2019 Smokin With Smithfield National Barbecue Championship

[FTC Standard Disclaimer]  My travel expenses for this event were paid for by a representative of Smithfield.

In boxing, you will hear the term "Unified Champion."  That is because there are different sanctioning bodies - WBO, WBC, IBF, etc.  Each organization might have its own champion.  When things align, and the same person wins championships from the WBO, WBC, or IBF, that is referred to as a Unified Champion.

Over the past year, Smithfield created a unified championship across the BBQ sanctioning bodies when they established the Smokin' With Smithfield National Barbecue Championship, which was held in New Orleans last weekend.  I was lucky enough to be invited to tag along as part of the media team.  Here are scenes from this inaugural championship.

The event was held in New Orleans, so naturally, they had a Mardi Gras theme going on.

This unified championship started long before last weekend.

• Two years ago, it began as an idea - a points chase across BBQ sanctioning bodies culminating in the top group going head to head in a "back-to-back-to-back" triple-contest.  
• Last year, teams signed up at Smokin' With Smithfield and BBQData began tracking the points of the 370 registered teams.
• After a full year of competitions, the top 24 teams were invited to the Smokin' With Smithfield National Barbecue Championship.

I loved that this contest didn't get into silly stuff that televised food competitions do, like mystery proteins and special challenges.  They kept it to traditional BBQ contest formats - who can cook the best chicken, pork ribs, pork, and brisket.

Another refreshing spin they did to level the playing field was that everyone was cooking with the same set of meats: 

• Ribs and pork from Smithfield
• Chicken and brisket from The Butcher Shoppe in Pensacola.

The organizers did their best to have evenly sized meats divided up into Yeti 65 coolers.  Then teams are drawn by a bingo-style ping-pong ball dispenser to determine who gets which cooler.  You can't get fairer than that.

It's a good thing these are heavy or I might have grabbed one and run off with it :)  The pork was provided by Smithfield and the brisket and chicken by The Butcher Shoppe.

Because of travel arrangements and work, a lot of the media team did not make it in until after Day 1 was in the books.  The 12 teams advancing on to the second round were:

Bacon Jam and Tomato Burgers

[FTC Standard Disclaimer] We are proud to be sponsored by Certified Angus Beef.  We have no affiliation with Food City or Schweid and Sons.

This is a crazy good burger. It's one of my favorites that we've ever made.  It has a Certified Angus Beef prime burger with quite possibly the best burger condiment ever - bacon jam.

This burger started on the meat aisle at our Food City when Alexis pointed out these gourmet 1/3rd pound burgers that they had just gotten in.  

June BBQ Giveaway: Praise The Lard - Recipes and Revelations by Mike Mills and Amy Mills

[FTC Standard Disclosure] We received no compensation for this post and paid list price for our copy of the book.  Amy Mills has graciously provided the giveaway package.

June's BBQ give away is a phenomenal one!

I am giving away a great BBQ/Grilling package from the father/daughter duo - Mike "The Legend" Mills and Amy Mills.  They own/operate 17th Street Barbecue, Oncue restaurant consulting, and 3 BBQ World Championships.  

The prize package includes

• A signed copy of Praise The Lard - Recipes and Revelations From A Legendary Life in Barbecue,
• A jar of the famous 17th Street Barbecue's Magic Dust,
• A jar of 17th Street Barbecue Sauce (Mikes Original),
• A 17th Street Barbecue koozie, and 
• A 17th Street Barbecue sticker.

Praise The Lard is their follow up to the hugely successful and iconic Peace, Love, and Barbecue.  I bought my copy as soon as it became available for pre-order but I was just able to flip through it last night.  Initial impressions?  Wow!  I intended to just scan it but ended up enthralled and spent 3+ hours reading sections, marking recipes, and being impressed.

