Every Tuesday you can listen in on the BBQ Central Radio show part of the BCRN (BBQ Central Radio Network) . This weeks episode is a round table discussion with three of the top Chicken Cooks on the KCBS circuit:

Kelly Wertz – 4 Legs Up BBQ, previous winner of the Jack Daniels Invitational and in 2009 ranked #4 overall in Chicken and #6 Overall on the KCBS TOY Listings.

Joe Amore – Smokey Mountain Smokers, ranked #5 overall in Chicken and # 19 overall in the KCBS TOY listings. They also manufacture one of my favorite products disposable cutting boards.

Troy Black - Learn2Q.com, ranked #7 overall in Chicken and #15 overall in the KCBS TOY Listings. He also has a brand new DVD out Real BBQ Know How

Also tonight on the BBQ Central Show Mike Lake President of KCBS will be on at approx 10:05pm EST on the after dark segment of the show

It should be a great show! Make sure you tune in tonight at 9pm EST.

There is going to be a Season 2 of BBQ Pitmasters!!!

Confirmed with John Markus today : Our new format features FOUR different pitmasters competing in EACH episode. We are looking to augment our cast from last season and welcome all interested cooks to throw their aprons in the ring!!! Great news for all those guys and gals who want to be on the show. Here is how you can apply! Good luck to all those who send in their DVD’s!

For Season 2 BBQ Pitmaster Auditions: tapes/DVDs, under 5 min! Sell us on you/your team! Lindsay Freed c/o Original Media, 38 E. 29th St. 8th FL. NY, NY 10016. Get Goin’!

Or, send a file of your audition to bbqpitmasters@originalmedia.com Shoot schedule runs from April 30 – June 26. Send ?’s there as well.

Just wanted to share something I am finally able to post… had to wait till this weekend as it is being unveiled at the Traeger HPBA expo booth.

This is the picture of the brand new Traeger 300. It is really cool and I get to play on one next month. I can’t wait. Monday I’ll post more specs on it. Its going to be awesome.

One of my favorite things to do when we are traveling is to try new BBQ joints all over North America. I love the chance to visit with folks all over and to hear their stories and their BBQ methods.

I am not alone in this pursuit there are many folks and foodies that really enjoy the pursuit of BBQ. These are not high end edited videos. These are just people that are going out and sharing their love of BBQ with everyone out there.

One of those fine folks is Jim “Rhino” Reincke from Bandit BBQ a competition team and BBQ Caterer.He is also a member of the Illinois BBQ Society.

His video on You tube is a great example of the continual pursuit of BBQ.

Here is a video on a BBQ Snoot sandwich in Illinois

Check out his videos and commentary on his You Tube Channel.

This year I may even have to take out a video camera myself and share some of the places we stop along our travels. It seems like a great idea to share all these great and interesting places we stop at.

Well I am once again adding to my ever increasing list of BBQ books. The folks at Big Green Egg were kind enough to give me a copy of their latest book. Just for the record. I don’t have a Big Green Egg. Yet. I am a firm believer that having multiple types of grills is a good idea. They all have different personalities. I love my Traegers. I compete with my Traegers. I really do believe they are the easiest BBQ to own and to operate. So I am definitely a pellet head. However I love playing with charcoal too. Playing with fire can be a lot of fun and certainly a challenge at times. Some women collect shoes I prefer to collect BBQ’s. It makes the whole BBQ experience fun.

So the cookbook is really quite expansive. This is a big cookbook. 320 pages. It is a gorgeous cookbook to own. The pictures are incredible. The recipes many I have tried and would recommend -Smoke Beef Short Ribs done with hickory chips for example. I have found many of the recipes are easily transferable to other BBQ equipment in addition to Eggs.

Some of the recipes also use the stove top (ex Kale on page 307 with the apple wood smoked bacon). It is a delicious recipe.

I like the format of this cookbook. I enjoyed reading the Chef & Pitmaster Biographies. Overall this has to be one of the best laid out cookbooks for BBQ I have ever seen. Plus God bless them they realize there are Canadians and International Folks that BBQ since they even included a Metric Conversion table as well.

From the Gourmet (ex Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Creme Fraiche & Caviar) to the most basic (ex Italian Sausage subs) this cookbook has it all for anyone who loves to grill & BBQ. I would highly recommend it for the recipes whether you own a Big Green Egg or other grill/bbq.

