BBQ’n at the Autry 07
The second annual BBQ’n at the Autry Barbecue Championship and Festival is right around the corner, April 14 2007. It will be held at the Autry National Center in Griffith Park (4700 Western Heritage Way).It is a very special competition to the Four-Q BBQ Team and myself because it was our inauguration into the world of BBQ competition. There were a couple of local BBQ events that were canceled last year and it’s nice to see that this one is coming back.
There will be cooking demonstrations, food booths, entertainment, arts and crafts (for the kids), and a whole bunch of other stuff. There is one difference from last year aside from our team having a year of experience under our belts; they are charging an admission fee ($9 adults, $7 students and senior 62+, $3 children 3-12, free for children under 2, and free parking). If you are planning on attending, come early to see the competitors get their entries ready… it’s just like on TV. I will update this post if more information becomes available.
I haven’t abandoned BBQ or this blog
Most of you might be wondering about the lack of posts on this website… yeah me too. I took a little time off from work and blogging to dedicate that time towards getting to know my new baby girl. Yeah, the BBQ Junkie has multiplied. But it is all good. My posts will continue to be a little scarce, but will increase in frequency as I get the hang of this daddyhood thing.
Wanted to throw out a quick little update on our BBQ Team Four-Q. We managed to pull together a third place trophie at the Beach Front BBQ Competition back in november… sadly, I didn’t participate on that occasion 
There are great photos at the other team member sites:
Soul Fusion Kitchen
Professor Salt
The Survival Gourmet
Look for all of Four-Q to compete in the spring at Autry.
Peace out for now.
Beachfront Barbecue-A California State Championship
The California BBQ Association will be hosting a BBQ championship at Imperial Beach on November 10-11, 2006. It looks like this is going to be the last BBQ competition in Southern California for 2006 (the December Rose Bowl competition got cancelled). This event is a qualifier for the American Royal Invitational event in Kansas City. Sounds like a good reason to sign up?
Four Q BBQ Team will be there representin’… the bad news is that I will not be joining them. Got a lot of things keeping me busy on the weekends lately. More on that later.
Here is the information if you are interested in attending or competing:
When: November 10-11, 2006
Contact: Gene Goycochea 619-429-1234 by e-mail genestowing@sbcglobal.net
Event Information: Imperial Beach Chamber of Commerce (619) 424-3151
Where: 800 block Seacoast Drive at the Beach
I encourage you to check out the CBBQA website for more information and if you have questions, post them in the forum area:
www.cbbqa.com
BBQ Junkie has a MySpace profile.
Ok, I’ve really done it this time. I’ve created a MySpace profile for BBQ Junkie just to see if there any BBQ Enthusiasts in MySpace land. It turns out that there are plenty. I also find that Q’rs are using that website to create homepages for themselves and their BBQ teams.
For those who aren’t familiar with MySpace, I know there is about a dozen of you out there, it is an online community that lets you create a profile and add pictures. MySpace is all about comments, if you don’t have too much time for making them you might not get the full experience. It’s not a traditional webpage where you have total control, but there is some creative freedom.
If you want to create a webpage for yourself where you might not need the community aspect, Google Pages is a great alternative with a googlerific web interface. If you have a BBQ team that does catering and need a webpage for your menu and photos, this could be a good solution for you. It’s easy and quick. There are plenty of websites out there that can get you on the web in no time at all.
If you need a quick webpage for your BBQ services check out this link:
Google Page Creator
If you want to add me as a MySpace friend or check out my profile here you go:
MySpace Proflie
Viejas Smokin’ in the Park results
Congratulations to all of the teams that competed in this weekend’s Smokin’ in The Park BBQ competition. Here are the results:
Grand Champion - Otis and the Bird
Reserve Grand Champion- Asleep at the Grill
Chicken
- 1st Two Loose Screws
2nd The Pit Stop BBQ, LLC
3rd Hombre
4th Otis and the Bird
5th Ric’s Righteous Ribs
Pork Ribs
- 1st The Rib Doctor
2nd Smokin’ Steve’s Pit BBQ
3rd Otis and the Bird
4th Tropical Heat BBQ
5th The Change Smoker
Pork Shoulder
- 1st The Change Smoker
2nd Asleep at the Grill
3rd Otis and the Bird
4th Mojave Hot Stuff
5th Sug’s Shack BBQ
Brisket
- 1st Two Loose Screws
2nd Sug’s Shack BBQ
3rd Asleep at the Grill
4th Out Of This World BBQ
5th The Pit Stop BBQ, LLC
BBQ Junkie Forum is gone
I decided that it was time to dismantle the BBQ Junkie Forum (not the blog, just the forum) for a few reasons. The only reason that I had put it up was because I could. Not a very good reason. Secondly I (or anyone else) would rarely visit the forum. What’s the fun in that? It was also getting spammed so bad I couldn’t keep up with it and I needed to focus my attention on the BBQ Junkie blog. The forum needed moderation and I didn’t have the time to do it. Who knows, in the future it may be reincarnated but in the meantime if you are looking for a few good BBQ forums check these out:
Smokin’ in The Park
This weekend is the 2nd annual Smokin’ in The Park BBQ championship at the Viejas Outlet Center in Alpine California. Alpine is located a little east of San Diego in case you didn’t know. Last year’s event was great and I’m sure this one will be even better.
I was scheduled to be a judge at this event, but something came up and I had to withdraw. It really bums me out because last year they had gift baskets for all of the judges… and I really love gift baskets.
Cheap Eats
Saw this article in the LA Times Food section on great food deals in L.A. What a nice surprise to have a BBQ restaurant listed as the #3 pick. The restaurant is the Swinging Door in North Hollywood and they have an amazing deal that serves up to eight people for $56 dollars… not bad for real smoked meat. I haven’t visited this restaurant to sample their goods, but I’m sure that I will be there soon.
What is up with the BBQ Junkie?
Took a little time off from blogging… work was getting the best of me. Now, I figure it’s time to update the site and create some posts. I started by updating my WordPress software and now my BBQ Junkie header has vanished. It looks like I’m going to have to go in and edit some code. Oh well, look forward to some upcoming content.
BBQ Judging Class
The California Barbecue Association is holding a BBQ judging class on October 20th at 2nd Annual Smokin’ In The Park Barbecue Championship. This is being held in Alpine, CA… a little east of San Diego. I made it down there last year in a couple of hours, it’s not too far. These BBQ judging classes don’t come around too often… the last one was held over a year ago. I can’t recommend these classes enough.
If you compete or are thinking of competing in a BBQ competition, you can learn what goes on in the judge’s tent. Learn what is expected from your turn-in plate and how to prepare to better prepare yourself. If you are a BBQ enthusiast you can learn more about traditional American barbecue. What can be better than spending some quality time with other folks who also enjoy BBQ?
The cost is $35 if you are a KCBS member and a $70 if you aren’t. If the cost seems a bit steep, think about the benefits.
• You get to eat some pretty good BBQ during the class
• You learn about BBQ from some of California’s best Q’rs
• You meet and mingle with other BBQ enthusiasts
• You can sign up to judge on the following day (if there is room) or any other KCBS sanctioned BBQ competition
• You become an Official Kansas City Barbecue Society BBQ (KCBS) Judge… this alone is worth the price of admission.
I have signed up to be a judge at this event, hopefully I will see you there. Perhaps you can’t make it to this event or you live too far away? You can search the KCBS website for BBQ judging classes that may be closer to you just by clicking here.