Page 31 - Barbecue News Magazine September 2021

CHRISTY JONES
bigdsqtn@gmail.com
In muggy, late June at the Arkansas Jesse Dylan James SCA cookoff, I re- ceived a text from a childhood friend, Heather Hayes, living in Alaska. An SCA event was finally coming to Alaska, and her family was ready to cook. Five minutes later, I began my pitch to my husband, Rodney. “Would- n’t it be easier to share some tips with them in person?” My plea was met with a shoulder shrug.
A couple of hours later, with a heat index of 102, I broached the subject again. This time, the thought of cook- ing in a cool mountain setting seemed like a great idea. The rush was on! By the end of the day, I took home first place in STEAK B and our airplane tickets were purchased.
Christy Jones catches her Alaskan Salmon ancillary entry thanks to a trip with Heather and Tracey Hayes.
have the tools and equipment they need? They get creative, and they rely on friends, new and old!
We found local stores such as Allen and Peterson Cooking & Appliance Center who carry grilling equipment. We reached out to Michael Bowles, President of the Alaskan BBQ Associa- tion and event promoter, for a few more tips. In the end, Rodney and I were fortunate enough to win five SCA events before we left for Alaska. This extra dough helped us to purchase a wishlist item of twin PKGOs. After our PK TX and 360s delivered that kind of winning streak, it made our decision to purchase the smaller, more portable PK version an easy one.
But how do two cooks travel 3,997.5 miles and manage to
Other cooks from the lower 48, Scott and Lindsay MacDon- ald, found their MGrills C4s fit perfectly under the airline seat in front of them.
Our journey took us zig zagging across states to prepare. A little concept from high school basketball called “situa- tional basketball” was adapted to help us prepare for being unprepared. We would spend the first three days before a game doing normal drills and play development. The last two days before the big game, we would break down unex- pected scenarios and try our best to prepare for them. In the case of “situational steak cooking”, we made a last- minute decision to head to Kansas to Ryan Klaus’ cook in Garden City, sponsored by Klaus Wood Pellets & Outdoor Living. New terrain, new judges, new grills... the best way to prepare for being unprepared.
The trip out to Kansas was a great reminder of the caliber of cooks, and the hospitality one finds in a new place. Walking away with 3rd, 5th, and 7th place walks on grills that were assembled the morning of the cook, gave Rodney and me faith that we could tackle the Alaskan Terrain.
SEPTEMBER 2021
BarbecueNews.com - 31
North to
Alaska: go North, the SCA rush is on!