The Life & Times of a BBQ Man.

DoRagQ Update!

2011-08-08T22:21:00.001-05:00

Once again I have fallen behind on posting our contest results! I guess I have too many hobbies. Between BBQ, Motorcycles, Music, & yard work there is not much time left to do anything but work! But I am so thankful to have a job & enjoy what I do. Of course I could enjoy not working also as long as the $ kept coming in! I keep playing the lottery...hey some one's gotta win!

"Run For The Ribs" Louisville. KY

May 5-7, 2011

Ok...we were preparing to head north to Louisville back in May when I posted last. We had a great time at the "Run For The Ribs" contest during Derby Week. The field was packed with "BBQ Stars" & we were just hoping for a decent finish. It was good to see our BBQ friends Warren County Pork Choppers, Moonswiners, Lotta Bull, Shigs In Pit, Smoke On This, Son Seekers, Quau, & cancersuckschicago.com. We also met some new friends....Squealers Award Winning BBQ from Indianapolis was right next to us & we shared a few adult beverages with Jim & Jeff! Great guys!

Friday prep went off like normal with the high point of the evening was grilling Oysters with Donny of WCPC! Donny got the idea when we were in "Nola" back in February & they were awesome! They went great with the Bloody Marys that our friends "Shigs In Pit" fixed for us. We were fit to be tied for sure!

Saturday was normal for the most part at least until I made a "rookie" mistake of cutting the brisket with the grain making it tough as leather. I was crushed! We had a beautiful brisket & I just ruined it! We made the decision to turn in a box with burnt ends & pulled brisket.....no slices....that's what I said.....no frickin slices in the box! It was damage control at this point! Needless to say we were not very confident on our way to awards. We figured we would just lick our wounds & root for our friends!

As the chicken winners were announced we were surprised to hear our name called for 8th place but surprise quickly turned to reality when we received no calls for ribs & pork. So as they called the top 5 for brisket I joked to Richard...."we're gonna get called for brisket" we both laughed...then we hollered when they called "2nd place brisket....DoRagQ"!!!!! WOOT WOOT! No frickin way! Everyone could tell were were genuinely surprised. I had already told our friends what I had done so they were all giving me hell!

"No Slice" Brisket

We were still chuckling as they called out the top ten overall. At this point I was really not expecting any more surprises. Our friends "Son Seekers" came in 10th, with "Shigs In Pit" in 9th. "Smoke On This" was called 8th, & in 7th place was DoRagQ! No way!!!!!!!!! Cancersuckschicago.com was 6th, Quau 5th, Uncle Chets BBQ 4th, Bourbon Barrel BBQ 3rd, Brutus and Company Reserve Grand Champion, & Moonswiners took the Grand Champion! We just finished 7th place & three of the top six were former "Jack Daniels World Champions"! And we did it without a slice of brisket in our box! Holy Crapola Batman!

Well the ride home was certainly a cheerful one! While I don't plan to make a habit of turning in burnt ends & pulled brisket I did confirm that even a blind squirrel can get a nut once in a while. A good time was had by all & I have a few stories to tell along the way. We are looking forward to "Derby Week" next year & plan to return. Hope to see you there!

Updated 2011 Tour Schedule

2011-07-04T17:48:00.000-05:00

July 8-9 - Birmingham, AL - Blues, Brews and Barbecue

August 5-6 - Birmingham, AL - Sam's Club BBQ Competition (Qualifier)

August 12-13 - McMinnville, TN - Smokin in McMinnville

August 26-27 - Nashville, TN - Music City BBQ Festival

September 2-3 - Bardstown, KY - Bourbon City BBQ Festival

September 9-10 - Cookeville, TN - Cookeville Cookoff

September 16-17 - Decatur, AL - Riverfest

September 23-24 - Owensboro, KY - Grillin & Chillin

Fall Schedule To Be Determined. Will update in early August.

Run for the Ribs

2011-05-03T21:50:00.002-05:00

Gettin organized for the inaugural "Run for the Ribs" BBQ Contest in Louisville! Looks like it will be a muddy track but we will make the best of it! Lots of good teams will be there. Hope the DoRagQ Gang can hang with 'em! Stop by if you are in the area...just look for the "Early Times" EZ-Up & we won't be far! Good luck to all my BBQ friends & family cookin this weekend especially the fine folks down in Huntsville! We will miss being there with ya...it will be a special weekend for sure! More later!

DoRagQ Update!

2011-03-24T21:55:00.001-05:00

What up Peeps? It's been a while since I have updated "The Life & Times of a BBQ Man" but that does not mean that we have not been busy. Over the next few days I will be posting what we have been up to since Fall of 2010. Lots of cool things have happened to DoRagQ & I can't wait to tell you about them.

I have posted DoRagQ's "2011 World Tour" dates (tentative) & we are excited to get started so be sure to check back for a recap of 2010 & weekly updates on our progress in 2011.

Thanks for checkin us out!

DoRagQ 2011 World Tour Dates

2011-03-24T21:45:00.001-05:00

April 1-2 Benton, KY

April 8-9 Gadsden, AL

April 15-16 Winchester, TN

May 6-7 Louisville, KY

May 20-21 Lebanon, KY

June 3-4 Memphis, TN

June 10-11 Halleyville, AL

June 24-25 Lawrenceburg, TN

Aug 5-6 Birmingham, AL

Aug 12-13 McMinnville, TN

Aug 26-27 Nashville, TN

Sept 10-11 Cookeville, TN

Sept 16-17 Decatur, AL

Sept 23-24 Franklin, TN

Sept 30-Oct 1 American Royal Invatational

Oct 1-Oct 2 American Royal Open

Oct 7-8 Jackson, TN *

Oct 14-15 Bentonville, AR *

Nov 18-19 Cumming, GA

*Assuming we qualify

DoRagQ Update!

2010-08-22T21:33:00.000-05:00

Damn! Where does the time go? Seems like only yesterday we were treadin water here in Music City & now it's almost "Football time in Tennessee"! Time does fly when you are having fun. Thought I would summarize what's been happenin with DoRagQ since early May. My last entry told about our good fortune in Pell City Alabama. Since Pell City we have competed in Lawrenceburg, TN, Clarksville, TN, McMinnville, TN, & Kuttawa, KY. We had some good contests & some not so good contests but overall we have been pleased with our results. Check it out!

June 26th - Tennessee State BBQ Championship Lawrenceburg TN

Chicken - 22nd

Ribs - 14th

Pork - 7th

Brisket - 1st

Overall - 4th

July 10th Porkin in the Park - Clarksville, TN
Chicken - 13th
Ribs - 6th
Pork - 13th
Brisket - 4th
Overall - 8th

August 14, 2010 Smokin in McMinnville - McMinnville, TN
Chicken - 7th
Ribs - 6th
Pork - 1st
Brisket - 17th
Overall - 4th

August 22, 2010 BBQ on Barkley - Kuttawa, KY
Chicken - 1st
Ribs - 8th
Pork -13th
Brisket - 4th
Overall - 3rd

We are please for the most part with our finishes. We would have liked to have done better but hell we could have done a lot worse!  So far this year we have posted 7 category wins in 10 contest!  Nothing to complain about there. We still have 7 contests remaining who knows we may get lucky again!

I want to congratulate our good friends Jen & Dan of "The Long Dawgs" for winning 2 Grand Championships & placing 1st in Pork at the Sam's Club Invitational. They have really stepped up their game this year.  Also sending "congrats" out to High on the Hawg! Brenda & Terry won their first ever Grand Championship recently at "Smokin in McMinnville" in McMinnville, TN.  It was really a special day & we are so glad we were there to share it with them.

As I mentioned, we have a busy schedule to finish out the year.  Check out our schedule below. I hope you can stop by for a visit if you are in the area.

August 28 - Music City BBQ Festival - Nashville, TN
September 4 - Pig'n in the Grove - College Grove, TN
September 11 - Cookeville Cook-Off - Cookeville, TN
September 18 - Riverfest - Decatur, AL
October 9 - Goats, Music, & More Festival - Lewisburg, TN
October 16th - American Bass Anglers BBQ Tour - Bainbridge, GA
November 6 - American Bass Anglers BBQ Tour - Guntersville, AL

Our next contest August 27-28 will be right here in NashVegas! The Music City BBQ Festival will be held right down on Lower Broadway @ Riverfront Park! They have some great entertainment scheduled as well as food & craft vendors. If you can make it down on Friday night be sure & look us up. We are throwin a BBQ for our friends complete with ribs, pork, & all the fixins (sorry you are on your own for beer). We will begin serving around 7 PM & go as long as the food lasts! So come on down & party with the DoRagQ Gang! Call me or email me if you need more info!

Thanks to our sponsors "Early Times Whisky", "Wireless Plus" & "Motorola" for their support. We appreciate what they "Do" for DoRagQ! Hope to see you soon!

ABA Early Times Whisky BBQ Cook-Off Pell City, Alabama

2010-06-29T21:50:00.000-05:00

Richard & I headed out late Thursday afternoon for the third stop on the ABA/Early Times BBQ Tour without our partner Gary “Nickelback” Lacky. Gary was out of town on business & would not be returning until Saturday, so Richard & I would have to make do without his box making & tasting skills once again. The three hour drive was un-eventful & we arrived at Pell City which is East of Birmingham early evening. We were greeted by our good friends David & Pam of “Getting’ Piggy With It” & Bill & Jan of “Gooby’s”, & of course Debra Talley & the ABA BBQ Crew! After a self induced anxiety attack I settled down with the help of some meds & a few shots of ET 100 proof! To my friends & family that have experienced my “melt-downs” in person, I can only apologize & hope you do not take it personally. You deserve a trophy for putting up with me & I am fortunate that you don’t take out a restraining order against me. Once I got that out of my system the rest of the weekend would go off without a hitch! After a late dinner at the Pell City Steak House the rest of the evening was spent hangin out & visiting with our BBQ friends & family.

Friday morning began with neighbors Jan & Bill (mostly Jan) cookin up some breakfast as Richard & I finished setting up our equipment & getting organized. Shortly after breakfast Sonny arrived for meat inspection & we commenced to injecting, marinating, & rubbin. Richard & I have finally got this part down to a science & by noon we were all done & ready for some socializing. Jan had once again fired up the grill & provided delish hamburgers for lunch! That woman is amazing! All she does at a cooking competition is cook! Jan we really appreciate you takin care of our nutritional needs! After lunch the temperature reminded us that it was summer in Alabama as the thermometer rose well into the 90’s. With the heat & a full stomach, a nap seemed in order in the air conditioned “Casa DoRag”!

I awoke in time to head over to the “Cook’s Meeting” to get the low down from KCBS Reps Ron Harwell & Tana Shupe. Pretty much standard operating procedure for an ABA contest. So we headed back over to the cook-site to prep for Friday night’s dinner. If you follow my blog you know that we love to cook up some chow on Friday night & this would be no different. Gooby’s, JoBeaz, Team Top Chick, & Getting Piggy With It all pitched in as we strapped on the feed bags. We fed most of all of the ABA Peeps, cookers, fisherman, & several people that were just passin by! A good time was had by all & no-one left hungry. Of course as usual the after dinner “Apple Pie” was a-plenty as we congregated over at “Getting Piggy With It’s” camp. David & Pam had the music jammin & the disco ball turning as we all enjoyed some socializin until quiet time!

As our alarm went off at 4:00 AM our big meats (pork butts & brisket) had been on since Friday evening & it was time to get chicken & ribs ready. Again, it was biz-as-usual. And again, Jan was cookin up some breakfast! She should get a award for the most cookin at a contest! As the morning progressed, our big meats seemed to stall throwing our timing off. We usually have the big meats holding in the Carlisle & use one cooker for chicken & the other for ribs. After some re-arranging we were back on track & we went back to our normal routine. One of our routines is the 10 O’clock Early Times Shot! Ron Montgomery of “Team Top Chick”, David Wilson, Victor Fisher, Allison Smith of “Getting Piggy With It” joined ABA VP David Haygood & Richard & I for a shot of “Early Times 150” which is a limited edition release celebrating ET’s 150th birthday. ET is normally bottled at 80 proof but ET 150 is 100 proof! Very smooth & cool retro packaging. Be sure & get you a couple of bottles of this limited edition Kentucky Whisky, one for drinkin & one for putting up for special occasions!

So after the 10 AM shot it was time to get bizzy. Most everything went off without a hitch although I was not happy with two of our boxes. Our boxes just did not live up to Gary’s but we would have to improvise & make them work. We managed to get everything turned in on time in spite of a storm that arrived just as we were putting our brisket in the box. We kept our focus & got through it without any mishaps. After turn in it is customary for us to sit down & discuss our product & predict where it would finish. This was a strong field & any of the 29 pro teams are capable of taking the GC. We have gotten very consistent with our chicken & today’s offering was about our average. We have cooked better but then we have certainly cooked worse (Cookeville 2008)! We both agreed our ribs were pretty good & should finish well. We also thought our pork was better than we had been turning in but weren’t sure how it would stack up against the other’s. Hopefully top 10? For us brisket is our most consistent product. For many teams it is the most difficult. We again agreed it was good but not our best & I did not like our presentation. So as we headed over to the awards we both thought we may end up somewhere in the top 10 overall. All that was left now was to wait & see.

