Roc City Ribfest - KCBS Event

Well, now on to day three of our Roc City Ribfest adventure.  After the soggy and muddy start, the final two days were full of sunshine.  The mud puddles even started to recede a bit.

One of the best aspects in the competition world are the friendships that you make over the years.  We primarily compete in New York, and this was the first competition of the year in the Empire State.  So, it was great catching up over the weekend on everyones lives.

Mitch is exactly where I left him last year, taking a nap.

Hollywood Butt Doubles working on their ribs.

Lets get down to business.  Scores and turn in boxes.

At first glance, it was not a good day for us.   But our overall score, 628.5828, was 20 points higher than last year and good for 42 out of 86 teams, two spots higher than last year.  

Our chicken was good for a 163.9884 and 29 out of 86.

Our grand champion ribs from Saturday were not so grand champion on Sunday.  146.2628 and 73 out of 86, plus a comment card saying they were over done.  I tend to agree.  Some days you are the windshield and some days you are the bug.  We were the bug.

Our pork scored a 155.4744, 55th out of 86.

Our brisket rebounded a bit from Annapolis, 162.8572, 28th out of 86.

Overall, we were happy with our cook.  But, after scanning the scores, we lost at table roulette.  We were on three of the toughest scoring tables of the competition.  Not much you can do there.  It is just luck of the draw.  Judging was tough this weekend.  Some very good teams had some very tough weekends.

Congrats to Priorville, our Grand Champions and to Aporkalypse Now, our Reserve Grand Champions. We had a side bet this weekend as well.  One six pack of craft beer to the overall chicken winner.  Our contribution was Dogfish 90 Minute IPA.  Keith with KC and the Smokeshack Band was the winner and walked home with 91 bottles of fine brew.  Will you be bringing some of your hoppy bounty to Cross Boarder?

Would also like to send congrats to our good friends at Locked and Loaded BBQ.

They had a very good weekend with a sixth place chicken entry.  Also, Caleb entered the Kids Q competition on Saturday.  This years entry was steak.  Caleb cooked a beautiful looking strip steak to perfection and a second place.  Good job Caleb.

Finally, huge kudos go out to Brian, Jon, Kelly, and the rest of the Roc City crew.  You always run a first rate competition and this year, you did so in fire fighting mode.  Finding places for everyone in soft and muddy conditions and providing them with electric and water was a miracle.  We will see you next year.

Next up, Cross Boarder Blues, Brews, and Ques.

Thanks for stopping by,

Bill

World Bacon Championship - Roc City Ribfest

BPart of the day one festivities at the Roc City Ribfest is a NEBS sanctioned contest with a theme: The World Bacon Championship.  This year, the four categories consisted of; Bacon in a Box (no garnish, no applied seasoning or rub), Your take on a BLT, Beef Burger with Bacon, and Bacon Dessert.  This year we teamed up with Sandy from Locked and Loaded BBQ to compete as Three Dogs BBQ for the NEBS contest.  Lets go right to the entries.

First up, Bacon in a Box:

Who doesn't like bacon?  Well, apparently the judges do not like ours.  We placed 41st out of 44 teams.  We did not do well last year as well.  We have just used bacon bought at specialty smokehouses.  To be honest, we are going to have to cure and smoke our own bacon next year.  You are allowed to add seasoning during the cure process.  Lots of teams cure and smoke their own bacon for this competition.

Next up, our take on a BLT:

We went the stuffed tomato route.  I sliced roma tomatoes and scooped out the pulp and seeds.  Then, we coated with olive oil, salt, and pepper.  I placed them in the smoker at 350 F, skin side up, for 10 minutes to get some caramelization on the tomato.  Then, I filled with a mixture of crumbled bacon (cooked on the smoker), diced romaine, thinly sliced green onion, and mayonnaise.  Once filled, we sprinkled panko bread crumbs on top.  This was good for a sixth place out of 44.  Our best showing of the day.

Next was the beef burger with bacon.  This category was open platter, open garnish:

Slider sized burgers, grilled to perfection.  We topped with bacon, BLT dip, and topped the bun with a dill chip.  This entry scored 38th out of 44.