I'll do a full review this month but from all appearances, Amy and Mike have nailed this book. Coming from 3 time Memphis in May Champions, you might expect this to be all high-level, uber -pitmaster stuff. It does have advanced techniques but they did an amazing job at writing this as a "how to" book so the newbie griller will not be lost.  In fact, I think that if you are a beginning or average griller and cook through this whole book, you will end up gaining the full knowledge and experience needed to be grill master.

Praise The Lard will be a greatly appreciated Father's Day gift for Dad.  Or if you order it now, it will help you throw a 4th of July BBQ celebration that will be talked about by your guests for years to come. 

Giveaway Rules

1. Giveaway entry period begins Wednesday, June 7 and ends Friday, June 16th at 11:59pm. Drawing will be held on Saturday around noon (All times are Eastern Time zone).
2. To ENTER:  Leave a comment below.  If using an anonymous comment option, leave me a way to get back to you (email, Egghead or BBQ Brethren user forum name, etc).  For a bonus second entry, you can tweet or post a Facebook entry about this and post a link to that entry in a comment below.
3. Comments will be numbered by order received and random.org will generate a random number for the winner.
4. Limited to residents of the continental US unless you want to pay the additional shipping charges.
5. I am the final judge regarding any discrepancies, interpretations, grievances, etc about this drawing.
6. 17th Street Barbecue, Mike Mills and Amy Mills are just sponsoring this prize package. They are not responsible for the drawing or the giveaway. 
7. Winner must respond and claim the prize within one week of the winning announcement. If a winner does not claim the prize during the specified time, a reserve winner will be drawn from the original entries.

NOTE:  Comment moderation is turned on to fight the bots, so your comment won't appear right away.

WINNER ANNOUNCED
The winner of the giveaway is GrillinBeers who wrote:

I will shoot you an instant message on the BGE forum to get your mailing address and contact info.

Whole Beef Strip Loin Grilling Class

I'm going to be teaching a grilling class at Mannix Pools and Grills in Winter Haven, FL on July the 8th, from 4pm to 7pm.  You can purchase tickets here ($45 per person) or call (863) 326-9656.  (Note: class is 4pm to 7pm, NOT 4am)

Strip Class!

The whole beef strip loin is chuck full of great beefy options – from NY strip steaks to succulent beef roasts.  Chris Grove, author of The Kamado Smoker and Grill Cookbook and publisher of Nibble Me This, will cover what to look for when buying a strip loin, how to break down a strip loin into useful cuts, and several ways to utilize the strip loin, including the following:

Pepper Crusted Strip Loin Roast

Move over prime rib! A strip loin roast can be the epic center of a family gathering or holiday meal.

How to Make Beef Tallow

Don’t throw away those scraps when trimming a whole beef strip loin, ribeye, or brisket! Save them and make beef tallow – an excellent clean cooking oil with a relatively high smoke point. 

The Manhattan Filet

A great way to serve smaller portions but still get that thick, juicy steak.

Steak and Cheese Sandwiches on the Griddle Q

One portion of the strip loin isn’t as great for steaks but it is ideal for shaving thin and cooking on a griddle for steak and cheese sandwiches.

Reverse Pan Seared NY Strip Loin with Roasted Garlic and Bourbon Sauce

This modified technique gives you the best of reverse sear grilling and pan searing steaks – super tender, perfectly medium rare steak with a gorgeous crust and lip smacking pan sauce.

Reverse Pan Seared NY Strip Steak with Roasted Garlic and Bourbon Sauce

So if you're in the area - come on out to have some fun and enjoy some great food with us on July 8th in Winter Haven, FL at Mannix Pools and Grills.  Don't forget to get your tickets!!

2017 Memphis In May World Championship BBQ Cooking Contest

The Memphis In May International Festival is a month long celebration of music, food, and culture. It's a big deal featuring:

• The Beale Street Music Festival - featuring both established and up and coming recording artists.
• The International Salute to each year's "host country" includes performances, exhibits, lectures, films, and food from the celebrated country.  This year the theme was Columbia.
• The Great American River Run - A half marathon and 5k.
• The 901 Fest is a tribute to the culture, food, and music of Memphis.