We arrived at the stage in time to see the last part of the fishing tournament weigh in. Remember, BBQ is the supporting act at ABA events & fishing is the star! I am always impressed at the passion each of the Anglers have for their sport & the care the ABA gives to the fish. They strive to return each fish to the lake in the same condition as they were before ending up in the live well of a fisherman’s boat & I commend them for their commitment. Ok it was finally time to hear the good, bad, & ugly! Desert was the first category. While we don’t participate in desert we are always excited to cheer on our BBQ friends that do. Taking top honors for the 2nd ABA contest in a row was Nancy Montgomery of “Team Top Chick” with her 2nd 180 score! Nancy had scored a 180 in desert at Anderson, SC last month & struck again in Pell City! I had the privilege of tasting her “Hawaiian Orange Cake” & it is awesome! Congrats Team Top Chick! Now on to chicken. Taking top honors was Bub-Ba-Q, followed by Wicked Que, Smoke of the Shoals, TNT Southern BBQ, & Team Top Chick. No call for DoRagQ! BTW, in ABA contest they only call out the top 5. This makes it hard to gauge where you stand in the overall but it does keep you guessing! On to ribs it was Boat-n-BBQ taking the win with House of Q in second. Wicked Que took 4th & Justice Smokers took 5th. DoRagQ managed to place 3rd! Nice! Next in pork it was Swamp Sauce Cookers taking 5th, Smoke of the Shoals in 4th, 2 Men & A Pig in 3rd, & E.M. Azing BBQ in 2nd. Drum roll please…….in 1st was (Hell Yeah) DoRagQ! This was our 1st win in pork completing a win in each category! Sweet! Now on to brisket, it was Smoke of the Shoals taking 1st with Smokin’ Butt Crew, Jiggy Piggy, House of Q, & Bad Boyz of BBQ taking 2nd-5th. Again no call for DoRagQ. Smoke of the Shoals was lookin good on my scorecard for the overall. I was still holding out for a top 10 as they announced the overall results. In 10th 2 Men & A Pig, 9th Cajun Mojo, 8th, Jiggy Piggy, 7th Boat-n-BBQ, 6th Smokin’ Butt Crew, 5th Bub-Ba-Q, 4th Smoke of the Shoals, & 3rd Wicked Que. At this point I did not hear Smoke of the Shoals was 4th & thought they were still going to get the GC with House of Q taking the RGC, well I was correct on one count as House of Q took RGC! Then Bub-Ba-Q came over & offered his congrats! I said “WTF? Smoke of the Shoals has this”. David Wilson said “no they got 4th”! Boy was I corn-fused! Then David Haygood said “and the Grand Champion from Nashville Tennessee, DORAGQ”! No way! Wow……How cool it this! It turns out we tied for 10th in chicken but lost the tiebreaker so we were scored in 11th, & took 7th in brisket. Add those scores to our 3rd in ribs & 1st in pork for a 681.1428 score taking the win! Holy Crap-Ola Batman! David reminded us that we are the first two-time Grand Champions of the ABA as we had won last year in Guntersville. Sweet!

After the shock we headed back over to Casa DoRag to hang out with friends that had come to visit us from Birmingham. Lenny & Angela Morris & their girls Rachel & Claire, George Hadgraft, Wayne Silva, & Michelle Greene & her children Ryan & Shelby & many others came over to hang out & party. Even the Mayor of Pell City Bill Hereford was there to offer his congratulations & enjoy the leftovers! Kevin Rake the Early Times Bass Pro & several Anglers also joined in the celebration & “Apple Pie”! It was out-of-control! The Mayor made Richard & I “Honorable Residents” of Pell City & in turn we made him a “Dishonorable” member of the DoRagQ Gang! He looked cool in the ET DoRag! Hope this is not an election year! Check this out, when DoRagQ won our first GC last year in Guntersville, Alabama, Lenny & “The Girls” were also in attendance! Coincidence or not I informed them they would be accompanying DoRagQ on the rest of our 2010 World Tour! I may have to set up a college fund for the girls! The party lasted several hours with many of our BBQ family paying us a visit & offering their congratulations. The evening ended with a few of us hangin out having a few cocktails, listening to tunes, & enjoying the evening. At some point a second bottle of ET 150 was consumed! Thanks to Pam, David, Allison, Victor, Jan, Bill, & the Dude from Clarksville with the jug of Jack Daniels for the after-celebration & thanks to all for making it a special day for DoRagQ!

Sunday morning it was pretty much back to normal as we finished loading up & headed out for the return trip to Nashville. We arrive home safe & sound & full of great memories. We wished Gary had been there with us as DoRagQ is not the same without him. Hope you can re-join us soon. As for Richard, what a great friend! He makes me laugh & keeps me focused. I would not want to do this without him. You have taught me much about BBQ & life & I treasure your friendship. Thanks for being the “Do” in DoRagQ! Thanks to our sponsors Wireless Plus, Motorola, & Early Times Whisky! We appreciate your support! And finally thanks to the ABA for putting on a great contest. We look forward to the fall leg of the tour. Maybe I can get Lenny & The Girls to visit us again in Guntersville! (No pressure, no pressure)! Our next appearance is next weekend at the Tennessee State BBQ Championship in Lawrenceburg, TN. It will be a tough field, I just hope we can hang with them boyz & don’t make anybody sick! Come by for a visit if you are in the area!

Elvis Has Left The Building!

2010-06-14T22:52:00.001-05:00

Last year our good friends Jen & Dan Watson of “The Long Dawgs” told us the Variety BBQ Bash in Memphis was our kind of contest. Lots of drinkin, music, & general all around partying. That sounded good enough to me so earlier in the year we made plans to participate. Nickelback would not be making the trip as he was in East Tennessee helping out a friend so Richard & I got everything ready, loaded, & headed out to Memphis after work on Thursday. We arrived to find many of the teams already there or at least their rigs were on-site. This event attracts many of the MBN (Memphis Barbeque Network) teams and is one of the few KCBS sanctioned events in the area. Upon arrival we were met by many familiar faces such as Jen & Dan of “Long Dawgs”, Barry & Mike of “Swiggin Pig”, David & Mark of “Getting’ Piggy With It”, Bobbie, & Lee of “Music City Pig Pals to mention a few. We set up the cook site & commenced to mosey on over to the Variety Club’s Clubhouse. The Variety Club is a national & international organization which focuses on raising funds for children’s charities. The Variety Club’s mission statement is to “provide life-enriching assistance to children challenged by physical and/or mental disabilities, poverty, abuse and neglect”. They do this in various ways. One is through their “Clubhouse” which has all the makings of a nice bar/restaurant. The organizers provided the Thursday arrivals with a fantastic spaghetti supper with all the trimmins & of course a cash bar! Sweet! It was great to catch up with our friends & we even managed to make a few new ones. After dinner we headed back to the cook site to meet our neighbors for the weekend the “Flamin Kajun” BBQ Team from Denim Springs, LA. On the other side of Casa DoRag were our good friends “Team Top Chick”. We finished off the night socializin & having a few adult beverages until it was time to “hit the hay”.

Friday morning Richard & I finished setting up the cook site & prepared for meat inspection. Pretty much routine, no surprises. We were most worried about making our boxes since Gary “The Box Bitch” wasn’t there. So right after we finished prepping meat we started on boxes. We managed to get them made although not a good as Nickelback’s, but hey we all have our own talents! Richard & I headed over to the “Cajun Catfish” restaurant for sum lunch & to talk strategy. The strategy we came up with was 1. Don’t get drunk. 2.Don’t oversleep. 3. Don’t get drunk!. Ok we got it! Time to Rock & Roll! After lunch we took a tour of the grounds to see who had slipped in on us. We found several celebrities such as Johnny “The Godfather” Trigg of Smokin Triggers, & Myron Mixon of “Jacks Old South” both from the TLC show “Pitmasters”. There was Rod Gray of Pellet Envy the 2009 KCBS Team of the Frickin Year, & 10 Bones BBQ a 2010 Memphis in May finalist & Sweet Swine O’Mine the 2009 winner of Memphis in May. Wow! Holy Crap Batman, all the top teams were here! “Ok calm down DoRag” Richard said, “We’ve been beat by all the top teams”. Oh, Ok…thanks for putting it in perspective “Boy Wonder”! The rest of the afternoon was spent just hangin out & tryin to stay & look cool until the “Cooks Meeting” @ 5 PM.

The “Cooks Meeting” was your standard run of the mill meeting except for the fact that our good friends Bill & Debbie Gauge & Wayne & Maria Lohman were the KCBS Reps. They are all such cool people & great Reps. We don’t get to see them much so it was fun to catch up with them & find out what they have been up to. Soon it was off to “Casa DoRag” to practice for the Margarita contest! Oh yeah, I had loaded up my portable bar complete with my favorite “Don Edwardo Silver” Tequila & all the fixins. If I didn’t win the contest I was gonna have a great time losin it! I bet I made 20 different practice batches before deciding on the one to turn in. I had forgotten my favorite mixer so I had to do some substituting to get it just right. I had quite a “buzz” by turn in time! Once that was over we headed over to “Getting Piggy With It” for dinner. And what a dinner it was. David & Mark out-did themselves for sure! They started out with a sausage & cheese tray, followed by basil stuffed bacon wrapped BBQ Shrimp, Pecan encrusted Pork Tenderloin Pinwheels, Smoked Salmon with honey Wasabi glaze, & Banana Puddin. And for the after dinner cordial, Apple Pie! Whooooooo doggie! That was sum good grub! Oh I almost forgot Pam make about a thousand Jello-Shots! OMG….remember the strategy discussion….Don’t get drunk! HA! I had more alcohol in me that Lindsey Lohan on prom night! Oh & I almost forgot…..My good friend from back in the day Robbie “The Rocket” Rush & his wife Anne were driving up from Jackson, MS to visit. Robbie & I toured the Southeast in the ’70s racing motocross. We hadn’t seen each other in 32 years! Holy shit! I was so excited to see him. They were due to arrive around 9-10 PM. I had to sober up!

Robbie & Anne arrived & I gotta tell you it was a special moment. See I moved around a lot before settling down in Nashville & I don’t have much contact with anyone from “back in the day”. I have never been to a class reunion (except for Cell-Block A) & haven’t been back to Jackson for a visit in years. So seeing Robbie was almost over-whelming! He had not changed a bit! Just as I remembered him. It was really cool to see my friend after all these years. We talked & reminisced about the old daze & old friends, & caught up on what we have been doin for the last 32 frickin years! And yes we had a few beerz & some Apple Pie! So much for strategy! By this time Richard was sleepin with the fishes in Casa DoRag. Robbie & Anne headed to a nearby hotel & I had a few more Jello-Shotz courtesy of Pam! What a great night!

As the sun began to rise Saturday morning I was surprisingly rested & alert. The BBQ Gods had spared me. It was time to repay them by giving all I had left. So after a couple of beers for breakfast it was time to put on the game face. Brisket was at temperature & resting in the Cambro. Pork temp was slowly rising & it was time to start ribs. I checked my boxes & made a few adjustments. Got our prep area ready & started chicken as it was getting closer to “Game-Time”. Robbie & Anne showed up around 11 AM & I gave them the low-down. Robbie was going to be our “runner” since Nickelback was back home. We had our traditional 10 AM shot of Early Times @ 11:15 AM & it was time to do what we do! Box assembly overall went off pretty good although I was not happy with my rib box. Chicken, Ribs, & Pork all were consistent with our normal flavor profile. Richard & I agreed that our brisket was not our best. Maybe a little dry. Robbie & Anne thought everything was fan-frickin-tastic! It’s amazing what friends will tell you for free food! LOL….. Robbie managed to get all the boxes turned in without incident despite a little practical joke by David of “Getting” Piggy With It”. Payback is a bitch my friend! So now all we had to do is clean up & wait for awards @ 5 PM.

