Page 14 - FEB 2020 Digital

bbq journeys
BBQ2020- WHERE DO WE GO THIS YEAR!
Dana “big
papa” Hillis
BBQ From Florida
lighthousepointe@ hotmail.com
Many of our older contests
and events have gone away.
Naples no longer has a BBQ event due to a serious lack of support. Naples used to have a great payout and was a very user-friendly contest, but teams just quit coming. They had a steak only cook this year and had a minimal turnout, so next year the event will host some music and local people's choice competitions.
The Fort Myers event canceled after several successful years and will be missed. It was a well-run event and we enjoyed being a part of it. Pig on the Pond canceled their entire event this year after a strong run of 15 plus years. They said they would be back on the schedule for next year but no BBQ contest.
Our busy schedule will not allow us to attend as many contests as we have in the past. However, we still plan to travel and cook new events that we have not participated in the past. The SCA events are fun to compete in and are much more affordable than a full- blown BBQ contest. Depending on location, you can show up Sat- urday morning, compete, and make it home Saturday night.
Thomas Sadaka and his Divine Swine BBQ Team are in the food truck building business. I have heard they are building more food trucks than anyone in the country. I miss seeing Thomas and Pa- tricia at the contests we get to attend.
Damon Wooley and the Wooley Bully BBQ Mafia don't get out to cook much anymore and I sure miss seeing Damon, Pops, and the rest of the family. Jake and Dawson are growing up and Damon and Ashley are busy being parents.
If you are in the Fernandina Beach area go to Ms. Caroline’s for
breakfast and say hi to my daughter, Jana, and buy a cake, too. As you head off the island, make a stop in at Captain Jack’s Smokehouse and say hi to Jack and Sandi Fallin. Don't forget to ask for a time check!
Janet and I hit a farmers’ market, Restaurant Depot, and stopped at Ford’s Garage location, in Miramar Florida, for a burger. Janet got a burger made just her way with some chili and I ordered a brisket burger. When I got my burger I was disap- pointed at the lack of brisket. I told my waitress
that it was a perfectly cooked burger but just a little shy on the brisket. She told the Chef JoJo who immediately brought me a nice portion of brisket to top off my selection. I was not com- plaining, but I just thought there should be a touch more brisket. The brisket JoJo brought me made this the best burger I have ever eaten as it was cooked perfectly. Janet's burger was a 10 for sure, too. Our waitress, Madeline, was the nicest young lady and an awesome waitress. When she said y'all, I asked her where she was from, and she answered with pride "Polk County"!
JoJo was a true gentleman and the service at this Ford’s Garage was truly impressive. We will go back as often as we can.
I want to go to the White House lawn and have a bunch of my bbq family go with me. I don't claim to be a republican or a democrat, but I am definitely AMERICAN! With all the stupid stuff going on and division in our country, we need a full-blown BBQ to get everyone together again. Maybe this would help everyone to enjoy life for a while versus fussing and fighting. Feeding and lov- ing on all our military folks and letting them know we appreciate them is what all real Americans need to do. Before we eat, we would recite the pledge of allegiance and say grace. If anyone has a problem with that, then they will have to go to the back of the line!
Let's forget the word politics and start looking out for each other like we did in the good old days. Light up your grills this year and spread the good name of BBQ and feed as many people as possi- ble. It makes them happy!
We recently cooked some briskets for a wedding along with a few other BBQ basics. We monitored our buffet line and got to talk to all the guests as they ate. This party was held at the Naples Brew- ery and was a lot of fun. It was an open bar for the party members and the buffet line was right next to the big row of beer taps. What a comfortable environment where everybody got to hang out, eat more brisket then I have ever seen while enjoying a cold beverage. Very cool way to have a party!
Hope everyone gets to cook a lot this year and I hope there are many new events for 2020. Good luck this year and keep the smoke rolling!
BarbecueNews.com - 14
FEBRUARY 2020
Dana"Big Papa"Hillis