But of course, the part that I am always most excited about is the Memphis In May World Championship BBQ Cooking Contest.

• Memphis In May is one of the four "majors" when it comes to the world of BBQ contests.
• Each year there are about 250 teams and 100,000 visitors that come to Tom Lee Park on the banks of the Mississippi River for the smoke showdown.
• It's not the biggest it terms of number of teams but it certainly has the most grandeur and the most excess.  Compared to other contests, Memphis in May is just bigger, crazier, and bolder.
• It's a World. Freaking. Championship.  

I am fortunate enough to be a cook on the Grilla Grills Pro Team.  Here is an inside look back of our crazy week at the 2017 Memphis In May World Championship BBQ Cooking Contest.  

Monday and Tuesday - Load In and Set Up

The first days are what most people never see.  It is chaotic and hectic but it is a vital part of getting the job done. 

It's an almost 6 hour drive plus we had a smaller site, so we didn't take our trailer. We fit our Grilla Grill, hot boxes, coolers, and gear into our truck and headed due West.

Due West on I-40 until we hit the Mississippi then we're basically there.  Battery Park and the Hernando de Soto bridge viewed from Tom Lee Park where MIM is held.

Getting through the park on these days can take a long time.  Traffic is one way but the narrow path is blocked routinely as trucks have to back in smokers, scaffolding, tents, and equipment.  Vehicles just have to sit and wait for that to clear.

Pick ups as far as the eye can see in either direction.  It's like the first day at a freshman college dorm, everyone is trying to get loaded in at the same time.

Some over achievers are fully set up by Tuesday, like Pork Illustrated.  You're making the rest of us look bad, guys.  Mix in a break or two! ;) 

2017 Sunshine State Eggfest presented by Wassi's Meat Market

[FTC Standard Disclosure] We received no compensation for this post; however, Smithfield and Certified Angus Beef are both sponsors of Nibble Me This.

We attended and cooked at the 2017 Sunshine State Eggfest this weekend and it was another rockin' food festival.  

This Eggfest was presented by Wassi's Meat Market and it benefits Candlelighters of Brevard. Wassi's is a top notch butcher shop and Big Green Egg dealer located in Melbourne, FL and I have to admit, I get jealous when I see those central Florida Eggers getting to shop there every weekend!  

The event was held at the Radisson Resort at the Port again this year. The weather was absolutely gorgeous as 30 or 40 (my guesstimate, I didn't count) culinary teams cooked up some amazing food on Big Green Eggs and served samples to the thousands in attendance.  We handed out about 1,500 samples this year.  Here's a look back.  

Loaded up and ready to roll.  Things I take to every Eggfest are my knife bag, my gear box, EZ-ups (with tie downs in case of winds), folding prep tables, disposable cutting boards, a bin full of seasonings, and plenty of coolers and 2 Cambro's. 

It's 716 miles from our house to the event.  I like to take the scenic route through the Great Smoky Mountains.  It's 19 miles longer than the I-75/I-10 route through Atlanta but way faster and more enjoyable.

We stop in Jacksonville first, to see family and for a day of prepping at my sister's house (aka "Nibble Me Sis").

First part of prep day is getting supplies. We hit Costco, Restaurant Depot, Gordon Food Services, Publix, and I'm sure I'm forgetting a stop or two.

BBQ Event Coverage: Ooltewah BBQ Brawl 2017 - World Food Championship Qualifier

We had a great time at the Ooltewah BBQ Brawl last weekend. The weather was gorgeous, the aroma of 20 grills cooking filled the valley, and the crowds came out to experience it all.  What a fun food festival! 

