Mid-Summer Review

July and August saw our usual competition slowdown.  July saw Three Dogs head up to Old Forge, New York  to compete in The Great Adirondack BBQ Festival.  In August, we made our yearly trek to the Hudson Valley area for the Hudson Valley Ribfest.

The Great Adirondack BBQ Festival, Old Forge, NY

This was an addition to the schedule for 2017.  We usually have a two month lay off between our last June contest and Hudson Valley.  But, we wanted to stay sharp and started to look for a July comp to do so.  This competition fit the description.  Old Forge is a great mountain town about halfway between Utica and Lake Placid.  It is a great place for a competition, other than keeping on the lookout for the occasional bear.  Martie, our at the time 7 week old Springador puppy, made her debut there.

We had the typical Three Dogs, Three Meat Cook.  8th in chicken, 7th in ribs, 11th in brisket, and a deserved 27th in pork (ouch), added up to a 13th overall.  I tell you, if competitions were three meats we would be rivaling Myron Mixon  for most GC ever.  Just kidding, but we would have at least one. But, champions seal the deal and we just haven't been able to put great product out for all four categories yet.  No excuses.

Overall, Old Forge is a great contest.  Beautiful scenery, cool weather in July, big payouts if you are lucky enough to walk top five, and the area is littered with lots of great little pubs.

I believe that Old Forge will be a regular in the Three Dogs rotation for years to come.

Hudson Valley Ribfest, New Paltz, New York.

Hudson Valley is an odd duck of a contest.  Generally, you stay in your extended area for BBQ competitions.  You know what judges like, why tempt fate?  Hudson Valley, due to its proximity, pulls teams from New England, Western NY, and the Mid-Atlantic.  It also pulls judges from all three areas.  Good teams always rise to the top, but this convergence of different regions does add an X factor to the competition.  Results are always interesting.  

It all started here for Three Dogs back in 2011.  At our first contest here, we got a walk and a check for the pizza turn in.  Hope fell in love with BBQ at that point and the rest is history.  We followed that up with a chicken wing walk the next year and our first KCBS call in 2013.  This is the only contest we have attended every year since we started competing and we always will.  The ribfest has grown a lot over the years, adding country concerts and lots of vendors.  We have fun, but this contest has never been kind to us.  Perhaps this would be the year.

Friday was load in day and we were one of the first to arrive.  That gave us the opportunity to enjoy the oppressive humidity, constant rain, and the black flies and mosquitoes.  I wouldn't have it any other way.  Mental note, five tiki torches do keep the flies and bugs away.  They also stay lit in driving rain.  Bonus...

Saturday dawned and we sauntered over the Mort's Meat Mafia to assist with the NEBS grilling.  I made our pulled pork pizza for Mort and Jeff.  Yes, this was the pizza that gave us our first walk in competitive BBQ and has yet to disappoint.  Mort took a 6th with this pizza, along with a 10th in steak, and a 9th in apple dessert for 19th overall.  We won't talk about the wrapped in bacon turn in...

Afterward, we strolled back over to our site and prepped for the KCBS cook.  Still oppressively humid, but there was a slight breeze and a front was moving in later that night.  Perhaps it would cool off a bit.

When Sunday dawned, it was noticeably cooler and less humid, good cooking weather.  Everything made it in on time and all we could do was wait for what I fondly call The Reckoning.  Now, I thought we had a good cook.  I didn't say that out loud because generally that means the judges will tear you apart.  Yes, I am superstitious like that.  Well, for once my hunch was right.  4th in ribs and our first category win with a 1st in pork added up to a 5th place overall out of 59 tough teams from all along the East Coast.

Next up, our final competition of the year, Oinktoberfest in Clarence, NY.  Stop by and say hi.  Hope to see you there.

Thanks for stopping by,

Bill

Hudson Valley Ribfest - New Paltz, NY

Last weekend, the Three Dogs BBQ road show hitched up the trailer and headed out east to take part in the Hudson Valley Ribfest.  It is very hard to believe that past weekend was our fifth time to compete in the HVRF.  This was our first contest and therefore competing here is somewhat special to us.  This past weekend was no different.

On day one, we participated in the New England Barbecue Society grilling competition, the categories being the usual pizza and apple dessert and the other two being wrapped in bacon and sliders.

Seventh place pulled pork pizza.  Think Mc. Rib on a pizza crust.

