Gary Silvey's BBQ Cook Off Clarksville, TN

July 11-12, 2008
After a hot but enjoyable 4th of July at the lake with Kathy (wife), CoCo (dog #1), Beau (dog #2), Kathy & Gary (neighbors), & Jeff, LouAnn, & Amber (friends) we prepared to enter Gary Silvey's BBQ Cook Off in Clarksville, TN for the second year. It also marked the one year anniversary of Richard joining DoRagQ. He deserves a trophy for putting up with me & Gary for a year! Richard & I headed out on Thursday late afternoon to get set up. There were only a hand full of teams on site when we arrived. Music City Pig Pals, Team Allegro, Big Briq BBQ, & new friends Getting Piggy With It joined us as early arrivals. After setup Richard & I settled down for our usual Tunes & Brews! We always enjoy having a few cold ones & listening to "Classic Country" on my IPOD. After a few rounds Richard began sounding alot like Jim Reeves! I knew then it was time to turn in for the night.

Friday brought more heat as we began to prepare for inspection. Gary had stayed behind to pick up the "Green Stuff" & would join us later. After getting tagged (inspected) Richard began prepping chicken & ribs while I concentrated on brisket & pork butts. During prep our good friends Lou & Buck of High on the Hawg pulled in behind us. After some socializing we helped them get situated & proceeded to finish up our prepping. By early afternoon we had worked up quite an appetite so we all piled in Buck & Lou's truck & headed for Backyard Burgers. We then made stops at WallyWorld & Food Lion to pick up some last minute supplies. I can't seem to remember much but I somehow ended up with a "Noodle". More on that later.... Back at the cook site Gary soon joined us and DoRagQ was finally IN DA HOUSE!

Friday evening is a great time to visit with friends and make some new ones. We seem to have made it a tradition to throw some pork chops, jalapeno sausage, & potatoes in the smoker and have a "pot-luck" supper. Paul Hood of Big Briq BBQ brought out the Margarittaville Margarita Machine & the party began. We were joined by our friends Mark Walker of Wireless Plus (a DoRagQ sponsor) & Chip Hooper (a future sponsor) who drove up after Chip mowed his grass! (Glad he didn't weed-eat).














Our neighbors Son Seekers, Bobby & Lee McWright of Music City Pig Pals & Shane & Milissa of Smokin' Hose Grillin' Team & their crew joined in on the fun. Good food, good music, good friends & good fun! Time flies when you are having fun & before long it was "Quiet Time". So with the pits up to temperature & briskets & butts rubbed, injected, marinaded, & blessed we commenced to smokin!

It was a long, hot night & we had our share of trouble. My DigiQ was on the blink. Paul Hood came to the rescue. Paul recently became a BBQ Guru dealer & had a few spares. After a quick pit stop to change out the DigiQ we were back on track smokin. I tried to get some shut eye but I never seem to relax during a contest. I keep thinking about what we have to do next. I did manage a few hours of sleep before daybreak. Gary got up & started making boxes while Richard & I manned the pits. Saturday is much different than Friday night. Everyone has their "Race-Face" on. There is a more serious attitude in the air. Time to "get-er-dun".

Turn in went as planned. No surprises, no catastrophes, no mess ups. We had some doubts but overall we were satisfied with what we turned in. The judges however viewed our turn in below average. Out of 16 we finished 11th in chicken, 9th in ribs, 8th in pork, & 10th in brisket, with an overall finish of 11th. Disappointing to say the least. We always strive to be in the top 50%. Anything less is viewed as un-successful. On a positive note, we did not finish DAL (Dead Ass Last) & know one got sick (that we know of). Our friends had much better results! Paul Hood of Big Briq BBQ finished Grand Champion with a 3rd in chicken, 6th in ribs, 6th in pork, & 1st in brisket! This was Paul's first GC in KCBS competition. Paul has competed & won on the MIM (Memphis in May) circuit.







Finishing in the Reserve Grand Champion spot was none other than our friends Lou & Buck of High on the Hawg! Their finishes of 2nd in chicken, 2nd in ribs, 4th in pork, & 11th in brisket gave them their first ever RGC! Congrats! We are proud of & for you!














Were we disappointed? HELL YES! Did we have a good time? HELL YES! Are we gonna keep trying? HELL YES! Stay tuned cuz there is something new coming our way that we hope will help us be a better more consistant team.

Note: I hope the organizers take a long look at their facilities. I would hate to pass up a contest less than 45 miles from my front door but if they don't make some changes we may have to pass this one by in 2009.