It should come as no shock that I ♥ pork. All pork. I like different types of sauces and a Carolina Vinegar sauce is definitely different.

I love the balance of the rich pork with the tang of vinegar and red pepper flakes. I love the texture of chopped pork as well.

Ingredients

2 8lb boneless pork butt

For the Rub

1/4 cup butcher grind tellicherry black pepper
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup smoked paprika
1/4 cup Morton’s kosher salt
1/8 cup Chipotle powder

For the Sauce

4 cups Apple Cider Vinegar
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup finely ground tellicherry black pepper
1/4 cup Smoked Chipotle Tabasco Sauce
1/4 cup Morton’s kosher salt
2 tbsp Thai Red Pepper Flakes
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Combine all rub ingredients thoroughly rub on all sides of the pork butts. Set aside in fridge for 2-3 hours.

Set your grill up for indirect cooking at 250F.
I used hickory wood pellets for this pork. Use hickory chips or chunks depending on your grill.

Place the meat on the grill and BBQ indirect until the internal temperature has reached 200F Approx 6-7 hours depending on your grill. Wrap the butt in foil lightly and set aside for 1/4 hour.

While the pork has been cooking assemble the sauce ingredients in a non reactive pan or bowl. Whisk thoroughly to incorporate the ingredients completely. Set aside covered in the fridge.

Chop or pull the butts. Make sure to incorporate any pork juices that accumulated from foiling back into the the chopped pork.

Add sauce until desired moisture and flavor is achieved. The remaining vinegar sauce keeps well in the fridge for at least a month.

Piled high on a soft hamburger bun with a crunchy coleslaw this pork is awesome. The leftovers freeze well too- Enjoy!

Roc City Rib Fest BBQ Class APPLICATION Form

Road trips !! Love em or hate em they are necessary if you need to haul all your BBQ equipment to a competition.
We left my house at about 230pm and started our adventurous trek to the Jack.

 Let me introduce you to my friend Jack!

 One of our important stops !! Duty Free!

The weather was grey and overcast the entire trip.. Mass pockets of rain hindered what is usually a beautiful scenic drive.

Getting to the Jack and our hotel as fast as possible was our goal. We had decided that it would be in our best interests if we drove through the night as much as we could safely.

Vlad – drove 99% of the way he is a trooper! 

There were four of us in the truck from the team – Vlado, Jamie, Mike and myself. Lets just say the ratio of testosterone to estrogen was a bit skewed. The boys talked about sports and argued the validity of their teams. Jamie had downloaded a lot of 80′s music that was great to listen to. Mike was in charge of candy procurement and snacks.

With all the rain and fog and mist we didn’t take a lot of pictures but how cold you miss this Dinosaur LOL 

It seemed like it took forever to get here. It almost did – almost 28 hours after we left we arrived in Nashville.

Now I am a very superstitious BBQ lady and I believe if you have done something in the past and it has worked then you should repeat the process. SO off to Jack’s BBQ for some food and a slice of chess pie. Just like I did 3 years previously.

At Jack’s I made sure to pet his pig at the front.  Then we grabbed a couple of plates of food to share with each other.  I think it is really important to try as much BBQ as possible wherever you are. I think it is a lifetime of learning about the different ways ppl make BBQ.

The guys about to Chow down!  

It was a good meal and a great kickoff to our time in Tennessee.

Texas Sausage, mustard greens and sweet potatoes all of it was delicious. 

Great memorable beans, cornbread, delicious brisket also ribs, pork and mac & cheese. 

After Jack’s BBQ we finally got to our hotel in Tullahoma TN and after cleaning up it was time for a few cocktails and talking to some of the teams that had already checked in.

We love Motts clamato caesars and Yeungling and we are well stocked for the next few days! 

That’s it for day 1 !! (well that’s all that can be published lol) Today we are off to the legendary Mrs. Mary Bobo’s

This past weekend the Inaugural Sam’s Club National BBQ Tour kicked off in Gilbert Arizona !

30 teams and 30 judges got down to business in rainy drizzly weather….Sanctioned by the KCBS!!

Here is an excellent video from:

One of the best things about BBQTV videos is to hear the judges commentary on the BBQ that was presented to them.  You can learn a lot from watching their videos- all 577 of them!!

After the boxes were turned in & the results tallied the Grand Champion was … Darren & Sherry Warth from Iowa’s Smokey D’s BBQ !!

