BBQ Competitions

[Jonboy]

Hi All

I am looking at bbq competitions in the uk and what is needed to take part ie

equipment needed 

Experience required 

how many required in each team

were to find out were competitions are been held

also any other helpful hints/information 

thanks Jon 

[Icefever]

Jonboy hi.

I hope you have deep pockets dude....

I'm a KCBS judge and when you attend an event and see all the kit these teams have to run a BBQ team...😲😲...I'll stick to being a judge 😆.

Start with the KCBS site...https://mms.kcbs.us/members/toy_scores.php?org_id=KCBA&year=2021&backyard=X

This link is for a team site   https://www.grillocracy.com/blog/2015/6/17/starting-a-competition-bbq-team-101

This should give you some insight into what's needed to run a team.....best of luck will be keeping an eye open for you..🤞

 

Ice.

[Mick]

Hi,

Teams can be single or many, not sure how many kcbs comps there will be this year unfortunately I think 2 have been cancelled.  There is a new comp in Colchester this year 

[Jonboy]

5 hours ago, Icefever said:

Jonboy hi.

I hope you have deep pockets dude....

I'm a KCBS judge and when you attend an event and see all the kit these teams have to run a BBQ team...😲😲...I'll stick to being a judge 😆.

Start with the KCBS site...https://mms.kcbs.us/members/toy_scores.php?org_id=KCBA&year=2021&backyard=X

This link is for a team site   https://www.grillocracy.com/blog/2015/6/17/starting-a-competition-bbq-team-101

This should give you some insight into what's needed to run a team.....best of luck will be keeping an eye open for you..🤞

 

Ice.

Cheers ice 

very informative much appreciated 

[Jonboy]

13 minutes ago, Mick said:

Hi,

Teams can be single or many, not sure how many kcbs comps there will be this year unfortunately I think 2 have been cancelled.  There is a new comp in Colchester this year 

Thanks Mick 

Do you enter competitions at all 

[Mick]

No I have never competed, I judge kcbs comps same as icefever, best thing is to go to a comp and speak to the teams, have a look and taste the food, if you are interested a lot of teams are happy to share left overs with you, it is a very friendly environment and all teams are happy to chat if not busy,

What area are you?

Edited March 8, 2021 by Mick

[Jonboy]

3 minutes ago, Mick said:

No I have never competed, I judge kcbs comps same as icefever, best thing is to go to a comp and speak to the teams, have a look and taste the food, if you are interested a lot of teams are happy to share left overs with you, it is a very friendly environment and all teams are happy to chat if not busy,

What area are you?

I am from East Yorkshire 

yes might plan a visit to a competition in the future just to get a feel for it 

much appreciated thanks 

[Wade]

Hi Jonboy.

As has been mentioned, before you compete it would be a good idea to attend at least one competition to see how they work. You do not need a lot of special equipment to enter and potentially do well, though you will need to have sufficient BBQ/smoker capacity to be able to cook all the required competition meats, and also a sufficiently equipped kitchen area that meets the required food hygiene regulations. You will usually also need a gazebo of some kind. Team entry costs vary, depending on the competition, but expect the entry fee to be £250+ per team. Sometimes the entry cost includes the meat - but sometimes it is additional.

Some examples of typical team competition areas:

This gives you some idea of the types of smoker that the teams use and also the typical size of each teams pitch. Here the gazebo was provided by the organiser - though that is not the norm.

Some teams bring along a fully equipped outside kitchen - but this isn't necessary.

Above is Emma who runs the Bunch Of Swines BBQ team and who is usually among the winners at UK BBQ competitions. They rank highly in the European competitions too and they won the The American Royal invitational in 2018. You can see that their preparation area is compact and that you do not need an over-elaborate set-up in order to win.

The secret with any BBQ competition (KCBS especially) is to cook to the judges defined scoring criteria - and not what you consider to be your favourite at home. Highly spiced brisket or fall-off-the-bone ribs may be just what you want to eat with friends and family, but they would not score well in a competition.

As has been mentioned above, it could also be a good idea to attend a KCBS judging course. Not only do you learn exactly what the judges are looking for but you also get to eat lots of fantastic BBQ. In the meantime you may want to experiment at home with developing your rubs and marinades flavour combinations are equally as important as the way the meat is cooked.

Go for it I say. The pandemic has hit the core BBQ competition fraternity hard and I expect that a good number of the regular competition teams may not be returning once this is over. It could be a good time for the new up-and-coming stars.

Cheers, Wade

[Jonboy]

2 hours ago, Wade said:

Hi Jonboy.

As has been mentioned, before you compete it would be a good idea to attend at least one competition to see how they work. You do not need a lot of special equipment to enter and potentially do well, though you will need to have sufficient BBQ/smoker capacity to be able to cook all the required competition meats, and also a sufficiently equipped kitchen area that meets the required food hygiene regulations. You will usually also need a gazebo of some kind. Team entry costs vary, depending on the competition, but expect the entry fee to be £250+ per team. Sometimes the entry cost includes the meat - but sometimes it is additional.

Some examples of typical team competition areas:

This gives you some idea of the types of smoker that the teams use and also the typical size of each teams pitch. Here the gazebo was provided by the organiser - though that is not the norm.

Some teams bring along a fully equipped outside kitchen - but this isn't necessary.

Above is Emma who runs the Bunch Of Swines BBQ team and who is usually among the winners at UK BBQ competitions. They rank highly in the European competitions too and they won the The American Royal invitational in 2018. You can see that their preparation area is compact and that you do not need an over-elaborate set-up in order to win.

The secret with any BBQ competition (KCBS especially) is to cook to the judges defined scoring criteria - and not what you consider to be your favourite at home. Highly spiced brisket or fall-off-the-bone ribs may be just what you want to eat with friends and family, but they would not score well in a competition.

As has been mentioned above, it could also be a good idea to attend a KCBS judging course. Not only do you learn exactly what the judges are looking for but you also get to eat lots of fantastic BBQ. In the meantime you may want to experiment at home with developing your rubs and marinades flavour combinations are equally as important as the way the meat is cooked.

Go for it I say. The pandemic has hit the core BBQ competition fraternity hard and I expect that a good number of the regular competition teams may not be returning once this is over. It could be a good time for the new up-and-coming stars.

Cheers, Wade

Thanks for information Wade much appreciated 

Jon