We had another practice as we get ready to compete in the Roc City Ribfest Competition.  It was a bit rainy, and Dave got the idea at the last minute to bring his EZ-Up over.  Good Call!!  We also got the chance to do the majority of the work outside, which was a first for us.

This is our setup  as seen by my neighbors who for some reason found a reason to walk their dogs more frequently, or even take extra walks themselves.. These are 2 of the 4 racks before we took them off to foil the ribs I am working hard to get the ribs wrapped Dave is building the box Yup.. still building the box.... and still building...  I am soo glad he is good at that part.. The box after Dave got done with it. The ribs right before we applied sauce Dave is applying the sauce The ribs in the box.   Was it perfect?  probably not...  As I compare the picture from last time, I am fairly sure that this one needs a little more help, however I would have been proud to turn this one in regardless!!

 

Hope you all enjoy the pics...  More pics to come when we practice again in a few weeks...

So, we had a great practice session on Saturday.  We christened the new smoker, which is a 22.5" Weber Smokey Mountain cooker. 

Assembly Day... not too many parts... 15 or 20 min later, its ready to go...

Package 1, trimmed and ready to go Package 2, trimmed, rubbed, and ready to go 3 hrs in, and they are looking great.  The grill ran good, it was going through water like crazy though.  We filled up the water pan three times I think. Ribs are foiled, and back on the grill Dave is working on getting our first practice box ready...  He is REALLY good at the detail stuff. I am glad he is on the team!! The Box is ready! Ribs are ready for some sauce Dave is putting the BBQ Sauce on the ribs Ribs are looking good!! Finished Product, before we started cutting them apart. Our first turn-in box... another of our first turn in box

 

So basically, we had a great run.  We will have another cook in two weeks, and we are hoping for a second good cook in a row, so we can feel even better with our process....

Happy St. Patricks Day!!!  How did the members of Off Beat On Que celebrate?  By smoking our first batch of ribs of course.

Lightin the fires!!

    Our goal this time was simple.  Narrow down the flavor profile.  We tried two different rubs,  Yardbird Rub, and the Full Throttle Hog Rub.  We tried the rubs with the sauce candidates too, and have it down to the Plowboys rub, along with our Blues Hog BBQ sauce. 

 

The ribs themselves were good..  The taste was great.  Consistancy, not so much.  They were a little on the tough side, so we are going to have to do them a little longer next time.  We are planning on doing the next practice session using our competition smoker, so stay tuned for pics of that one...   In the meantime.. here are some pics from our cook this weekend...

Ribs after a couple of hours Finished Product - Rack #1 Finished Product - Rack #2 Finished Product - Rack #3

Well, I finally did it.  I registered the team for our first ever BBQ Competition.  We are going to compete in an unsanctioned rib only event, that will be part of the festivities at the Roc City Ribfest in May.  For those who don't know, the Roc City Ribfest, is a BBQ competition held Memorial Day Weekend at Ontario Beach Park.  This festival has a NEBS Grilling Competition (New England Barbecue Society), KCBS Competition (Kansas City Barbecue Society), along with a competition for Kids, and an unsanctioned Ribs only event, which was designed for folks who want to "dip their toes in the water" to see if competition BBQ is for them.  The Ribs only event will be Saturday 5/26.  Definitely stop in and say hello to myself and team member Dave. 

This is the official blog for the Off Beat On Que BBQ team.  We will be sharing results of our practice sessions, and competitions as we progress.  Check back, you never know what we will be posting next...