Reserve Grand Champion was Jennifer Duncan from Smoked to the Bone..

The Top 7 teams overall from this contest will be continuing on to the next tier in Las Vegas on May6th & 7th 2011:

Overall:
1 Iowa’s Smokey D’s BBQ
2 Smoked to the Bone
3 Rhythm ‘n Que
4 Slap Yo’ Daddy BBQ
5 I.A.B. 30 BBQ
6 McFrankenboo BBQ
7 Loot N’ Booty BBQ

Congratulations to all the teams that participated!

Spring is just about sprung and its always a good time to take stock of your grills, sauces and rubs as the warmer months approach..

BBQ Tip: Spring- Clean your grates the easy way- remove grates put them in oven & use cleaning cycle (always check Manufacturers instructions 1st)

BBQ Tip: Spring-perfect time to inspect grill hoses 4 cracks & wear turn gas on-listen 4 leaks be4 turning on burners. Turn off & replace!

BBQ Tip: Spring Buy a new good quality cleaning brush preferably with a replaceable head

BBQ Tip: Spring Check out your wood chip, chunk & charcoal levels. Stock up so you are always ready to get your grill on !!

BBQ Tip: Spring Check your rubs and sauces out make sure to replenish and replace any that are out of date or stale. Try some new ones!

BBQ Tip: Spring Along with maintaining a safe grilling/bbq area inspect your fire extinguisher gauge to make sure you are in the green area. Recharge if necessary.

BBQ Tip: Spring Buy a few large boxes of baking soda and have them handy- great to use for cleaning and snuffing out grease fires.

BBQ Tip: Spring Invest in a small notebook – keep a cooking log of food you make. That way if something is a success you can repeat the results!

BBQ Tip: Spring is a great time to try some new recipes check out Youtube, BBQ forums, and of course recipe sites for new inspiration! (avoid all with liquid smoke)

BBQ Tip: Spring find a good butcher & get to know your meat. They can provide you with tons of tips, advise on deals & share knowledge

BBQ Tip: Spring is an excellent time to invest in a new grill or BBQ. Get out & buy something new- Pellets, Charcoal & Gas all have different unique features.

BBQ Tip: Spring is a fantastic time to kick it old school with a stick burner. Imagine cool nights, thin wisps of smoke & the smell of wood & meat… awesome

Above all keep your grill clean, well oiled and full of tasty food!! Enjoy !!

You may just might recognize a few folks in the following video clips from TLC BBQ Pitmasters Season #2

http://tlc.discovery.com/videos/bbq-pitmasters/

Fun times with alligator. Believe me.

Not only did he break the record he smashes it to smithereens. Awesome. Way to go Teddy!! WELL DONE!!!

Deciding to change my logo was a very hard decision. I knew it was coming it was just a matter of time. I love my pig. I love the way she looks and I love her attitude and sass.  For merchandising though she is not so great she is a complicated piggie. Sooo many colors and so much going on. I tried to streamline her. In the end though it was time for a change.

I had to define who what where and when all about Diva Q. I had to figure out where I was going to go with the logo.  That lead me to having a couple of conversations with some folks who have logos I really like- Ray Lampe (Dr. BBQ) Jason Day ( Burnt Finger BBQ  + BBQ Addicts), Darren (Smokey D’s) Joey Mac’s Smoke Stax, Dave Raymond (Sweet Baby Rays) and a few others.  In addition I contacted some terrific people I know who excel at marketing in BBQ and other areas.

The entire process has been really all encompassing. Jason Day recommended  a site called 99designs.com.  It is a really interesting concept where you run a design contest.  You decide how much your budget can handle. You write an entire summary about yourself or your Company and what your requirements are. Some of the designs were really out there. Some I wish I liked more because the designer put a lot of thought into the process. I made the decision to post some of the 240 design submissions I received on my facebook fan page. Some of the feedback was really helpful. I wanted to ensure that whatever logo I picked would be well received by both males and females. My target audience has always been both however at the end of the day Men are still the primary purchasers of BBQ items .

Also taking a look at myself I would never ever want to put a tiara or bling on anything. Thats just not me. I think of the Diva part of the name as being a woman that is really determined. That is me- determined to get better at BBQ.  I never really associated it with the pink crown and tiara program.  Also I wear black 100% of the time on the circuit and a lot at home too.