With all the leftovers vacuum-sealed & iced down for Robbie & Anne to take back to MS we headed over to the stage are for awards. Along the way wishing our BBQ Friends “good luck”. We were hoping just to get our name called & finish respectable in this elite field of cookers. We started out with a big goose egg with a “no call“ for our Dan Edwardo Margarita! Bummer #1! Then it was on to the main categories starting with chicken. Island Grillers took the win with Pellet Envy, Bar-B-Q 101, Music City Pig Pals, & River City Rub rounding out the top five. Other notables were Swiggin Pig 7th, 10 Bones 8th, Jacks Old South 9th, & Jo Beaz Blazin Butts rounding out the top 10th. No call for DoRagQ….Bummer #2! On to ribs, with Bar-B-Q 101 takin the win, with Pellet Envy 2nd, K&K Kookers 3rd, Jo Beaz Blazin Butts 4th, & Wasted & Basted 5th. Other notables were The Long Dawgs 6th & Learn2Q.com 9th. No call for DoRagQ….Bummer #3! Takin the win in pork was our good friends Long Dawgs with Porkin Da Pig takin 2nd, The Good, The Bad, & the Swine 3rd, Music City Pig Pals 4th, & Sweet Swine O’Mine 5th, Pellet Envy 6th, Learn2Q.com 7th, & Smokin’ Triggers 9th. Again, no call for DoRagQ….Bummer #4! Great! All the things we thought were good did not get a frickin call! Now all is that damn dry sorry piece of spam we called brisket! We might as well start packin! But hey, we gotta cheer on our friends right? So in brisket it was Smokin’ Triggers 7th, Pellet Envy 6th, Pigs-R-Us 5th, Smelly Butts BBQ 4th, K&K Kookers 3rd, & our good friend Barry of Swiggin Pig (AKA Swinging Pig) takin 2nd. And the winner of the brisket category is……WTF….DORAGQ…..you have got to be frickin kiddin me! OMG……..Richard looked at me & said “did they say DoRagQ?” I had to think for a moment but everyone was clapping & slappin me on the back so either I was on fire or we won frickin brisket! What a surprise! LOL….. So we commenced to gettin our award & check with a very surprised look on our face. We were still in shock as they called out the top ten overall. Jacks Old South took 10th, Jo Beaz Blazin Butts took 9th (WTG JoBeaz), City Hogs 8th, River City Rub 7th, Music City Pig Pals 6th (Congrats Bobbie & Lee), Bar-B-Q 101 in 5th, K&K Kookers 4th, The Long Dawgs 3rd (Yeah Dan & Jen), & taking RGC Swiggin Pig (WTG Barry) & the Grand Champion, Pellet Envy, congrats Rod! But no top ten for DoRagQ…..Bummer #5……But we did manage a 12th Overall which is pretty damn good in my book! We were 12th in chicken, 27th in ribs, 48th in pork (WTF?) & I will say it again….1st in BRISKET! Ok, I’m calm now…..I can’t explain the feeling when people like Johnny Trigg & Rod Gray shake your hand & offer congratulations. What a great feeling. Yeah I wish our pork & ribs had scored better but hey….I will take our finish in this crowd any day! The Long Dawgs were right, this is my kind of contest! Lots of fun, food, music, & friends! Book me for next year.

Regardless of our finish it was great seeing Anne & Robbie & getting to spend time with them. Contests come & go but friends & family are there thru thick & thin. It was cool that Robbie helped run our boxes & be a part of DoRagQ. We are gonna have to get him a DoRag to keep in Casa DoRag for any future appearances. Robbie, you & Anne are welcomed anytime. I hope we see you again soon! To the rest of our BBQ Friends & Family, we had a blast & we hope you did too. As we left the contest on Sunday, I had to drive over to Graceland to leave Elvis a slice of the 1st Place Brisket, but the guard said “Sorry, Elvis has left the building”! Elvis may be gone but he still lives through his music & fans. I think he would like hanging out with the DoRagQ Gang. Maybe he could sing “A Hunk of First Place Brisket”!

Keep Troy Black of “Learn2Q.com” & his family in your thoughts & prayers. Troy was taken to the hospital less than a week after the Memphis contest & underwent surgery for several heart blockages. Troy…here’s wishing you a speedy recovery my friend!

DoRagQ will be competing in the American Bass Anglers Association Early Times Whisky BBQ Cookoff in Pell City Alabama on June 18th-19th. Come by for a visit! Who knows maybe Elvis will be in da house!

2010-06-10T20:36:00.000-05:00

DoRagQ in the press! Check it out!

American Bass Anglers BBQ Cook-Off, Anderson, South Carolina

2010-05-10T21:37:00.000-05:00

If you follow my Blog "The Life & Times of a BBQ Man" then you know that I post stories about our experiences cooking the KCBS Competition Barbecue Circut. I had planned to write about our most recent contest the "American Bass Anglers BBQ Cook Off" by Early Times Whisky held in Anderson, South Carolina on May 1st. To tell you the truth I can't seem to get motivated to write anything. You see something happend to the place that I can home Nashville, TN. An event so epic & tragic that even my passion for BBQ can't help me get past. So many have been affected by "The Flood of 2010" that what difference does it really matter how we finished, how we cooked, or how much fun we had? How can anything so meaningless measure up to such a devistating disaster that touched most everyone in and around Middle Tennessee on the weekend on May 1st? The answer is....nothing! Nothing in my life can even come close to what happend to thousands of Tennesseans. We were lucky. The DoRagQ Gang made it home early on sunday morning before any of the flooding began, before any of the interstates became rivers, before any of the rivers & creeks over-ran their banks. We managed to sneek back to Nashville without even getting a drop of rain! WTF! Call it luck, call it fate, call it whatever you want. We are just thankful that we made it back safe and our friends and famlies were all safe as well. That is better than winning any BBQ contest in my book. So we will take a few weeks off the BBQ circut to re-group, re-charge our batteries, and re-arrange our priorities. Life does go on.......but we should all stop and give thanks for the life we are granted and blessed with. I know I have.

I would like to say "Thanks" to all of you that called and emailed me inquiring of our safety. Your thoughts and prayers are greatly appreciated. The DoRagQ Gang will next appear in at the Variety Children's Charity BBQ Bash in Memphis, TN on June 4th-5th. Come by and hang with the DoRagQ Gang in the "Jungle Room"! Thank you very much!

High on the Hog!

2010-04-24T08:37:00.000-05:00

After spending the whole week in Cleveland attending OnBase training I flew into Nashville @ 4:30 PM on Friday (April 16th). Richard & Jeff (DoRag Apprentice) had already taken Casa DoRag to the contest site early Friday morning & gotten set up. Gary (aka No GPS) finally joined them after a tour of North Alabama around mid morning. Together with Jeff's help they managed to get meat inspected, injected, & back in the cooler. Richard represented DoRagQ on my behalf at the Cook’s Meeting. I arrived around 6:30 PM & began a brutal interrogation of the DoRagQ Gang to bring me up to speed on what I had missed. To my surprise everything was in order & on schedule! They even had supper on the cooker! Cool, I may have to fly in late for every contest!

After I had a few minutes (& a few beers) to get over my “jet-lag” it was time to begin “socializing”! Our neighbors @ High on the Hog for the past three years were good friends Buck & Lou of “High on the Hawg” the BBQ Team not to be confused with “High on the Hog” the BBQ Contest. We hadn’t seen them since back in February in Birmingham so we commenced to catchin up. Scenic City Smokers were set up next to HOTH. It was great to see Wade & Crew again. As we made our way around the contest site we ran into Debbie & Mike Davis of Lotta Bull, Bad Byron of Buttrub.com, & Theresa & Walt of Smokin Scotsmen. It was quickly apparent to me that the level of competition at this year’s HOTH was second to no other. DoRag runnin buddies Long Dawgs, Team Top Chick, Warren County Pork Choppers, Team Allegro, Swiggin Pig, & Big & Twig were also in attendance & we stopped & visited with them all! I know I have said this before but we are truly like one big family (dysfunctional at times) but we are really glad to see each other. Several of the teams were participating in the ancillary categories. This year the “Anything Butt” was steak & Wampler was also sponsoring the sausage category. As they made their turn-ins we headed back to Casa DoRag for some supper. Joining us were Caryn & Brutha Bob Hatcher & their daughter Campbell, Karen & Mark of BBQ TV, Tana Shupe, Ron Harwell, & of course Buck & Lou of HOTH. Richard prepared wonderful smoked pork tenderloin & a potato & onion casserole. Brutha Bob made some kick-ass slaw & potato salad. For desert we had a healthy chug of “Apple Pie”. It don’t get much better than that! Good food, good friends, Tim’s Ford Lake, & BBQ! What you talking ‘bout Willis?

Richard & Jeff turned in for the night as “G” & me threw back a few “adult libations” while enjoying the sounds of the carnival rides & a nice glowing fire. Gary’s knee is healing nicely & he is almost back to 100%. Rob Marlow of Ulika joined us for some conversation. As I was just getting my 2nd wind I noticed the time! Midnight! Holy Crap-O Batman! It’s time to head for the Bat-Cave & hang from the ceiling! So after one more chug (ok three more) it was off to “sawin some logs”. The night seemed to drag on at a snail’s pace. Maybe cuz I had gotten accustomed to the elegant “Holiday Inn Suite” back in Cleveland but I just couldn’t seem to fall asleep. Another chug or two seemed to help & it wasn’t long before I was dreaming of winning the JACK! I was just about to collect my trophy when BAM! Jeff was climbing down the ladder from the over-head bunk but there was no ladder! Watch out, that first step is a doosie! Ok wide awake again…… Somehow I managed for fall back asleep just in time to hear the alarm. Nice….

As the sun slowly rose the smell of hickory filled the air. The carnival rides were silent & all was peaceful…. until the local fishing tournament launched from the boat ramp located right next to Casa DoRag! It sounded like the Royal Navy in pursuit of a German U-Boat! Oh well it was time to get bizzy cookin BBQ anyway. The brisket & pork butts were just about to temperature as we did final prep on the ribs & chicken. Our chicken & pork results from our last contest in Benton KY were less than desirable so we had made a few tweaks in hopes of a better product. The key here is to keep the adjustments small. Don’t make wholesale changes at a contest. Do that at home when you practice. Take it from one that knows!

After breakfast & our 10:30 Early Times Shot, it was time to put our DoRags on & get serious about getting the product in the boxes & safely turned in. For the most part we have this down to a science. The hardest thing for me is waiting for Gary & Richard to tell me what they think when they taste the product. Richard just mumbles & Gary always says “Not our best”! Ok DoRaggers give me some feedback I can understand & work with. I am sure Jeff was about to bust out laughing as the “Three Stooges wearing DoRags” decided which rack of ribs to go with! The first rack was heavy with heat I was in a panic fearing the other racks would taste the same. After all, I used the same rubs & amounts on each rack so they must taste the same right? Wrong Young Weed-hopper! Each rack is different. Here is a tip for competition ribs: try to determine your best tasting rack & use only ribs from that rack to put in the box. Also be careful not to eat all the frickin ribs before you have enough to go in the box! Yes I am speaking from experience again! Somehow we managed to get the product in the boxes & get them turned in safely & on time without any casualties. A major accomplishment in its own right. All we could do now is to wait for the results.

After judging was complete, several of our judging friends came by for a visit. Most said they had “outstanding” food. Several commented the pork was really good. We could only hope that our’s was among those they were speaking of. Dennis Ricks, Richard Preston, & Fred & Maxine Kilgore all dropped by to visit & to wish us luck. As we normally do, Richard, Gary, & I sat down & reflected on our turn-ins. For chicken we all thought it was the best we had produced this year. Defiantly a step in the right direction with our tweaks. As for ribs, we all thought they were good & had great flavor. We had some mixed signals when it came to pork. We cook two butts & take samples from both to determine which has the best flavor. Richard normally makes that call & we commenced to fixin our box only to hear Nickelback exclaim “WOW”! The problem was he was tasting from the butt that we had not turned in! Fan-fricken-tastic! We still had a few minutes so we broke our rule & added some from the second butt to the box. I must admit the box looked awesome. I only hoped it tasted as good as it looked. Then we discussed our most consistent product which is brisket. We were coming off a win at our last contest in brisket & I had hoped that we could duplicate that effort at HOTH. We all agreed while it had good flavor, it was not comparable to Benton’s brisket. Oh well, not much you can do about it now. Maybe the luck of the table’s would smile down on us. All we could do now is clean up, pack up, & wait for the awards.

Awards began with the ancillaries & it was great to hear Swiggin’ Pigs name called out for first place in the Steak (anything butt) category. General Porktitioners took top honors in the Sausage category while DoRag friends Team Top Chick took first in desert! In the chicken category it was Fowl Butt BBQ (10th), Lotta Bull (9th), Music City Pig (8th) Pals, Team Bobby-Q (7th), Southern HawgsBBQ (6th), The EGGseQuative Council (5th), Ulika (4th), Big River BBQ (3rd), & good friends Long Dawgs (2nd)! At this point I was thinking we hopefully placed in the top 20! Wrong again Captain Krunch! DoRagQ got the call for First Fricken Place! Holy Crap-Ola! I could not believe it! In a field of 47 great cookers, we took 1st place chicken! As the rib calls began Team Top Chick got the 10th place call. We were still makin our way back to our seats when DoRagQ got a 9th place call in ribs. OMG…….WTF?........Sweet…..two calls at HOTH! The calls continued with Buttrub.com (8th), High on the Hawg (7th), Smokin Scotsman (6th), Lotta Bull (5th), General Porktitioners (4th), The EGGseQuative Council (3rd), Bareknuckles BBQ (2nd), & Big & Twig takin first place! Nice! In pork it was Team Top Chick (10th), Warren County Pork Choppers (9th), ZZ-Que (8th), Steel Smokin’ BBQ (7th), Monty Pigthon (6th), Bareknuckles BBQ (5th), Music City Pig Pals (4th), Back Door Smokers (3rd), Long Dawgs (2nd), The EGGseQuative Council taking the win! The DoRagQ Gang managed a 16th in pork. An improvement from our first two outings this year. In the final category of the day brisket, it was Bareknuckles BBQ (10th), Southern Stiles BBQ (9th), Rub Won Out (8th), Long Dawgs (7th), The Golden Hogs (6th), High on the Hawg (5th), Swiggin’ Pig (4th), Buttrub.com (3rd), Steel Smokin’ BBQ (2nd), & Team Top Chick taking the win! Again a 16th place showing for DoRagQ. We said it wasn’t as good as Benton’s & we were right! As they began to call out the overall, I figured we may be in the top 10 somewhere around 8th or 9th. Taking 10th was Rob Marlow’s Ulika, in 9th was Swiggin’ Pig, 8th was Music City Pig Pals, 7th was Buck & Lou of High on the Hawg, 6th was Lotta Bull, ok I was starting to worry now that maybe our no calls in pork & brisket were worse than I had thought! Bareknuckles came in 5th, & Team Top Chick took 4th. DoRagQ snuck in 3rd, Long Dawgs took RGC & The EGGseQuative Council took the Grand Champion! Wait, did they say DoRagQ was 3rd! Yes they did! WOW! Needless to say we were stoked with a 3rd overall in such a strong field. And what a job by Dan & Jen of Long Dawgs taking RGC! Congrats also to The EGGseQuative Council taking the GC & all the teams that got calls in such a tuff field.

