel of some of the top cooks in America tried to help teams understand. Quite simply – you hurt yourself more by putting less-than-stellar product in your box then it would be to have it in there over concern a judge may be expecting to see a certain cut offered.

   In looking back over my time as a KCBS judge, I have seen some very, very, beautiful boxes. And many of them were NOT the same ole same ole muffin tin chicken or brisket with burnt ends.  Some went way off the BBQ standard. I do not know if the team just wanted to see what it would score and maybe it be the next Myron Mixon muffin tin chicken idea or maybe they were a new team and this is what they thought would score well.

   So keep in mind, I cannot say what my other judges scored the boxes/ideas below. I can only say it does not for me, and the majority of the judges, have to be the same ole boxes.

   Chicken – Breast meat slices, flats and/or drummettes – seeing more and more legs these days,  saw a whole chicken one time – two legs, two breasts, twp thighs, and two wings. Talk about a heavy and a tight box!  All have their own concerns. Breast meat can dry out quickly. Legs can have the skin pulled up in a lollipop look or left on the bone.  A recent box was thigh and leg still connected and had grill marks on the skin.  Taste and tenderness were BOTH excellent. My favorite box I ever saw was smoked drummies and flats. Drummettes and flats lined up like little soldiers in four rows. They had a great color to them and they just popped in the box.  At the same contest, a thigh was turned in with what I could best describe as thick gooey black roofing tar ¼” thick on it. No one looked forward to tasting that entry and it scored very poorly.

   Ribs – Over sauced as mentioned in the previous article is an issue for more and more judges. Ribs don’t have to be dry, just not 3/8” thick gloppy sauce.  We as judges keep seeing teams on Facebook or The BBQ Brethren commenting on “it’s not a greens contest” or in this case ”it’s not a sauce contest.”  But teams fail to follow that same advice and cut back on the sauce to let the meat shine.  One of my worst boxes I ever judged was NOT over sauced…just overcooked! Burnt in fact, so bad the bones were popping through the crusty, petrified, burnt meat. That was bad enough but the team looked to have at the last second thrown the bones in the box and ran, and then fell on their way to turn in.  The even funnier thing was there were only 5 bones in the box. As bad as those five were we all wondered how bad bone number six was that the team chose not to include it?

   Pork – LOVED a box I had once which had three meat selections in it with three different sauces applied. The NC chopped look had a NC vinegar based sauce on it. The money muscle was a Memphis flavor and the pulled meat was Kansas City flavored.  We normally, as routine, see the same flavor on all the meat in the box and that’s fine too. I just thought that team went above and beyond and their selections fit the meat itself. I rewarded them for that choice.

   Brisket – And this is the one I hear teams comment on more than anything else. “If we don’t put burnt ends in the box the judges are going to score us down.”  Yes I am sure there are a few poor judges who may be doing so. I cannot say as I, myself, have never done so. Nor have I ever heard a judge at a table I was judging or table captaining say so.  I myself want your best. Unfortunately this is the one category I seem to fill out more comments about one of the two included entrees the team hurt themselves by including. KCBS does not tell us how to score when the slice is a 9 – 9 for taste and tenderness and the burnt end is a 3 – 3. So we are left with averaging or choosing to weigh a bit higher that the excellent outweighed the poor, or visa versa.

   Know that sometimes your cook just did not go as planned and sometimes you have to turn in what you have and hope for the best.   Just don’t over think it. KISS comes to mind.

   Good luck to each of you and I hope this will be of some help.

   Bill Jones

    

8. Que for the Troops Levittown, PA

   June 10, 2016 11:25 am Comments Off on Que for the Troops Levittown, PA

   by Mark Gibbs, MABA Board member and Pitmaster of Checkered Flag 500 BBQ

   Que for the Troops #Q4TT2016 is an annual BBQ festival and competition held at Falls Township Park in Levittown, PA each year to support the Philadelphia USO organization.  This year’s contest featured 67 teams (a new record high for Q4TT) from all over the region.  The weather was ordered by the Chamber of Commerce!  It was a beautiful weekend for smoke, music and fun indeed.  Matt Markey of Falls Township does a great job of setting up the competitors with the best amenities for each of the BBQ teams.  There is always ample power, water and a great breakfast on Saturday morning for all of the teams.

