Smokey Hayes Rib Contest

Next event up of the schedule....Smokey Hayes BBQ Rib Contest in Laughlin, NV.  It's just a short two hours from home on the banks of the Colorado River at the Pioneer Club Hotel and Casino.  

There will be vendors and contestants so there will be lots to see and do while you're there. 

People's Choice Rib Tasting begins at 1:00 pm Saturday.

We hope to do well as the last one...that would be awesome.  

Here is the link to get all the info: smokeyhayesbbq.com

RGC!!

We traveled in pouring rain, but once we got to Bullhead City, AZ it had pretty well stopped.  We just had some strong winds until midnight or so.  Saturday turned out to be a pretty day. 

Adam's team "Stoked to Smoke" competed in their first contest on their own, he did a great job and finished 10th.  That's fantastic for his first time out.   

We finished in 2nd place...our first RCG!!  It was only ribs this time around.  We tried a new recipe and I seems the judges liked it.  I think they turned out pretty.  

We sold off the balance of our ribs for people's choice and ran out in 28 minutes.  Next time I'll know to cook more but with rain the forecast I wasn't sure how many to cook.  

Sweet Pete's Best Racks on the River

We're off to our first contest of the year!  It's been a long time since we actually competed so it will be nice to only have one meat to concentrate on...and it's only 2 hours away.  

It's gonna rain but we've got some great rain gear and canopy so we'll be fine. Hoping to take home some of the prize money on this one.  There will also be food sampling so I hope folks come out despite the weather.  Half of the sampling money goes to a great cause...firefighter charities, the other half goes to the teams.  

Take a nice drive, come out to see us, eat some great ribs, and enjoy your day!

Our first event of the year

Y'all come on down to the river for some tasty ribs!  Bullhead is just a hop, skip and a jump from Las Vegas...it's just across the river from Laughlin.  

This is our first contest of the year...a good one to get our feet wet since it's been quite a while as far as competing goes.  Take the short ride, enjoy some tasty ribs, support a local charity...take a day trip and get out of the house.  

Tasting tickets are just $2 each with half coming back to the teams and the other half goes to support the Bullhead City Firefighters Charities.  

Holbrook Recap

We've been back from Holbrook a while now and realized I've not updated my blog.  For shame.  ;)

For those that aren't aware of where Holbrook is...it sits on I-40 on the eastern side of Arizona in the midst of the Navajo Nation, lots of red dirt, petrified trees and all sorts of vintage/funky interstate highway memorabilia kind of things.  

Interstate 40 is heavily traveled and a major road of choice for semi trucks traversing this great land of ours.  With that being said...the road can be pretty rough in many places.  I'm pleased to tell you it is finally being replaced in long sections and is getting much better   

We arrived in Holbrook before lunch, set up our site, and settled in for another contest.  Last year, this was what I considered a local contest with many of the teams we often compete against.  But this year there were many well known and highly successful teams from around the country.    Johnny Triggs was our neighbor on one side and Left Coast Q on the other.  Big Poppa Smokers and several of his Elite Teams were there including Iowa's Smokey D's and others.  Smoking Hills, Little Miss BBQ,  The Cowboy Way, Karnivorous, Loot & Booty, Ranch 13, Lucky 13, Sin City Smokers and more lined the streets around the haunted courthouse.  Sorry, no ghost tour this year.  :(  At the judges meeting the KCBS reps announced they were running with the new scoring system.  There are just a minor changes in weighting of scores but the information on the score sheets was quite interesting.  You can see who was on the same table with you, how your box scored against the judges avg score and more.  

We set about the tasks of prepping, cooking, boxing and more as usual.  I thought we overcooked the chicken since the pit hit about 350 at that point.  Turned out that one of the pieces was still slightly pink at the bone...bummer.  It was considered undercooked and scored very poorly.  We still managed a mid pack score on chicken though.  I don't what happened to our pork...it wasn't spectacular like the pork in Boulder City, but I didn't consider it bad either.  I am embarrassed to say it came in "Dead Ass Last".  Please Lord, never let that happen again.  However, we redeemed ourselves in brisket and took 3rd brisket.  In that highly successful crowd of teams I was really pleased to hear our name...especially for brisket.  