So as we complete another year at Winchester’s High on the Hog contest we can hold our head high. Our tweaks seemed to take us in the right direction. We improved in most categories with the exception of brisket. I am not too worried about that. Brisket has been one of our most consistent over that past two years. I am very happy with our chicken. The DoRagQ Gang really stepped up to the plate this week. Richard & Jeff did a great job getting Casa DoRag to the cook site & set up. Gary picked up garnish & collectively they prepped meat & had things right on schedule when I arrived. They were most defiantly the “Do” in “DoRagQ” this week. It is a pleasure to have them as on our team & as friends. Congrats to Dan & Jen of Long Dawgs. You guys are due for a GC. I hope I am there when it happens. And thanks to the High on the Hog organizers. Again you guys set the bar for a well run event. I love the “goodie buckets”! We look forward the next year. As I drove home I reflected on my week. I managed to pass my software certification, was a guest on the BBQ Central Radio show, visited the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, ate at Michael Symon’s Bar Symon & spent time with the Ops Manager & the Head Chef with good friends Robert & Nikki, & came in 3rd overall our of 47 at a BBQ contest. I guess you could say that I am truly living “High on the Hog”!

The Jersey Shore on Lower Broadway?

2010-04-22T22:17:00.018-05:00

I can remember in the early '80s watching the latest "Hair Band" to hit the MTV play list. A band fronted by it's namesake sounding alot like every other band of that era. They had a catchy song "Runaway" which featured good vocals, harmony's, & a staccato keyboard hook. They really didn't stand out but then who could with the likes of A Flock of Seagulls & Twisted Sister! Jersey band Bon Jovi looked & sounded like a dozen others on MTV. I lost track & interest in Bon Jovi until 1986 when they released their third album "Slippery when Wet" which caught my attention & apparently the attention of millions of CD buying fans. The rest as they say "is rock & roll history"!

Bon Jovi's April 21st visit to Nashville would be my first chance to see & hear them in person. It was time to see for myself what these guys were all about. I gotta tell you I was impressed. Not only was JBJ's voice as good as it has ever been, then band was tight & precise. The stage show while "high-tech" complete with rotating LCD screens but did not take the audience's focus away from the music. JBJ's stage presence captivated the crowd with tightly choreographed movements but not over the top. I got the impression that he really "liked" singing their hits for the millionth time. The band churned out 23 songs & the crowd responded to every on of them. I will admit there were a few that I was not familiar with but I must say I liked them all. Especially the one's which featured the screaming guitar playing of Richie Sambora. Hey you gotta like a guy that was married to one of the hottest chicks on the planet (Heather Locklear)! Richie is often overlooked when you talk about great guitar players. His love of the guitar is apparent in his mannerisms & respect for the 6 & 12 string. He played a variety of guitars, Les Paul, Telecaster, Martin, Ovation, & some I could not make out. He played them all with the same passion & emotion. He also did a great job on vocals taking the lead on "Lay Your Hands on Me" & various other backing vocals & harmonies. Tico Torres made playing the drums look effortlessly. I don't think he even broke a sweat. Make no mistake about it, Tico's drums contribute just as much as Richie's guitar does to the Bon Jovi sound. Rounding out the band was David Bryan on keyboards, Bobby Bandiera on guitar, & Hugh McDonald on bass. There was also a chick playing the Fiddle but I don't know who she was. As I said, JBJ's vocals were "spot on" but so was his guitar work Banging mostly on a Martin acoustic JBJ is no stranger to the guitar. His rhythm guitar filled the voids & made for a nice full sound.

One thing JBJ knows how to do is connect with his audience. I'm not talking about running around from one end of the stage to the other, although he was active, his eye contact, pearly white smile, & emotional investment let you know he was there to sing for you! He also gave thanks several times to the fans for supporting them & even thanked them for attending the concert on a work night! It was refreshing to hear an artist that actually knew what night of the week it was much less thank us for paying to see them. Very classy guy & band.

Here is the set list:
Blood on Blood
We Weren't Born to Follow (New to me but I really liked it & so did the crowd)
You Give Love a Bad Name (The place went crazy)
Whole Lot of Leavin'

Born to Be My Baby (This tune still rocks)

Lost Highway

When We Were Beautiful
Superman Tonight (great song, excellent vocals)
We Got It Goin' On (fun tune)
Bad Medicine w/ Roadhouse Blues [The Doors cover] / Shout! [Isley Brothers cover] (Awesome)
It's My Life (I forgot how good this song was)

Lay Your Hands on Me [Richie Sambora on lead vocals] (Richie did well on this, he has a great voice)

Hallelujah [Leonard Cohen cover]
I'll Be There For You
Something for the Pain [acoustic]
Someday I'll Be Saturday Night [acoustic] (nice tune)
Keep the Faith (lots of energy...it rocked! Nice guitar work Richie)
Work for the Working Man (good tune)
Who Says You Can't Go Home (I kept waiting on Sugarland to join in!)
Love's the Only Rule
ENCORE:
Runaway (as good as the first time I heard it)
Wanted Dead or Alive (superb guitar work & vocals)
Livin' on a Prayer (one of my favs)

All in all a great evening of entertainment. Bon Jovi gives 110% & the audience give 120 % back! I enjoyed the evening & have a stronger appreciation for what Bon Jovi has accomplished throughout their career. I even bought a fricken T-Shirt! Sadly they had no DoRags! I think they are missing out on a great marketing opportunity. My only dissapointment was they did not play my favorite Bon Jovi tune "Dry County"! But one thing is for sure, the boyz from Jersey can rock & roll with the best of them! Thanks Bon Jovi for Rockin Lower Broadway!

DoRagQ's Next Event: American Bass Anglers BBQ Cookoff Lake Hartwell South Carolina

2010-04-20T22:03:00.003-05:00

http://www.ababbq.com/hartwell.php

Saturday May 1, 2010

Anderson, SC (Civic Center)

Host: Anderson Convention & Visitors Bureau

Host Hotel: Home-town Suites

151 Civic Center Blvd.

Anderson, SC 29625

864-226-1112

Benton Kentucky Tater Days

2010-04-04T21:36:00.001-05:00

Tater Day is a large festival in Benton, Kentucky held on the first Monday in April. It was started in 1843 as a celebration of spring, and a time when all of the townsfolk would get together and trade in sweet potato slips, used to grow the plants. For several years a BBQ contest has been held the weekend before the Tater Parade. In 2007 this contest was our first official contest as DoRagQ. It was also the first contest I did with Gary "Nickelback" Lackey. In 2008 & 2009 we competed in Clarksville but for 2010 Clarksville moved their date so Tater Days was once again on our schedule.

Friday came around & I was not sure if we were going to make it or not! Problems at work had kept me occupied for most of the wee hours of the morning & sleep was the first thing on my mind! It all seemed to work out & after only a few hours of shut-eye we were on our way to Benton. Gary & Richard joined me & made the 2-hour drive seem like 120 minutes.... and soon we were pullin into the contest site. We had heard the contest was full with 38 teams which was great considering last year there were only 13 entries. We arrived right behind our good friends of Shade Tree Cooks. Already set up were J Mack Cookers, Son Seekers, & a few others. We found our spot & commenced to getting setup.

During setup the "Meat Inspector" paid us a visit & gave us his seal of approval so it was time to prep. David & Pam Wilson of Gettin Piggy With It would be driving in from "Elvis Town" to hang out with the DoRagQ Gang. David & I are working on a project together & since they were not cooking this contest we invited them to come & hang out. They arrived as we were starting to prep. As many times as we have done this routine it is still easy to mess up if you don't focus. We seemed to have an issue with one of our ingredients that threw our rhythm off a bit. Some quick thinking & a borrowed kitchen appliance & we were back on track.

With meat prepped & GTG (good to go) we headed to find some grub. Tater Days is like a big midway & Flea Market combined. You can get anything fried (Twinkies, snickers bars, taters, corndogs, GIANT corndogs) & find all kinds of stuff to purchase. We managed to walk past the vending trailers & found a local Diner/BBQ joint. We avoided the BBQ which is their specialty & opted for burgers which are not their specialty. Suddenly a friend Ding-Dong was sounding pretty good! So we headed back to the contest site to do some socializin!

During our Tater Days culinary tour several more teams arrived! It was good to see Podge (MoonSwiners) & Scottie (Cancer Sucks BBQ), Team Allegro, Smelly Butts, Music City Pig Pals, Blues Hog BBQ, Ole Man Larry! We would have to be on our game to compete with these heave hitters! J Mack is fresh off a big win in Mobile & Cancer Sucks & MoonSwiners were World Champions in 2006 & 2007 respectively! Even though I was a bit "star-struck" by these great teams, I knew that we have as good a chance as any of them. That's what is cool (or not) about competition BBQ. On any given day anyone can win! All you can hope for is to do your best & let the taters fall where they may! After a few hugs & catching up it was time for the Cook's Meeting. Ron & Mary Cato who were the KCBS Reps gave us the low-down. Organizer Ed Jones was kind enough to give one of our sponsors Early Times Whisky a shout out! Of course I had to bribe him with some ET SWAG for the "Goodie Bags". But he, we love representin ET! Good Time with Early Times!

After the meeting adjourned it was time to prepare for DoRag's Friday Night Feast! Richard was preparing our usual pork loin, BBQ-baked taters (bought locally), & hot sausage. Several of our Kentucky friends would be droppin by & hanging with the DoRag Gang. The Tabors, Robin, Shawn, & Justin brought some delicious slaw & a fab Carrot Cake! Donny & Tracy Bray of Warren County Pork Choppers joined us & brought more pork & taters. Lisa Apedaile & friends & the Hatchers, Caryn, Bob, & C bell arrived & before you knew it the DoRagQ Gang was in full "Party Mode". Of course after dinner it was time for "Pie"! We had plain, peach, & apple! Aunt Bee would have been proud or at least Buzzed! Mighty fine mighty fine! Once all had left we made a late night stop at WC Pork Choppers to meet Donny's Brother-In-Law Jeff who is also a music freak like me. I had to make myself head back to Casa DoRag if I was goin to get some rest. After all we are here to compete in a contest. You have to be "on-point" to finish well in any contest now days. Concentration & stamina or lack of can make or break you at a contest. So off I headed to get a few hours of shut-eye.

We had been expecting rain during the night but as we woke up at 4 AM it hadn’t arrived yet but by 5 AM the wind picked up & a steady rain began. Pork & brisket were on track as we made final prep on ribs & chicken. Everything was still going as planned! Then suddenly out of nowhere the sky turned blue, the wind died down, & the sun began to shine! I was not sure if we could cook in these conditions! We are so accustomed to cooking in the pouring rain how would we adapt! Except for a few muddy spots & some standing water here & there you could not have asked for a better day! The rest of the cook went off without any major issues. We are still a little rusty & struggling with some flavor profiles. Nothing more cooking won't cure. We had our traditional "Early Times Shot" & managed to get everything in the box & turned it on time! Yippee!

Once we finish turn-ins we sit down for a few minutes & share our thoughts about our product. We always say "not our best .....". I thought the chicken was too spicy & a bit dry. Ribs were just ok.....nothing to write home about. Pork had good flavor & looked great. I was most excited about our brisket. I had heard about Ragu Brisket from the BBQ Pitmaster show on TLC. Ragu seemed a bit out of place in BBQ but he I'll try anything once. So I had injected our brisket with Ragu Sauce. If it didn't work out I could always just add some pasta & have brisket spaghetti!