This was a fun local food festival with a welcoming "home town" vibe, but it has implications much bigger than that.  As a qualifying round for the World Food Championships, this was like an opening round of the NCAA basketball tournament.  For the two winners, this event is the first step toward winning the lion's share of a $300,000 purse.  "All they have to do" is win 3 more times at the World Food Championships in Orange Beach, AL this November.

• Opening Rounds - Place in the Top 10 for your category (1 of 9) for the Signature Dish and Structured Recipe entries.
• Infursed Round - Create a winning dish based on the category's special ingredient (of course, topping the other Top 10 competitors from your category).
• Final Table - the 9 category winners go head to head in a gloves off, no holds barred food fight with the winner taking home a world title and $110,000

Let's check out the fun!

Some members of the Ooltewah High School Choir came out to perform a patriotic medley and our National Anthem.

 You know the first thing that I like to do is go around and look at the gear people are using.  

Chef Nick Thiers, a World Food Championships veteran, was using this nice Deep South Smokers.  I told him he was super brave to have a white BBQ pit.  He laughed and said he cleans it more often then his car.  I know that feeling.

Just like the World Food Championships in Orange Beach, the competitors were a blend of local restaurants, amateur "back yard" teams, and professional competition teams.

Owls Nest BBQ, a local professional competition team, set up and starting to cook.  They have a gravity feed cooker (right) and a Pit Barrel Cooker, set up for using a blower/controller (black drum on the left).  I really like the idea of a blower on a PBC. These are set it and forget type cookers meant for people new to BBQ and there aren't any settings other than the pre-set air fit at the bottom.  Doing this gives you full temperature control of the PBC and expands the possibilities. 

When one competitor sees something another competitor does and copies it - that's called "shigging".  As in "Chris saw Stevie Ray's Pit Barrel Cooker using a blower and he fully plans on shigging this idea when he gets back home."

Cute little pig faced offset BBQ pit, maybe a Lang 48? 

FREE GRILLING CLASS in Kansas City Thursday Evening, April 27th!!!!!!!!!!!!

[FTC Standard Disclaimer] Smithfield Foods is a sponsor of Nibble Me This; however, any opinions stated are my own.

How would you like to attend a FREE GRILLING CLASS in Kansas City AND participate in attempting to set a Guinness World Record?  Did I mention this free class is taught by multiple World Championship winning pitmaster, Chris Lilly?

Chris Lilly of Big Bob Gibson's BBQ has probably taught me more about BBQ than any other single person.  He will be teaching the class with Kevin Kolman of Weber Grills.

If you can get to Arrowhead Stadium on April 27th at 6pm, Smithfield is going to hook you up with that opportunity.  

If you're in the area, start your summer grilling out in a big way and REGISTER NOW to learn from the masters!  If you know someone in the area, pass this on to them!

Book Review: Pitmaster - Recipes, Techniques, & BBQ Wisdom by Chris Hart and Andy Husbands

New BBQ book season is upon us and the first one we are reviewing for 2017 is a winner - Pitmaster by Andy Husbands and Chris Hart.  We received a complimentary electronic copy for review prior to the March 15, 2017 release date.  

I like to bring in other opinions than my own and brought Jeff Greene on to add his thoughts about this book.  Jeff shares our BBQ and grilling madness and runs the Twitter handle @Grill_Porn.  He came to Knoxville by way of South Carolina and loves cooking on his Big Green Egg.  He says he's "just a backyard and tailgate" guy but don't let his modesty fool you, he knows his way around a grill.

Pitmaster - Recipes, Techniques, and BBQ Wisdom

Andy Husbands and Chris Hart

Fair Winds Press

$24.99

RELEASE DATE:  March 15, 2017 (available for pre-order now)

It's no surprise that this BBQ and Grilling book rocks because the two authors are well respected in the BBQ family/community/asylum and this is their 4th book.  Andy Husbands is the Chef at Tremont 647 and The Smoke Shop in Boston.  Chris Hart and Andy won a World Championship at the Jack Daniels Invitational in 2009.  Andy was on Season 6 of Hell's Kitchen and Chris was on BBQ Pitmasters and Chopped.  They know a lil' bit about the world of BBQ and grilling.