One little Indian boy came around by our booth looking really concerned.  He came back with his mom a bit later.  He was afraid we were going to cook the dog for the contest since he saw her on the logo.  I have to admit that was a first to hear or even imagine.  We assured him she was not going into the pit and was our mascot.  We introduced Cassy to him and he went away felling much better about the whole thing.

Once again, we donated our prepared meats to the local food bank along with many other teams.  There is a great need in the area that we have the honor of helping to fulfill with something we are passionate about. It's a good feeling to know that so many will benefit from it. 

We finished 15th overall.  I can't help to think where we could have been without the problems we encountered with chicken and pork.  Congrats to all the teams, it was great to see so many of them again.  Thanks to Tommy and Jennifer Duncan.  They put on a top notch contest every time.  Till next time...keep on smoking that meat. 

Holbrook here we come

It's Thursday before a contest and that means I run around like a chicken with my head cut off making sure the last things are done before heading out in the morning.  Suitcase needs to be packed, ice chests need to be loaded, truck get hooked up and the trailer is almost ready to go.
Cassy always knows we are leaving and she is well aware that she needs to be going, too.  If the back door on the truck is open, she'll be sittin' in the seat waiting patiently.
Holbrook, Arizona is waiting for us...and we don't want to keep'em waiting.  We hope to bring home some cash and hardware this time around.  Wish us luck.

Northern Arizona BBQ Festival 2013

Another great weekend in Williams at the Northern Arizona BBQ Festival is in the books.  The weather was a real treat with highs in the mid 80's and lows near 50 at night, especially after the extreme heat we cooked in the weekend before at home in Vegas. 

We got there early on Friday morning and set up while it was still cool...even at that, Cassy still seeks out shade. 

Sin City Smokers came back again this year. 

VooDoo ZomBQue came back to compete again this year as well.  We enjoyed having them as our neighbors again this year.  (Love the new wrap on their trailer)

Little Miss BBQ herself, Vivian is now 14 months old.  Bekke and Scott are proud parents...as they should be. 

Timm working on ribs.

Crystal working on chicken. 

P.S.  We love our trailer. It's works really well for us. 

Prepping box for pork turn-in.

Cherry cheese cake dessert turn-in.

Waiting for awards...why can't they start on time. 

Our first time to win a 1st place...in any category.  We received it in dessert...woohoo...cherry cheese cake. To make it even better...it received a perfect score of 180....and paid $600. 

We finished in the 11th spot, tying with 10th on total score...however, the first tie breaker (brisket) had our score just a bit lower, bringing us to 11th overall. 

Other placements we received...

chicken, 11th

ribs, 7th

pork, 18

brisket, 16

Congrats to Little Miss BBQ for their repeat performance of Grand Champion and Rhythm'nQue for Reserve Grand Champion.    

We had the pleasure of meeting several great people including some guys from Great Britain.  They were interested in the smoker and how it works, they came back on Saturday for samples and were super excited to taste the food.  We were talking with another gal we gave samples to about Operation BBQ Relief...she and her husband lost their home in Joplin MO and actually received meals from OBR.  What a small world it really is.  We sent a box of meat home for her hubby, we received a really nice and sincere email from them. We gave the rest of our prepared meats to folks from Camp Civitan.  They operate a special needs camp in the area and were super excited to receive the donation.  They assured us the campers were going to be very happy to enjoy great bbq.  It's a blessing to be able to share with such wonderful people. 

We stuck around a few extra days to enjoy the area.  It's a great place to explore.  We didn't go into Grand Canyon NP...my knees just weren't up to a whole lot of walking.  But we did drive through Oak Creek Canyon, Sedona, and took Cassy swimming in Dogtown Lake and White Horse Lake.  We also visited Bearizona.  You can see photos from those adventures at our other blog, Trailhound Adventures.

Heading for some cooler country

That's right, we are header for higher, cooler country this weekend.  We'll be in Williams AZ for the Northern Arizona BBQ Festival.