So here it is the new Diva Q logo. Its pretty straightforward. Simple, easy to read, recognizable and with just a bit of sass.  Just like me.

Well I never made any secret of it. I made a DVD and am submitting it to BBQ pitmasters today. I have no clue if I fit the bill or if I will get to be on it but I at least can say I tried. Its better to have tried and failed then never to have tried at all. Who knows if they want a mom of 3 from the suburbs. I don’t come from a BBQ background. I didn’t grow up in the South. I didn’t even try really great BBQ until  a few short years ago.  Plus theres that whole I am a Canadian Chick in the pits thing. Oh and seriously I don’t look a model. I don’t own a jambo. I use pellets and charcoal. I don’t have a fancy schmancy rv. I sleep on a military cot in my bare bones yet functional cargo trailer.   Hmmm. Oh well. At the end of the day no one knows if they have what they are looking for. This I do know for sure. I can talk well on TV. Cameras don’t scare me, I am unlike anyone else out there and I know I make some really damn fine BBQ. I hope all my BBQ friends have submitted tapes. goodness knows there are a whole lot of really interesting personalities out there.

Over the last two weeks I have received tons of emails and talked to lots of BBQ folk about the new season. The responses are really varied. Some are very cynical and state they think JM already has his picks and he is doing this to keep people off his back. Others say this is just a ploy to get more attention. Personally I don’t really care one way or another. I think its a good idea to ask for submissions. Makes sense to me.

Additionally some people have stated they hate the new format already. Um I am not sure I understand this since none of use really know what exactly the new format is. Right now its just a bunch of talk. A bunch of guesses.Seriously Ill reserve judgment for when I actually see the new format.

This is what was posted from John Markus Exec Producer BBQ Pitmasters:

It’s official. 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. Send your audition tape/DVD, selling us on why you should be picked to compete against the best. To: Lindsay Freed c/o Original Media, 38 E. 29th St., 8th FL, NY, NY 10016. Or, you can email a file of your audition to bbqpitmasters@originalmedia.com. Send your ?’s there as well. Shooting schedule April 30th – June26th. Good luck and see you on the trail!

Then there are a few posts from JM on Twitter:
It’s official. BBQ Pitmasters Season #2 picked up by TLC. Will be posting info on casting within the hour here and on various BBQ forums.
**
Audition 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. GetGoin’!
**
Or, send a file of your audition to bbqpitmasters@originalmedia.com Shoot schedule runs from April 30 – June 27. Send ?’s there as well.
**
Going over the schedule for Pitmasters 2. Dammit man, we’re putting the miles on. But I can truly say, we’ll be at an event near you!
**
To all those hopefuls vying for a place on Pitmasters 2: BBQ Skills + Personality + Showmanship + Authenticity. In under five minutes!
**
Submissions for Pitmasters now arriving in waves. You ladies who ‘Q, & I’ve seen all y’all, jump in already! Starting to screen tomorrow.
**
Screened all day. To all you cooks about to make audition tapes–ladies, ya listenin?–Don’t just tap the bell. RING the bell! (Mel Brooks)
**
Saw some real keepers 2day. Hate 2 B a tease, ‘Q’rs, but a few of U hit it outa the park. (Okay, I luv the tease part–sorry). Want more!
**

There was even a mention of the new format here:

TLC To Revamp `BBQ Pit Masters’ Series

Network To Knead Reality Show Into Competition Format

by R. Thomas Umstead — Multichannel News, 3/15/2010 12:11:53 PM

TLC is hoping to add some sizzle to its freshman cooking reality series BBQ Pit Masters by changing its programming recipe from a docu-reality show to a competition-based series for its second season.

The series, which followed the exploits of several barbeque cooking experts, averaged 900,000 total viewers and posted double digit increases for the network among male viewers during its first season, which ended last month.

The new season will feature a weekly competition between several chefs, with each weekly winner eventually squaring off against each other in the final episode, according to TLC officials. The show will feature BBQ Pit Masters stars such as Myron Mixon and Le Ann Whippen in “some capacity” on the show, said TLC officials.
BBQ Masters joins Cake Boss, Ultimate Cake Off and Cupcake Sisters as cooking-related shows on the Discovery Communications-owned network this year.

Overall I think no matter what its just more exposure for competition BBQ and really I think thats whats most important. Get it out there to more of the public. Let them know how much fun it is. How great the people are.