It was finally time to hear the results! Rick’s Pit Stop took the win in chicken with Kentucky Koolers, De’Boners, Ole Man Larry’s BBQ, Big JT’s Smokin BBQ in 2nd thru 5th. A shout out to our friends Music City Pig Pals (7th), Smokin’ Hose Grillin Team (8th), & Team Allegro (9th). No call for DoRagQ….bummer! In ribs Rollin’ Rumps took 1st with Verner’s Barnyard BBQ, Cancer Sucks BBQ, K&K Kookers, & Shade Tree Cooks coming in 2nd thru 5th. Great job by Son Seekers BBQ (6th), J Mack Cookers (7th), & Smelly Butts (9th). Again no call for DoRag….bummer! In pork it was J Mack Cookers takin top honors with MoonSwiners, K&K Kookers, Blues Hog BBQ, & Steel Smokin BBQ in 2nd thru 5th. Congrats to Team Allegro (7th), WC Pork Choppers (8th), & Cancer Sucks BBQ (10th)….Again no call for DoRag……DAMN! In brisket Cancer Sucks BBQ was 2nd with Smelly Butts, Florida Skin & Bones, & MC Pig Pals 3rd thru 5th. Oh I forgot to mention who took 1st……HELL YES! DoRagQ that’s who! We took first frickin place! No spaghetti tonight! A shout out to Ole Man Larry (6th), Son Seekers (9th) & Redneck Grillers (10th). Congrats to Cancer Sucks BBQ for taking the overall Grand Champion with K&K Kookers Reserve GC. J Mack a strong 3rd, Rick’s Pit Stop, Florida Skin & Bones, Team Allergro, Rollin’ Rumps, Smelly Butts, & Shade Tree Cooks 4th thru 9th. Thanks to that Ragu brisket we managed to squeeze in the top ten with a 10th place finish overall. The 23rd place chicken, 14th place ribs, & 23rd place pork needed a strong score from brisket to save the day.

Ok, plenty of room for improvement. If this was easy everybody would be winning right? We gotta re-think some things. I am not ready to make wholesale changes but we have to make some tweaks here & there. We had great weather, saw some BBQ friends & family, & had a frickin great time cooking BBQ! Livin the dream!

Gotta thank our sponsors, Wireless Plus & Early Times Whisky. Thanks for your support. As always, thanks to Gary “Nickelback” Lackey & Richard “New-Do” Finley for being the Do in DoRagQ! You guys make it fun. Glad you are willin to put up with me for another year. Also thanks to David & Pam Wilson for hangin out with us all weekend. You guys are a blast! Next up, High on the Hog in Winchester! One of my favorite contests. Hope you can make it out. Drop by & visit if you do. We love company! Until then “if your lookin, you ain’t cookin…shut the damn smoker”.

P.S. I got to thinkin if the Ragu worked so well on the brisket maybe I should try Ragu on the chicken, ribs, & pork. I’ll get back to ya on that....later Gator!

American Bass Anglers Early Times Whisky BBQ Contest Results Gainsville, GA

2010-04-04T17:26:00.000-05:00

March 13, 2010
I just realized that I did not post our results from Gainsville. Please click the link below to view the results of the ABA Early Times Whisky BBQ Contest in Gainsville, GA. A full recap will be posted soon.

http://www.kcbs.us/events.php?year=2010&month=3&id=2211

DoRagQ 2010 Supporters

2010-03-29T20:45:00.001-05:00

DoRagQ is proud to announce the return of our friends at Wireless Plus as a 2010 supporter! Wireless Plus has been with us since 2006 when we entered the Gallatin contest as the Wireless Plus BBQ Team. I have known Wireless Plus owner's Joe Davis & Mark Walker for over 20 years & have watched thier business grow into the preimere Motorola dealership in the Mid-South. They service & sell Motorola Communications equipment targeting businesses & government organizations. Joe & Mark also can be found hangin with the DoRagQ Gang at many local contests. Please let them know if you have a need for their products & services. Check them out at http://www.wirelessplusinc.com/.

Also joining DoRagQ for 2010 is Early Times Whisky! In 2009 DoRagQ competed in the American Bass Anglers Association BBQ Cook-Off Series finishing 3rd overall & winning Grand Champion at the Guntersville, AL contest in September. Early Times Whisky is a supporter of the ABA & took a likin' to the DoRagQ Gang. In February 2010 DoRagQ was presented as the Early Times Whisky BBQ Pros at a special ABA event held in conjunction with the Bassmasters Classic in Birmingham, AL. We are very excited to represent the Early Times brand. ET has a great history & a international following. We look forward to representing ET throughout the 2010 KCBS competition season. Early Times and Good Times with DoRagQ!

Please contact us if you are intrested in becoming a supporter of DoRagQ!

We need all the damn help we can get!

DoRagQ 2010 World Tour

2010-03-29T20:29:00.001-05:00

March 13, 2010 Gainesville, GA

April 3, 2010 Benton, KY

April 17, 2010 Winchester, TN

May 2, 2010 Anderson, SC

May 15, 2010 Sevierville, TN

June 5, 2010 Memphis, TN

June 19, 2010 Pell City, AL

June 26, 2010 Lawrenceburg, TN

July 10, 2010 Clarksville, TN

August 14, 2010 McMinnville, TN

August 22, 2010 Kuttawa, KY

August 28, 2010 Nashville, TN

September 4, 2010 College Grove, TN

September 11, 2010 Cookeville, TN

September 18, 2010Greenfield, IN

September 25, 2010 Owensboro, KY

October 2, 2010 Kansas City, MO (Tenative)

October 9, 2010 Lewisburg, TN

October 16, 2010 Mobile, AL

October 23, 2010 The JACK (We hope)

October 30, 2010 Talladega, AL

November 6, 2010 Guntersville, AL

Eric Clapton & Roger Daltry Rocked Nashville!

2010-02-28T10:56:00.000-06:00

Eric Clapton made his return to Music City as he rocked the Sommet Center with opening act Roger Daltry of the Who. My good friends Mark Walker, Chip Hooper, & Chuck Hooper accompanied me on a "boys night out" as we headed down to Rippy's for a pre concert beverage & a bite to eat. While Rippy's is average when it comes to BBQ it is a great place to start the evening & the Hog Sampler which consists of ribs, smoked pork tenderloin, hot wings, sausage, onion rings, pickle spears, & cheese blocks provides the needed nourishment for the evening. So after 2 hours of eating & pounding down Brewskis it was time!

I somehow resisted the urge to stand in long lines & fork over $35 for the commemorative tee-shirt. I have drawers full of those, but I was more than ready to shell out for a DoRag but to my disapointment, they did not have one! I really think they are missing a great marketing opportunity. I am sure the DoRag would be one of their biggest sellers! (Sorry for the ramble) We arrived at our seats which were on the second level stage right. Not bad seats but when you are there to see a Guitarist who is right handed you can't really see all of the action. Of course as soon as we sat down, it was time for MORE BEER!

While I appreciate the Who & have a lot of their music I can't say I am a huge fan so I was not really excited to see Roger Daltry. Stevie Winwood & even Jeff Beck had been on the tour with EC but for this leg of the tour Roger was the opening act. Any respectable rock fan has to appreciate the legacy of the Who so I decided to sit back & see what he can do. RD opened with the Who's "I Can See For Miles". The band was tight with Daltry on the microphone. Flanked by 2 guitarists, bass, keyboard, and drums Daltry did grab a guitar for one of the songs. Sorry I can't remember the set list but there were a few that stuck out like "Squeeze Box" & Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire"! Daltry spoke several times between songs & told the story that when asked which of all his concerts was the most memorable he replied "they were all the same until last years solo performance at the Ryman"! I think I like this Guy! You could tell that he understood what the Ryman stands for. During one song Daltry with microphone in hand twirled it like a rope to the beat of the music. You could tell he was just getting into it & was just getting warmed up. In all, a very enjoyable 45 minute set! BTW Roger will turn 66 March 1st! Happy birthday Roger!

During the break the Boys went for more beer! Imagine that! I stayed behind & got to know Cindi & Keith Throckmorton from Rockvale, TN who were sitting next to me. Seems we have some common interests, music, beer, & bikes! For Lawyers, they were kool peeps & we may made plans to ride together later this year!

The lights blinked, the crowd roared, & EC appeared on stage! Backed by two keyboards, bass, & drums, EC had the guitar duties all to himself. But then he is Clapton, why would he need any help! The band was crisp, the sound was sharp, not too loud, but loud enough! I will post the set list as soon as I can verify my memory. I was hoping since EC's good friend Robert Plant was in town that he might be a surprise guest but there was no RP sighting tonight however accomplished singer, songwriter, musician, & Nashville resident Vince Gill joined Clapton during the acoustic portion of the show. Vince did only gutiar work no vocals as they sat during the set. Vince seemed to hold his own but I got the impression that Vince was humbled to share the stage with such a legend. The acoustic set was spot on as well with "Layla" highlighting the performance. I enjoy this version but I would love to hear the original (less Duane Allman of course). The crowd was defiantly appreciative of Clapton's guitar genius as they roared during & after his effortless solos. I tell you this man in my opinion is the best guitarist of all time. I know many have valid arguments but to me, Clapton is the MAN!

The show closed out with one encore, Robert Johnson's "Crossroads". How fitting as EC's passion these days is funding the Crossroads Centre which is a non-profit, International Centre of Excellence for the treatment of alcohol and other drug addictions located in Antigua & founded by Clapton. No doubt his passion fuels from his past struggles with alcohol & drug addiction. I am so glad he made it through those struggles.

In summary, true Clapton followers were treated to a great performance by a legend. His guitar work & vocals were strong, crisp, & on point. He made if look effortlessly. He is not much on the dialog side, he lets his guitar carry on the conversation with the audience & they fully understand what he is saying. I am privlegd to have seen one of my idols a hand full of times over the years & I hope to see him again. Thanks Eric!

Goats, Music, & More! Who's Your Naaaanny!

2009-10-30T23:30:00.005-05:00

October 9-10, 2009
The Goats, Music, More BBQ Contest has always been a favorite of the DoRagQ Gang since 2007. Richard had much to do with starting & organizing this contest in 2007 & 2008. In 2009 he decided to "retire" from contest organizing & concentrate on competing having a good time. The contest is part of the Goats, Music, & More Festival which celebrates the popularity of "Goats" in the area. They are also known for their outstanding entertainment "Music" the BBQ is part of the "More"! It is your typical "Fall Festival" with food vendors, arts, crafts, & entertainment for the whole family. And the best part is FREE ADMISSION! Nice to see there is still some family entertainment that does not cost an arm a leg. Lewisburg is also Richard's hometown, so we took Casa DoRag down Wednesday & got set up. I was having a busy week & was not sure what time I would be able to get away on Friday. Lewisburg is about an hours drive from Nashville so I would head down when done for the day. Lewisburg would make the eighth week out of nine that we have been on the contest circuit. Lewisburg is normally the last contest of the year for DoRagQ. The forecast leading up to the contest was the same as we have seen for the past several weeks...RAIN! Now that we have Casa DoRag the rain does not seem to bother us as much as it once did but it would sure be nice to have clear skies dry ground. Never the less we were looking foreword to cookin some "Q"! We were also looking forward to adding some additional "DoRag Members" for this weekend. CBJ Nancy Strong had asked to cook with the DoRagQ Gang to fulfill her KCBS Master Judge Certification & KCBS Contest Rep "Extraordinaire" Ron "Go Bama" Harwell had some how talked me into letting him cook with us as well! Ron has become a great friend & since he is usually fulfilling his duties as a KCBS Rep we were looking forward to hanging out with him "off duty".

Richard & Gary got things going on Friday & by the time I arrived everything was inspected, prepped, injected, marinated, rubbed, wrapped, & on ice! Nice! That gave me some "socializin time" to see our BBQ Friends such as Mr. Pete of Bean Bandits, The Swifts of Wild Bunch Butt Burners, David of Gettin' Piggy With It, Linda & JC of JC's Pit Crew, Dan & Jen of Long Dawgs, & Brenda & Terry of High on the Hawg to name a few. Before long it was time for the Cook's Meeting. In lew of "Goodie Bags" the Rotary Club was cookin a catfish supper & providing Saturday morning breakfast for all the teams! Nice touch! So after the Cook's meeting concluded we did more socializin waiting on the catfish. Richard was asked to lend his expertise frying the fish. After a short wait we were treated to fried catfish, hush puppies, & hot slaw. What a feast! After dinner it was time to start the "Big Meats" smokin while Gary started makin the boxes. Even with the weather everything was going according to plan! Cool, more time for more socializin! It was a pleasure to sit down with Nancy & get to know her better. I also had a great time "bossin" Ron around. Hey there are no "free rides" with the DoRag Gang. You gotta pull your weight! All kiddin aside, Ron was eager to help we all enjoyed his company as well.

As the night went on, things were "low key" compared to previous years. The entertainment was country music group Shenandoah. They moved in from the main stage to a small covered pavilion that was packed! The weather did not stop the locals from coming out & taking advantage of the "free" entertainment. We all just hung out around the fire pit & took chugs of Apple Pie. Terry & Mary Jo of Shadetree Cooks came over & Victor of GPWI (Gettin Piggy With It) made it down from ATL with his friends. A good time was had by all. Several had a better time than the rest of us (you know who you are). Before long it was "Quiet Time" & we all turned in for the night.

