BBQ Smoker Site

BBQ Smoker Team Spotlight: Blitzkrieg BBQ

BBQ Smoker — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 21:08:48 +0000

BBQ Smoker Team Spotlight

The BBQ Smoker site is all about spreading the good word of great BBQ, and one of the ways I do that is to spotlight teams I come across. It’s especially nice when I get to meet and showcase a newer team, one who has been taking the Central Florida BBQ and Florida Bar-B-Que Association circuit by storm of late. Of course, I’m speaking of none other than Blitzkrieg BBQ consisting of Tommy Harden, his wife Jennifer, and their awesome kids Gavin, Devin, and Treyvin.

NEWS FLASH! Blitzkrieg BBQ will be at the 2012 Winter Have Smoke on the Water BBQ Competition!

I sent over a few questions for Tommy to answer so that we can all get to know him and his team a bit better. If you find them relaxing next to their Stumps BBQ Smoker at a competition post turn-in time, definitely stop in and introduce yourself. Let them know you saw this post, and don’t be shy about sitting down and talking to him for a while. If Gavin’s there, you better get comfortable. That boy knows more about BBQ at his age than I do after spending several years following the likes of Team Unknown around. But well.. one could argue he might be able to help Dorsey get his Brisket score back to the money!

Getting to Know Blitzkrieg BBQ

How long has Blitzkrieg BBQ been active as a competitive BBQ team?

A buddy and me started in Jan. of 2010, and my wife and I went on our own in Oct of that same year. We cooked 6 contests in 2010, 11 in 2011 and 3 so far this year.

Can you give us a brief rundown of your team members and history?

I am the pit master, and my wife Jennifer helps with prep and does 99% of the clean up. My 12 year old Gavin helps with everything and has won the Haines City “Kids Q” contest for the past 2 years (he was of age to enter the younger kids division but elected to cook against older kids).

Devin is my 11 year old. He entered this past year’s “Kids Q” contest, but decided not to cook against his older brother. Instead, he cooked in the younger kids’ class and won it! Then we have Treyvin, my 6 year old who acts as a distraction to everyone!

What kind of BBQ rig did you start cooking on and how has your BBQ smoker setup changed from then until now?

I started with a small 36 in off set and a double barrel I think it was a 60 in offset. In Venice of 2010, we received and cooked on 2 Baby Stump’s BBQ Smokers. Now that we’re on our own, we just cook on the one Baby Stump’s. My buddy came to a competition once and brought his “Stretch.” Man, that was sweet!

Have you developed your style of competition BBQ – your flavor profiles, etc on your own? Or, did you learn from anyone in particular? If so, who do you count among your key influences?

Well im my second competition in Haines City back in 2010 Terry McKay of Git-R-Smoked introduced us to Bubba Latimer of Bub-Ba-Q and Walter Stump Mcdowell of Stump’s Smokers – who we have made life long friends with.

Bubba gave us samples of his ribs, pork and brisket. Later after turn in I asked him if he meant for the kids to bring us those samples. He said “yes, did you learn anything?” I said “yeah, a great flavor profile!,” and he just smiled and said there you go!

Now as Terry hasn’t ever let me taste anything at a contest he cooks at, he did come to my wife asking if she would run Stump’s boxes for him that weekend. I thought it was for Stump’s benefit, but I learned real quick that it was for us to get an idea of how to build a competition box. We learned so much that weekend.

Later, I met Myron Mixon of Jack’s Old South who again we made friends for life with. I was talking with Myron in Okeechobee and told him that I was really struggling with a particular meat. Of course Myron asked me if I was “F-ing Stupid!” Then he let me in on a secret, which I will take to my grave with me.

Lastly, probably one of the most helpful people I’ve met is Kenny Nadeau of Uncle Kenny’s BBQ. He’s been taking me under his wing and has given me pointer after pointer.

On my own, I’ve made some changes as well. I make my own rub, which I have always used on chicken, ribs and pork. I have been using another beef rub up until I ran out of it while cooking a competition down in Naples. Now, I use my rub on that too.

I do make my own sauces for everything. I will say I am very proud of my chicken, which is made with my own rub and a sauce I make from scratch as well. I have never waivered from that recipe, and it keeps doing very well. I’d also like to say that I have NEVER been to a cooking school, but I do keep getting tips and pointers from the best in the business.

WOW! That’s some good BBQ insight there, Tommy!

Folks, there it is. I’m proud to be able to share some information about Tommy, his family, and the Blitzkrieg BBQ competition team.

If any companies out there are looking for some great advertising placement with this up and coming team, please contact Tommy via the Blitzkrieg BBQ Facebook profile.

If you enjoyed this interview, be sure to check out my other BBQ Smoker Interviews! You’re sure to find some great reading there.

Blitzkrieg BBQ Wins Top Honors at Southern Smokers BBQ

BBQ Smoker — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 05:05:46 +0000

Blitzkrieg BBQ took Grand Champion honors, with Big Papa’s Country Kitchen taking the Reserve Grand Champion spot at the 2012 Southern Smokers BBQ competition in Dundee, Florida. BBQ Smoker fans, it couldn’t have been written any better if issued from a Hollywood Studio!

