Page 12 - August 2021 Barbecue News Magazine

Teams Thoughts
This month we asked a couple teams to share their thoughts and experiences on getting started as a competition cook. Our future and our community are only as strong as the participation at competitions. Hopefully someone will learn a thing or two from these cooks and will take the plunge and enter a contest!
Getting started in backyard competitions
– by Allen LeCuyer, Magnum P.I.G. BBQ Team
It was only a few years ago that I tossed and turned all night, nervous for my first backyard competi- tion. I wasn’t going to know anyone else at the contest and I really had no idea what to expect. All I kept telling myself... Don’t get last. I ended up having more fun than I thought possible and my summers have been fun and hectic ever since.
I hope some of the readers of this article are considering giving a backyard competition a try. The community is extremely wel- coming, once you show up you’ll almost instantly have new friends. The other teams will welcome you, answer any questions you may have, and will help you any way they can. When it comes to new teams, the more the merrier!
If I could go back in time and talk to my nervous self when I was trying to get started I would give myself a few tips that I will share with you:
• It is not only ok to ask questions, it is encouraged. Every con- test has an organizer, the person who is hosting the contest.
They want you to have fun, anything you want to know you can ask them. How much space will you have, what time do you turn in your meats, are there any requirements or restrictions on cook- ing equipment, etc. My first contest was at B-Dale and the organ- izer was/is Beth Salzl. I talked to her so many times and asked her so many questions we ended up being friends!
• If you aren’t sure about jumping feet first into a contest, go to one and watch first. Like I said, teams are really welcoming. Walk around and talk to people, ask questions, get a feel for how every- thing goes.
• Practice, practice, practice. When you get to your first contest you should know how long your cooks will take, when you should start your smokers, etc. When you practice at home, start a list of everything that you are using so you can be sure you bring what- ever you need with you to the contest. Even with a list, you will likely still feel like you’re forgetting something, that’s normal. If you do forget something, chances are real good another team has what you forgot and they’ll share.
• BBQ is like most other things, the more you do it the better you get. If you don’t get the results you’re looking for the first con- test or two don’t give up, you will get better!
• Ask questions, get as comfortable as you can. I know this is the second time I’ve suggested asking questions, it’s that important!
• My last tip is the most important; BBQ is supposed to be fun! Yes we all want to do well, but at the end of the day if you met some great people and had fun doing it, you’ll still be glad you were there.
Cooking a pro contest
– by Steve Lauer, Phoenix BBQ
So you want to go to the big leagues, hang out with the Pro teams. A noble quest indeed. I started out about 10 years ago and pretty much did every- thing wrong in that quest. The old saying “If I knew then what I know now” rings an all too familiar bell with me. Of course ten years ago Backyard was about non-existent in our neck of the woods in
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Minnesota. I got a call from a friend in Michigan saying that I should build another grill and come cook a comp. A what? A comp, bunch of people setting up pop ups and smoking BBQ all night. Well that sounded like a great way to spend the weekend, why not? Little did I know what I and my wife, Jen, were headed for. I built a 16’ trailer with an offset of my own design, and headed into the great unknown. Now to give you the full picture of this colossal train wreck in the making, the morning we were to head out for the UP Hog Wild contest, I was still welding fenders on the trailer. When we arrived at the contest, I had yet to cook a piece of meat on the new smoker. Talk about trial by fire!