Pulled pork (top) and brisket (bottom)

Pork ribs (top) and chicken (bottom)

The Four Q BBQ team finished its rookie year of competition this past weekend at the Beachside Barbecue contest in the San Diego suburb of Imperial Beach. Following the contest rules set by the Kansas City Barbecue Society, ten teams each submitted entries in four categories: chicken, pork ribs, pork shoulder, and beef brisket. Four Q took top honors in pulled pork, second in brisket, third in chicken, and missed taking second place overall (known in contest jargon as “Reserve Grand Champion”) by a scant four point margin.

It’s been a great year of learning, teamwork, and camaraderie. For that, I’d like to thank my food blogging teammates Big Mista from The Survival Gourmet, Big Lu of The BBQ Junkie and Sylvie from Soul Fusion Kitchen. I’d also like to recognize James Beard Award nominated authors Mike Mills and Amy Mills-Tunnicliffe and their inspiring book about life on the BBQ contest circuit, Peace, Love, & Barbecue. I interviewed the authors, and reviewed the book earlier this year.

Prior to this season, I’d only read about the contest circuit and witnessed the 2000 Memphis in May event as a spectator. I can now say we’ve notched some good results in a handful of contests and note with pride that our rookie team has walked to the awards podium in each contest this year:

BBQ’n at the Autry contest (Los Angeles, CA): fourth place in ribs.
Silent Valley BBQ contest (Banning, CA): second place in brisket, fourth in chicken, fourth in ribs.

Each contest presented different cooking challenges, and that’s part of the fun. Because cooking starts the night before judging, overnight weather conditions greatly affect the fire in the smoker. At the Autry contest in April, we faced temperatures in the high 30 degree range, but no wind. The Banning contest was held on a high desert mountaintop campground at 3500 feet of elevation. The very dry air and altitude made it difficult to keep temperatures low enough, and the meat cooked much faster than expected. At this weekend’s contest just steps away from the beach, overnight temperatures in the high 40’s were below the dewpoint. At 100% relative humidity, water collected on every surface. This wet, cold air combined with a steady breeze made it difficult to hold cooking temperatures hot enough.

If you’ve thought about competing, there’s a number of ways to go about it. Some folks jump right into competition. Others take a more measured approach by assisting teams that’ll take them under their wing. Some take a sanctioned judging class to learn the judging criteria first. Online forums at the California Barbecue Association, Kansas City Barbecue Society, and the BBQ Brethren are places to make your interest known, and find a contest near you. In any case, it takes time and dedication to dial in your cooking technique to meet judges’ expectations, and a substantial amount of smoking equipment to prepare four kinds of meats. For our team, pooling equipment, dividing effort, and good teamwork make solid results possible.

Best of luck if you choose to compete, and say hi to our ragtag team of bloggers if you run into us at your next contest!