Saturday morning arrived as did our breakfast. We were also treated to a rousing rendition of the Star Spangled Banner courtesy of Rodney & John of House of Q. Very inspiring! So after we wiped the sleep from our eyes, it was time to get serious about this BBQ thang. Nancy & Ron did a great job helping out where they could. I was looking forward to their opinions on our product. Ron did a impromptu interview with the DoRagQ Gang for an article for the American Bass Anglers in between us butting on the ribs & chicken. By mid morning everything was in full swing. The big meats were up to temperature & the ribs & chicken were coming along fine. As we prepped our boxes for turn in, Nancy commented how she was amazed at the amount of effort we put in to producing a quality product. As I explained, this is true with most teams competing. You have to pay attention to the details. The smallest thing can be the difference in getting a call or not. We have been fortunate to get some great advice from many of those teams & we strive to pay attention to the details & remain as consistent as possible. Sometimes it works & sometimes it don't. I hope Nancy tells her fellow Judges about her experiences.

We managed to get everything boxed & turned in on time. As we usually do, we sat down & discussed our product but this time we had Nancy & Ron's input as well. Both Nancy & Ron commented the chicken was a bit salty, we agreed. They liked the ribs, we thought they we good but not great. They really liked the pork, we did too. Nancy said our brisket was possible the best she has ever had! WOW what a complement. We thought it was good, but not as good as some we have cooked. So after cleaning up & packing Casa DoRag all that was left was to hear the results. So we made our way over to the main stage. Wild Bunch Butt Burners kicked it off by taking the win in chicken, with High on the Hawg coming in 2nd. Seems Nancy & Ron were right as we brought up the rear in 20th place in chicken. In ribs, Jiggy Piggy took the win, with Long Dawgs/Harvest Moon placing 2nd (way to go Jan & Dan)! House of Q, Jc's Pit Crew, & High on the Hawg rounded out the top five. DoRag managed a 9th place. I was really hoping for a good finish in pork as we have been struggling a bit. They called High on the Hawg in 5th, Wild Bunch Butt Burners in 4th, Long Dawgs/Harvest Moon in 3rd, & DoRagQ in 2nd! Holy Shit! That's cool! Congrats to "Legendary" Tony Stone of S & S for taking the win in pork by 2/1000th of a point! In brisket Governor's BBQ took the win, with House of Q, 9 Toes, Butts a Blazin', & Long Dawgs/Harvest Moon, rounding out the top five. The DoRagQ Gang managed to pull off a 10th place finish in brisket. The overall win went to House of Q! Those guys can cook! With Gary & Roxy of Governor's BBQ taking RGC! Rounding out the top ten were Wild Bunch Butt Burners, Long Dawgs/Harvest Moon, Big River BBQ, Jiggy Piggy, S & S, High on the Hawg, General Porktitioners, & DoRagQ! Oh & Jiggy Piggy took the win in Goat over last year's champion Long Dawgs/Harvest Moon! Congratulations to all!

Ok, a top ten overall finish, no complaints here! We seem to be on the right track with pork. I know what I did to make the chicken too salty. Ribs & brisket are consistant, Overall a good effort! I'm happy! What I will remember most about this contest is the fun we had getting to know Nancy & Ron. I want to thank them both for giving us the honor to cook & spend time with them. They are both very special & have an "open inviatation" to cook with DoRagQ anytime! Next year I will have the dis-honor of wearing a Alabama DoRag because of a friendly wager that Mr. Harwell & I had. 12-10 ain't bad boys....we'll get 'em next year! We have a week off & then its off the Lunchburg for "The Jack". The DoRagQ Gang has been asked by Bobbie & Lee McWright of Music City Pig Pals to assist them! Very cool! We will be rootin for them as well as all of our BBQ Friends & Family. Until then, keep the fat side down & the coals hot! See ya!

Smokin' on the Square, Gallatin, TN

2009-10-08T21:14:00.025-05:00

October 2-3, 2009

2009 would mark our fourth appearance at Smokin' on the Square in Gallatin, TN. Gallatin is located 25 minutes North of Nashville & very close to home. A nice change from the two+hour drives we have been making recently. Gary & I loaded Casa DoRag after work on Thursday & headed to Gallatin to get set up. Being so close I planned on working Friday so Gary & Richard would get things started & I would catch up with them later in the day. Work went rather smoothly & I found my way to Gallatin by late afternoon. As usual Richard & Gary had everything prepped & waiting. Good friends Brenda & Terry of High on the Hawg we parked next to us & the combination team of Pig Smokers in Paradise & Light My Fire (Pigs on Fire) were on the other side of Casa DoRag. It was great to see April & Alan of Pig Smokers as we hadn't seen much of them this year. Several regulars were noticeable absent from Gallatin this year as several were competing at the American Royal in Kansas City & a few were cooking at a new contest in Springfield, KY. We wish them luck & hope they come back next year. We spent the rest of the afternoon socializing with our BBQ Family until it was time for the Cook's Meeting which is held at Grecian's Italian Restaurant across the street from the contest site. The organizer "Greater Gallatin" always has a "Cocktail Hour" with horse-overies (can't spell hors d'oeuvres!) Very nice spread!

After the Cook's Meeting it was time to get bizzy prepping dinner. Our good friends from Wireless Plus/Motorola always come visit on Friday night for pork chops, sausage, smoked potatoes, & salad. It's our way of saying "Thanks" for their support during the year. Also in attendance were our new friends from Kattawa KY, Robin & Shawn Tabor. Robin was judging on Saturday & Shawn was in search of truck parts! It was great hangin out with them & "brainstorming" how to make Kattawa's contest even better in 2010. Gary brought the "Fire Pit" & we all enjoyed a chug of Apple Pie while sitting around the fire & socializin'. Once the "Pie" was gone our company wasn't far behind. Makes you wonder if they just come to "chug"???? Gary headed home (20 minute drive) & Richard & I turned in for the night. Great night, no casualties & we somehow managed to get the pork & brisket in the FE100 in spite of all the socializin'.

After a great night & some shut-eye 4 AM rolled around & it was time to take temps & get the chicken & ribs ready. There is something special about a contest early in the morning. The smell of hickory, the occasional sound of a fire box door closing, the screeching sound of FIRE TRUCKS! Did I mention that we are right next to the Gallatin Fired Department? But hey, I am sure they would rather not be trotting off @ 4AM either. So after Richard had his coffee & I had my mornin' Coors Light we commenced to gettin serious! Gary arrived a short time later & we went over our game plan. After 15 plus contests this year, things are finally falling into place. It's almost like we know what we are doing! Scary! The rest of the morning went smoothly as we managed not to burn anything. We dunked, sliced, pulled, & managed to get everything turned in on time. The consensus was our chicken, ribs, & brisket were in the ballpark. Not great but decent, maybe top 10. Pork again was a big ? We knew it was not "award winning" but were hoping it wouldn't finish DAL (Dead Ass Last). So after a quick rest we began packing up Casa DoRag. I still like the idea of "BBQ Roadies". Let me know if you are interested, great benefits, all the BBQ & Beer you want. All you have to do is unpack, wash dishes, & load up when finished & you too can be part of the DoRagQ Gang! Send your resume, immediate openings!

After loading up it was time to "read 'em & weep". We all headed over to the awards to close the chapter on another "Smokin' on the Square". The Dessert category was announced first. The top two teams both finished with perfect scores! Bobbie & Lee McWright of Music City Pig Pals & David Wilson of Gettin' Piggy With It both finished with a "180" with Gettin Piggy With It taking the tiebreaker! Congrats! In the chicken category, Gary Roberts of Governors BBQ took the win with High on the Hawg in 2nd. Rounding out the top five were Pork of the North, Adams Rib, & Critter Cookers. DoRagQ managed a 6th! Cool! The winner in the rib category was Charcoal Cowboys, with MC Pig Pals, Bigbrig.com, High on the Hawg, & The Algood BBQ Pit Team in 2nd through 5th. DoRagQ snuck in again in 6th. So far we were right on track with our predictions, now for pork. The Algood BBQ Pit Team took the win with High on the Hawg, Smokin Butt Crew, Bigbrig.com, & Pork of the North 2nd through 5th. DoRagQ was 16th! AGHHHHHHHH! In brisket, Team Allegro continued their "Hott-Streak" by taking the win with Smokin Butt Crew in 2nd. The Ash Holes followed in 3rd, with Governors BBQ in 4th. The DoRagQ Gang came in 5th! Wow the calls were all over the board, who was gonna take the win? Past Smokin' on the Square Champions Pork of the North managed to pull off the RGC with Paul Hood of Bigbrig.com taking the overall GC! Way to go! Brenda & Terry of High on the Hawg finished in 3rd with Adams Rib in 4th, & Governors BBQ in 5th. The DoRagQ Gang managed to place just inside the top 10 taking 9th place overall!

Time for reflection.....Did we finish DAL?....No..... Did we get our name called?....Yes.... Did we spend time with our BBQ Family?....Yes.... Did we have a good time?....Yes... Do we play for the Titans?....Hell No..... OK then, call it a successful cook! Gallatin is always one of our favorite contests. Arlie & Greater Gallatin do a fantastic job taking care of us & making sure the event is a success. There is aways a great crowd & lots of vendors & performers. If you are a Team, Judge, or just want to have a nice day with the family at a Fall Festival be sure to make plans to attend next year's Smokin' on the Square. DoRagQ will be there. Come by & visit a spell, take you shoes off, sip some "Pie" we would love to see you there! Until then we gotta get ready for the Goats, Music, & More BBQ Contest next week in Lewisburg, TN. That's always a wild one. I better make another batch of Apple Pie! See ya there!

American Bass Anglers BBQ Cookoff, Florence, AL

2009-10-08T21:14:00.016-05:00

September 25-26, 2009

Let me begin by saying "THANKS" to all the DoRagQ Fans & Friends for the kind words we received for winning our first contest last week in Guntersville Alabama. It is an experience that I will not forget. I hope every team has the opportunity to experience the emotions felt in winning a contest. But that was last week. this week is another town, another contest, another victory or disappointment. Either way it goes you can't dwell on it for very long. Just do what you do & hope you don't make anyone sick! Ok enough about that.......

Late September found the DoRagQ Gang heading to Florence Alabama for the third leg of the American Bass Anglers Early Times BBQ Contest. For the 7th weekend in a row we have been cooking or judging. We have experienced both the highs & lows of competitive cooking (scoring wise). Through it all we strived to maintain our consistency. The one thing that was really consistant was the RAIN! Once again we faced another weekend with rain in the forecast. We barely get things dried out & they are wet again! We are thankful for Casa DoRag! At least we can get in out of the weather for a few minutes & stay dry. The rain does not seem to effect our cookers either. The FE100s keep on burnin & smokin like Champs!

As the contest unfolded we began our normal ritual of prepping meat. No surprises everything just as it has been for weeks. Chicken looked good, ribs were meaty, nice butts, & the brisket looked awesome. Time to relax & do some socializin! Making the rounds we ran into many members of our BBQ Family. JoBeaz Blazin Butts & Wings, High on the Hawg, Delta Smoke,Gettin Piggy With It, Team Top Chick, Lotta Bull, House of Q, Smokey Mountain Smokers, & Butts, Bellies, & Buddies just to name a few. It was great seeing everyone & a few we hadn't seen in a while. We also caught up with many of our ABA Friends such as Kevin Rake, Debra Talley, David & Chris Hagood, & Morris Sheehan. It was great catching up with them. Soon it was time for the Cook's Meeting. KCBS Reps Tana Shupe & Ron Harwell lived up to their reputation conducting the meeting & making sure everyone was on the same page. With the "Biz" out of the way it was time for some chow! A Mexican dinner was provided by one of the teams, & I am sorry but I don't remember who they were! It was fantastic & the Margaritas ROCKED! THANKS SO MUCH! I hope to find out who it was so I can thank them properly....maybe a little Apple Pie! After dinner we hung out with John & Rodney of House of Q, Jim of Butts Bellies & Buddies, & David & Pam of Gettin Piggy With It & drank Apple Pie! We even managed to get Kevin Rake & "Mo" himself to take a chug! I knew it was time for bed when the "Disco" music started playing. So it was off to Casa DoRag to get some shut-eye.

We awoke Saturday to the pitter patter of raindrops falling on our roof. Yes Mother Nature decided to mess with us and she wasn't foolin around. I thought we might need a boat to get to turn ins. Somehow we managed to get everything done, boxed, & turned in on time. Then the rain stopped! At least we could pack up without gettin wet! As usual Gary, Richard, & I had a few minutes to reflect on our product and we all thought it was consistent with what we had been turning in the past few contest. I have to admit, the thought a winning brisket for the third week in a row did pass through my mind, not to mention the prospect of winning back-to-back contests! Oh but hold on just a dang minute.........BBQ can be such a cruel mistress! We went from singing Queen's "We Are The Champions" to The Little River Band's "Lonesome Looser"! It was not to be as we did not hear DoRagQ's name called during the entire awards except we asked to "Move our truck"! As I said in the beginning, you can't dwell on the good or the bad too long! I just hope we didn't make anyone sick!