Photo Credit: Florida Bar-B-Que Association

See, last weekend, the roles of these two competition BBQ teams were reversed with Big Papa’s Country Kitchen taking Grand and Blitzkrieg BBQ taking Reserve at the Fort Pierce, Florida Cowboys Pig Out BBQ Competition. If I’m not mistaken, this weekend’s event counts as Tommy’s first Grand Championship – officially putting Blitzkrieg on the map of a team to watch out for!

I had the pleasure of meeting with and talking with Tommy and his family in Dundee this weekend, and they’re a great family! Actually, one of the things I love most about BBQ competitions and the BBQ Smoker community as a whole is that family is at the heart of what they are all about.

I’m trying now to get a spotlight post on Tommy and his team worked up, so stay tuned for it. Always a pleasure to highlight the accomplishments of good folks!

Judging this Event

I’ll start this section by stating openly that I am not a BBQ Smoker Competition Cook. This said, I do try very hard to stay informed about the BBQ competition process. I talk with BBQ cook teams, cook with BBQ cook teams, build BBQ smokers with them, and have taken a great BBQ cook class by none other than Mr. “Rub” Bagby (see Swamp Boys BBQ for details!).

I judged this event and had a blast. It was my 2nd FBA judging event, and I loved it. What made it truly cool was that I got to sit next to none other than mister Jady Hill of Florida Boys BBQ Team. Jady has been cooking competition BBQ going on 16 years now – and sits among maybe a handful of teams nationally that have been cooking that long. Those of you who know Jady know that any amount of time spent with him renders gut busting laughs and eye opening BBQ commentary.

BBQ Chicken

On the whole, I’d say the BBQ smoker rendered product we judged on the day were fairly good to great. The chicken entries at our table were pretty good. All entries were thighs, with several having the bones completely removed. One entry was basically gray in color, save for some sauce and another didn’t quite get all the fat rendered out of the skin – resulting in a bit of a rubbery bite.

BBQ Ribs

Ribs were a tough category on this go ’round. A couple of entries were dry and a bit burnt, but there was an especially great entry that had perfect bite texture – leaving the bone nice and white soon after the bite. It also had a great flavor profile with both rub and sauce playing nicely together.

BBQ Pork

We had a good selection of pork entries. The one thing I noticed is that there was an entry where the money muscle portions were cooked nicely with great bark on most of them. However, the cook included some tubes or tube strands that were a bit dry. As judges, we evaluate whatever is in the box as a whole. So, where they’d have received high marks on the money muscle pieces, the tube strands brought the overall score down a bit.

BBQ Beef Brisket

Off the bat, we had two phenomenal BBQ brisket entries. The burnt ends were great, with no discernible fattiness but nice moisture and a great mixture of sweet and spicy flavor. The slices on each were good too. Each had great beef flavor, which was allowed to take center stage. There was one entry that was overdone. These are easy to see off the bat, as the slices are typically wafer thin. Taste confirms the fact.

One thing I think is worth mentioning. We know that burnt ends come from the point of the brisket. They are served up browned on all sides. One turn in box had what appeared to be thick cubes of brisket flat cut to “appear” as burnt ends. As a judge, I think it’s best to leave these out. Again, you have to account for your scores being based on the entirety of what you put in the box.

Final Results for the 2012 Southern Smokers BBQ Competition

Here’s an overall and category breakdown of this year’s event.

Blitzkrieg BBQ
Big Papa’s Country Kitchen
Getta Grip BBQ
Lang BBQ Smokers
Palm Beach Porkers
Git-R-Smoked
Unknown BBQ
Hot Wachula’s
Hogs Gone Wild BBQ
The Q

BBQ Chicken

Getta Grip BBQ
Big Papa’s Country Kitchen
Blitzkrieg BBQ
Lang BBQ Smokers
Hogs Gone Wild BBQ
Kick Yo’ Butt
Shanty Town BBQ
All Fired Up & Kicking Ash
The Q
Git-R-Smoked

BBQ Ribs

Getta Grip BBQ
Unknown BBQ
Big Papa’s Country Kitchen
Lang BBQ Smokers
Hogs Gone Wild BBQ
Palm Beach Porkers
Kick Yo’ Butt
Blitzkrieg BBQ
Two Crackers Cookin’
Sweet Smoke Q

BBQ Pork

Git-R-Smoked
Unknown BBQ
Hot Wachula’s
Getta Grip BBQ
The Q
Big Papa’s Country Kitchen
Two Crackers Cookin’
Lang BBQ Smokers
Palm Beach Porkers
ET’s BBQ

BBQ Beef Brisket

Blitzkrieg BBQ
Palm Beach Porkers
Lang BBQ Smokers
Git-R-Smoked
Sweet Smoke Q
Hot Wachula’s
Kick Yo’ Butt
Two Crackers Cookin’
Big Papa’s Country Kitchen
Porker Face BBQ

Selected Photos from This Year’s Events

I took some photos to share with you all.

