BBQ Smoker Site

My National BBQ Month 2012 Heroes

Kevin Sandridge — Mon, 14 May 2012 16:54:56 +0000

Celebrating National BBQ Month 2012

National BBQ Month is upon us, and if you’re a regular reader of the BBQ Smoker Site there’s every chance that you’re already in full BBQ Swing!

Team Unknown BBQ – Winter Haven, FL

Aside from May being my birthday month… (tomorrow to be exact!), I love this month because it’s a great time to reflect on my own celebration of BBQ. How do I celebrate this time honored tradition? Well, by reading up on as many publications as I can, cooking it whenever I’m able, attending and blogging about competition BBQ events, and supporting various BBQ cook teams.

I’ve written about the history of BBQ and have shared many BBQ recipes and tips from the Pros here – all in an attempt to provide value to my readers. For the most part, I think I’ve been pretty successful – mainly because I try and keep things as real and accessible as I can.

For National BBQ Month 2012, I want to reflect on some of the folks that make competition BBQ enjoyable for me personally.

My National BBQ Month 2012 Heroes

Since I started the BBQ Smoker Site, three teams have stood out as major influences and mentors for me.

Whiskey Bent BBQ
Team Unknown BBQ
Swamp Boys BBQ

Each of these teams has a different persona, style, and way they go about the art of cooking up some of the most amazing competition BBQ in the land.

Whiskey Bent BBQ

Chad Ward with Whiskey Bent BBQ was the first guy in competition BBQ who reached out to me with an invite to hang, learn about what they do, and get to know some of the ins and outs of how things go down on the competition circuit. I still remember several years back when I showed up to meet him at a Bartow, FL BBQ Event - greener than a Granny Smith.

At the time, Whiskey Bent was a successful backyard team. Chad took me behind the scenes and taught me a bit about what teams do to prepare for events, and how they go about mapping out cook schedules, etc. I was and am still honored to have had that opportunity with these guys.

That Bartow event also also marked Whiskey Bent’s first go at the Pro BBQ level. The field was one team short of being a Jack Daniel’s qualifier, and Chad and the crew stepped up to make it go! As you all know, Whiskey Bent has been on a successful run since!

I highly recommend you looking up Chad and the gang. You can catch their website here. Also, be sure to tune into the Whiskey Bent “In the Pit” radio show!

Team Unknown BBQ

Where in the hell do you start when you’re talking about Team Unknown and all of the Competition BBQ Madness and Chicanery that they bring to the scene? I guess the very best place to start is to say that they’re just about the most welcoming, real, and friendly bunch of Polk County, Florida smoke eaters you might ever have the pleasure of meeting.

Papa Clark, Jason, Dorsey, Lee, Steve, Damien and the rest of the Team Unknown clan embody what I feel is best about the world of BBQ. What I value most with these guys is the way they bring such a high level of fun and camaraderie to the game. As you can see in the photo above, they’re always up for starting a new tradition!

Friday night’s at competitions are the best, and I high recommend you find these guys at one. Dorsey will likely be singing one of his favorite Hank William covers - or maybe an original BBQ song or two. Steve may be cooking up a an interesting “wild protein” selection (last was a wild FL hog), and there’s every chance that Damien will be willing to entertain you by showing you his prowess at scarfing down raw, whole Ghost Chili Peppers like the’re cherry tomatoes!

Of late, Team Unknown is on a tear here in FL - racking up a nice selection of Grand Championships this year. As disciples of Rub Bagby, I can see no reason that this success won’t continue! Be sure to connect with Team Unknown on their website!

Rub Bagby and Swamp Boys BBQ

One of the true Florida BBQ Legends, Rub Bagby of Swamp Boys BBQ is an honest to goodness example of what a BBQ professional should be. A master teacher, his Swamp Boys Q School is responsible for turning out some of the best Pro-Level BBQ Competition success stories out there. Countless teams fly in to take his classes, and without exception they leave with a level of newly acquired BBQ knowledge that ups their scores, walks, and wins.

I always love to hang out with Rub on Friday nights as he’s prepping his cook lineup. We have great conversations over a couple of beers, and I get to see the master at work. Watching Rub set up and work is a bit like watching Obi Wan or Yoda do their thing.

Lately, Rub has been flying down to Sao Paulo, Brazil to consult on a BBQ restaurant operation that’s getting started there. He’s heading on a trip back there soon, in fact. That’s right. He’s being paid to fly down, consult, and share his BBQ expertise in Brazil! So cool!

Be sure to check out Rub’s Swamp Boys BBQ Webiste. He’s also offering up another Swamp Boys Q School in June that’s a must attend for anyone looking to up their Pro Comp BBQ Game! You can find out more about the next Swamp Boys Q School session here.

