Am I Nuts or Does This Sound Like A Great Opportunity?

[Kloset BBQR]

Jamie Geer gave me a call on Monday and told me that he is slighly ahead on his pit production and that my new pit may be available for pickup as early as mid September (instead of early October as originally promised).

I was looking at the July issue of the Bullsheet this morning and saw an article on the Smoke on the Water $105,000 BBQ Challenge, the first half of which was held May 9th and 10th. It just so happens that the second half of the contest ($50,000 in overall prize money) will be held on September 19th and 20th in Hot Springs AR (I think you know where I'm heading with this now).

Here's my plan. I'm going to call Jamie and see if he can have the pit totally completed and seasoned by September 17th. I can pick up some nice Texas wood (oak, pecan, & mesquite) down there and I'm sure Jamie could hook me up with a great spot to get my meat (he's in Ft. Worth). Hot Springs is only a little over 300 miles from there and on my way back home. The plan would be to pick up the cooker get a quick lesson on the pit from Jamie and then drive to Hot Springs and cook on the pit for the first time at the Smoke on the Water Competition. Is this a bad idea or would others on the board do this as well. I'm not out any gas money only the cost of the comp and the meat. The contest pays $10,000 to the winner and pays out to 20 places in each category and pays out to the top 10 overall. Probably a once in a lifetime opportunity to do this since I will be in the area. The key will be getting a committment from Jamie to have the pit ready by then which I think he would do.

Would anyone from Arkansas like to help me with the comp if I do this? Cliff?

Thanks for any input. I haven't discussed this with anyone yet.

Here is a link to the contest.

http://www.smokeonthewaterbbq.com/Home.html

 

[Greg Rempe]

Sounds like a great idea if the pit will be ready!! WHY NOT!!!???!

 

[Kloset BBQR]

Ok I'm convinced I'm totally insane here but now that I've had 2 or 3 minutes to think this through I've come up with another brainstorm.
I'm going to ask Jamie Geer if he'd like to cook with me at his contest. I figure for him it would be a great way to promote his new business and for me I'd have the guy that built the pit with me in case I have a steeper learning curve than originally planned. Sounds like a win-win for both of us and if he accepts I know that the pit will be guaranteed to be ready.

Thats the plan for now anyway! The top teams in the country will be there. Here is the list of teams that finished in the top 20 of the last contest and have a chance for the $5000 bonus money.

1. QUAU
2. Four Men and a Pig
3 Blazen BBQ
4. KC Can Crew
5. BBQr's Delight
6. Tarheel Smokers
7 J and J Redneck
8 Smoken Guns BBQ
9 Smoke on Wheels
10 Lotta Bull BBq
11 Ghost River Smoke-A-Holic
12 Cancersuckschicago.com
13 Pellet Envy
14 Ulcer Acres BBQ
15 Delta Smoke
16 Once Slice at a Time
17 EJ's Q
18 Bad to the Bone
19 Whizards of Que
20 Pink Flamingo BBQ

 

[Diva Q]

I think this is an AWESOME idea.

wow. I have some serious pit envy and comp envy LOL

 

[GoodSmokeBBQ]

go get'em!

 

[Rag1]

Great plan Dallas. With all those winnings, you can pay for your pit and pay me $3k to come help cook. I like that.

 

[Cliff H.]

If at all possibe I would be down for helping out. I don't know how much help I would be since I have never competed before.


I could take pictures at the very least.

I will have to check my work schedule.

 

[BigGQ]

The second plan sounds better. Good luck!

 

[Kloset BBQR]

Great plan Dallas. With all those winnings, you can pay for your pit and pay me $3k to come help cook. I like that.

Ok Rag, come on down, bring your knife sharpening equipment and your trailer and I'll cut you in for a percentage of the profits from the contest.

Seriously though you could probably make a pretty penny sharpening knives for all those High Rollers!

 

[Kloset BBQR]

If at all possibe I would be down for helping out. I don't know how much help I would be since I have never competed before.


I could take pictures at the very least.

I will have to check my work schedule.

Cliff, I'd love to meet you and have you cook with me. Comps are a blast and the names at this one are some of the biggest in the business.
The contest is a Friday/Saturday contest. You wouldn't have to be there until the evening. Shouldn't have to interfere to much with work unless you work weekends.

Its all contingent upon Jamie guaranteeing that the pit will be ready. I've talked to him briefly about the opportunity. He was a little hesitant in committing to a firm date but is going to call me back in a few minutes to discuss further. He likes the idea though so I think I can talk him into it.

 

[Puff1]

Dallas that sounds like it would be one great adventure!

 

[Kloset BBQR]

Dallas that sounds like it would be one great adventure!

Thanks for all the input Guys. Now I can show all the support I got to my wife and convince her this is a great idea!

You're right Puff, it will be an adventure. We have a competition in Cincinnati the week before Hot Springs which will put us 250 miles closer to Texas to start with. I figure we'd make it a week and drive down to Memphis the first night, get some good BBQ there, then head to Dallas the next day and see the sights. Go over to Ft. Worth the following day, go to the stockyards pick up some good Texas beef brisket and hopefully all the other meats we'll need and some good Texas sausage. Then we'd pick the pit and wood up the following day and drive to the contest. Set up on Friday morning, and then push it real hard coming back to get back to Cleveland by very late Sunday night.

 

[Cliff H.]

Don't sweat it If the pit falls thru. If I can work it out to come then I can bring my drum AND my wsm.

 

[Unity]

Am I Nuts or Does This Sound Like A Great Opportunity?

(Ooh, the temptation. :twisted: )

Actually, I think you'd be nuts not to follow through on this, if the pit will be ready in time. It'd be a wonderful experience, firing it for the first time at a big comp, with builder and friends cheering you on. Go for it!

--John
(Even if you join the ISTC club, it'd be a great story to tell.)

 

[Captain Morgan]

it's the perfect situation...no one expects you to do well because
the cooker is new and the cook is, well, you. But if you do well,
some of the big boys will remember your name.

 

[Kloset BBQR]

LOL! That's true Cappy, the pressure is definitely on them!

And to think it all started with a WSM 5 short years ago!

 

[A. Massey]

That sounds like a great plan. Hope it falls into place for ya.

 

[Kloset BBQR]

That sounds like a great plan. Hope it falls into place for ya.

Things are indeed starting to fall in place! I got a call from Jamie today saying that the pit will be ready in three weeks. I'm going to have a few extra touches done to the pit such as Rhino coating the floor of the trailer, and having my team name painted on the smoker. Jamie said he'd get me a load of wood for the contest and also arrange for some CAB Prime Brisket too!

We'll be heading to the Dallas/Ft. Worth area on September 15th. We'll spend the night of the 15th in Memphis and hit the Big D on the 16th and spend the 17th in the area. We'll pick up the pit on the 18th and drive to Hot Springs so that we'll be at the contest on the evening of the 18th.

Hope to see a few of you Razorbacks, Texans, and Tennesse Volunteers on my BBQ journey!

The pit will look very similar to this one with the exception of the trailer being a Fire Engine Red color.

 

[Puff1]

That is one fine looking rig Dallas!
Gonna' be one hell of a trip! 8)

 

[Diva Q]

That is going to be incredible!!