Last weekend Timm cooked both days in the record breaking heat.  It was 114 degrees on Saturday and 109 on Sunday.  It's a good thing everyone enjoyed and appreciated their food.  ;)

We are so looking forward to highs in the mid 80's with a low of 50...it will be like heaven.  Cassy will enjoy as well.  She'll also enjoy time spent at a lake or two in the area.  It's been a long time since she has had a chance to play in the water like that.  She has a kiddie pool here at home, but she only stands in it. 

We hope to hear a name at awards and bring home a few bucks but just being able to spend time in the Williams area is a winning time for us.  We'll even hit Bearazona...it's such a neat place.  

Where are we next?

Good question...haven't really been anywhere since January but it's starting to wind up for the next few months. 

 Memorial Day weekend we are sticking close to home, we'll be in Boulder City NV for the Best Dam BBQ Challenge.  Turn ins are Saturday starting at noon.  There's lots to do at this one with a kid zone play area, kids 'que contest, a new marketplace (vendors) and more.  We hope for better results this year than the last.  

 Just a couple of weeks later on June 14 & 15 we'll be in Williams AZ for the Northern Arizona Barbeque Festival.  This is another great contest.  They have people's choice tasting at this contest and it's a big hit with the crowd.  I love this area of the country.  

July 12th & 13th takes us to Arizona once again, this time a bit further to Holbrook AZ.  Whiskey Ranch Pro BBQ Series is hosting the Ace in the Hole BBQ Throwdown.

I think its awesome how small communities get behind these contests and make them successful.  This one is tied in with a fair as well.  It's right on I-40 and historic Route 66 runs right through town (just like Williams AZ).  There's a people's choice at this one as well but we donate our meats to the local food bank instead like we did last year.  

There's nothing on the calendar (as of now) for August.  We'll have to see how we'll do in Boulder.  The overall outcome there will be the deciding factor if we go to Mesquite or not for Labor Day weekend.  We hope to see y'all at one or two of these events.  Be sure to stop and say hello and taste a sample or two.  

First contest of 2013...Havasu AZ

This is was our third year to compete at Lake Havasu's BBQ, Music and Brews contest.  This was also the third year we feel it kicked our butts.  :0(  Every year the weather has beat us down, and this year was no exception...it rained for more than 24 hours.  Fortunately, it wasn't a hard rain and there was no horrible winds to contend with (like last year) but everything was so wet, the canopies were leaking a bit, the grass was soaked, and clothes were wet.

I seriously had high hopes of redeeming our placement status from the last two years.  We had a good cook, meats turned out awesome with some great flavor profiles.  They were tender and full of flavor.  The boxes looked great too.  So I don't get it!  Why does this place kick our butt?

Here's my theory....the day before almost any large contest there is a judges class.  There are a bunch of BBQ loving people that want to be part of the whole thing...maybe they just want to eat free BBQ...maybe they are part of teams trying to figure out what judges are looking for (we did that).  Anyway, this makes KCBS look good because they now have 100% certified BBQ judges for the event.  But, I've realized that these folks often compare entries to each other, or worse...their own 'cue...none of which is supposed to be done.  Each entry is supposed to be judged on it's own merit. This results in scores that I don't believe are accurate, causing teams to have scores that are not really reflective of their product, and ending up in standings that leave teams dazed and confused.
With that said, the promoters Skip and Cheryl put their heart, soul, and energy into this contest.  The location is great.  We were on the grass again, spaces are level, and we had plenty of space. We love to see many of our BBQ friends from Arizona and beyond.

Little Miss BBQ's own 9th month old Vivian is a doll.  I got to spend some great quality time with her after turn-ins on Saturday.  Smokin' Goathead's were neighbors once again, along with Brandon with Route 66 Catering Crew, IAB30 was our neighbor right behind us too.  This year Jason and Kim were Satisfied Hogs got to be on the same row as several of the other Nevada teams, we really enjoy their friendship.

It was great to have Scott come down to cook with us.  It's nice to have family around.  With all the rain, we didn't have mom and dad come down to sell people's choice samples. Good thing too, the crowds were almost nothing...so we brought it all home with us.

While we were really pleased with our turn-ins and we had an overall score of 630.2852, we finished at the 55th position (we tied with Smokin' Goatheads).  In fact, all the Nevada teams finished in the bottom half of the 84 teams that competed.  Congrats to Loot-n-Booty BBQ for their first Grand Champion.  They been getting really close and finally hit it.

