Competition & Event Schedule '08


January 11-12	Central Florida BBQ Festival Sebring FL 1st place Brisket, 5th Overall/41 Teams Another slow start to the new year. The 1st place brisket was sweet though!

January 18-19	Top Of The Lake BBQ Affair Okeechobee FL 5th Pork, 2nd Brisket, 5th Overall/30 Teams Another 5th overall...I think many of the same judges are here that were in Sebring. And I'm thinking that they will also be in Wauchula, so I need to ride it out & hang on till we head north a little. I didn't arrive in Okeechobee until late Friday afternoon, so I was scrambling from the beginning. All in all not too bad though. Jim hosted a nice party on Friday night that everyone enjoyed.

January 25-26	Lakeland Pig Fest, Lakeland FL 9th Chicken, 10th Pork, 3rd Brisket, 4th Overall/57 teams I tried a totally new rub & sauce for my chicken this weekend, since it hadn't done well the previous 2 contests. I figured I had nothing to lose, especially considering the national teams we were cooking against: Lotta Bull (OK), Smokin' Triggers (TX), Parrothead Smokers (SD), Cool Smoke (MD), Smoky Mtn. Smokers (TN), Quau (IL) just to name a few. I was very pleased with the results, especially the brisket call. Tammy, Robin & Woody sold pork sandwiches and corn on the cob all day & did a bang-up job as usual. Thanks for all of your help guys. I loved having you there!

February 1-2	Grillin' & Chillin' on Main, Wauchula FL 3rd Chicken, 6th Ribs, 8th Pork, 2nd Brisket, 3rd Overall/20 Teams I arrived late at this contest too after working a half day. It was nice to finally have all 4 categories hit, & I'm wondering if I should keep using the new chicken recipe.

February 8-9	Smoke on the Water, Winter Haven FL 4th Chicken, 3rd Pork, 3rd Overall/44 Teams Of course I always have high hopes for my home town cookoff, but once again it was not meant to be for me. Just like last year, I had all the confidence in the world for my brisket but it didn't score. Organizer Frank did an outstanding job of hosting this contest, making it one of the highlights of the FBA season. And the Swamp Babes & Woody sold out of 2 cases of butts & several bushels of corn by 3pm again, doing a fantastic job. I love my Swamp Babes, & tolerate Woody ;^) Tied for 2nd in FBA; 5th in the National BBQ Rankings

February 11	Cater AES VIP Reception for 300 people We were invited to cater AES's 30th anniversary International VIP reception for their trade show. The menu included a low country boil, ribs, pulled pork, chicken wings, baked beans, cole slaw, & ice tea. The Swamp Babes came along as ambassadors & to help serve everyone. Of course they did their usual wonderful job & made us all look good. We heard lots of nice compliments about the food, & I think they were very satisfied. They even printed up t-shirts for everyone stating "I survived the AES and Swamp Boys BBQ!" :^)

February 22-23	Bark-N-Purr Wild West Fest & BBQ Cookoff, Bronson FL 1st Ribs, 2nd Pork, 2nd Brisket, GRAND CHAMPION/25 Teams <insert big smile here> Pulled into Bronson around 4:30 after getting lost for 30 minutes. Got set up quickly with some help from friends & settled in for the night around midnight. One thirty AM I awoke to rain, which very quickly turned into horizontal rain with reported 60mph wind gusts. Of course my "airy" trailer design left me & my sleeping bag soaked, but I was better off than those whose tents were blown away. Quite a mess. I felt pretty good about my entries, & was happy to be cooking in the northern area of FL. This win put me in 1st overall in the FBA TOTY points race.
	1st place Ribs!		Elite with make-shift fan

Feb. 29-March 1	Pigs On The River, Palatka FL 5th Ribs, 5th Pork, 1st Brisket, RESERVE GRAND CHAMPION/33 Teams Another late arrival (~4:00) after working a half day. The site at Palatka was very nice, right on the banks of the St. John's river. There was a fish fry for us Friday night which really hit the spot, & the weather was beautiful. Saturday my butts & briskets were behind schedule & panic was about to take over when 1:30 came around & the briskets were still on the smoker. I made it to turn in right alongside of Dan from Barnwood Barbecue with 30 seconds to spare, which is a little too close for my liking. Turns out it worked OK, because my brisket took 1st place & set the high score in brisket so far for '08 with a 197.88332. I'm giving this trophy to my friends at Mac's Meats. Brothers Steve & Greg ran this great family business, but Steve tragically passed away this year. He was just 36. Steve was always a big fan of my brisket, & used to give me an extra every now & then to cook for their family to share. I'm going to miss him.