Finally, the dessert category:

Peanut butter, banana, bacon pie, topped with chocolate butter cream frosting, chocolate drizzle, and crumbled bacon on the butter cream.  This scored 19th out of 44.  Not bad considering desserts have been an issue for us in the past.  We may not have won a ribbon, but at 1200 calories a slice, we at least facilitated a visit to the cardiologist for six judges.

So, overall, we placed 31st out of 44 teams.  Congratulations go out to our Grand Champion, Delivering Smoke BBQ from Niagara Falls, Canada.  They also scored a perfect 180 on their burger entry.  Also, congrats to Diva Q, also from Canada, our Reserve Grand Champion.  She scored a perfect 180 for their BLT entry.

As always, the fairgrounds were alive with the smell of bacon.  Just imagine 44 cook sites focused on cooking four bacon dishes.  It is a beautiful thing.

Finally, we would like to thank Sandy from Locked and Loaded BBQ for joining the Three Dogs BBQ crew for the day.  It was a great time working with you.  Let's do it again next year.

Thanks for stopping by,

Bill

The Perfect Rib (For a Day at Least...)

This past weekend, Three Dogs BBQ packed up the road show and drove up to Rochester, NY to take part in the festivities at the Roc City Ribfest.  There are two days of competitions at this festival.  On Saturday, the World Bacon Championship, a sanctioned NEBS grilling competition, and the Roc City Rib Cookoff, a non-sanctioned charity rib cook off, were held at the Genessee Valley Park.  All 86 professional teams are entered into the rib contest and we were joined by 30 backyard teams, 116 total teams, to determine the best rib in Rochester.  The rules and scoring system is KCBS, but the event is non-sanctioned.

Each backyard team pays $40 to enter and the public can pay to judge for $20.  All of the money raised for the rib cook off is donated to two charitable foundations in the Rochester area: Rochester Childrens Hospital and The Ronald McDonald House.

If you follow this blog, you know that ribs have been our nemesis over the years.  But, over the winter, we have put a lot of time into improving our rib scores.  Our prior entries have scored us a 74th and a 47th place.  So, this was our first try with the revamped recipe.  The only thing we did differently was we cooked our ribs 30 minutes more in foil than usual.  Other than that, the recipe was the same that has been posted here.  Why longer in foil?  I was told that for public judging, the judges prefer a rib with fall off the bone meat.  Remember, KCBS judges want their ribs bite through with a little tug. So, that is what we did.

Here was our entry.

Nice color.  Good shine.  How were they?  Well, I give you the perfect rib.  It wasn't a perfect 180.  We scored a 176.5716.  But, on this day, with these judges, at this event, it was good enough to be be perfect.  We are very happy and proud to say the Three Dogs BBQ are the Roc City Ribfest Rib Cook Off Grand Champions.

It is nice to know that hard work, tips from your friends (Chilebrown and Hutch, you have a little bit of this trophy), and patience can pay off in the long run.

Congrats to the Reserve Grand Champions, Shortsville Smokers.  You guys are a class act and fun to be around.  Also, the Rochester Childrens Hospital and Ronald McDonald House are winners as well.  As has been tradition in the past, the winning teams donated back their prize money for these great causes.  Finally, congrats to all of the participants of the Roc City Rib Cook Off.  We will see all of you next year.

Thanks for stopping by,

Bill

Is this a Good Omen?

I got home from work today and my wonderful wife had the trailer packed and ready to go for the weekend.  All we had to do was tie down the smokers and turn the beast around.  Moving a 24 foot trailer in limited space can be a challenge.  But, I am full of myself after todays feat.

I backed that bad boy up in one swing between the well head and our dogwood.

Then I pulled forward and down the driveway.

In one swing, I backed the trailer into its spot, turned around and ready to go for tomorrow.

Hope was quite impressed with me.  So was I.  Is this a good omen for the weekend at the Roc City Ribfest?  Lets hope so.

Thanks for stopping by,

Bill