Team Unknown BBQ 2nd Place Ribs and Pork

Big Papa’s Country Kitchen Wins 2012 Cowboys Pig Out BBQ Competition

BBQ Smoker — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 19:37:11 +0000

Big Papa’s Country Kitchen is at it again – taking Grand Champion honors at the 2102 Fort Pierce, Florida Cowboys Pig Out BBQ Competition, a Florida Bar-B-Que Sanctioned event. For those of you who don’t know Dana and his lovely wife Janet, they are the most welcoming and fun loving couple you could ever hope to meet. They also know how to produce top quality product from a BBQ Smoker!

Photo Credit: Florida Bar-B-Que Association

I had the chance to meet Dana and Janet on one for the first time at last year’s Historic Cocoa Village’s BBQ & Blues competition, where Dana was gracious enough to ask me to have a seat and share an ice cold beer. He showed me around his trailer and we took a look at his BBQ Smoker, which is always a special treat since I am a full time BBQ Competition ~~NERD~~ fan!

Big Papa’s Country Kitchen is on a roll for 2012, and is so far in the lead for Florida Bar-B-Que’s Team of the Year. No surprise given that the team finished 2nd last year among all BBQ Smoker cook teams behind Terry McKay’s Git-R-Smoked BBQ team!

Dana Hillis … Leading By Example

Dana is this year’s Florida Bar-B-Que Association President, so we’re being led by someone who puts his BBQ Smoker where his gavel is! This, by the way, is the trend with our fine organization as last year’s President – Forrest Dilmore – was exactly the same type of awesome lead by example professional!

Here’s how Pig Papa’s Country Kitchen Fared Overall

2nd Place Chicken
2nd Place Ribs
8th Place Pork
6th Place Brisket

As you can see, it’s all about the points, baby! With BBQ Smoker competitions, you do not have to win each category to win Grand Championship honors. In fact, there have been instances where a Grand Champion was crowned without taking first place in any category! What your’e aiming for is a win in at least one category and walks in all of them. Do that, and you have a shot! Win two categories and walk in all of them and there’s a real great chance you’ll take it all home!

Here’s how the top 10 in this year’s event panned out. For complete results, head on over to the Florida Bar-B-Que Association contests site.

Top 10 Finishers at the 2012 Cowboys Pig Out BBQ Competition

Big Papa’s Country Kitchen
Blitzkrieg BBQ
Forrest’s Fine Foods
Lang BBQ Smokers
Saucy Swine-O’s
Hot Wachulas
Smoky Dog
Great Lakes BBQ & Feed Co.
Git R Smoked
J & J Bar B Que

The 2012 Competition BBQ Season is Here!

BBQ Smoker — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 15:41:48 +0000

What Competition BBQ Events is YOUR Team Cooking in 2012?

This one’s short and sweet… I’m calling for a shout out! If you have a BBQ Cook Team anywhere within reading distance of the BBQ Smoker Site, then I want to hear about your team and where you’ll be competing in 2012.

BBQ Competitions is really where the pig meets the coals! Whether you cook here in the South as part of the Florida Bar-B-Que Association, or are among the many other great competition circuits out there, I want to hear from you!

Rules for posting your BBQ Smoker Team Shout Out

Please include the following in your comment below:

Team Name
Where You’re Located
What Division (Pro or Backyard)
A brief description of your BBQ Smoker Set Up

I also invite you to include a link to your website, blog, Facebook Page, Twitter account, etc. in your comment below. Let’s get a roll call going for 2012! Consider this you making your BBQ Smoker resolution public!

My Own Involvement in BBQ

In truth, I started the BBQ Smoker site as a fan and spectator of competition BBQ and have only moved up to the rank of “participatory spectator.” Initially, Chad, Jared and the rest of the Whiskey Bent BBQ crew took me in just as they moved up from Backyard to the Pro Division. In time, they introduced me to the Team Unknown crew and good Lord it was all downhill from there! Seriously, all of the local central Florida BBQ cook teams I’ve had the pleasure of meeting – as well as several from outside the state – have and continue to be good and true friends of mine. I consider myself lucky to know them all.

My own next venture will be judging at the 2012 Lakeland Pigfest – a very popular KCBS event held annually down here. Can’t wait to see how my buddies do. To all of you planning to attend the event, please send me a note here on the blog or over on my Facebook page!

BBQ Smoker Site Represented at Ziggy Dick’s BBQ

BBQ Smoker — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 18:17:43 +0000

Just a quick post to share the awesome BBQ Smoker Site banner photo I received from Jason Whitcomb of the famed (infamous) Team Unknown BBQ out of Winter Haven, FL. They’re set up and are at this very moment rockin’ out the solid ‘cue at the Naples, FL Rotary Ziggy Dick’s BBQ event.

These guys are amazing… and as any one who knows the Team Unknown guys will attest, they always greet you with a “how the hell are you” and an ice old beer. It’s been and continues to be a real damn pleasure supporting them. Good luck to them today at the Ziggy Dick’s BBQ event!

If you have a favorite Team Unknown story… or just want to make one up – post a comment below! I’m sure we can get a real “bitches brew” up and running here if we really try!