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

A Day at the Asylum: Almost Heaven BBQ Bash

Last weekend, the Three Dogs BBQ road show packed up and headed off to the asylum.  BBQ'er's are a little crazy to be in the world of competition BBQ.  So, it was fitting that the 3rd annual Almost Heaven BBQ Bash was held on the grounds of the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in Weston, WV.

This building is the largest hand cut sandstone building in North America and the second largest in the world.  I did not take any of the tours offered but from what I hear the history of this building, which dates back to the 1850's, is quite chilling.  Bulk lobotomies, torture rooms, holding boxes.  You get the picture.

The facility was finally shut its doors in 1994.  Since then, the building has been purchased by a local businessman who is restoring the inside to its original state.  Various historical and haunted tours are run and from what I hear, the former asylum is a must see on the list of haunted places to visit in the United States.  Definitely a unique place to hold a BBQ competition.

So, with one eye on our smokers and one eye looking over our back for ghosts, we fired up our smokers and got down to the business of smoking meat.

To add to the craziness, this competition was an auto qualifier to the Jack Daniels BBQ Championship as this is the only sanctioned BBQ contest held in West Virginia.  Win and you are in.  No sweating out the Jack Draw in August.  Consequently, this contest drew 57 of the best teams from east of the Mississippi.  The field was the toughest we have ever competed against.  How would we fare?

Well, the results were mixed.  Overall, we were very happy with our results, but we did leave some points on the table.  29th place chicken, 3rd place ribs, 37th place pork, and 19th place brisket added up to an 18th overall.  Our pork box was mixed.  "Great pulled, rubbery slices" were the comments.  We agree.  We should have left the money muscle out of the box.  The ribs were spot on, falling one taste and one tenderness point away from a 180.

But the brisket box is the story of the day...

The temperature was rising slowly on this brisket.  I could not figure out why.  When we pulled our brisket out of the foil, the flat split right down the middle.  There was a time I would have panicked.  But, we refoiled and let the brisket rest until turn in time.  I started to formulate Plan B.  Later, when we were building our brisket box, I did try to get some slices.  No luck.  Completely overdone.  I believe that my temperature probe was right in the middle of a vein of fat.  So, Plan B went into action.  I pulled the flat, chopped it up, lightly sauced, and dusted a bit with rub.  We threw it into the box with the burnt ends and crossed our fingers.  I was betting on a lower 10% finish.  You can't imagine our surprise when we came in 19th place.  We were dinged a bit on appearance scores, but the taste and tenderness saved us for sure.  We really appreciate that the judges scored what was presented to them and not what they expected to see.

Congratulations go out to Rocky Top BBQ, our GC and Wolf's Revenge, our RGC.  We would also like to thank Royal Oak Charcoal for keeping the 270 Smokers rolling smoke.  Next up is the Adirondack BBQ Festival in July.

Thanks for stopping by,

Bill

BBQ in the Valley - Jamestown, NY.

Last weekend Three Dogs BBQ packed up the trailer and kicked off the New York portion of our BBQ schedule for 2017 by competing in a first year contest, BBQ in the Valley in Jamestown, NY.  Rain was the main dish.  Lots of rain.  Cold too.  If anything, I learned three things:

1. I'll take hot and humid over cold and rainy.
2. Mud has a knack for getting in places that you would never think it could.
3. Disposable cutting boards make for a clean place to stand while changing your muddy clothes in a muddy trailer.

Even George, who loves to come to BBQ competitions, was not having much fun.

But, enough about the weather.  Let's talk about the competition.

BBQ in the Valley was a first year competition organized by the fine folks at Hidden Valley Camping Area.  I must say, you could not tell it was a first year competition.  Everything ran smoothly, from the Cinco de Mayo pot luck, down to having the tractor ready to pull teams out of the muck when the competition was over.  I do like dedicated electric and water as well.  It will be hard to improve upon this year, but I am sure Bill and his staff are up to the task.

As for our cook, we had another solid cook.  12th in chicken that could have been top 10 if not for the  Table of Angels that slanted the results a bit, 13th in ribs (deserved), 7th in pork, and 7th in brisket add up to a 10th overall.

A better trim job on the ribs and we probably net a few more points.  Details, details...

Time to soldier on, mop out the trailer, and get ready for the Salt City BBQ Festival next weekend in Syracuse, NY.  See you there.

Thanks for stopping by,

Bill

Kings Mountain Firehouse BBQ Cookoff - Kings Mountain, NC

Last weekend, Three Dogs BBQ kicked off their 2017 season with a round trip down to sunny Kings Mountain, NC to compete in the 21st Annual Kings Mountain Firehouse BBQ Cookoff.