Theres a new website online for sharing videos, BBQ tips and creating more BBQ communities:

www.GrillQ.com

Check it out and upload, watch and share your BBQ!

As I am prepping for the 2010 season to begin I have to start with where we really needed to improve from 2009. For the last years season I was really happy with our pork. Everything else needs a lot more work. Especially brisket. I have struggled with brisket. Brisket is my challenge above all challenges. Overall for the year we came in 241 out of 4716 on the Pickled Pig Rankings. I am proud and challenged by those results. Just shy of being in the top 5% overall we came in:

• 173 out of 4716  Pork
• 267 out of 4716 Chicken
• 331 out of 4716 Ribs
• 580 out of 4716 Brisket

For these rankings we had 6 competitions that were included:

We did however compete in additional competitions for the 2009 as well that were not included in those rankings:

Canada Southern BBQ Championships
Grand Champion

1st — Pork; 2nd — Ribs; 3rd — Brisket; 3rd —Chicken 1st—Anything  But

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“Smoke on the Water Barbecue Competition Saskatchewan”
Reserve Grand Champion

1st — Pork; 2nd — Ribs; 4th — Brisket; 4th—Chicken 1st—Anything But

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Canadian Pork BBQ Championships
Reserve Grand Champion

2nd—Chicken; 2nd — Pork; 4th — Brisket; 4th — Ribs

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National BBQ Festival “Best of the Best”

Invitational BBQ Cook-off
4th Overall

7th — Pork Shoulder; 6th — Chicken;

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National BBQ Festival “Best of the Best”
Open BBQ Cook-off

13th Overall

9th — Ribs
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BBQ on the Bow Calgary Alberta

4th Overall

1st — Brisket; 3rd — Ribs

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Crazy Canuck BBQ Championships Toronto Ontario

4th Overall

3rd—Chicken; 3rd — Pork; 4th — Ribs; 6th — Brisket

Overall we made improvements to our overall BBQ in my opinion. I am hoping to be able to attend more competitions this year however my schedule may have some interesting diversions this year. I can’t share them yet but I am really excited for 2010 overall. I have a lot of practice and work to do. LOL

After reading Startin the Fire last night I decided this year I am going to try to eliminate as much prep as possible on Thursdays/Fridays before a competition.

I started with my brines. I have portioned them all for as many contests I believe we are going to be doing for the year. additionally I then portioned out my injections into baggies as well. I am too cheap to use a foodsaver for this. SO baggies it is.

I am going to try to work through and prep as many of these types of items as I can over the next couple of weeks in prep for the season.

Received this book in the mail for review. From amazon listing :

Product Description

The complete guide to starting your own competition bbq team, from your initial idea to cooking in your first full contest. It covers preliminary considerations, planning, equipping, set-up, and running your own team. George has gone where no other has before… he tells you how to compete in barbecue competitions. His book is a great read for anyone thinking of competing and for those already on the circuit. It’s informative and funny! Mike Stines, Ph.B. Author of Mastering Barbecue I’ve cooked on a few teams in my time on the circuit, but we never had this kind of organized approach. Now that I have George’s book, my next team will have a good plan to follow and we won’t be stabbing each other with barbecue forks! Ray Lampe, a.k.a. “Dr. BBQ” Author of five barbecue books including The NFL Gameday Cookbook A masterful yet fun journal that will teach avid barbecuers the ins and outs of competition bbq; a must-have handbook for anyone who wishes to join the ranks of the bbq world’s best practitioners. Rick Browne Host of the PBS-TV show Barbecue America

My Review.

Its 108 pages of  about all things starting  competition BBQ. It is an introduction to the world of Competition BBQ and some of the pitfalls to avoid. What they don’t tell you is how funny this little book jam packed with valuable information is. I loved reading the stories from George’s point of view. Don’ t miss the psychological impacts of competition chicken overload. I have been there. I really related to these stories. Or even the sage advice offered on crotchel area issues on page 21.

This is not a serious book by any means. However there is some really serious decent advice and its an easy and fun read. If you are just beginning to contemplate starting a competition BBQ team you really should read this first.

You can buy a copy of the book here right on their site: www.watgbbq.com

Additionally you can always catch up with George and his teams adventures on the blog Who are those guys?  Competition BBQ Team Blog.

I want to share one of  my most favorite sauces that I make regularly for home use.

Its not mine. I did not come up with it but my friend Mike Kerslake head chef for Carolinian Winery and Foley Farms has always been very generous in allowing me to share it with people: