Smoke Bits - Florida BBQ Association

Florida Bar-b-que Association
Smoke Bits
Progress Through Smoke 5/1/2016 1:4
VENICE BBQ BASH
Dana Hillis, Big Papa’s Country Kitchen
Don Fisher blames me for him starting the Venice BBQ
we cooked burgers and this year it was pizza on Weber
and Blues Bash and I will gladly take the heat on this one! grills. The judges were in for a treat because the pizzas
This was the 6th annual BBQ festival held in Venice at
these kids cooked would have made papa john and little
the airport grounds and was their biggest and best event
so far. This year was incredible with more visitors than
ever before. The weather was beautiful with enough wind
to keep everyone cool and the entertainment was first
class as usual.
We started
Thursday off
with getting to
the site and getting set up. We
dropped off our
trailers and visited the Sertoma
luncheon that
always kicks off
the event. We get to see a lot of the folks involved with
the local group that helps support the special needs kids
from the Venice area and they always have a speaker that
is very interesting to listen to. The gentleman this year
was involved with the historical preservation of the city
and really was into what they do. Preserving the history of
their Venice area was definitely good stuff!
Caesar jealous. Eden won most creative pizza with a BBQ
pizza - we heard rumor there were going to be BBQ
judges - and our pizza was a delicious creation. To see the
smile and happiness on Eden's face when we went to the
stage was the highlight of my BBQ cooking career!
All the other kids and
cooks did fantastic pizzas
and we all had a blast.
Don Fisher you and your
crew make this so much
fun every year I just want
to personally thank you
for your efforts and making us all a big part of
this. Rub you did an awesome job on the Sweet
Smoke Q roast and we all
wish Jeff could have been there (and Jamie and mom).
This BBQ stuff is a family affair!
We went back to the site to continue set up and then
went to the VIP welcome party at Snook Haven where the
organizers really shine. The past champions are all treated
like royalty and my highlight of the event takes place with
cook teams teaming up with some awesome kids from the
Venice area Special Olympics. I was blessed and honored
to cook with Eden in the pizza contest this year. Last year
Venice continued page 3
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Ramblings From the FBA President
WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO WIN YOUR FIRST COMPETITION IN
YOUR OWN HOMETOWN
I mentioned in a previous column a young couple
who won a backyard grand in their first FBA cook
in their hometown of Apopka. I received an email
from them today which tells a bit about their emotions at that event. My thanks to all the FBA folks
who encouraged them and helped them. I think
this tells a lot about what is good with FBA.
Florida Bar-B-Que Association
Board of Directors
President
Steve Brumm
[email protected]
Vice President
Jim Elser
[email protected]
Treasurer
Robin Yelverton
[email protected]
Secretary
Connie Washam
[email protected]
Director
Lori Frazee
[email protected]
Director
Kevin French
[email protected]
Director
Pat Brannen
[email protected]
Board Notes:
1. Minimum age to judge FBA Sanctioned contest is 18.
2. The BOD approved a cook rule
clarification that Corned Beef is a
prohibited beef submission. Any entry that smells or tastes like Corned
Beef will be DQ’d
This email was sent by Simon and Tasha of What’s Simon Smokin’
BBQ.
We feel so humbled to be able to chat about our journey down the BBQ
Trail. Our most recent Grand Champion win in the Backyard Division at
Apopka brought so much excitement and gratitude. Taking to the books and
soliciting feedback from all the talent we are amongst at every BBQ event
really paid off. Made us think that maybe we HAVE learned a thing or two.
Apopka was the first completion that we decided to take on after competing
along side of fellow BBQ competitors. Needless to say, it was a nerveracking decision taking on such a hugely respected venue as a solo act.
