This last weekend I entered my first ever BBQ competition and boy was it fun..one thing that surprised me were the contestants. All of them were willing to help and give you pointers and anything you needed! The competition was in accordance with the South Carolina BBQ Association. There were 34 teams in the contest. And what do you know, I came in 3rd on brisket…I was stoked and shocked at the same time. If anyone is every thinking about competing and having any second thoughts….do it!
by Chocol8Thunder
19 Comments
Congratulations! Everything looked amazing
I judged for many years and had a few friends that used/still compete and never met a friendlier bunch of folks.
The one time I did compete as an amateur I finished 2nd and have many come and give me advice and assistance after my tent collapsed in a rain storm.
Great job! Clean boxes, nice money muscle presentation in the pork box, great smoke ring on the brisket. Wings have a nice color as do the ribs.
You earned that 3rd place.
The difference between 1st and 2nd is 0.0001 man I’d be so sad if I was 2nd
‘Too bad your my cousin’ leads to so many more questions than one needs. Congrats on your success.
Snowboarding and bbqing. Man of many talents
Looks amazing.
I bet you’re not even a real uncle.
Food looks hella good yo. Keep it up
You went into your first competition, with brisket? and got 3rd?
I think that’s amazing!!
I gotta attend me one of these!
You’re doing God’s work out there! Keep it up!
Celery seed or celery salt in your rub?
Great execution man! Congrats!
And those pics look amazing!
I’ve got a buddy that did competitions in Virginia, then moved back home to Montana. Now he does 5 or 6 competitions in the Rocky Mountain states during the summer. He loves it! I wish I lived in the area and could help him. Seems like it would be fun.
love these posts, great job!
Congrats on your first contest. I use to compete in Kansas City and was a certified judge many moons ago. Yes the bbq community is second to none in being helpful and teaching but they all have their secrets they won’t divulge. Glad you have discovered a new world through bbq and will make many new friends over the years if you keep competing.
PS it can become addicting. so be prepared to invest in new smokers, rub and other things you’ll want when you compete…covered tents, tables, chairs etc. As home beer brewer I use to take my small freezer that had 3 – 5 gallon kegs of beer in it with a 3 tapper tower on it…getting the competition drunk was one of my secret weapons…lol
Outstanding work! That’s a great finish for it being your comp! The fact that you placed second in brisket is pretty cool too! One of these days my buddy and I will enter one of the local contests!
This is awesome! I’m in SC and love smoking meats and always thought about getting into a competition just for fun/community. How much different would you say competition BBQ is than your traditional “meal/backyard” BBQ? I know the judges are eating all day so I figure they just take a bite?
Any idea to how far anyone would go on something simple like a kettle or a drum smoker compared to offsets?
Rod Stewart does bbq now?
Looks quite dangerous to me. I love trying different things different ways of cooking.