March 7-8	Pig on the Pond Clermont FL 3rd Chicken, 6th Pork, 9th Brisket, 3rd Overall/31 Teams Arrived around 2:45 & got busy. Didn't have my usual spot, so things were a bit cramped but it all worked out. It rained most of the evening, with winds picking up over night. By the time morning came around, we had steady a 25mph, with gusts reportedly up to 50mph. Needless to say, it made for a long day. My camp was fine because of my rigid trailer & roof system. But those with tents either had to take them down or the wind took them down. All of my meats I felt were good; none spectacular. I was happy to see my buddy Foy pull a 3rd in brisket - he's been working hard on it. Tammy, Robin, & Woody handled the vending duties, selling nearly 2 cases of butts, a case + of ribs, 4 bushels of corn, & sodas. They were able to sell out before awards, which is always a great accomplishment. Thanks so much for all of the hard work guys, I love ya! Yeah, even you Woody. Oh & BTW, I have now qualified for the FBA Triple Crown Invitational which will be held in December! Still ranked #1 FBA, #5 Nationally (hasn't been updated in a while).

March 14-15	Hog Wild & Pig Crazy Barbecue Lake City FL 4th Chicken, 1st Ribs, 1st Pork, 1st Brisket, GRAND CHAMPION / 41 Teams Wooooo! Sure didn't see that coming :^) Two years ago I got 1st Ribs & RGC here. Last year I got 1st Ribs & RGC. This year I was determined to get GC, & I guess my determination paid off. Drove through a few hours of rain to arrive at 3:30. I had Kent & Jodi Harriss with me for the weekend as they were working towards their Master Judge Certification, so they helped me get set up. Friday was uneventful & Saturday was cloudy with building winds. I tweaked my chicken for the 3rd time this year & it is apparently getting a little better. Jodi & Kent observed & gave feedback during the boxing time, & their son Jordan joined them to help out while vending. Unfortunately the crowds didn't show like we had hoped, but we were able to donate our unsold food to the recent tornado victims from last weekend in Lake City. The awards ceremony was kind of surreal for me, as I sure didn't expect those results with all of the fine teams that were cooking there. My overall score of 769.63334 actually set the highest overall score mark for the year so far, & my Ribs also set the high mark to date. I was very happy to see my friends in Uncle Kenny's get their first RGC (& their daughter win her age group in Kid's Q!), Foy continue to do well with brisket, & all my other friends do well too. All in all it was a great weekend spent with great friends!

	1st Ribs	1st Pork	1st Brisket	Kent & Jodi

March 21-22	Smoke On The Water Thomaston, GA 2nd Pork, 13th Overall/45 Teams This first year contest is held at Bickley's Pond in Thomaston GA, & was a beautiful setting. Great live music both Friday & Saturday nights, with good crowds. I thought I was doing everything as usual, but as Saturday morning unfolded I realized that my entries were just not up to par. Chicken was tasteless, ribs & brisket were tough. They weren't that way as I took them off the smoker, but they were sure like that going into the boxes. I placed where I deserved to place & finished out of the top 10 for the first time in 10 contests. Time to shake it off and get back to m1y old self in time for Barnesville GA.

April 5	Cater CC Calhoun, Inc. luncheon for 200: Pulled pork sandwiches, chicken wings, baked beans, cole slaw, sweet tea.

April 8	PorkFest - Roosevelt Academy Fundraiser Sold over 100 pounds!

April 13	Pig-nic - Fundraiser for Hope Presbyterian Sold over 200 lunches!

April 18-20	Cater "Rowdy Cup" swim meet Smoked 2 cases of butts - no leftovers!

April 25-26	Barnesville BBQ & Blues Festival Barnesville GA (Qualifier) 1st Chicken, 3rd Pork, 2nd Brisket / GRAND CHAMPION 56 Teams Hooo-weee! I was kind of nervous about this contest, having not cooked in 5 weeks or so & coming off a 13th place finish at Thomaston. I had a goal of finishing in the top 5, so I was very happy! This contest has really grown & is now busting at the seams. The town of Barnesville really puts on a great contest & the people there are the best. The only negative I heard from teams was the low payout, & I agree. I hope B'ville is able to overcome this, because with fuel prices the way they are, I would not have been able to go without the $$ help of my sponsors. Thank you guys! I'm also thankful for all of the fun times I had with great friends up there & can't wait to get together again. Still #1 in the FBA, dropped to 3rd in NBR from the 5 weeks of inactivity.
	1st in Chicken		Grand Champion!