Physical Description

• Available in hardcover and Kindle
• 224 pages 
• Hardcover is about 8 x 10 

Jeff's thoughts

“Pitmasters” is definitely a book I would buy if I saw it in the book store.  I love the overall look of book.  The layout seems well thought out and the pictures are very well done, and do a great job of adding to the overall experience.  I also really enjoyed getting to know more about the philosophies, approaches and histories of some of the more well-known pit masters, which I imagine why the book is titled the way it is.

Chris' thoughts

This book is an eye catcher with it's gorgeous cover photo of that amazing smoking beef rib.  I like the way they organized the book a bit differently into categories of Backyard, North Carolina, Kansas City, Texas, The North, and Competition.  The content is also not limited to recipes.  They share techniques and I was quite fond of the segments throughout the book talking to other pitmasters about their food and BBQ ideas.  

Recipes

For me, one barometer of a BBQ/grilling book on the first flip through is how many of those adhesive flags/tabs I used to mark recipes that I want to try.  This book was full of those eye catching "Oh, I've got to try that" type of recipes.  

They cover from the basics, such as pulled pork on a kamado grill and Memphis dry rub ribs to more advanced recipes like the competition style steak which applies flavoring in multiple layers.  Andy and Chris do a good job of breaking down the steps to make the recipes approachable, so even those new to grilling and BBQ can try these recipes.

Butcher Paper Brisket - I used a Certified Angus Beef brisket to use the first of two brisket recipes in the book.  The second one is their competition recipe that scored a perfect 180.  I was going to use my stick burner but the weather didn't cooperate so I smoked it on my Grilla Grills wood pellet cooker.  The simple seasonings of salt, pepper, and smoke lets the delicious beef shine through. 

Everyday Sweet and Spicy Pork Rub - I made a batch of this rub. The blend of sugars gives it an up front sweetness that melds into smokiness (because I used smoked paprika) and finishes with a very mild heat. This is a good general purpose BBQ rub and gives a good color to butts, ribs, and chops.  That is a quart jar in the middle so this makes a good bit of rub. 

Pulled Pork on a Kamado Style Cooker - Being a kamado guy, of course I did this recipe. It wasn't anything fancy and that's good sometimes.  Simply the Sweet and Spicy rub with a proper smoking and you've got great results.  I did a pair of butts on my Grill Dome with an Adjustable Rig set up and followed their recipe. I like both pulled and chopped pork, so I did half and half.  It is a solid recipe and I like the fact that they give you 2 different timelines, one cooking at 225°f and one at 275°f. 

Competition Style Beef Ribeye - Steak competitions have taken off thanks to the Steak Cookoff Association.  This is Chris and Andy's version of a competition steak. I used a porterhouse steak instead of a ribeye and used Hard Core Carnivore Black instead of salt and pepper, but I did make the Umami Steak Sauce and Steak Finishing Butter. I also used the GrillGrates that they and seemingly most every SCA team uses. The sauce uses the umami power of concentrating portobello mushrooms, brisket au jus and more.   I cooked it on a small kamado grill and was very impressed with the results. 

Red Slaw, White Slaw - While we were making the pork butts, we made two of the slaw recipes from the book. The white slaw is a creamy slaw that you would expect at a BBQ joint or fish shack, you're probably used to that, but red slaw?  Red slaw is a signature dish from Lexington, North Carolina.  Instead of the typical mayo or vinegar base, red slaw uses a spicy tomato base. I don't like it by itself as much as I do vinegar and white slaws, but it is freaking awesome on a pulled pork sandwich.  

