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Smokin on the Delta, Antioch Ca, November 10-11, 2011
Way Out West BBQ Championship Stockton, 2011
What a ridiculous name for a competition BBQ team.
(Scott Hares and wife Pam Hares)
True, it is a ridiculous name for a competition BBQ team. But here's the thing - the way I
figure it, if we come in dead assed last place, then it's no big deal - after all, we're Too Ashamed to
Name.
On the other hand, the teams that we score ahead of - well then! They just got beat by Too
Ashamed to Name - how's that for humbling!!!
It's not exactly like we don't know what we're doing. I've been cooking bbq for a little while now and have
attended classes and workshops from highly accomplished competitors, state champions, and even world champions
too.
We are a 5th year competition team working 2012, with a good load of awards, walks, trophies and cash under
our belt already - we've still have a ways to go though.
Producing high quality backyard BBQ is one thing. Doing it with four different meats - ready at
turn in time is a little bit more tricky.
The Barbecue Bug - or so it's called:
Here's how this kind of obsession starts out - Anyone who likes to cook BBQ can benefit from taking
classes from accomplished competition pit masters. A while back (2007), my BBQ stepped up after taking a bbq
class by Konrad Haskins - the Teddy Bear out of Washington state. Producing a fine product for friends and family
was my objective, and it was a good, high value class.
Come winter 2008, and QN4U, California State Champs for 2007 were conducting a class at Casa
De Fruta Ca. But this was not a 'friends and family' back yard BBQ class, this was a competition BBQ class -
something I really had no interest in stepping into at all - only the techniques of fine BBQ were of interest to me
at the time.
But that's when the "BBQ bug" tends to bite. 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.
Today, we enjoy an ever growing network of BBQ friends and family through out the state.
We compete with / against these people but we also watch out for each other too - if a brother
faces adversity or forgets something, then a BBQ brothers will help out - that's the comradery of competition - we
compete, and we win or we lose based on our cooking skills - not on what we forget or for flat tires.
The fact is, no matter how many awards / walks we take (or not) in future competitions - none of it
would be worth if it weren't for all the great friends we've made in just a few short years - seeing old
friends and making new ones at each and every event - that's the main reason we do this - the comradery
and brethrenship of our friends and fellow competitors - brothers in smoke (and sisters too).
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