Cassy found a new place to claim as her own.  She is really great about staying under the canopy, but with all the rain and wetness, we put her bed under the burner and the pit...she likes it there...nice and warm, and dry.  She can see everything going on as well.

First Contest 2013

Our first contest of the year is just over a week away.  We'll be heading to Lake Havasu City, AZ on the last weekend of January for the Music, Brews and BBQ contest.  

Our plan is redeem ourselves from last year's results.  In fact, this contest is why we built our new BBQ trailer.  Last year, at one point there were 15 people in our booth.  We shot ourselves in the foot for sure.  

Come on down (or up) to Lake Havasu on Saturday, January 26 for some great barbeque.  Teams will be offering samples for a small fee, with a portion of the fee going to local charities.  We'll be offering all four KCBS meats...chicken, ribs, pork and brisket throughout the day.  

Let's hope the wind doesn't blow this year.  Last year the wind was quite a formidable foe.

There is live music, beer, food and BBQ vendors, team sampling and a carnival this year...something for everyone!  We hope to see you there!

The Road To Bentonville...Day One

We hit the road early this morning because there was a lot of road ahead of us today.  After a brief stop at McDonalds we saw sunrise east of Kingman, AZ.  It was gorgeous.  



We stopped at a rest area outside of Holbrook to a much needed stretch.  Cassy climbed on the rocks, sniffed and explored...her favorit things to do.

 This time we were able to stop at the border and got the state border photos.  There are also some tourist attractions there as well with teepees, indians, dinosaurs and more.



Lunch was at the continental divide.  A couple of residents came out to check out the trailer. 



 

 

Timm and Scott did all the driving today.  We had to pay $4.25 a gallon for diesel...yikes. 

Our first for the night is Tucumcari, NM.  After 13-14 hours, the beds are comfy and the Pizza Hut was delicious.  Good night.

Tom and Jen Duncan on Chopped

Our friends, Tomm and Jennifer Duncan appeared on the 1st night's Chopped: Grillmasters mini series.  We're honored to say they are friends.  Together, they own Whiskey Ranch BBQ and Catering Company in Gilbert, AZ.  They both also compete in competition barbeque contests. Tommy competes under the Whiskey Ranch brand, while Jen has her own team...Smoked to the Bone.  Last year they began organizing their barbeque contests...and they put on a first class event.  We love attending them.
Be sure to check out their personal bio pages. 

Northern Ariozona BBQ Festival

Mid-June we headed south to Williams, AZ for what was our first contest in 2010.  It's such a great place...small town America...nostalgia and all that stuff. 

The town of Williams put in lots of work before we all arrived.  They paved the rest of the area, added electrical outlets, water, and a stage.  It looked great and served us all well.  It was nice to get water close to our site. 

Our neighbors were another Nevada team...ZomBQue.  I love those guys.  Oh, and Richard got himself a nice new (well almost new) Ford F-350....soooo pretty.   

Cassy was the most awesome mascot ever.  She is so well behaved, and always impresses.  About 5am she was looking for a soft place to sleep and tried to curl up on the end of my sleeping bag.  I felt bad and invited her onto the whole sleeping bag with me.  She quickly accepted and got comfy quick.

Little Miss BBQ (Scott and Bekke) brought Vivian to her first contest.  Seriously, I don't know how they had a chance to cook with all the attention she got.  They were golden that weekend, with 2 first place, a third place, and grand champion overall....and won the raffle for a free space next year.  Rythm-n-Que took RGC.  Our best call was 5th in chicken.  We finished 12th overall. 

We stayed Saturday night in a KOA Kamping Kabin a few miles outside of Williams.  It was kinda cool, and I enjoyed it.  Cassy slept on the bottom bunk on our towels and was so happy to be there.  I enjoyed the swing on the front porch, it was quite relaxing and quiet.  The stars were gorgous and the crickets snag us to sleep.