Western Style North Carolina Sauce - The first real BBQ I had in my life was smoked pork shoulder with a Piedmont sauce mixed in and that is what made me fall in love with BBQ at 7 years old. Unlike Eastern NC vinegar sauces, Piedmont style sauces have a light touch of ketchup and some sweetness added in, like this one.  This is pretty close to one of my treasured recipes that was handed down to me by my grandmother. 

Gold Sauce - Mustard based BBQ sauce is the hallmark of South Carolina.  Golden BBQ sauces are one of those things you either love or hate, I love them and this one is a good one. This recipe has the predominant mustard and vinegar kick with the slightest kiss of sweetness.  

Jeff is a South Carolina guy so I wasn't surprised that he also made the Gold Sauce when he cooked several recipes out of Pitmaster for his Superbowl menu. Here are his thoughts about the recipes he cooked from the book.

Jeff's Thoughts

I like how the authors intermixed their own recipes with those from the other pit masters that were included, many of which were fresh takes on traditional foods.  I am not sure how many cookbooks have taken this approach, but for me this is a new and novel way to write a cookbook that I thoroughly enjoyed.  I not only liked the thoughts of the pit masters that were sprinkled throughout but I also appreciated the differentiation of regions or styles of bbq.   It has everything from backyard to competition and hits most of the major bbq regions from New England to Texas.  I was saddened that South Carolina bbq was not included, but I may be a bit biased in that opinion being a palmetto state native.  Plus my experience from travelling “up north” is that there is little to no difference to New Englanders’ between the two Carolinas, but rather only one “Carolina” but I digress.

Gold Sauce - Being from South Carolina and having grown up on mustard based bbq sauces, I can say without a doubt the Gold Sauce recipe is legit.  This sauce has a wonderful balance of sweet tanginess on the front end and nice heat on the back end.  The only change I plan to make moving forward is to use a little less thyme, but this is a personal preference.  Gold Sauce is on par with many of the best “Carolina Honey Gold” mustard based sauces I have tried, as it is a bit sweeter than most mustard based sauces, but not so sweet that it detracts from the experience.     

Lexington Style Cheerwine Pork Shoulder - This is a nice take on smoking a pork shoulder.  I have cooked dozens of shoulders but have never used any of the “soda” injection recipes popular in some circles.  The injection had a very nice taste with a balance of sweet, heat, and vinegar bite.  I cooked the shoulder per the recipe although I generally smoke at lower temps than the 275-300 degrees that is called for.  This recipe only uses Kosher salt as a dry brine/rub, and calls for spraying the shoulder every hour with Cheerwine.  

This is a nice take on smoking a pork shoulder.  I have cooked dozens of shoulders but have never used any of the “soda” injection recipes popular in some circles.  The injection had a very nice taste with a balance of sweet, heat, and vinegar bite.  I cooked the shoulder per the recipe although I generally smoke at lower temps than the 275-300 degrees that is called for.  This recipe only uses Kosher salt as a dry brine/rub, and calls for spraying the shoulder every hour with Cheerwine.  

[Chris' thought on this - Around here, "pork shoulder" sold in the stores is usually just the picnic end of a whole shoulder and that looks like what Jeff had to work with.  When cut away from the other half (pork butt), these picnic shoulders are leaner and can dry out easier than when cooked as a whole shoulder.]

Cornbread with Butter, Honey, and Sea Salt - Oh my gosh this The Smoke Shop corn bread was a big hit at the SB party.  People could not get enough of it.  Being from the south and growing up on white and sugarless corn bread, I had in my mind that I was not going to like this recipe, but I could not have been more wrong, this was a very nice change of pace.  The cornbread itself was light and fluffy and it was all set off by the sugar crust.  I will say that the recipe was somewhat labor intensive, but it was worth the extra work.  As if it could get any better, when you add the sea salt and honey butter on the top it became even more delicious.   

