Since I started this website last year, I have been to all kinds of BBQ restaurants. I have been to quite a few BBQ competitions, became a certified KCBS judge, and now I have finally competed in my first BBQ competition.

I wanted to compete, because I have eaten at a few restaurants where I left thinking, “I could make better BBQ myself!“ I have sat down and judged at BBQ contest where I know I could turn in better BBQ than what I was tasting. So there was only one thing left to do and that was put myself to the test to see how I would fair in this world of competitive BBQ. I went out and found a pretty nice smoker that had everything I was looking for on Craig’s List. I had lots of friends over to practice cooking on my smoker and to learn how to use and calibrate this beast.

Brenau University in Gainesville, Georgia has a nice BBQ festival that is close to home. They have a backyard braggart competition for the non-professionals to try their hand at cooking BBQ. Since this competition was close to home, I figured this would be my inaugural contest.

The cost of entering the contest was $250 for both the ribs and pork butt categories. One thing different here than at most other contest is they want you to also give out BBQ samples to the crowd, estimated to be around 8000 folks. So not only did I have to buy meat to turn in to judges, but I also had to feed quite a few on lookers, too. I was very fortunate to come up with a sponsor to help me cover the cost of entering such a contest.

Mailworks in Gainesville, Georgia was nice enough to sponsor me for this event. They specialize in designing letter pieces and getting reduced postage for businesses to advertise their business and products through the postal service. Call them today 770-503-0020 !!

O.K., since I finally had a plan to cover the cost, it was time to start working on my rub and perfecting the art of smoking BBQ. I am real fortunate because the folks where I work are very supportive of my cooking, and I was able to buy ribs and practice different rubs and offset the cost by selling plates at work. It was also a great way to get feedback on what was good and what was not working.

Now that things were really starting to come together, I had to start looking for a team to put together to help me, not only to keep the smoker going, but also feed the large crowd that was expected that day. I was able to get neighbors, church friends, and co-workers to help me with this challenge.

So, I had accomplished everything that I set out to do so far. Got a sponsor, got a team together, and I had created what I felt was a very tasty rub that worked well with ribs and pork butt.

The preparation started the Friday before the big event when my buddy Kevin Ehl showed up to help me haul all of my equipment, firewood, smoker, coolers, etc. to the event. We got to Brenau, checked in and found our cook site and went to work on setting up camp. Once that was accomplished, we had to wait for the health department to show up and inspect the pork we were using for the event. They showed up, checked the temperature of the meat, and gave me their stamp of approval. Now, I was ready to get my butts and ribs marinating for contest. I wanted them to marinate for as much time as possible, so that worked out well. All there was to do now was sit back, wait, and talk BBQ with the other competitors. It gave us some time to check out all of the different smokers that were there, too. There was a competition that Friday evening called the “anything butt” contest, which was really anything but pork. I turned in a spicy smoked blue cheese meatball served with wing sauce that had a nice kick to it, but no award. I was beat out by a loaded baked potato! The night was festive with a Jimmy Buffett tribute band that was really enjoyable to listen to. As the night was coming to an end, my sidekick Kevin called it a night as I prepared to get the smoker up to temperature to start the smoking process for my butts. Because of chilly weather and the threat of a storm approaching, I had a lot of trouble getting my smoker up to temp which really gave me fits. I finally got it up to temp and loaded it up with pork butts. Now it was time to just sit back and watch the thermometer while I tried to keep it at a steady 225 degrees. At midnight my co-worker Vinnie Vore showed up to relieve me and pull the night shift. He was a breath of fresh air since I was tired and worn down form the days activities.

I decided to sleep in my truck that night, so I wouldn’t be too far away just in case Vince needed a hand. That was a mistake as there were partiers and competitors in and out of their trucks all night long, so sleep was not to be had that night. I went back up to our site around 4:30 a.m. and told Vinnie I would take over command of the smoker. I knew my buddy Kevin was going to re-join me around 7 or 8 that morning. So I concentrated on getting our site decorated up, because there was also a contest for the best looking site during the competition.