   The social scene was alive and well on Friday night.  The skies were clear and teams were taking advantage of the opportunity to visit and catch up with friends and fellow competitors.  The weekend started off with an Anything Butt Category and a Dessert Category on Friday evening.  JURASSIC PORK – PA took home the honors in the Anything Butt with a fried shrimp offering.   MABA’s own BBQ Bob Trudnak finished second in the category with this great platter of Surf and Turf Guru Style (pictured below).  Those shrimp must have been amazing if this was second place!  Our Bark is Better Than Your Bite took home the honors in the dessert category.  Congrats to everyone in those two categories!  We love BBQ, but we have some chefs in our region that can make your head spin with some gourmet dishes!

   

   Saturday brought another beautiful day to the park and the competitors had the smoke rolling.  A passerby remarked that the smell coming from the BBQ rigs was amazing.  He was not lying!  The awards ceremony was at 4pm and right on time.  The Q4TT team does not waste any time when it comes to awards.  The teams were crowded in around the stage and the awards began.  Top honors in the Chicken Category went to MABA’s own Smokin’ Foolz of New Cumberland, PA.  The big Rib trophy went home with Dead On Q of Fairless Hills, PA.  First in Pork was Eastern Beast BBQ of Valley Stream, NY (one of three top 5 calls!).  The Brisket trophy went home with yours’ truly, Checkered Flag 500 BBQ of Fawn Grove, PA.

   The Top 5 Overall were Checkered Flag 500 BBQ, Hawg Nation BBQ of Phoenixville, PA, Eastern Beast BBQ Team, Dante’s Inferno out of Newportville, PA and Smokestack Redemption from Phoenixville, PA.  Four of the top five finishers are Mid-Atlantic Barbeque Association members!  Way to represent MABA!

   

   Congrats to everyone who had their names called and huge congratulations to the folks at Que for the Troops for another great competition.  Rumor has it that they are already making plans for 2017 and beyond!

   

   First Place Winners:
   Chicken – Smokin Foolz BBQ
   Ribs – Dead on Q
   Pork – Eastern Beast BBQ Team
   Brisket – Checkered Flag 500 BBQ

   Grand Champion – Checkered Flag 500 BBQ
   Reserve Grand Champion – Hawg Nation BBQ

   Check out the full competition results here.

9. Hog Happenin’ – Lincolnton, NC

   June 9, 2016 3:49 pm Comments Off on Hog Happenin’ – Lincolnton, NC

   By Stephanie West, MABA Vice-President and “The Neck” Pitmaster for Team 270 Smokers

   As the 3^rd event out of 7 in the Old North State Series, we ventured to Lincolnton, NC for Hog Happenin’ under the impression that the four-legged variety was the star of this small North Carolina town.  Indeed, there were hogs by the thousands…they’d taken over every street and byway, capturing the attention and awe of bystanders…but it was the wheeled variety that was being celebrated at this festival!  Biker nirvana, I’d say!

   And did I mention it was HOT?  Lord, have mercy, it was hot and humid!!  97 in the shade, and we were oh so very thankful for that shade!  (It was so hot that we skipped our traditional “team meeting” shot and instead passed out popsicles to neighboring teams!)

   26 teams competed in Lincolnton, with most hailing from North Carolina.  And North Carolina prevailed!  MABA’s own Redneck Scientific crushed it, capturing their 3^rd GC of the year with a 706.2400 – marking their entry into “The 700 Club”!!  Jerry and Roxanne swept 1^st in Ribs with a 180, 1^st in Brisket, 2^nd in Pork, and 3^rd in Chicken!!  RGC went to Checkered Pig with a 691.9200.  Team 270 Smokers took 1^st in Chicken (their first 180 in Chicken), and Elite BBQ Smokers did the same in Pork.  Overall, it was a pretty large spread in team scores (from 560 to 706), with no “table of angels” or “table of death”.