BBQ Smoker Friday Best Bets

Kevin Sandridge — Fri, 11 May 2012 15:05:00 +0000

BBQ Smoker Friday Best Bets

Back in full swing, I have another “share the Food Love” BBQ Smoker Friday Best Bets post hot off the digital press! I really love this series, because it lets me share with you posts from some of the better food bloggers out there. You’ll find great food photos, recipes, and more in this edition!

As always, I invite you to comment here or shoot me an email if you know of a food blog that you feel should be featured here. I’m always open to the new, interesting, and exciting finds from the world of CHOW!

Ok. Without any further prattling – let’s get to it!

This Week’s BBQ Smoker Friday Best Bets

Humbled in Serenbe – All-Star Food Blogger Curt McAdams shares some amazing photos and a bit of his experiences from an amazing on site meet up with other premier food bloggers at Serenbe. For those of you not familiar with this farm-to-table community outside Atlanta, it’s an amazing example of what can be done when like minded folks get together to plan and implement a sustainable living environment. Danielle Dimovski has a nice post from her experience at this event as well. More info on Serenbe can be found here.

Best of the Web: BACON RECIPES- Bacon Ice Cream, Bacon Mayonnaise and a Bacon Coffin - Robyn Medlin Lindars has amassed one hell of an amazing BACON Extravaganza post here! Seriously, from traditional country bacon to the extreme with bacon ice cream – bacon is celebrated in all of its Porky Goodness here. Get there now!

How to Grill Fish (Video) - Helen Rennie from Beyond Salmon put together this really great and highly useful post on grilling fish. For many new to grilling, firing up a fillet of fish can be a scary experience. This post not only gives you some great video “how-t0″ style pointers, but Helen also provides a nice “grill this, not that” list of fish.

Spring Super Spicy & BBQ Sale – This is an awesome opportunity to grab some great deals on sauces and spices presented to us by Brian and Marilyn over at the Hot Sauce Daily blog! Links galore to some killer products! Get there now!

Bacon Studded Polenta with Tomato Gravy – Ciao, Yawl! – Oh yeah – continuing on with bacon as a theme… this is a great take on Southern comfort food with an Italian twist! Good stuff, ya’ll! :)

Backyard BBQ to Pro – Making the Move

Kevin Sandridge — Wed, 09 May 2012 14:53:17 +0000

Backyard BBQ to Pro – Making the Move

I’ve been running the BBQ Smoker site now for a few years, and one of the best parts about writing on this blog is that it puts me in contact with people all over the world who enjoy the fine art of “Low and Slow.”

Many times they just want to touch base and share some information about their cook teams or comment on an article. However, I do get questions from time to time about things I think are worthy of sharing on the site.

In this case I got an email from a reader who lives right here in Imperial Polk County, FL - Lakeland, to be exact – who is thinking of making the move from backyard to pro. His concern is that he wants to increase the number of walks he gets at the backyard level before making the jump. He was also curious about any tips that might help him improve these results.

My advice for a Backyard BBQ-er who wants to go Pro is this:

Get to a well-respected BBQ Cook School as soon time and your budget allows!

It’s really about maximizing your learning gains while minimizing your trial and error time. With BBQ, as with any other time and resource intensive situation, trial and error means decreased Return on Investment over a long time. Boo!

What you want is to get a solid foundation early on so that you can start to see success as soon as possible. A good BBQ Cook Class will help you do this. You won’t necessarily get the instructors actual recipes, but you may get a few flavor profile ‘clues.’ What you will will absolutely get is some key insight into a system of doing ‘cue that gets you through all of your turn-ins with consistent results.

Deciding On a BBQ Cook School to Attend

Hands down, anyone in Florida should seek out and attend one of Rub Bagby’s Q School Classes. I have witnessed minds being blown as BBQ novices and pros alike learn from this BBQ Jedi! Rub is among the best of the best among BBQ professionals nationwide, and this class is one of the best around in terms of the masterful techniques and eye-opening secrets he shares with students.

School’s Out… Time for Your Homework

In addition to taking a class, cruise over to the various BBQ Message Boards like the BBQ Brethren to see what other folks are doing.

The type of wood folks are using is always a very popular topic. I’m a fan of BBQ cooked on fruit woods like apple and peach. Fruita Wood Chunks is an excellent purveyor of organic fruit woods. Definitely check them out and let them know you found them via the BBQ Smoker Site.

Other than that, you should reach out to those who are winning and have been winning for a while at the Pro Level. You can find a great selection of getting started tips from the Pros in a BBQ Tips from the Pros series I did.

Got Tips to Share? Comment below and let others know what you believe to be a few “must do’s” when it comes to upping your Competition BBQ Game!