This was a very nice competition held in a field out behind the Kings Mountain Fire Museum.  In a rarity for a competition, there was lots of space for 49 teams to spread out, enjoy the sun, and show off their BBQ skills in what was for many, their first competition of 2017 as well.

This competition is a fund raiser for the fire museum and other assorted needs that the fire department might have.  One of the draws to the competition was a cover band, The Dukes and Smith Band, that was rocking the night as we were preparing to light our smokers.

On Saturday, the day dawned bright and warm.  In a stark difference from New York BBQ, we did not have to deal with the elements.  So weather would not be a factor for this cook.  Very rare for spring BBQ.  So, after day of cooking, it was time for awards.

There were two things that concerned us; recipe tweaks and cooking in an area where we had never cooked in the past.  BBQ is BBQ, but tastes do change from region to region.  What would be our fate?  Our results were very encouraging for our first competition of the season.

First off, we practiced a lot in the off season to improve our chicken.  The results from Kings Mountain are encouraging.  The box below was good enough for 13 out of 49 teams.  Chicken might be back!

Pork was another nemesis last year.  But, after a 12th place finish at Kings Mountain, we are encouraged.  Otherwise, our ribs finished 25th and our brisket 27th.  I knew the ribs were mediocre at best.  The brisket was spot on tender.  I am guessing that the savory sauce for the burnt ends does not work in an area where a sweeter sauce is preferred.  All of this added up to a 19th place overall.  For a team that starts slow and was cooking in a unknown part of the US, we are encouraged.

Next up, we kick off our New York season in pursuit of the Empire State BBQ Championship at BBQ in the Valley in Jamestown, NY.  See you there!

Thanks for stopping by,

Bill

End of the Summer Season

It has been too long since our last post.  You know how it can be.  Life gets in the way, interests and hobbies suffer.  Rest assured though, we have been hitting the competition trail this summer.  Let's look back and see what has gone on since Roc City.

First after Roc City was a trip to Covington, Va for the Covington Cork and Pork Festival.

The competition was held the same weekend that the flooding was taking place just 20 miles away in southern West Virginia.  As a result, all of the teams donated their leftover food to Operation BBQ Relief to feed first responders and those in shelters in the White Sulphur Springs area of West Virginia, one of the hardest hit areas. I've always known that BBQ people have the biggest hearts. This just confirms what I already knew.  As for our results, we came in 17th overall, including a fourth place rib entry.  We have always wanted to win one of the cutting board trophies.  Mission accomplished.

Next up was the first annual Salamanca Rock'in Ribfest in Salamanca, NY.  The hot, humid, and rainy theme for summer 2016 continued.  Even George was looking for some high ground.

Results for this competition were mixed with an 8th in pork and a 7th in brisket.

We had some issues with the other categories, leading to a 21st place overall finish.

Next up was one of our favorite competitions, the Hudson Valley Ribfest in New Paltz, NY.  Again, it was hot and humid, with a 100% chance of flies.  Lots of them.

Chicken has historically been one of our best categories.  So, our low scores this year were a bit of a head scratcher.  But, after Salamanca, I sat down and thought through what we were doing.  I realized that I had left out a few small, but important details.  As a result, we scored an 8th place chicken call with a 28th place finish overall.

So, since reexamining the process worked with the chicken, I reexamined our process with our other meats before competing at the Finger Lakes Fire and Smoke Festival in Geneva, NY over Labor Day weekend.

Our first competition of the year with cool and dry conditions.  Very refreshing after the hot and sticky summer.  The attention to detail paid off with chicken placing just out of the top 10 with an 11th place finish, 5th place ribs, and 5th place brisket adding up to an 8th place finish overall.

So, that sums up the summer season.  I've taken some more notes to capture the little things and we are ready for our last competition of the year in three weeks at the Keystone Classic BBQ Competition in Harrisburg, PA.  Hopefully the upward trend will continue.

Finally, I have been cooking and have some new recipes to share.  I promise in the next few weeks to post more regularly.  Life has just gotten in the way.

Thanks for stopping by,

Bill

Roc City Rib Fest 2016 - Rochester, NY

Last weekend, the Three Dogs BBQ roadshow packed up the trailer and headed to the 2016 version of the Roc City Rib Fest in Rochester, New York.  This competition is one of our favorites for many reasons.  But, I would say one of the biggest reasons is that this competition is sort of like the Super Bowl for New York BBQ.  This test of a pit masters skills attracts top teams from all over New York, the Mid Atlantic, and Canada.  

Another wild card can be the weather.  Three years ago Roc City was a complete mud fest with rain dominating the weekend.  Last year was sunny, but it was so cold that dishwater was freezing in everyone's pans overnight.  This year?  Mother Nature dialed up an August weekend with temps in the shade running in the 90's and inside trailers at 100+.  Sports drinks and bottled water kept everyone going during the hot muggy days.  George was a trooper though, sleeping through the muggy days in the shade between his numerous drive-by pettings from passers by.