Congrats to Butts, Bellies, & Buddies for taking 1st in chicken, Team Top Chick for top honors in ribs, Jiggy Piggy 1st in pork, & E.M. Azing BBQ taking the win in brisket. The overall win went to E.M. Azing BBQ with Team Top Chick taking RGC! Great finish! Other notables were House of Q in 3rd, Jiggy Piggy in 4th, & Butts, Bellies, & Buddies rounding out the top five. The DoRagQ gang managed a 14th overall with a 14th in chicken, 19th in ribs, 10th in pork, & 12th in brisket. Not our best effort but hey, at least we had a great time! But it did make for a rather long drive home. So as I close this post, I look forward to next week at Smokin' on the Square in Gallatin TN. We will go home, dry out, re-stock, & look forward to seeing our BBQ Family once again.

Best wishes to Jiggy Piggy, Lotta Bull, Swiggin Pig, Team Top Chick, & Wild Bunch Butt Burners as they make their way to Kansas City to compete in the American Royal. Good luck & safe travels.

American Bass Anglers BBQ Cookoff, Guntersville, AL

2009-09-21T19:51:00.012-05:00

September 18-19, 2009

WARNING: This is going to be a long read! A lot has happend since last week in Cookeville so grab a beverage, relax, & let me tell you about my week!

The DoRagQ Gang was still flying high after last week's 1st place brisket & 7th place chicken resulting in a 7th overall. But hey you can't dewell on the good or the bad for too long. You gotta start getting ready for the next cook, & that's what we were focusing on early last week. First off I had a lot going on at the JOB! I am involved in a big project & would have software peeps in Tuesday thru Friday. This presented a problem as I was going to have to work on Friday & would not be able to head to Guntersville until they left. My first plan was to take Casa DoRag to Guntersville after work on Thursday. Richard & Gary could then arrive on Friday & start prepping then I would get there when I could. Then I realized that Guntersville is a 2 1/2 hour drive one way! Not good! After some head scratching, Gary volunteered to take Casa DoRag down Thursday afternoon & return that night. He would pick up Richard on the way down & Richard would stay the night & get things started Friday morning. Great idea! Except for the fact that we did not have a truck to pull Casa DoRag with since I needed my truck for work (company vehicle). Bummer! More head scratching......who do I know that has a truck big enough that would loan it to me & let Gary drive it? That's a tall order to fill but after a quick call to close friend Darryl Sage @ Total Preformance Racing Products we had a truck! So Gary headed out Thursday afternoon & picked Richard up on the way to Guntersville. He then helped Richard unload the cookers & headed back to Nashville. Meanwhile, Richard set up the cook site & settled in for the night. I worked & worried all day! When I got home I received an email notifying me that the KCBS has banned parsley as a garnish due to a recall in many states! So i called Gary & gave him the news that we had to find some Greenleaf lettuce in a hurry. Gary calmed me down & said he would take care of that Friday morning. All I had to do was pack my bag, go to work, & pick him up when I got off! Wow what a deal!

I did not sleep much Thursday night due to worring about work, lettuce, & Richard having to prep everything by himself. Don't get me wrong here, Richard is very capable I just felt bad that he was having to take up my slack! Richard assured me he did not mind but I still felt bad. My project at work was going great & it looked like my peeps would be heading out around 2:30 PM! So after their departure, Gary & I headed for Guntersville. It's alot farther than I thought! I wondered if we would ever get there! We finally arrived around 5:30 PM & I began to survey the site. Richard had done a great job getting everything setup. Due to the heavy rains the ABA improvised & made use of some asphalt instead of having us in the grass which would have turned into a mud-bogg! Good call ABA! I checked out the meat that Richard had prepped, finished the chicken, & had a few cold ones while Gary started making the lettuce boxes. We hadn't made a lettuce box in almost two years so he was a bit rusty but quickly got on a roll & had them finished! We then had a chance to visit with a few friends. Voncille & Joe of Smokey Mountian Smokers, Ron of Team Top Chick, Barry & Mike of Swiggin' Pig, Jen & Dan of Long Dawgs, Bobbie & Lee of Music City Pig Pals were just a few of the 19 pro teams competing. Several regulars were in nearby Decatur AL cooking @ Riverfest. Our friends Jan & Bill of Gooby's BBQ invited us for some dinner which consisted of babyback ribs, chicken, beans, & some Peach/Cherry Cobbler that Jan was practicing for the desert category. Sweet! It was delicious! After dinner we just chilled out & enjoyed the cool breeze off of Lake Guntersville. Nice! It had been a long day so we decided to turn in early after a few chugs of Apple Pie! Time to dream of winning a BBQ contest!

Richard & I woke up @ 4 AM to the sound of rain! Bummer! Judging from the forecast, we might as well get use to it. While never heavy it stayed with us all the way through turn-ins. We are very lucky that no winds accompanied it. We somehow managed to keep everything together & get everything cooked, boxed, & turned in without any major incident. As we normally do after turn in we sat down & discussed our product. We all thought chicken was about the normal, maybe a little bit spicy, ribs were ok but we thought we had cooked better ones. We tried a different but proven recepie this week on our pork as we had been in a slump. We all thought it was good but not sure if it would be good enough. Brisket was dead-on. But as you know it's all a crap shoot so we will see what happens when the "The Fat Lady Sings"!

My friend Lenny Morris from Birmingham drove up with his family to check out the DoRagQ Gang. We fed them some "Q" & enjoyed their company. What a nice surprise! Thanks for coming! After some socializing we packed up Casa DoRag & headed over to watch some of the ABA weigh in. If you have never seen this please check it out! The fish are amazing. Very cool to watch. I can see why tournament bass fishing is so popular!

It was finally time to hear the results. David Hagood of the ABA does a great job of doing the awards. They only call out the top five so sometimes its hard to guess where you are unless you get all top five calls. Team Top Chick was the first name to be called taking a 5th in chicken followed by Smokey Moutain Smokers, Warren County Pork Choppers, & Hd's BBQ taking 4th thru 2nd. I could not believe my ears when David said "and first place chicken, DoRagQ"! YEEEEEEHAAAAWWWWW we won chicken! Our first ever win in chicken! As we were getting our plaque & taking pictures David began to call out the top five in ribs starting with fifth place "DoRagQ"! Nice! Two calls! We were followed by Music City Pig Pals, Becky Sue's BBQ, & Team Top Chick taking 4th thru 2nd with Southern Stiles BBQ taking the win! Congrats! We were already grinning from ear to ear when David started the top five in pork. All we were hoping for here was a decent finish. Smelly Butts BBQ took 5th with Becky Sue's BBQ in 4th. Then David called "DoRagQ in 3rd"! Unbelievable! I was floored! Taking 2nd was Smokey Mountian Smokers & Warren County Pork Choppers taking the win! Congrats! Well to say my heart was a thumpin would be an understatment! I could hardly catch my breath when David started the brisket. In 5th would be our good friends Team Allegro followed by Jen & Dan of Long Dawgs/Harvest Moon in 4th. In 3rd was again Warren County Pork Choppers & in 2nd Team Top Chick. At this point I am thinking, ok maybe we are 6th thru 10th, that would be ok. Still a great finish right? Right untill I hear David say "DoRagQ first in brisket"! OMG...... Un-freeking-believable! For the 2nd week in a row we took top honors in brisket! After a quick interview on stage, some picture, & lots of pats on the back as we made our way back to our seats. My heart was really thumping now. I don't remember who it was that came over & said "you got this one" did it really dawn on me that we have a chance to win our first GC. Holy Crap now I am really nervous. David announced the Reserve Grand Champion was Warren County Pork Choppers! What a great finish for them. They are from Bowling Green, KY & I think they are new to the circut. They must cook some good BBQ. We need to get to know them better! Congrats on RGC. Ok, now it really hit me, I remember Lee McWright, Joe Amore, Ron Montgomery, & my good friend Dan Watson all coming over & offering their congradulations! Was this really gonna happen? All I could do was lower my head, close my eyes, & wait for David to say "The Grand Champion of the Guntersville Alabama American Bass Anglers Association BBQ Cookoff is ........DoRagQ!" Those were the longest 15 words in the entire english language. OMG!!!!!!! I had my sunglasses on (on a cloudy day) but behind them were tears. Hell yes I cried, so did Gary & Richard! I was trying to take it slow & enjoy every second cuz your first GC only happens once & I wanted to savor the moment but it all happens so fast! I know David asked me some questions, I don't really know what I said or if those there understood what I said but I hope I thanked all those who have helped the DoRagQ Gang find their way in the world of competitive BBQ. Bobbie & Lee McWright of Music City Pig Pals, Voncille & Joe Amore of Smokey Moutain Smokers, Linda & JC Gibson of JC's Pit Crew, Barry & Mike Johnson of Swiggin Pig, Debbie & Mike Davis of Lotta Bull, Kevin Bevington of HomeBBQ.com, Brenda & Terry Buchannan of High on the Hawg, & Jen & Dan Watson of Long Dawgs/Harvest Moon. You all have given us advice & taught us. Thank you so much! You all have a part of this GC! Thanks to Mark Walker. Your support made it possible for us to compete in the ABA contests. Thanks so much!

There are two people who I would not & could not do this without. My friends Gary Lacky & Richard Finley. I have said it before but you are the "Do" in DoRagQ. Thank you so much for being a huge part of this. I hope you will cook BBQ with me for a long long time! Thanks to Jack "Shotgun Shorty" Rife who taught me how to cook brisket, drink beer, & cuss! I'll be making that trip soon to visit & have a cold one with you in Texas. I love you Gramps!

As I finish this entry, I think back to the first contest we did in 2006. Jeff Edwards & I drank way to much, partied way to long, & did'nt even bring pork or chicken to cook but we didn't finish last & we had a hell of a time. I remember Gary & I sittin under a EZ-Up in Benton KY in 2007 with wet, cold feet. I remember the 100+ heat in the field at the Wilson County Fair in Lebanon. Man what a great time we have had & we have made some great friends along the way! I am not going to apologize for all the thanks I have given here. All those mentioned have not only helped DoRagQ but many others. I hope someday I can help some new (or old) team win their first Grand Champion. I just hope it ain't one that we are cookin! So enough of this mushy crap, we gotta get ready to head to Florence next weekend for the 4th ABA BBQ Cookoff! I hope we don't make anybody sick with our BBQ! See you there! I'll have a DoRag on my head & a beer in my hand!

Cookeville Cookoff

2009-09-17T20:58:00.016-05:00

September 11-12, 2009

The Cookeville Cookoff has alway been one of our favorites. In 2007 we got two calls & finished 4th & in 2008 we got a 4th in brisket & bombed in everything else. But that's not why it is one of our favorites. There are several reasons, & the first is Tony Stone! What a great ambassador to BBQ! Tony is one of those special people that after talking to him for five minutes, you feel that you have known him for years. He is always smiling & has an encouraging word or two when things aren't going well. Thanks Tony for all the hard work & dedication that you & your family have put in to make the Cookeville Cookoff one of the best around these parts. The second reason we like the Cookeville Cookeoff so much is that there is an abundance of music, crafts, & vendors. A real street festival atmosphere. The third reason is the people! The locals really come out & support the festival. Judging by the length of the lines at the BBQ vendors they really love to eat BBQ!

After our last two contests our goal in Cookeville was to get back on track. We have been somewhat in a slump! Richard, Gary, & I loaded up Casa DoRag & headed out early Friday morning. After a quick stop for breakfast we arrived in Cookeville around 8 AM. We found Tony & he pointed out our spot. We were a little early and many of the teams had not arrived yet. We quickly got set up & tracked down the "Meat Inspector". With that out of the way Richard & I started prepping while Gary caught a cat-nap! During prep the Teams began to arrive. High on the Hawg pulled in next to us, while Shadetree Cooks, Latenight Whiskey Smokers, Blindog's BBQ Gang, & Light My Fire were down the way. Team Allegro, Jiggy Piggy, Music City Pig Pals, Lotta Bull, & Bigbriq.com also had set up camp. Seems the whole BBQ family was once again "In Da House"! After finishing prep we were getting a bit hungry & headed over to have some lunch with Brenda & Buck of High on the Hawg, Mark of BBQTV, & Joe of Joebez Blazzin' Butts & Wings. I can't remember the name of the place we had lunch at but the prime rib sandwich was very tastee & the service was excellent. After lunch we visited with the McWrights. Bobbie & Lee befriended us early on offered their help & guidance when we did not have a clue how to do this contest thang! They are truly very special people to us. They recently won their way into "The Jack"! We are so excited for them! I am hoping they will let me hang out with them at "The Jack"! Very Cool! After some visiting & some of Lee's famous Bloody Marys we headed back over to Casa DoRag to prep for our regular Friday night ritual of smoked pork chops, Texas jalapeno sausage, baked potatoes, salad, & ABTs (Atomic Buffalo Turds). We barley got dinner prepped when it was time for the Cook's Meeting! Tony was recognized for starting this contest 20 years ago & growing it into one of the premiere contest in the southeast! Thanks Tony we appreciate you efforts!