Knowing that we had to bring our A-Game, we are elated to have been able
to walk across the stage and represent the BBQ community. The cheers and
positive energy from all the competing teams, both pro and backyard, made
me realize that we picked the right "family" to be part of. Thank you doesn't
begin to express our gratitude to all the teams and supporters we have met
since starting this journey two years ago. Everyone who has been so open
and willing to offer tips and tricks along the way. That is the reason why we
were able to experience such an overwhelming feeling. Seeing Simon's face
light up when the team was called, not to mention seeing the tears fall down
my mother’s face was personally a moment to remember. Growing up in
Apopka I am excited to have represented my city. As we all know, competing against all the teams working tirelessly towards the same goal is hard. We
still have so much to learn and time to invest. We look forward to continue to
compete against the best in the BBQ community. We look forward to sharing
what we have learned, growing and of course the next time we are lucky
enough to step foot on that stage.
Sometimes when we get excited about how the FBA works, we need
to give a thought to what the FBA is all about. I think the paragraph
above says it far better than I can.
Smoke Well my friends,
Steve
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...Venice continued
Once the fun and festivities were over it was back to the
event to prep for the contest and get ready to sell a little
food on Friday night and prepare to sell to a good crowd
on saturday.WOW did Friday night turn into a big success! Most teams were not prepared for the big crowd
that rolled in but we all helped each other out and sales
were big! I did not get a chance to get out and see the hot
air balloons but I have seen some video and watching
those balloons fire up and light up the sky was a big attraction! The wind moved in on Saturday and I missed
out on my
sugar bear
balloon
ride this
year but I
won't miss
it next
year.
This was
our first
contest in
several
months and prepping all the food we sold and still try to
turn in winning boxes was definitely a labor of love this
weekend. Hard work and no sleep is still a lot of fun,
LOL. But I could not do it without my hard working
crew, john, Danny and Nicky and Cadin and Janet yell
are unbelievable. We had lines as long as we ever had
and thanks to all that attended for being patient. I have
not heard final numbers on how many attended but it was
definitely huge. The people from this town come out to
support this event and I think the $ numbers that have
been generated to help these special needs kids has
reached near $500000 in 6 years. This is just incredible!
Team Unknown found their way back to the final walk
with a hard earned well deserved Grand Championship
and I am really happy for these guys. Papa Clark and
crew congratulations to all of you! Hot Wachula's, Matt
Barber, keeps doing what he does and won Reserve.
Backyard Bros finished third and proved they are in this
to win. Trust me it's coming soon. Jacks old South wins
where ever they go and it is always good to see these
guys. They may be TV stars and all famous, but honestly
they are really just a bunch of good ol' boys. Michael
Mixon and crew always good to see y'all. I got to see
them because I actually walked the stage a few times and
somehow pulled out a 5th place overall and was truly
proud of that. One judge said my white meat chicken was
tough or maybe we would have finished a little better!
Hot wachula's was first in chicken with a 198.5, Team
Unknown had a 198.5 in ribs and brisket for a first in
each category and Backyard Bros had a 198.3 for first
place in pork. Matt Daddy's had a 2nd in pork - good job
- other good calls were TW BBQ, 6th in chicken, Nice
Racks, 8th in chicken, Hughes Brothers BBQ, 3rd in ribs,
What's In The Box, 4th in ribs, Cedar Creek, 5th in ribs,
Pink Grizzly, 8th in ribs, Backwoods BBQ, 9th in ribs,
Matt Daddy's, 2nd in pork, Awesome Q, 7th in pork, Pit
Pass BBQ, 5th in brisket, Gitchewsum, 6th in brisket and
a big shout to everyone else that got calls.
I want to give a special thanks to Kelly Oliver (my girlfriend), Pink Grizzly always there to help, Ben and his
whole family thanks, for everything, and everyone else,
that are always helping whoever they can. That's the
spirit of all our people and we never want to lose that.
Thank you Sheila and Frank and EJ for working so hard
to do the great jobs you do. If all you cook teams and
judges see these folks hug them and say thank you. They
are awesome at what they do.
Thanks Don, Ed, Bobby, Billy, and anyone else wearing those awesome yellow shirts. See y'all soon.
