ABA BBQ Cookoff, Kuttawa, KY

Kuttawa, KY was the second stop on the newly formed American Bass Anglers BBQ Cookoff Tour. Located on the banks of Lake Barkley this picturess setting was perfect for Q'n. Gary, Richard, & I arrived Friday morning. Long Dawgs, Team Allegro, Swiggin Pig, Jiggy Piggy, Smokey Mountain Smokers, & ShadeTree Cooks were just a few to greet us as we got Casa DoRag situated on our "Beach-Front" property. What a view! After some socializin it was time to get down to business. We all pitched in & got the meat prepped & ready. Once completed, Richard & I joined Voncille & Joe of Smokey Mountain Smokers for lunch at local favorite & renowned eatery Patti's. Very interesting place. Good food & great pies! I recommend you check it out if you are in the area. Try the pork chops! After lunch, Gary got bizzy on the boxes & before you knew it were where done! Time to get ready for our Fridy Nite Feast! DoRagQ, Swiggin Pig, Long Dawgs, & Smokey Mountian Smokers were hosting the ABA peeps, contest organizers, volunteers, & others to our normal Friday night tradition of Pork Chops, baked potatoes, salad, & more. KCBS Reps Mary Cato & Ron Harwell pitched in some great appetizers, steaks, & deserts.

The cook's meeting was held at a local B&B called The Harbor House. Very nice! Check it out if your in the area. Great people. Live music and a appetizer buffet was provided to keep the party goin after the meeting. First Class! We couln't stay long as we had to get things ready for our company! Finally around 6:30 PM our guests started arriving. Mary Cato outdid herself by making a Cream Cheese Pesto Dip, Corn Salad, Key Lime Cake, & Sinful Toffee Brownies! Smokey Mountian Smokers provided a Ceasar's Salad. Long Dawgs provided some killer sausage from Lousiana. J-Mack Cookers provided a pasta dish. Ron Harwell shelled out for some meaty rib-eyes cooked to perfection by Dan of Long Dawgs on his Fast Eddie Pellet Grill & the DoRag Gang took care of the chops & potatoes. What a feast! I think we fed 35-40 in all. Had a great time getting to know the Kuttawa peeps & learning more about our new ABA friends. A great night for the ABA/KCBS partnership. Thanks to all for helping. Who knows, we may have to do this again....soon! I hope so!














After some socializing it was time to turn in for the night. No surprises, pretty uneventful. Well there was a Golf cart that dissapeared. But enough about that! BTW...what a treat to have the "Main Man" himself BLINDOG IN DA HOUSE! Seems Blinddog was visiting our good friends The Shadetree Cooks. He is always a hoot! We had some fun talkin, drinkin, laughin, drinkin, drinkin, need I go on? Good to see you & Becky!

This is what we woke up to on Saturday morning......no description necessary.

Game Day! Time to get serious. Smokers were smokin, temps were risin, things were happenin! Gary, Richard, & I made it through turn ins without any major issues. All we could do now is wait for the results. We loaded up & headed over to watch the ABA weigh In. If you have never been to one of these you should check it out. Very intresting & such big fish! The ABA also does a great job at the awards. They have a stage with a PA system & David does a wonderfull job as the MC. Finally it was time.... Smokey Mountian took first in Chicken, Redneck Grillers took Ribs, Team Allegro won Pork, & Why Don't We Get Drunk & Q took Brisket! The DoRag Gang was 12th in chicken, 8th in ribs, 14th in pork, & 9th in brisket, placing 12th overall. Not the finish we wanted, but it could have been worse. However, I would not have traded any of our scores if it changed the outcome. Team Allegro, after eight years of competing took their first Grand Championship! Randy & Eileen, congratulations to two great friends & ambassadors to BBQ (& apprently some kick-ass cooks too). If you did not know Team Allegro their emotions would tell you how passionate they are about BBQ. You can alway count on a bottle of Allegro in your goodie bag. They are alway there to lend help if you need it & have encouraged the DoRag crew as we find our way. I am so happy for them & proud to be a part of their BBQ Family. YOU GUYS ROCKED KUTTAWA! Congrats!

As dissapointed as I was for the DoRagQ Gang, I was ten times happier for Team Allegro. Congrats also to Joe & Voncille for taking RGC! Other notables were Jiggy Piggy 3rd, Redneck Grillers 4rd, Long Dawgs 5th, House of Q 6th, J-Mack Cookers 7th, Big River 8th, Smokin T's 9th & Swiggin Pig 10th. As I drove home I reflected on the weekends events, my thoughts went back to my first contest, the people I have met on this journey, the life long friends I have made in the crazy sport called BBQ. As I drove on I could not help but to tear up a bit as I was thinking.......It's gonna take us eight frickin years to win one of these darn contest! Holy Crap! Let's go FISHIN!