Gotta love this. I got a shout out on another teams Pitmasters tape. I thank them for that. Very cool!!! Hope they make it on the show. Good people. Great BBQ’ers!!! Paul Huff & Mike Galasso  (** Also best of luck to Fat Angel they are an awesome team as well!!! ***)

If you are in their area give them a shout for all your BBQ catering needs!!

Gone Hoggin BBQ Team !

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 you can never ever have enough BBQ’s I don’t believe that anyone should only have one bbq or grill. There are so many different types and they are all different with great capabilities.
Thanks to the folks at BGE Canada John & Brian who came by tonight with my newest addition the Big Green Egg.
I am sure to have fun playing on it.

Found these interesting auditions on youtube & Vimeo for BBQ Pitmasters Season 2

And also on Vimeo

Submission Video from Ryan McLain on Vimeo.

New Cookbook that is available this month on Amazon.I was asked a while back to submit some recipes for the upcoming KCBS cookbook 25th Anniversary edition. I was surprised and delighted to receive my copy today. They included all of the recipes I submitted. These are truly some of my all time favorites.

About the authors of this latest KCBS Cookbook:

A charter member of KCBS and former three-term member of the Board of Directors, Ardie Davis founded the American Royal International BBQ Sauce, Rub, and Baste Contest and the Great American Barbecue Sauce, Baste, and Rub Contest. He is the author of five barbeque cookbooks.

Paul Kirk, a charter member of the KCBS and member of the Board of Directors, operates the Baron’s School of Pitmasters. The author of six barbeque cookbooks, he has won more than 475 cooking and barbequing awards, among them seven world championships, including the prestigious American Royal Open, the world’s largest barbeque contest.

Carolyn Wells and her late husband, Gary, were two of the original founders of the Kansas City Barbeque Society. Carolyn is the Executive Director and continues to dedicate her time as an ambassador for the KCBS and for barbeque itself.

The book is chock full of recipes (over 200) from lots of terrific teams and backyard cooks. I had to laugh at page 209 title page Cross Dressing at BBQ & Chili Events. So funny. I won’t ruin the surprise by posting it here but don’t miss that page. Also a fav recipe of mine from a friend Paul Seabrook is featured on page 17 . There are so many interesting and varied recipes throughout this book. It will be fun to experiment with some of them.

At the front of the book there is also a section on the KCBS 4 meats for competition making this an ideal book for any starter team as well.

Lots of fun and loaded up with contributions from so many this makes an ideal BBQ book purchase or gift for any on your list.

DIG IN!!!

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.

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:

This Friday I’ll be at the Chadwick & Hacks booth at the Ideal Home & Garden Show in Hamilton Ontario as well as I’ll be on stage doing a BBQ presentation from 5-540pm. Hope to see you there!

Just a reminder this weekend i’ll be here for 3 demonstrations daily in the Traeger Grill ZONE!

Ill be doing demonstrations on:

• Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs stuffed with cream cheese, pimento, onions, garlic, & spices all wrapped in Bacon!
• MOINK Balls (Bacon wrapped meatballs rubbed & sauced!)
• Cajun & Pineapple juice injected pork loin sandwich with caramelized onions and grilled pineapple

Hope to see you there!