Dana "Big Papa" Hillis and the bigpapa clan. Jim
Burg our thoughts and prayers are with you friend
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Tri-State BBQ Festival in Dothan, AL
Tim Maloy, Back Yard Bros.
(not Brothers...Bros.)
The Tri State BBQ Festival in Dothan Alabama is one of
our favorite contests of the year. Kerry Ferrell and her staff
put on a first class contest. We had left my trailer in Tifton
Georgia after the Thomaston contest. Came home and then
drove back up Thursday morning to get the trailer. That
was an interesting drive on the smallest of highways between Tifton and Dothan. We pulled into the Houston
County fairgrounds around 4:00 P.M. in the afternoon.
Chad Hughes from Hughes Brothers (not Bros) was cooking with me this weekend. It was his first experience at a
competition on a Thursday night. We didn’t let him down
and had a great dinner at Hunt’s Restaurant and Oyster
and time for the 5:00 a.m.
Fireball shot and selfie!
I knew we had a problem
early with the big meats
because they were all at
perfect temps. I need
something to go wrong to
keep me on schedule.
Finally something
glitched with the chicken
cooker and we were back
on our game. We felt
really good about everything we turned in and it
was all finally in the
hands of the judges.
Hot Wauchula’s was just
simply too much for Good Buddie’s to repeat after a valiant
effort. 3rd was The Ross Team (great comp for Steve) 4th
was our great friends Mark, Travis and Tina from Boog-ALou Smoke crew and 5th was Bo’s Bodacious.
Bar. B & T, Ross Team, Uncle Kenny’s, Sweet Smoke Q,
Big Daddy Q and Backyard Bro’s all enjoyed a great pregame meal of seafood and cold beverages. (Probably the
one thing that I enjoy more than the cooking, money and
trophies is the great association we have with our fellow
cook teams.) After dinner we went back to our cook sites
and enjoyed the Thursday not party (moonshine, fireball
and Coors light) which continued until Friday morning.
After the awards we celebrated our Alabama State Championship in chicken and took the restrictor plate off the Fireball and that was the last thing I remember. Apparently
there’s more to the story but you will just have to ask
someone else.
Friday brought in the rest of the cook teams which ended
up making for a very strong field. Friday after meat inspection started my usual 8 hours of hung over trimming. If you
haven’t tried this before you should. Fortunately Kenny
Nadeau saved my life once again with his famous turkey
burgers! Friday night we put the big meats on around 10
and went to bed.
4:30 in the morning came early and we were ready to wrap
The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious barbecue. It is the source of all true art and science.
– Albert Einstein (parody)
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9th Annual Smoke on the Water BBQ & Music Festival, Thomaston, GA
Gary Washam, FBA Representative
Thomaston, GA, April 1st & 2nd - Meat, sharpened knives,
fuel, smoker, injections, rubs, sauces, boots --- say what?
Boots? Is that the standard equipment check-off list for a
BBQ competition? Well, in the case of the Smoke on the
Water competition in Thomaston, the answer is a resounding
YES. It seems this contest has a lock on the wettest Thursday/Friday dates in early Spring each year, with the end results always a field of mud and plenty of slipping and sliding. This year it happened on April Fool’s Day to make
things even more interesting.
sent some very beautiful cattle fields and farmland with a
natural bowl amphitheater by the lake. However, when it
rains, oh boy! The paths chosen for vehicles into and out of
the venue become Wham O slip and slide mud bogs, with up
and down slopes to make them even more fun. This year
rain fell on Thursday AND Friday before the final contest
date, making arrivals, setup and general getting around a real
adventure. Running waters and mud were so bad that even
the FBA REPS had to set up their computers to prepare for
the contest in their hotel rooms on Friday.
Despite the rain and mud, 53 professional teams gladly
roared into Thomaston to be part of this unique competition.