Wrapped in Bacon was a bacon wrapped grilled cheese.  Good for 19th place.

Slider turn in.  Beef sliders with sharp cheddar and burnt onion bacon jam.  Yes, we realized too late that the buns were too big for the box and we had to do some trimming.  This entry was good for 16th.

We invited Red Valley BBQ to cook with us and make their famous apple pie cheesecake. I imagine in the picture below Sean was explaining that this dessert was a slam dunk...

Well, we came in last with this entry.  28th out of 28.  We liked it.  Oh well.  Perhaps bigger things were in the cards for Red Valley BBQ...  We finished the day 22nd overall out of 28 teams.

On day two, we competed in the KCBS competition.  This features the standard entries of chicken, pork ribs, pork butt, and brisket.

Chicken is our most consistent category, usually finishing in the teens or higher.  Not this weekend.  This box was good for 37 out of 57 teams.  I thought it was one of our better chicken efforts this year.    It was just not meant to be.

Lots of winter time practice is paying off in the summer with ribs.  We have been surprising strong in a category that was a bit of a weak one for us in the past.  The above entry was good for 8th place.

Pork has been good to us this year as well.  The box above was good for 4th place for the day.

Finally, our brisket.  This was one of the best looking brisket boxes we have turned in this year.  But we live and die by our brisket.  Today was not so good.  Every brisket is different and this one was done real early in the morning.  It was a tad overcooked and we took a well deserved 38th out of 57 teams.  Add it all up and Three Dogs finished 22nd out of 57 total teams.

Huge congratulations go out to Red Valley BBQ for their first GC.  Sean and Adriane have been on the competition circuit for eight years and the hard work is starting to pay off finally.  It is great to see good friends win.  It made the day even better.

Congratulations also go out to Smokin Boys & Hot Grills, our Reserve Grand Champion.  With a GC in Ottawa the week before, Greg is on a bit of a roll.  Keep it going!

Next up for Three Dogs is the Finger Lakes Fire and Smoke BBQ Festival in Geneva, NY.  Rikk promises to have a great first time competition this year on the lake.  If you are looking to enter a competition over the Labor Day weekend, this event might just be for you.

Thanks for stopping by,

Bill

I Love BBQ and Music Festival - Lake Placid, NY

Over the Fourth of July weekend, half of the Three Dogs BBQ crew hi the road to compete in the I Love BBQ and Music Festival all the way up in Lake Placid, NY.  Hope had to stay home to tend to one of the dogs, but I had very capable help in the form of Sandy, Jason, and Dave from Locked N Loaded BBQ.

As you may have heard, the 1980 Winter Olympics were held in Lake Placid.  The BBQ competition itself took place on the infield of the speed skating oval.

The historical significance of this speed skating venue was not lost upon me.  The 1980 Winter Games were my first exposure to the Olympic games.  On this very track, Eric Heiden won five gold medals for the USA at distances ranging from 500 to 10,000 meters.  Unheard of today with the specialization seen between sprinters and distance skaters.  If it wasn't for the Miracle that took place in the hockey rink next door, Eric Heiden would have been the face on the Wheeties box that winter.

The weekend is a long one.  Friday is the New England Barbecue Society competition as well as the People Choice Pulled Pork competition.  In NEBS, the categories were strip steak, chicken, fattie, and pizza.  Twelve total teams competed.  Our steak came in 9th place, chicken came in 3rd, the fattie in 4th place, and the pizza in 10th.

The Locked N Loaded crew were in charge of the chicken (stuffed with spinach and cheese) and the fattie (buffalo chicken stuffed sausage, wrapped in bacon).  I took care of the steak and the pizza (Brisket Cheesesteak).  We came in 9th overall.  Congrats go out to The Basic BBQ Team, our Grand Champions and to Buckner Brothers Barbecue, our Reserve Grand Champions.

But, the highlight of the day was winning the Peoples Choice Pulled Pork contest. No one was more shocked than I.

Day two was The Best Ribs in the East competition.  Three Dogs came in a respectable seventh place.  Also on Saturday, the Locked N Loaded kids competed in the Youth Division of the Kids Q as Hot Shot BBQ.

In their first time out, Hot Shot BBQ won the Grand Championship with a strong showing in the categories of steak, chicken, pork ribs, and dessert.  Good job guys!

The final day at Lake Placid brought the KCBS competition.  This event is so competitive that the art of shigging has been elevated to new technological heights.

