Starting in the World of Competition BBQ

If you have been cooking on barbecues for years at fairs and festivals, where your recipes are always praised by the public, you may have decided that it is about time you went into the world of competition BBQ. If so, make sure you do your homework first. You are going to be competing against professionals and enthusiastic amateurs alike, so be prepared. Do your research into different cooking methods, interesting and tasty sauces, marinades and rubs, techniques and timing. All of these points are important in competition BBQ as they all contribute towards the result of the tastiest meat.

As regards competitions there are many from which to choose. The best way to start out is in backyard or neighborhood competitions. Get a few friends or teams together, choose judges and get cooking. Make it an event for family, friends and neighbors, and encourage them to bring contributions of side dishes and desserts, or even charge an entry fee.

You need to plan what you are going to cook so, when starting out, make sure you pick a few tried and tested barbecue recipes and stick to these until you get more proficient. If your recipe calls for marinating, make sure you do it the night before or earlier on in the day before you set out. Get organized and pack all your meat ingredients into cool boxes before you go and have them labeled so you can easily find the meat for which you are looking. Likewise, with your rubs or basting sauces – have these prepared in advance and sealed in labeled containers. The more prepared you are the more time you will be able to devote to your grilling instead of worrying about your ingredients.

Once you have conquered the neighborhood, move up to local or national competition BBQ level. Some states have a Barbecue Society, which organizes barbecues all over the state throughout the year. If you want to move up to this level, ask at your local Chamber of Commerce, or check online. The World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest takes place in Memphis, the self-styled BBQ capital of the world, in May each year. It is divided into categories, which are contested by around 250 teams, national and international. There are categories such as "hot wings", "anything but pork", "sauce" and "coleslaw". Prizes can be as much as $10,000. The biggest event is said to be The American Royal Barbecue, which takes place in Kansas City over 2 days. This also has different categories such as 4 different meats, sausage, and side dish.

You may find that you are charged an entry fee to participate in a competition BBQ. This could vary based on how many categories you want to take part in and many people like to maximize their chance of winning by entering all categories. This can be a bit hard going for an individual, which is why it is very common now to see teams taking part, as they can either pool the workload or use a different member to work as lead in each category. In addition, some competitions have amateur sections for these new to this new and exciting world.