Kevin showed up eager to lend me a hand in anyway he could. I pulled the babybacks out and put them in the smoker around 9:00 a.m. Since rib turn in was at 1:30, I wanted to give myself time for error. This event started a 10:00, and I knew I had to have some butts ready to give out as samples to the crowd. Around 10:00 we pulled out the butts and they were beautiful, smelled awesome, and were everything that I wanted. They had a nice bark on the outside, a beautiful smoke ring around them, and the meat was just as moist and juicy as I have ever cooked. I did it, I achieved perfection with my pork butts. We put them in a pan and let them cool a bit and then just separated them by hand as the meat just fell off the bone. Everyone on my team agreed that this was truly some great tasting pork. By then my neighbors and co-workers showed up to help hand out samples. Tommy and Myrtle Butler and Anne Cain all showed up with the best attitudes and willingness to help me out and serve the crowds.

The reaction of the crowd was very encouraging as the compliments came in, but I take it with a grain of salt as everyone loves free food. I did have a few trusted palettes go out and taste the competition and they said I was a lock for top 3 easy. O.K. I felt great about the butt, but what about the ribs. Well, with the interaction with the crowds and preparing food for them, my smoker began having trouble holding its temp and I couldn’t get it up much past 200 degrees. I continued feeding the crowds and watching the smoker, but when I checked the ribs, some of them were overcooked and some were undercooked. I had forgotten to check my tuning plates before I started smoking, so I had a few hot spots to deal with. I took off the ribs to let them stand to see what I had to work with. As 1:30 quickly approached it was time for me to pick a few ribs and get them cut and ready for the 1:30 rib turn in. My best looking ribs were not quite there, so I had about 20 minutes to let them heat up a bit and hopefully get that cooked to perfection rib I was striving for. Well, my ribs didn’t get cooked the way I wanted, but time was up so I had to turn in the ribs, done or not. Well that was done and now it was back to the getting the crowd fed and to start getting ready to turn in my beautiful butts for the 2:30 turn in. At 10:00 a.m. my pork butts were master pieces, I mean a true work of BBQ art, but come about 2:00, they had lost their moistness and texture. Hmmm, what to do. I cut up some end pieces and some of the center cuts and reheated them in the smoker so they would be at least hot if not as moist as they were earlier. I pieced together and made my turn in box look as good as I could.

I had both entries turned in and we had one more butt to give away to the crowd and the event was basically over. I felt such a sigh of relief as no sleep for about 32 hours was catching up to me and now I had the daunting task of starting to tear down our cook site.

The award show was at 5:00 that evening, and I knew my ribs were not my best But I did think that maybe I was able to pull a off a winner with the pulled pork plate. The awards were announced, and I sat there and applauded and congratulated the winners. I can’t say I wasn’t a bit disappointed. I mean at 10:00 a.m. that morning I had the best tasting pulled pork I had ever made.

Being a rookie at this contest, I made some key mistakes. The chef in me was worried about feeding and pleasing the crowd instead of taking care and saving my best for the judges. I got tired and put all of my butts on around 11:00 the night before when I should of put them at different intervals throughout the night. I didn’t check and adjust my tuning plates in my smoker. For my ribs, I again, got busy dealing with the crowds instead of watching the smoker and letting the temp drop too much. I placed 15^th in ribs and 18^th in pulled pork out of 25 competitors. I was very disappointed at my scores, but I know what went wrong. It was poor timing and poor execution.

At the KCBS events that I judge, those competitors only cook for the judges, not huge crowds. They are able to concentrate on each entry for the judges only. This being a MBN contest, I think I took on too much for my first time out, but what can I say? I like a challenge. My next competition will be a KCBS event where I can concentrate on one thing. Another thing I hope is that everyone on my team that was exposed to this competition, will developed the same passion that I have for it and come together and help me on the next go round!

This was a great experience and I learned more than I dreamed I ever would. I will be back competing and I will take all that I learned from this event and prosper from it.

I give myself 2 squeals on the squeal meter. (For now)!

I want to thank everyone who gave of their time to help me make all of this possible.

Tommy and Myrtle Butler, awesome neighbors and friends!

Vinnie Vore for being my night owl!

Anne Cain for taking time to help out a friend!

And Kevin Ehl for showing up and giving up his Memorial Day weekend to help me out and see what it is all about. I couldn’t of asked for a better teammate!

Mike and Mary Franze for making my bucket list a reality.

Brenau University and Jim Barco for putting on a first class contest. They left no stone unturned making sure each competitor had everything they would need.

Most of all to my wife and kids for enduring my passion for BBQ!