   Cash and trophies were awarded to GC, RGC, and the top 3 in each category, framed certificates were given for 4^th thru 6^th.  Payouts to just the top 3 was a pretty controversial topic, and it’s something that you may want to think about if you’re considering this event on your schedule next year.  If you do go, enjoy the small town charm and all the biker bling you can imagine!

   

    

    

    

   First place winners:
   Chicken – 270 Smokers (with a perfect 180!)
   Ribs – Redneck Scientific (with a perfect 180!)
   Pork – Elite BBQ Smokers (with a perfect 180!)
   Brisket – Redneck Scientific

   Grand Champion – Redneck Scientific
   Reserve Grand Champion – Checkered Pig

   Check out the full competition results here.

10. Smoke in the Valley, Greenlane, PA

    May 12, 2016 3:40 pm Comments Off on Smoke in the Valley, Greenlane, PA

    By Megan Ferguson, MABA Board Member and Pitmaster of Finn’s Finest BBQ Team

    Mud everywhere! Smoke in the Valley – Mud Fest There was no sugar coating it in Green Lane, PA this past weekend. There was cold, wet, sloshy, deep brown stuff everywhere. No, not poop…MUD! And it never went away. Let’s start with the smart teams. Ya know, those that pulled in Thursday before the rest of us got there and tore up the field. These guys pulled into the field, parked their rigs and unloaded, no problems! The rest of us learned quickly how lucky those smart Thursday arriving teams were. Thankfully, the Green Lane Fire Company volunteers had our backs and were ready with a tractor to pull all the teams with trailers in on Friday. Many of us didn’t even bother driving our trucks into the area. However, those that did might wish they hadn’t as we saw several of them being pulled out Saturday evening.

    Deep mud tracks! Nasty weather can be expected at a BBQ competition, but I don’t think anyone was really prepared for the amount of mud that the valley would produce. When I say we were up to our ears in mud, I’m really not that far off. If you didn’t bring a good pair of boots with you, you were in a bad spot for the entire weekend. Many times throughout the weekend, you would catch some of the kids swimming through the trenches or engaging in a good old fashioned mud ball fight. It certainly helped lighten the mood watching them parade around, covered head to foot in thick, brown, sloppy wet stuff. They were having the time of their lives. The mud didn’t stop anything. On Friday, meats got inspected as teams rolled in. The volunteers were very visible throughout the contest, riding around on four wheelers, delivering straw to each site to soak up as much of the wet stuff as possible, dropping off ice, and picking up trash. If anyone needed anything, they didn’t have to wait long for a volunteer to round the corner. There were a variety of food vendors, just in case you didn’t plan your dinner. Unfortunately, the huge Friday bonfire was postponed due to the pile being pretty much soaked.

    The kiddos enjoying the mud! Tractors were needed to pull trailers in and out of the competition

    Saturday morning, we were greeted with even more rain. But a hot breakfast including scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, French toast, and all the fixins’ was served in the firehouse. They even had pitchers of Bloody Mary’s ready at the firehouse bar. Well prepared indeed! Turn-ins went as planned and all teams made it to the table in all four categories without incident. The rain finally let up early afternoon and a few rays of sunshine started to beam through the clouds. Fire company volunteers went right to work pulling teams out of the valley as soon as they were ready. Awards were held in the pavilion at 4:45 with Shawn Tucker getting down to business on calling out the winners. Big shout out to Shawn and his team of volunteers for all of their hard work and efforts during this contest!

    Finn’s Finest BBQ takes GC in Green Lane!

    First Place Winners: Chicken – Lo’-N’Slo’ BBQ Ribs – Feeding Friendz Pork – Ribs Within Brisket – Smokin’ Foolz BBQ Grand Champion – Finn’s Finest BBQ Reserve Grand Champion – The BBQ Guru Check out the full competition results here.

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