When the sun came out on Saturday and the judging was
completed, the Grand Champion for Smoke on the Water
was Bull Rush BBQ (with a little help from Thomas Henry
of Budmeister’s fame), carried home largely by their 2nd
place finishes in Ribs and Pork. Reserve Grand was won by
Wink’s Barbeque with an excellent overall cook, taking 1st
in Ribs and top spots in the other categories. First place in
chicken was won by Wooley Bully BBQ Mafia. First place
Smoke on the Water is organized and staged by Bobby Bick- in Pork was won by BBQ Crew and first place in brisket was
ley and Jeremy Daniel with a great cast of volunteers to gen- won by Hot Wachula’s.
erate funds to support the local Thomaston Fire & Rescue
A special honor for the Grand Champion at Smoke on the
organization and to bring some community spirit back to a
Water is to sustain the annual tradition of diving into Bicktown thrashed by
ley Lake to keep the waters properly seasoned until next
the loss of so many year’s competition. Brian and Bob Mroczka gladly mainjobs to foreign la- tained the tradition with some awesome aquatic enthusiasm,
bor. Top bands
reinforcing the positive spirit that surrounds Thomaston and
from around the
Smoke on the Water.
country are scheduled for Friday and
Saturday to go
along with entertainment for all
Where do I park, Boss?
ages and great food
served by quality BBQ vendors. All this is staged together
with the FBA sponsored BBQ competition which draws
teams from all throughout the Southeast. The purpose, dedication and thoroughness of this event lends a unique spirit to
Smoke on the Water, making it feel much more like a giant
The Grand Champion leap into Lake Bickfamily reunion than a BBQ competition and concert.
ley has become a Thomaston tradition.
Burrrrr and Congratulations Bull Rush!
Smoke on the Water is staged on the rolling fields next to
Bickley Lake just NE of Thomaston. When dry, they repre5
Barnesville, GA, BBQ & Blues
Jim McCoin, Big Daddy Q
If you have never visited the town of Barnesville, GA, you
are missing out on true GA beauty. There is so much too
see in such a rural area, the houses down the main street east
of town are works of ar. The churches in the area are truly
amazing. The little shops in the downtown area and the
friendly folks around town will remind you of the Andy
Griffith Show. Last but not least is what Mother Nature
offered us on this glorious weekend… the weather was perfect with temps between 58 and 78 all weekend long.
Bros hadn't had a walk all year in chicken? Well, they
walking now!!! that is good to see. We all saw Bo’s Bodacious BBQ walk all four categories in Dothan this year I
was standing up clapping for him!
The final results for
the Barnesville BBQ
& Blues contest can be
found on the FBA
website.
This weekend, had the pleasure of cooking with a sailor
Congratulations to Jim
named Dan Patrick who is in the Navy, based in JacksonElser, Sweet Smoke Q
ville. He is a Georgia native and taught me a few things
for the Grand Champiabout....whiskey, beer and pecan wood. Cooking with Dan onship and Bull Rush,
made me realize just why I like these competitions so much. Bryan Mroczka for
It’s a lot like, say, about breakfast at Waffle House....it isn't taking the Reserve
about the food its about the experience. If a BBQ comp is
Grand.
all about the win or how high you can place, most of us are
in for a lot of disappointment. Lately I rate a BBQ contest The BBQ Ninja got it done in Chicken, 1st place followed
in the order I enjoyed myself, instead of
by Bull Rusn 2nd and Boog-a-lou Smoke
the order I placed… I have different cateCrew 3rd.
gories that mean the most or the least to
me.
Hot Wachula’s racked up a 1st place in
Ribs, followed by Boog-a-lou 2nd and WayFirst on my list is seeing good friends if I
to-Que a close 3rd.
get to go eat dinner or sit around a fire
with some really great people, this fulfills
Sweet Smoke Q took 1st in Pork and Lang
my weekend with or without any
BBQ Smoker grabbed 2nd with The BBQ
walks....there are many, many special lifeNinja in the 3rd spot.
long friends I have made on this FBA trail
we follow.