Pics are in the pic section

This week I took my family to Stonewall’s award winning BBQ in Braselton Georgia. As soon as I opened the door into Stonewall’s I could smell the heavenly smell of pecan smoking from the back kitchen. I couldn’t wait to chow down  and taste Stonewall’s BBQ! The employees there were very friendly and helpful with our order. They were offering a special and for $30 you could get a slab of ribs, a whole chicken and 2 sides with rolls and drinks. Not a bad price for a family of four to chow down on.

The food was served hot and quick and they didn’t hold back on the portions at all. I unwrapped the foil from the ribs and they just tore right off the bones revealing a nice smoked colored rib. The ribs were tender and hot with a nice pink tent to them from the smoking process. The chicken was some of the best BBQ chicken I have come across yet. The sweet rub they use and the nice mild smoke flavor from the pecan wood was just a perfect balance and a great flavor. The chicken was tender and juicy and the pieces were falling off the bone and it truly was finger licking good!

The sides we choose were their mac-n-cheese and baked beans. The mac-n-cheese was very good and cheesy as my kids put it. The baked beans were good and a nice compliment with our meal. They serve their BBQ sauce on the side which was a nice mild sweet tomato based BBQ sauce that was not too spicy and had a nice balanced flavor.

Stonewall’s is a BBQ chain, but it was a clean family restaurant well worth the visit if your in Braselton. If your going to the races in that area, stop in and let them cater your next tailgate party. I have been very lucky in my past BBQ reviews coming across great BBQ at each of my last couple of restaurants and Stonewall’s BBQ chicken ranks right up there against anybody’s!

I give Stonewall’s a 4.25 on the Squeal Meter

www.stonewallsbbq.com

Since I started this website there is one restaurant that everyone asks me about. Have you been to Fresh Air Bar-be-Que in Jackson, Georgia yet? Fresh Air has set the bar for southern BBQ if you talk to anyone who has been there. It has been on my list to visit for a while now, and since it was my birthday weekend, what better way to celebrate than tasting a rack of ribs from what is arguably the best BBQ restaurant in Georgia from what I have read and heard about.

Fresh Air Bar-be-Que has two locations, one in Jackson, Georgia and the other in Macon. I wanted to go to the original one in Jackson, Georgia. We loaded up the kids and set out for the two hour drive down to Jackson. If you go, Fresh Air is located on the other side of Jackson so no, you haven’t passed it yet. As soon as you pull up you know this is the place for BBQ. The old building just has so much character and old country charm that it just takes you back. Fresh Air has been there since 1929, so this is by far the oldest BBQ restaurant I’ve been to yet. We made our way through the gravel parking lot and dirt entrance and stepped inside BBQ heaven. We went on a Saturday night, so the line was 8-10 people deep the whole time we were there. There was a small seating section as soon as you walk in, but if you head towards the back there is a large banquet area with a lot more tables available. I got the kids settled down and headed up to check out the menu and order up some ribs for me and my wife and sandwiches for the kids. I looked at the menu, and I looked and looked and guess what? NO RIBS! NO CHICKEN! As I quickly found out you have a choice of chopped BBQ plate or sandwich and Brunswick stew and that’s about it.

Man, what a disappointment this was! I mean I drove two hours for ribs! I asked the waitress, and she told me only the Macon location serves ribs and chicken. Well, I was there and I was going to eat, so I ordered the kids two pork sandwiches with chips and the rest of us had their deluxe plate which came with chopped pork, slaw, bread and Brunswick stew. The pork is hickory smoked and is served with their Carolina based vinegar sauce which you can get mild or spicy. The mild had a good flavor to it, and the spicy had a little heat to it. The slaw was on the sweet side and was delicious. The pork was lean, moist, and tender and was delicious. The Brunswick stew was packed full of flavor and was well balanced and was outstanding.

As I read the front of the menu about the history of Fresh Air Bar-be-Que, it does state that “Our menu may be a little small, but our quality is assured”. Well, it was delicious BBQ and the folks in Jackson don’t seem to mind the limited selection, because they were busy the whole time we were there.

I’m going to give Fresh Air BBQ in Jackson a 4.8 on the squeal meter for now, and when I go to the Macon location and get their ribs, we’ll see if they can achieve the coveted 5 squeals award. Besides the limited menu, I was not disappointed at all. It was as good as I had read and heard about!

Pics in the pic section for you to view