 

Our Summer Schedule

Things heat up in the BBQ world over the summer and many events are scheduled all accross the United States.  Here's where we'll be:

May 25,26     Best Dam Barbecue Challenge
                      Boulder City, NV

June 15,16     Northern Arizona BBQ Festival
                      Williams, AZ

July 6,7         Ace in the Hole BBQ Contest
                      Holbrook, AZ

August 31, Sept 1 
                    Smokin' in Mesquite
                    Mesquite, NV

October 12,13  Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Finals
                   Bentonville, AR

We hope to see some of our friends and family at few of these events. 

Chester's Harley Davidson BBQ Comp

Boy, I totally missed the posting for this event.  We were blessed to be able to attend this event in Mesa in March.  Tommy and Jen run a class act event for sure.  This was one of their dual events they are holding this year. 

There was a lot going on that weekend for us, well me.  I tend to over do it sometimes.  There was a craft show, a wedding, and the contest.  I just didn't see a way to be able to drive with Timm on Friday so I flew down that evening after completing flowers for Saturday's wedding.  I really need to thank my best friend, Diane for helping out with this one.  She went and set it all up for me on Saturday, picked up my stuff from the craft show and had a mini melt down so I could BBQ.  I love her. 
This event was tied in with Biker Week.  Bands were playing most of the day and into the night...really loud bands.  We were backed up to the street where most of the bikes were parked, so we got to listen to them leave about midnight.  This was not our favorite part by any means.
It was the first outing for the new BBQ trailer and we were so pleased.  It's efficient, roomy, and clean up and tear down is so much easier.  It towed really well too.
We didn't finish as high in the standings as we'd like but we did okay, we weren't last.  Saturday's awards brought us 13th overall, 17th in chicken, 18th in ribs, 14th in pork, and 7th in brisket.  Sunday, we earned 20th overall, 9th in chicken, 22nd in ribs, 16 in pork, and 19th in brisket.  Timm was dissapointed. 
Congrats to R&R BBQ!  They took RGC on Sunday!  They even took 1st in chicken both days. They did well that weekend. And although Little Miss BBQ didn't back up their two recent RGCs and GC, they did well too.  I think Bekke's pregnancy is a good luck charm.  ;0)

Rythm & Que and Pigskin BBQ were our neighbors this time around.  Both really good teams.  Vince and Alexa were a hit at the awards, wearing one of the vendor's helmets.  Alexa wore a raccoon with fangs and antelope antlers.  Vince wore a huge buffalo fur, massive horned helmet...good thing he's a big guy.   

BBQ4kids...Mesa AZ

In December, we headed back to Arizona to compete in our last contest of the year.  Tommy from Whiskey Ranch was hosting the back-to-back event at Bass Pro Shops in Mesa, AZ.  Since it was the Santa's Winter Wonderland in Bass Pro, I decorated for the occasion, and the weather was awesome!

It was just Timm and I this time around.  I actually took over most of the chicken instead of just being an assistant and dishwasher.   We visited BBQ Island and bought some of those disposable cutting boards...great investment.  We highly recommend them.

I really want to commend Tommy and his crew, they were on top on everything.  They made the rounds picking up trash bags, delivering ice and water, and just making sure everyone was taken care of.  And another good thing...awards ceremonies started on time. 

We tried a couple of new things at this event, the biggest of them being an entire new recipe for pork.  Much to our amazment and joy, we finished in 2nd place with it on the first go-round.  Needless to say, we decided to try it again the next day...and with great results as well.

This was our first back-to-back event and we really thought we'd be exhausted the second day.  I'm happy to report to the contrary.  It was way easier than we both thought.  We will definitely be doing more of them...more bang for your buck when it comes to travel expenses, and another great thing...you can make little changes and see the results immediately.

We came home with some pretty nice hardware as you can see.  We were pleased with the outcome of these events. 
Big hugs and thank-yous to Scott and Bekke with Little Miss BBQ.  Not only are they great friends, but they insisted on having us spend the night at their home afterwards.  Thanks guys!  They have the cutest little fur ball of a dog, Yager.

Our scores:
Saturday, Decmeber 10, 2011
Chicken   11th
Ribs         34th  :0(
Pork         2nd
Brisket     35th  :o(
Overall    26th

Sunday, December 11, 2011:
Chicken    17th
Ribs          2nd  ;0) sweet redemption
Pork          7th
Brisket      21st  ;o) ditto
Overall     7th