Finally, Brisket, Bull Rush BBQ ran away
with Brisket and Lang BBQ Smoker in 2nd
The second most important to me on my
followed by Jack’s Old South.
list is getting an ‘experience’ out of each
contest, such as, covered bridges, waterTo sum it up we all are one big family here
falls, old houses, brick roads, windmills
in the FBA and there is a lot of love...but
and old barns. I love to go to places I have never been and remember to enjoy your experiences and to let them highseeing sights I have never seen. In Rome , GA this past
light the weekend and if you get to walk its like icing on
year I witnessed the BEST AIRSHOW EVER!!! In Venyour birthday cake...it just makes it better
ice, those hot air balloons were crazy cool and in Barnesville Tina from Boogalou Smokin’ Crew, told us that Mark
had a tongue made of leather!
Finally, third on my list of things that make a BBQ contest a
successful one, in my eyes, is the actual contest… Who
doesn't like getting a 20lb brisket in the mail, sharpening
your knife and digging in? I get to dig through 20-30 butts
picking out the one or two with the biggest thickest money
muscle… I love getting nervous just before chicken turn
in... I love the excitement of making a great looking turn in
box and last but not least is I love seeing new teams do good
and walk for the first time… Remember when Backyard
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The Selfie Match Game:
These were the only selfies that could be found or that
could be shared, considering all the activities and good
times had in Venice
Many thanks to those who were game to play
Can you match the phrase with the selfie?
Just Chillin
I don’t take selfies
“I took this selfie this
morning”
“Me and my love”
It just keeps growing
Something’s missing
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Who Knew?
We found each other later in our lives, after a few
wrong turns, and knew we were soul mates. I'm a retired
librarian and Ken just retired after 41 years working for
the Southern Nuclear Company. Our first date was to a
BBQ contest in Ken's hometown of Demopolis, AL. We
went to the Memphis in May contest and the first contest
in Sevierville, TN, without thinking about who judged
them. Something about the atmosphere and the smell of
BBQ that made us feel at home.
In 2006 a BBQ competition came to Dothan and we
knew we would go. Ken saw in the newspaper that a
judges class was also being held and talked me into going
with him. He thought this would help him become a better
cook in our backyard. He promised me when we got married that he would cook for me. Chuck and Donna Ray
taught that class and we found out what was going on behind the scenes at all those BBQ competitions. Judges
were needed the next day so we were asked to judge
backyard. However, when we got there they asked us to
judge the professional teams. People off the street were
being asked to judge backyard. I know it's hard to believe
now but we came into this world when trained judges
were really needed. We fell in love at that contest with the
whole world of competition BBQ. The judges there were
so friendly and helped us so much.
We were taught how to judge whole hog by Rocky
Danner and judged at the same table as Billy Bones and
Mike Mills. Within a year's time we had become certified
judges in KCBS, MIM, MBN and GBA, but it all started
with the FBA and they are our first love. We've made
friends with the teams and judges that will last forever.
The food, I couldn't believe that BBQ could taste so good.
Sure spoils us for BBQ restaurants.
FBA has grown since we became part of it, becoming
better and better. That was proven at the Sonny's Invitational. I've never given so many high scores at any other
contest from any other BBQ Association. The teams were
the top of the line and the judges were also. At my table I
knew that every judge there knew what they were doing
and would judge fairly. Gonna be very hard to top that.
But I know the FBA can do it. We just became lifetime
members and that's how long we want to be part of this
wonderful world of Competition BBQ. We can't thank
FBA enough for allowing us to find this, something that
we both love doing and take very seriously. Remember
that contest in Demopolis, we judged there the first year
and every year since. It has become a family reunion for
us. We also have judged the Dothan FBA contest since
then. This all reminds me that I really do need to thank
the Dothan organizers.