If you look hard enough, you can see a drone under that tent

Here are our entries:

The chicken, ribs, and pork were respectable, finishing 12th, 17th, and 10th respectively.  The brisket as not so good, coming in 26th place.  These entries were good for 16th out of 31 total teams.  Average defined!  Not our best showing, but far from our worst.  

Congrats to out to Smokin Hoggz BBQ, our Grand Champion and to Quau, our Reserve Grand Champion.  I would also like to thank Dmitry and his staff for putting on a first class event.  Three Dogs will be back next year for sure.  

We are now in the middle of our mid summer break.  Next up is the Hudson Valley Ribfest in August.  See you then!

Thanks for stopping by,

Bill

Hudson Valley Ribfest 2014: NEBS Competition

Most BBQ competitions in New York are a two day affair.  One day is the traditional KCBS competition.  KCBS is the traditional smoked chicken, ribs, pork butt, and brisket.  Rules do not allow for much variation.  But, day two is usually a New England BBQ Society competition.  These contests consist of four entries that change from year to year and contest to contest.  Garnish is open and creativity is encouraged.  Basically, it is a throw down between teams.  Whose backyard recipe is the best.

While the KCBS part of the weekend was successful for us, NEBS was not so successful.  

The categories this year were Pizza,Wrapped in Bacon, Salmon, and Apple Dessert.  The Pizza and Apple Dessert categories are traditions at New Paltz.  The other two categories rotate from year to year.  

We were hopeful entering this contest.  But, success was not to be.  Why?  Keep on reading.

Our first entry was a Reuben Pizza.  Fresh made rye crust, Thousand Island dressing, homemade sauerkraut, corned beef, and shredded Jarlsberg cheese.  A delicious entry if I say so myself.

It was just not meant to be.  We were DQ'd for turning in 19 seconds late.  Why were were late?  Well, the clock the contest reps use is radio powered.  It syncs with the same time signal your cell phone gets.  Service is spotty in New Paltz and at the 8 am time check, my phone was a minute and a half fast.  No problem.  Mental note.  Someones clock must have found the signal along the way and synced to the correct time, hence we were late.  Our first DQ in three years.  It happens to the best of us and it was our fault for cutting it close.  My only comment is that there were five DQ's for late turn ins on Saturday.  It is rare to have one.  Five is unheard of in competition.  Who knows what happened.  Lesson learned.  

Our Wrapped in Bacon turn in was our Mega Meat Dog.  This time we used ground round, seasoned with brisket rub.  It looks quite good.

This box was 20th out of 27 teams.  The ground beef ended up a bit dry.  I think we will be retiring this recipe for competitions in the future.  

Next up was apple dessert.  We entered an Apple Bourbon Bread Pudding with Butterscotch Bourbon Sauce.  

We loved it.  The teams around us loved it.  The judges, not so much.  This entry came in 22nd.  Time to retire this recipe and go back to our Apple Blondies next year.  

The last entry of the day was our Grilled BBQ Steelhead Salmon.

We had a little bit of redemption on this entry.  Our salmon was good for 11th out of 27.  The skin did not get a crispy as I would have liked and I think it hurt us.  With some tweaks, I think we can do well with this in the future.  

Overall, we finished 26th.  While we did not fair well in the standings,we did have a fun day.  Our friend Ben who has moved to the area came up for the day to hang out with us and help when needed.  He was quite impressed at how serious the teams are that compete.  He thought we drank beer and cooked stuff on a Weber kettle grill.  Ben now has an appreciation for what competition teams do to succeed.  

Even though we did not do well, Ben did help us to be more stylish as you can see.  

Congrats to our Reserve Grand Champions Blazin' Butts and to our Grand Champions Good Smoke BBQ.  Brian and Kelly have been tearing up NEBS competitions this year.  We are going to have to make it a point to stop by their restaurant and sample their menu.  Keep up the good work!

Thanks for stopping by,

Bill

Hudson Valley Ribfest 2014: KCBS Competiton

The Three Dogs BBQ road show packed up and headed to New Paltz, NY this past weekend to compete in the Hudson Valley Ribfest for the weekend.

So, after picking up some provisions at Dave's Country Meats...

... and some other odds and ends, we hit the road for the long drive out east.

We were the first team on site Friday, so it was easy to back into our site.  Was this a good omen?