The KCBS competition was on Saturday night through Sunday afternoon, so the day on Saturday was spent catching up with friends, slowly prepping meats, building parsley boxes, and maybe pulling a prank or two on our unsuspecting Canadian friends.

So, after a long night and morning of cooking, it was time to turn in the boxes.  Here is the Lil General in action from Old Virginia Smoke.  Kim runs the boxes as Luke is definitely not built for speed.

Lets got to our boxes, shall we?

The chicken box above came in 19th out of 50.  This entry did win the "Table of Death"  this table was labeled the TOD as all entries scored no higher than our 19th place, with most scoring in the 30's.

Our rib box came in 19th overall.  This table consisted of scoring that was clumped between 19 and 30.

For every TOD, there is also a Table of Angels.  This pork box, while finishing third on the table came in eighth overall, with scores skewed toward the high end of the judging.

Finally, our brisket box.  What used to be our worst category is turning out to be our most improved this year.  This entry came in second overall, with scoring on the table being evenly distributed from top to bottom.

All of the above added up to a fourth place finish overall out of fifty teams.  To be honest with you, I was not expecting much after our cook.  Mostly because we have never been able to manage a call in any of our previous four times at Roc City.  Perhaps the hard work and practice is starting to pay off dividends.  We shall see as the season progresses.

Congrats to our Grand Champion, Insane Swine, owners of one of the best logos in competition BBQ.  Congrats also go out to Old Virginia Smoke, our Reserve Grand Champion.

Finally, we would again like to thank Brian, Kelly, and their entire crew for making Roc City run smoothly.  They always do a great job and this year was no exception.

Next up for Three Dogs BBQ is the Covington Cork and Pork Festival, in Covington, VA.  We hope to see you there.

Thanks for stopping by,

Bill

Salt City BBQ Festival - Syracuse, NY

Last weekend, the Three Dogs BBQ Roadshow packed up the trailer and headed to Syracuse to compete in the Salt City BBQ Festival.  We were looking forward to this competition as this was our first New York competition of the year.  Since we mostly compete in New York, it was a chance to catch up with old friends after the long winter layover.

We were also looking forward to this weekend for a few other reasons as well.

First, it was mine and Hope's fifth wedding anniversary.  I had some friends order a surprise cake on the sly to surprise Hope.  We loved the design!  To top it off, the cake even had cannoli filling.

Second, we added a new member this year for some of our competitions.  Our friend Dennis was a man without a team this year.  So, when his schedule permits, he is cooking with the team.  Dennis, you were a big help this weekend and we are looking forward to the rest of the year.

Finally, if you read this blog, you know that we lost two of our furry kids this past year.  When looking for a new rescue, we decided that we wanted a younger dog that would be trainable so that we could bring them to a competition.  Well, we found that dog in George.  He is a Lab Pointer (?) mix that is almost five months old.  He was great over the weekend.  Well behaved, polite, and a heart breaker.  A Rock Star was born this past weekend.

So, after dinner and some social time, it was time to get down to the business of cooking the standard KCBS meats consisting of chicken, pork ribs, pork butt, and brisket.  Here were our boxes.

We were happy with everything we cooked.  The chicken flavor was outstanding if not a little ratty looking.  We moved to thighs this year and my trimming is a bit rusty.  I promise they will look better as the season moves on.  The ribs were confusing.  Once comment card said it was the best rib they had ever had.  But, another said they were undercooked with a strange flavor.  We were not happy with the pork.  These butts took forever to cook for some reason and did not have the proper amount of time to rest.  We had to hunt for acceptable pieces to place in our boxes.  Finally, the brisket.  this was our best category of the weekend from a scoring standpoint.  I also think that is the best looking brisket box we have ever built.

Overall, we finished 18th out of 32 teams.  Not our best showing, but not our worst either.  Time to tweak some things and get ready for this week at the Roc City Rib Fest in Rochester, NY.

We would be remiss if we did not thank the owner of the building where our trailer was parked.  Let's just say that while Salt City is a good competition, they are logistically challenged at times.  We were 400 feet from the nearest water with 100 feet of hose.  The gracious building owner allowed us to run a hose through his building so that we could find a water source that worked so we could fill out tanks.  Thank you very much!

Finally, congrats to The Basic BBQ Team, our Grand Champion and to Good Smoke, our Reserve Grand Champion.  Also, a shout out to Holy Smokes for the strong showing!

We will see everyone this weekend at Roc City.  Stop by and say hi to George.

Thanks for stopping by,

Bill