Classic Macaroni and Cheese: The recipe was easy to make, and my wife and kids thought it was good.  If you are looking for a replacement for grandma’s Sunday dinner mac and cheese, this is not it.  However, it is billed as more or less a replacement for “shells and cheese” and it does quite well at this.  It could use a bit more nutmeg, but that is a personal preference.  

Chris' Favorite Pitmaster Recipe

My favorite recipe from Pitmaster was the City Ham recipe aka Canadian Bacon. We did the book's version and one of our own with bourbon and brown sugar.  Both were fantastic.

Making your own Canadian bacon saves a lot of cash. When we made this batch, it was selling for $0.43 per ounce.  Accounting for the Smithfield Prime Reserve pork loin, coal, and ingredients, we spent $0.20 per ounce.

Tied off and ready to go into the smokers. Notice that I tied one (bottom) differently than the other two.  That was just for knowing which one is which.

I smoked one of the Pitmaster versions on my Grilla wood pellet cooker.  

I did the other two on one of our Big Green Eggs. I had hickory and lump down below. Next was a spider, stone, and drip pan under an Adjustable Rig.  I had a lot going on this day so I went on auto-pilot and used the Flame Boss 200 controller to regulate the temperatures of my BGE.  I had a DOT remote probe thermometer in the second piece.  

Great color on these hams and they smelled great.  I put them in one of our garage fridges for two days to let the smoke flavor balance through the hams. It's also easier to slice cold firm ham.

We started with a little over 9 pounds of pork loin and finished with over 8 pounds of finished bacon, so you don't lose much to shrinkage.  We vacuum seal most of this in 8 ounce packages and freeze them.

I burned out my last slicer years ago and have been hand slicing my bacon for the past year.  Alexis got me a new, more robust, slicer this month and I am thrilled with it.  It has a bigger 10" blade and a more powerful motor.  If you are considering a slicer, skip the cheap versions (I burned out two Waring Pro's) and spend the extra money to get a heavier duty slicer.  It doesn't have to be a commercial Hobart slicer but the $300 range will get you something decent for most home purposes.

Canadian Bacon means Eggs Benedict!!!!  

Photos and Graphics

Pitmaster features gorgeous color photography by Ken Goodman. Ken is a phenomenal photographer and his work has graced the pages of several books in my personal collection. He collaborated with Andy and Chris on their three previous books and continues his excellent work here.  As a wannabe food photographer, I study the work of artists like Ken.  The thing that sets his work apart to me is his mastery of shadows and highlights.  He uses them judiciously to create moods and tell stories.

Ken's shot of Pitmaster's Kansas City Tribute Sauce.  Notice the highlights in the sauce on the first two ribs and the perfect amount of shadows under the bowl and ribs. That's no accident - that is skill.

Burnt Ends from Pitmaster. Again, look how the lights play off of the sauce to starkly contrast the shadows hiding in the midst of the burnt ends.  

Almost all of the shots are plated or finished shots of the food.  There aren't a lot of step by step photos but Pitmaster makes up for it with a wise use of graphics, especially visual time lines for certain recipes.

Summary

Chris' Thoughts
Not to cop out, but see Jeff's thoughts.  He summed it up perfectly.  

Jeff's Final Thoughts
This book should have a wide audience, not only because of the various pit masters and wide range of regions included, but for the varying levels of techniques presented.  It would have been easy for the authors to focus primarily on the experienced bbq cooks considering the subject matter of the book.  However, the book includes topics to help lessen the intimidation factor for the novice that may just be getting started, while at the same time including more advanced techniques and recipes for the experienced bbq cooks.  In short this book literally has something for everyone.  

Rating

5 stars – an absolute resource, will refer to frequently

4+ stars – very good cookbook with value added tips, photos, guides, and other content

3 stars – Good, average cookbook, glad to have it on my shelf

2 stars – a recipe collection

1 star – would give it away to someone else to get rid of it, but only if I didn't like them very much

BBQ News - The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

The end of 2016 and beginning of 2017 have been The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly for BBQ around Knoxville and surrounding parts (aka State of Franklin).

