Page 7 - Barbecue News April 2020 Issue

bbq journeys
Nothing Like the
Aroma of
Something Cooking
Dana “big papa” Hillis
BBQ From Florida
lighthousepointe@ hotmail.com
I walked into the house the other day and Janet had supper cook- ing. The awesome smell of fried chicken, squash and potatoes just brought a big smile to my face. The memories of walking into Grandma’s and smelling the great aroma of something good cook- ing rings true with all of us. I think these memories are what make me enjoy BBQ contests so much. Our first year of competition cooking was addicting in many ways, making so many great friends, enjoying the fun and competition, enjoying the unique smells in the air of all the wood and charcoal smells — definitely the foods being cooked on all the different grills. We were at Win- ter Haven cooking at the Boys and Girls Club and had to run to the store before sunrise. Pulling back into the site the sun was just starting to rise. The light cloud of smoke was covering the en- tire site. The lake, the view and, the awesome aroma will stick with me forever!
We recently went to Frostproof for a steak contest and John Sweeney and I cooked about 20 steaks for the judging class on Thursday night. These PK Grills cook a great steak and the aroma off these grills stays with them. I have started cooking on a Meadow Creek steak cooker and after several practice cooks we cooked our first steak in competition on this grill and had an 8th place finish. This grill is very portable and definitely can cook a steak hot and fast. It is beginning to get seasoned well and is be- coming a great air freshener for the shop.
We cooked the steak contest Friday night and had to leave Satur- day morning for Daytona and St. Augustine and unable to cook the KCBS event. When we got up Saturday morning and stepped out of the motor home we were greeted by a beautiful sunrise and a crisp aroma of BBQ in the air. I swear there is nothing quite like the smell of BBQ in the morning!
We headed north to Daytona but you can't leave Frostproof with- out breakfast at Johnny's Eggworks. Great pancakes and just a great breakfast with good coffee. We made it to Deleon Springs and had lunch at my old friends Jackson and Sam Trivett's world- famous BBQ joint called Pitmasters. At 2:30 in the afternoon, they were packed and we bellied up for some pitmasters stew, a great burger, and brisket worth bragging about. I did not get to see my dear friends but the smell of good brisket was in the air. If you find yourself anywhere near Deland or Deleon Springs, Pitmasters is well worth the stop.
We headed into Daytona and Uncle Rich's church allowed us to
park in their parking lot overnight. We hooked up with Rich, Wendy,Shawn, and his wife, Critty, (cutest nickname ever) for din- ner and headed out before sun up to St. Augustine for another steak cookoff. St. Augustine had just hosted the 2020 North Florida Eggfest at Trout River Park and it was a beautiful sight. The trees and grounds were beautifully situated on the Trout River. There were still Green Eggs parked everywhere and it did not take long for an awesome cast of SCA steak cookers to fill up the park and fill the air with the aroma of great steak! We had the pleasure of setting up with Uncle Rich and watching him cook his first steak competition. We have another addicted steak cooker on our hands and it won't take him long to be getting top steak calls.
This was a great event and next year we will be back. We were lucky enough to get an 8th place finish among 40 great steak cooks. A little cash and a beautiful Rhineland cutlery knife as a trophy was sure a nice addition to the trophy case!
It was great to have a weekend off to travel and cook a couple of steak contests. The RV we bought had a few issues and we got them fixed in time to make the trip. If you ever plan to buy an RV — call me first. Once I share a list of things that will go wrong eventually and that does not scare you off — you probably have more money than sense and should buy it anyway!
It was great seeing a lot of old friends this weekend and it is al- ways a good time cooking steaks. I still love competing in BBQ but cooking steaks take a lot of us back to how BBQ competitions used to be. Every person who gets a steak call gets applause and hand-shake and smiles and you feel good for whoever wins. If you win, it's great! If you don't get a call it doesn't take long to pack up, go home and plan on how to do better next time!
Big Papa’s has a busy schedule the next few months and we can't wait for August to roll around and head back to Tennessee for the 6th Annual Hillis=Mayfield Dinner On the Ground. If you find yourself near the Great State of Tennessee the first of August, come join our family in a true celebration of American history and country hospitality. And, it's possibly the best food you will ever eat. All of our family and friends are welcome. Kayaking, moun- tain climbing, entertainment by the world-famous Black Betty Boys Band, fresh air and orange watermelons are just a few of the cool things to enjoy.
We'll see everyone at a contest soon. Keep them grills lit and feed some folks BBQ — it makes them happy!
APRIL 2020
BarbecueNews.com - 7