The smoke was rolling on Sunday morning...

And we had a rather large dancing chicken next to us as well.

How did we do?  Well, the scores tell the story.

In the "it tasted better than it looked" category was our chicken box.

I've never had so may legs with split skin.  These were our best looking six legs.  But, the taste and tenderness was good enough to net us a 9th place out of 60 teams.  A good start to the day.

Next up, our ribs.

We switched to baby backs for this competition and the change paid off for us.  We garnered our best KCBS score of the year, good enough for a 12th place.

Then, the pork box...

We should not have put the money muscle in the box.  It was underdone.  But, my heart won out over my brain and we paid for the decision.  We took 45th place with this box.  Lesson learned.

Finally, our brisket.

After a bit of struggling this year, we changed our cooking method this time around and it helped for sure.  This box came in 7th.  Add it all up and we came in 17th place overall out of 60 teams.  Our pork definitely kept us out of the top ten and maybe even the top five.  It was just not to be.  What can you do?

Hudson Valley was our first competition in 2011.  This competition holds a special place in our heart since it was our first.  Also, Rolf and Stephanie do a wonderful job organizing this competition.  Keep up the good job guys.

Finally, congrats to all who walked.  Team Eatapedia, nice to see you end your mini slump and Shortsville Smokers on their top 10 overall.  Also, big congrats to our Grand Champion Ack-Que and Reserve Grand Champion Blazin Butts BBQ.

We are already planning our trip for next year.  See you then.

Thanks for stopping by,

Bill

Hudson Valley Ribfest 2013. NEBS Competition

As always at Hudson Valley, Saturday is NEBS competition day.  Categories this year were the usual two traditional for Hudson Valley, pizza and apple dessert.  In addition, the other two categories were Wrapped in Bacon and Shrimp.  Lets move on to the scores and entries.

Here are our scores for this years contest:

As you can see, a mixed bag of results.

As we posted on here before, we came up with a really nice Chicken Fajita Pizza.  So, we decided to enter this pie in the competition this year.

Being made.

Final result.

The above entry was good for a 143.3828 and 22nd out of 26 teams.  I guess people in the Hudson Valley don't like Mexican flavors.  One of the veteran teams said that you cannot go too far out of the box.  They need a baseline for comparison.  Maybe the enchilada sauce was asking too much.  So, this pizza is retired as an entry in competition.

Next up was Wrapped in Bacon.  We decided to use the Country Ribs, Wrapped in Bacon recipe that we posted on the blog a few weeks ago.  Here were the results.

Is that bacon garnish you ask?  Yes it is.  At the last minute, we decided to ditch the lettuce and take advantage of the open garnish rule in NEBS.  Hope put together a bacon weave and we cooked it on the smoker.  Here is the weave on its own.

Truthfully, I was apprehensive.  I was afraid it would crumble after cooking.  But, Hope came through and we scored well in appearance with 5 9's and an 8.  Plus, it was edible!  The above box scored a 166.8344, good for 7th out of 26.

Next up was apple dessert, our past nemesis.  This year, we went with an apple blond brownie.  Here is the recipe we found.  Here are the results.

The brownies were dense and moist.  The light dollop of cream cheese frosting was perfect along with the fried apple slices.  We have finally found an apple dessert that will work in a competition.  All we need to do is work on a dessert garnish.  Any ideas folks?  The above box was good for a 165.7028 and 9th out of 26.  Kudos go to Sandy with All Fired Up and Kicking Ash who took third with a Butterscotch Apple Cheesecake that was to die for.

Last up was grilled shrimp.  We decided to enter a nice grilled shrimp taco.

We prepared a chili lime marinade for the shrimp and grilled for two minutes a side.  Tortillas were grilled to a light crispiness.  Shrimp was layered with grated queso blanco and fresh salsa.  Unfortunately, we finished DAL with these.  We scored a 141.0628, good for 26th out of 26th.  Some of it was taste, some of it was that we think the salsa started to make the tortilla soggy while sitting in the box.  Lesson learned.  Our neighbor team, Ribs Within, entered an outstanding grilled shrimp presented in a shot glass with a horseradish Bloody Mary shot.  I loved it, but as stated before, it was a bit to outside the box.

Overall, we scored a 616.9828, good for 20th out of 26.  Some good, some bad.  We learned and will move on for future contests.

Thanks for stopping by,

Bill