The Good

Full Service BBQ

Full Service BBQ opened it's 3rd location this month on Kingston Pike near Pellisippli Parkway. We eat at the Cedar Lane location near our office. Owner, Anthony Difranco, sat with us just a few months ago and chatted about his new location.

They started off of the corner of an abandoned service station parking lot back in 2007 and have rapidly grown to 3 locations by delivering great food and friendly service.  They have walk up service and outdoor seating, like some well known Texas BBQ establishments.  I love having a "napkin log" on your table to keep the wind from blowing away your napkins.

Photo blatantly stolen borrowed from the Full Service BBQ Facebook page.

Pictures from one of our visits to their Cedar Lane location. They use real wood pits and produce top notch BBQ.  Pro tip:  They have burnt ends on Friday.  If you don't know what burnt ends are, you need to go there on a Friday and find out.  Best part of the brisket.

The Bad

Dead End BBQ - Maryville Closes

At the end of the year, The Daily Times reported that Dead End BBQ was closing it's location in Maryville, TN.  We had many a meal here with friends and family.   The original location in Knoxville on Sutherland Drive is still open and serving some of the best BBQ in town, but we'll miss this one.  

My sister, parents, and nephew and I having dinner at the Maryville location before one of Trevor's high school football games.

No photoshop work on the sign here...."dead" was just out at the top.

Bulls BBQ Truck Has Served Their Last Customer

The Bull's BBQ Food Truck (aka BBQ short bus) has made it's last stop.  Daniel Crowder and his converted yellow school bus were a frequent sight at the Farmer's Market and local specialty brew houses.  

Bull's BBQ food truck getting ready to serve early one morning at the Market Square Farmer's Market in Knoxville. 

Don't despair, Daniel has reincarnated the BBQ themed food truck into the Burrito Bus - "Mission Inspired - Knoxville Made".  You can find where he and the Burrito Bus are at on Twitter as @knoxburrito.  I look forward to tracking the Burrito Bus down and trying them out.

Knoxville's exciting new Burrito Bus! Be on the lookout.

You can take BBQ off of the name, but not out of the veins.  I see Daniel kept his Pitmaker Vault on the back of the bus.  Smart move.

The Ugly

Blue Ridge BBQ Festival - Tryon NC

One of our favorite regional BBQ contests, the Blue Ridge BBQ Festival in Tryon NC, has been canceled for this year (would have been their 24th year).  It was canceled due to declining attendance (from 17,000 in 2011 to 7,000 last year) and the associated funds.

We have attended Tryon's contest in different capacities over the years - as reporters, as judges, and as competitors.  It held a special charm for us for several reasons:

• It's nestled in the mountains.
• It's a town festival with fairway rides, a car show, entertainment, vendors, and more.
• It was one of the bigger contests in the area, size wise.
• They had whole hog as a category.

Hopefully it is just a "year off to reboot" and not one of those "closed for remodeling" situations where they never "re-open" because the Blue Ridge BBQ Festival is a great event for competition BBQ.

Tryon has always been one of my favorite contest sites since it is located in this luscious green valley.  

The classic car show, mid-way, and vendors gave the crowds plenty to do besides just watch a bunch of sweaty, ugly guys like us cook BBQ :)

Jim Loggins of Crow Creek BBQ competing at the 2013 Blue Ridge BBQ Festival. I've gotten to cook with Jim several times, including Memphis in May, the Jim Beam Classic, the Kentucky State BBQ Festival, and yes, 2 years ago at Tryon.

Whoa There Pardner

According to WCYB News, Pardner's BBQ and Steaks in Piney Flats has been seized this morning by the State for an unresolved tax issue.

Photo reposted from WCYB News

Hopefully this is something that can be resolved without the long term closure of the restaurant. Regardless of what the tax situation may be between the owners and Department of Revenue, this affects the people who work there.