We found out there were several BBQ associations and
that FBA was relatively young compared to them. I was
told how much the teams spend to compete at any given
contest and that the FBA was formed by teams that knew
what was best for teams, like no garnish and having an
hour between turn-ins. Of course I knew nothing about
that, I just wanted to do the best I could in deciding which
of those teams had the best BBQ. We met so many people that we are friends with today.
The contest organizer from a contest at Ft. Rucker being
held the next month was there asking for judges. It was a
KCBS contest but they needed trained judges and by that
time we knew we wanted to become part of all this. Still
the hottest place we have ever judged. At every hot contest we say let me tell you about Ft. Rucker. We were also
given an application for judges at the "Best of the Best"
contest at Douglas, GA, and judged that year there every
other year until it closed. Like Dana said in his article in
the BBQ News, I'm sorry that the teams and judges today
didn't get to experience this contest. I fell in love with the
Phelps family and am so glad when I see them today.
8
We’ll see all of you on the BBQ trail !!!
Ken & Sue Fluker
ITEMS FOR SALE/WANTED:
FORE SALE
USED REDNECK SMOKER
food not included
$ BEST OFFER $
CALL BUBBA @ BBQ
Welcome to the Florida BBQ Assoc.
New FBA Members:
Individual:
Dick Cogswell, Fort Denaud, FL
Jim Jenneskens, Largo, FL
Jarrett Padfield, Jupiter, FL
Julie Knoebel, Okeechobee, FL
Arthur Cross, Fort Pierce, FL
Julie Knoebel, Okeechobee, FL
Jarrett, Padfield, Jupiter, FL
Jim Jenneskens, Largo, FL
Martin Roberts, Tallahassee, FL
Nikki Novatny, Naples, FL
Gary Clark, Layton, UT
Organizer:
Bob Tweedie, Tavares, FL
Family:
Joe & Randi Bolinger
Philis Welch & Mary Welch
Douglas & Lisa Worstell, Oviedo, FL
Kevin & xxx Kincaid, Miami, FL
We are hearing rumors and reading on
FaceBook that BBQ equipment is for sale
but no details. If you have BBQ equipment
for sale and want help getting the word out,
send an e-mail to Bob Youngblood
([email protected]) with the details.
If you are seriously wanting to sell or looking for BBQ equipment, e-mail Bob
Youngblood ([email protected]) with the
details.
Attention Master Judges. If you earned your master judge
status before 2014 and remember the name of the team you
cooked with, please drop me a line and tell me.
[email protected] If you remember the
year better yet. I want to add this little tidbit to the
judges list.
Smoke Bits, 2016, Contributors:
Jim McCoin, Jim Elser, Sonny’s, Roy Griffin, Bob
Youngblood, Jim Frazee, G & C Washam, Doug Francis,
Dana Hillis, Matt Bougher, Montana Smith, City of
Apopka, David Haskett, Tim Giebeig, Susan Wilhoit, Lori
Frazee, Jim Dehne, Sue Fluker, Tim Maloy, Chad Ward,
Ben Purvis, Rub Bagby, Russ Disinger, Jim McCoin, Audrey Evans and Rodney Higginbotham
Thanks to all for your generous contributions to the Smoke
Bits
If anyone would like to start their own
monthly column, please let us know.
[email protected]
9
May 2016
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Tue
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Wednesday
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Thu
Thursday
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Sat
Saturday
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Grilling for a
Cause
Lakeland, FL
Cancelled!!
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Sweet Smoke Q
Competition
BBQ School
8:00 am
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Sweet Smoke Q
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Central Florida
BBQ Blowout
Competition
BBQ School
Oviedo, FL
5:00 PM
Judges Seminar
6:00 - 10:00 PM
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Be sure to check with the FBA website for full details.
All sanctioned contests, with a minimum of 25 teams, are qualifiers
for the WFC, Jack Daniel’s Invitational and the American Royal.
There must be 30 competing teams in sanctioned contests to qualify for the Sonny’s Invitational