Smokin’ with the Dutchess – Smoked Salmon and Pasta

Kevin Sandridge — Tue, 08 May 2012 16:56:27 +0000

It’s Smokin’ with the Dutchess time again! Today’s Hanneke has a great take on smoked salmon and pasta for us to drool over! If you find that you’re ever at a point where you want a break from your BBQ Smoker (perish the thought!), her take on this recipe might just give you the respite you seek!

Of course, there’s nothing quite like smoking your own fish. However, if you don’t have the means – or you just don’t want to spend the time during a busy week, this Smoked Salmon and Pasta – The Dutchess has you covered!

Smoked Salmon and Pasta

Here we go again, it’s fish time today! Delicious smoked salmon with pasta (or the other way around)! Okay I admit, I didn’t smoke the salmon myself, sorry… but when you will have this on your plate, you will be just as happy as I was!

It’s been mentioned before, but it’s so important and so I’ll tell you over and over again: it all depends on quality. Quality of the food that you buy. For example, for this recipe you need smoked salmon. You could go to the supermarket and buy those sealed packages that, according to the label, contains the best quality and only costs a fraction of what you would pay for fresh smoked salmon. Just be careful and buy high quality salmon. Don’t get the stuff that’s too cured, because it will be far too salty.

Buy Fresh Smoked Salmon if you can…

What I would love you to try is go to a good store where they sell fresh fish. Often, they’ll have smoked salmon on hand. Well, at least they do over here in the Netherlands.

In the end, whether you can get fresh or use the pre-packaged but high quality smoked salmon – just make this dish. Because you deserve a wonderful meal, a meal that will satisfy your expectations. A meal that will make you happy.

And take your time to enjoy your supper! Yes, even pour yourself a glass of dry white wine and turn your boring supper into a feast! Hallelujah!

Smoked Salmon and Pasta Ingredients

1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained
Black pepper
1 teaspoon dried chili flakes
A few sprigs of chives, chopped
4 ounces smoked salmon, cut into large pieces
Spaghetti
¼ cup grated Pecorino cheese

Take a wide pan (you’ll understand later why…) and add the cream. Don’t turn on the heat yet.

… add the capers.

Then add the black pepper and chile pepper.

add the chives.

Finally, add the smoked salmon.

Now it’s time to cook the spaghetti. And when the water is boiling and you added the pasta, you can slowly start heating up the sauce. Don’t let it boil!

Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce. And that’s why you need this wide pan. The pasta will absorb the sauce, keep the heat low. This will take about 5 minutes and keep stirring.

And here you have it, a delicious meal, that you finish off by adding a bit of the grated cheese.

I hope you enjoy this recipe from The Dutchess. It’s a special honor to be able to feature her creations here on the BBQ Smoker Site! If time permits, be sure to check out the rest of the recipes in the Smokin’ With the Dutchess series!

Oh – and remember to do as Hanneke says… and Enjoy Your Meal!

Bon Appetit!

Santa Fe College Bradford Fest Boots-N-BBQ Cook-Off

Kevin Sandridge — Mon, 07 May 2012 17:08:04 +0000

On May 18-19, get set to enjoy this year’s Santa Fe College Bradford Fest Boots-N-BBQ Cook-Off!

With proceeds going to fund student scholarships to Santa Fe College in Gainesville, Florida, the Santa Fe College Boots ‘n BBQ competition cook-off stands as one of Florida’s best and worthiest annual BBQ events.

Similar to what we’ve seen on TV shows like TLC’s BBQ Pitmasters, BBQ cook-off teams from Georgia, Alabama, and Florida compete annually for top prizes and to see which teams will show the skill (and good fortune) it takes to bring home a piece of the thousands of dollars in prizes and points toward State Championship awards.

The Santa Fe College Boots ‘n BBQ competition provides a great, family-centric fun-filled couple of days for thsoe who love good food and appreciate Florida’s fine weather and festive atmosphere.

The Boots-N-BBQ Cookoff is a Jack Daniel’s BBQ Event Qualifier Event.

BBQ Competition Prize Money Break Down
Grand Champion = $2,000
Reserve Grand Champion = $1,500
Category Wins = $350

Enjoy great live music, lots of fun things for kids to do, and great food. Boots & BBQ is sanctioned by the Florida Barbecue Association and is a fundraiser for scholarships to help Bradford County students attend SFC.

Friday Night Band Lineup

Don’t miss any of the great bands scheduled to rock this year’s Boots-N-BBQ Festival!

Down the Hatch
Tobacco Rd Band
Mustang Sally
Molly Hatchet (Headliner!)

These bands will rock the stage beginning at 6pm on Friday, May 18th, 2012. On Saturday, May 19th Rock N Steele Band will perform at 1:30pm. Don’t take our word on these great performers, hear it from Southern rock fans across Florida!