What a ridiculous name for a competition BBQ team

True, it is ridiculous. But here's the thing - if we come in dead last place, then it's no big deal because we are: Too Ashamed to Name. But if we rank higher than last place - well then, someone just got beat by Too Ashamed to Name!!!

Here's we are at the 2008 West Coast BBQ Championships in Fairfield, Aug 16th.

Cudos to the AT&T Tilt smart phone engineers for the high quality built-in camera phone. Have you ever seen such detail and vibrant colors?

Back to important stuff - BBQ: 

It's not like we don't know what we're doing. I've been q-ing for a little while now and have attended instructional BBQ workshops from highly accomplished competitors. But as rookies, we tend to panic and make mistakes - enough of them to sink the quality of our turn-in product.

The good news is that these mistakes are simple ones - mistakes that are easily corrected.

Producing high quality backyard BBQ is one thing. Doing it with four different meats - ready at turn in time is a little more tricky.

Here's how this kind of obsession starts out - Any one who likes to cook BBQ can benefit from taking classes from accomplished competition pit masters. Last year (2007), my Q stepped up it's game after taking a class by the Teddy Bear, Konrad Haskins. Producing a fine product for friends and family in the back yard was the objective, and success was had.

Come winter 2008, and QN4U, California State Champs for 2007 were giving a class at Casa De Fruta Ca. But this wasn't a 'friends and family' BBQ class, this was a competition BBQ class - something I really had no interest in stepping into what so ever - only the techniques of fine BBQ were of interest.

Well, that's where the 'friends and family back yard BBQ' thing forks off, and an entirely new world opens up - the world of competition BBQ. An entire community of new friends and acquaintances - all of them very friendly and welcoming (without giving up too many secrets)

Fact is, no matter how good we get or don't get in the future - we wouldn't bother competing at all if it weren't for all the great friends we've made in such a very short amount of time - that's the only reason we compete - to see old friends and make new ones at each event.