After the Cook's meeting was over we began to focus on dinner! High on the Hawg brought the smoked-baked potatoes, Mark & Karen of BBQTV brought a great salad & dressing, while the DoRaggers provided the pork chops, Texas sausage, & ABTs. What a feast! We had just finished dinner & were enjoying the crowd when we felt a drop or two of rain! Before you knew it we were scrambling to get everything put up & heading for dry ground. Linda Gould & Tana Shupe found themselves huddled up under the awning with the rest of us trying to keep dry for over an hour. When the rain finally slowed the crowds & music disappeared leaving us BBQers to ourselves. So we have a nip or two of Apple Pie & called it a night. Very unusual for the DoRag Gang to be in bed @ 10:30 PM! We must be getting soft in our old age! Saturday brought cloudy but dry weather. We had a good nights sleep & were ready to get with it! Gary had made some amazing boxes & we couldn't wait to fill them full for turn in. Our chicken looked great, the ribs were right on track, pork.....well its pork....& our brisket was again amazing. But if you remember at College Grove we felt similar about our product but the judges did not! We did not get a single call. So it's a crap shoot! Again we did the best we could do & if that's all we leave with then....that's all we leave with! By awards time the sun had chased the clouds away & it was a beautiful day as we began to congregate at the main stage. The bands had been kickin out some great tunes & the crowds had picked up where they left off Friday night. So its time to hear the good, bad, & ugly! We didn't have to wait long as we got a 7th place call in chicken! Congrats to Lotta Bull for taking the win. We didn't hear our name called as Team Allegro took 1st in ribs. No DoRagQ called for pork either! Congrats again to Mike & Debbie Davis as Lotta Bull took the win in Pork. Richard & I looked at each other & we both just shook our heads as the announcer began calling brisket. 10th place Music City Pig Pals, 9th Chicago Smoke, 8th Team Allegro, 7th Smokin' Triggers, 6th Senic City Smokers, 5th Governor's BBQ, 4th J-Mack Cookers, 3rd Adam's Rib, 2nd the Algood Bar-B-Q Pit. I was thinking how could the Judges not have liked the brisket? It was one of the best we have ever cooked! Ever! Really!

The announcer then said "from Nashville Tennessee", I was thinking who else besides us if from Nashville? The answer was no-one! First Place Brisket goes to DoRagQ! HOLY COW! WE WON BRISKET! Finally! I had almost forgot about the overall as the announcer began listing the top 10. We placed 7th overall! With the GC going to (for the 2nd time this year) TEAM ALLEGRO & Mike & Melinda of J-Mack cookers taking the RGC! Congrats!

After the awards we had to wait a few minutes for other teams to pull out so we could hook up so I had a few minutes to collect my thoughts before the drive home. I was having a cold one & thinking about the brisket win. Winning brisket means a lot to me because that is what my Grandfather taught me how to cook many years ago when I was growing up in Texas. Many of you know the story so I won't bore you with it again but I gotta thank "Shotgun Shorty" for teaching me how to BBQ (& drink beer & cuss). He most likley won't admit it but I think he's gonna be proud of me when I tell him.

Another great weekend with my BBQ Family. We had a respectable finish & we won FRICKIN BRISKET! A much needed shot in the arm for the DoRagQ Gang as we continue our stretch of 6 weekends in a row of contests. Next week another American Bass Anglers BBQ Contest in Guntersville Alabama. Hopefully we can remember what we did right & duplicate it. But if we don't...at least we are cooking BBQ right? Come see us & if your are at the Titan's games we tailgate at the LimeLight across from the stadium. Chances are we will be having left-over BBQ so come & join us! Until then....Go Vols, Go Titans, thanks Grampo! I love you!

Pig'n in the Grove!

2009-09-14T22:00:00.001-05:00

September 4-5, 2009

College Grove, TN

About 90 minutes South of Nashville is the sleeply little community of College Grove. It is so small they don't even have a WallyWorld! But that's what makes College Grove appealing, it truly is a small town. Everybody seems to know everybody & most are related! Rolling hills of green vegetation surround you as you navigate the winding roads of Williamson County. When word got out about a KCBS sanctioned contest, the DoRagQ Gang made plans to be there. We made plans to drop Casa DoRag at the site on Thursday so Richard & Gary could get things going on Friday morning since I had to be at the J O B most of the day on Friday. Since it was close to Nashville I could get off work @ be there within an hour. Several Teams were planning on arriving on Thursday & head over to Lynchburg for the Jack drawing. Very cool! Good luck to those who have a chance in the drawing.

As Friday arrived, Richard arrived at Casa DoRag early & Gary was not far behind him. They got through meat inspection & settled in to prepping. I arrived late afternoon & got caught up on the day's activities over a few cold ones. I was amazed at the number & quality of entries. The last I heard there was 18-20 teams. Seems Donna & Joe did a great job promoting & ended up with 29 teams! Many of the regulars were in attendance such as High on the Hawg, Big River, Butts Bellies, & Buddies, Smokey Mountain Smokers, Long Dawgs, Get'n Piggy With It, Team Allegro, Delta Smoke, Music City Pig Pals, Big & Twig, Light My Fire, & The Pit Crew to name a few. I also noticed a few unfamiliar teams like Pyro Chef's & 9 Toes BBQ (cool name)! It was good to see our BBQ Family & meet some new peeps too! Friday after the cook's meeting were were treated to hamburgers, hot dogs, beans, & slaw which meant we did not have to cook our supper! Cool! We commenced to socializin & recreational drinkin! During the week I had made up a fresh batch of Apple Pie & everyone wanted to give it a try. Pretty good stuff but will be better with age! The evening we quiet by DoRag standards. We chatted with Jimmy Tolen of Butts, Bellies, & Buddies, & Jeff of Big & Twig & turned in way before the clock struck midnight.

After a good 4 hours of sleep, Richard & I were up getting chicken & ribs ready to put on the FE100. As the sun came up it looked like we were in for a glorious day of BBQ! We began to notice some very cool cars & truck starting to arrive for the car show. Vetts, Chevelles, Mustangs, & Mopars lined the perimeter of the park. There were some beautiful rides & the owners were every bit as passionate about their cars as we are about BBQ. Ok back the the "Q". Most everything went as planned although our brisket was stubborn & did not want to get up to temperature. We also decided to try a slightly different technique on our pulled pork. A word of advice, DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT TRY SOMETHING NEW AT A CONTEST FOR THE FIRST TIME! That should give you a preview of our pork results! As we were putting on the finishing touches on our boxes we were treated to a summer shower by Mother Nature! You should have seen those Hot Rod Guys scramble! They sure cleared our fast!

After turn-in Gary, Richard, & I sat back with a cold one (or two) & discussed our product. We thought our chicken was as good or better than any we have cooked. Our ribs were almost as good as our 1st place ribs in Paris. Pork....well it was pork. But our brisket was amazing! WOW was what we all said as we tasted it. Even a competitor that sampled it said "it would make you pee in your pants"! I think that means it was good! Call or no call we put forth one of our best efforts to date. It's too bad the judges didn't see it the same way. After the "Fat Lady" was done singing we finished 13th in chicken, 18th in ribs, 24th in pork, & 11th in brisket with a 17th overall finish. I got to be honest, I was disappointed to say the least. I really thought we had some worthy food. For a split second I thought "Hell, I could be riding my Harley every weekend instead of working my ass off to cook for a bunch of SOBs that wouldn't know good BBQ if it was shoved down their throat"! But then the BBQ Gods spoke to me & reminded me why I do this.........because I love to freakin BBQ! Win, loose, or draw we put forth a great effort & I hope we can duplicate it (except for pork) next week in Cookeville.

Congratulations to the Allgood BBQ Pit Crew for taking 1st in chicken, Big & Twig for their 1st in ribs, Smokey Mountain Smokers for their 1st in pork, & Beckey Sue's BBQ for taking top prize in brisket. The overall GC went to Joe & Voncille of Smokey Mountain Smokers with the Allgood BBQ Pit Crew taking the RGC! Congrats! Other notables were Buck & Lou of High on the Hawg taking 3rd overall, Dan & Jen of Long Dawgs placing 4th, & Big & Twig finishing in 6th overall.

For a first year contest, I must say they were well organized, had good power & water, & had community support. A Great effort! Thanks Donna & Joe for making Pig'n in the Grove a huge success! We will defiantly be back next year. As for the DoRagQ Gang.....we are headin for Cookeville next week. Maybe we can figure out what we did right & do it again. Hopefully there might be some SOBs there who know good BBQ! Only kiddin :) We love judges! Really we do!

Music City BBQ!

2009-09-13T15:30:00.009-05:00

When we read where there was going to be a new BBQ contest in Nashville, we were thrilled! After all, we live in Nashville & have many friends in the area. We also competed in our first contest in Nashville back in 2006 @ Opryland so we consider Nashville "Home Field". Well the Opryland contest went by the wayside as did it's replacement the CMA BBQ contest due to space limitations during CMA Fanfest so until the Music City BBQ Nashville was left without a contest. Then late spring we began to hear talk of a event planned for Riverfront Park! Sounded great & we wanted to be a part of it. Several things helped us decide to not compete at the 1st Annual Music City BBQ so we decided to be a Judge instead! It might be fun to be on the "other" side for a change. At least we could participate & see our BBQ family. The Music City contest would be a "Dual Sanctioned" event. Both Kansas City BBQ Society & Memphis Barbecue Network teams would be competing in their respective contests as well as some competing in in both! This was gonna be fun as I had never attended a MBN event.

As it turned out several KCBS teams were competing, Swiggin Pig, House of Q, Jiggy Piggy, Lotta Bull, Big & Twig, Gettin Piggy With It, & Jobeaz to name a few. We headed down on Friday night to check out what was goin on. Many of the teams did not recognize me in normal street clothes! I guess they are accustomed to my "Redneck Style of a DoRag & flip flops! After some socializing & explaining why the DoRagQ Gang was not competing & some great fixins by David of Gettin Piggy With It, we called it a night & headed home to get some rest.

Saturday morning we were told to be at the Judges meeting @ 9 AM. Richard Preston was the KCBS Rep. & he conducted the meeting. Judging would begin at 10 AM to accommodate the dual event. I could not wait to see & taste the contestant's offerings but I was a bit nervous as this was really my first judging experience since becoming a certified KCBS judge. I almost felt out of place! Fortunately there were several famialiar faces & after the Judges Oath I was ready to strap on the feed bag! It would prove to be a long long day as there was at least an hour between turn ins. In summary, I had some very good BBQ & some not so good BBQ! I tried my best not to compare it to what we turn in or what I like personally. It is not as easy as it sounds! This judging thing is hard work! I can say that from a cook's perspective I looked for what was right with the product & not so much as what was wrong with it. Oh I gave low scores where they were deserved but I was fair & when close, rounded up. After judging was completed we hung out & watched some of the MBN judging. That was very interesting! Two of my favorites were Jack's Old South & 10 Bones. Those teams really had their BBQ together. I watched the 10 Bones team during the on site judging of pork shoulder. Very polished & the shoulder looked amazing! I wanted to taste it so bad!

It was finally time for the awards. They were held on the stage @ Riverfront Park on the banks of the Cumberland River. Very scenic! In the chicken category, our friend Jobeaz took the win followed by Jiggy Piggy, The Pork U, House of Q, & Big & Twig! House of Q struck again in the rib category taking the win, followed by Jiggy Piggy, Jacks Old South, Bare Bones BBQ, & Jobeaz. House of Q was on a roll taking first in pork followed by Big & Twig, Swiggin Pig, Charcoal Cowboys, & Jiggy Piggy! In brisket, House of Q strikes yet again, followed by Big & Twig, Swiggin Pig, Jacks Old South, & Charcoal Cowboys. John & Rodney of House of Q almost swept all four categories, which has only been accomplished twice in KCBS competition! Wow what a finish for those guys. We all figured they had the overall win but it could be one of several for the runner up. Wen the dust cleared, House of Q took the GC with Jiggy Piggy taking the RGC! Swiggin Pig, Big & Twig, & Jacks Old South rounded out the top five! Congrats to all!

The MBN results found 10 Bones winning two of the three categories & placing 2nd in the third, taking the overall win! Congrats to 10 Bones & to all the other finalist which included Lotta Bull in ribs! Way to go Big Bull!

As we said our good byes & headed home, I was glad that we participated as judges & got a different perspective of the process. I would encourage every team to get certified & judge a few contests. By the same token I would encourage every judge to compete in a contest. I think both sides would have a better understanding of the challenges each has to overcome to produce & judge consistently. OK, next week its back on the contest trail as we head to Piggin in the Grove in College Grove Tennessee. Let's see if judging helps us or just totally screws us up!

ABA BBQ Cookoff, Kuttawa, KY

2009-08-30T20:21:00.013-05:00

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!

Smokin' in McMinnville

2009-08-30T19:28:00.004-05:00

August 15, 2009

For the past several years we normally find ourselves headin out to the Wilson County Fair's Amaizin Blazin BBQ Contest however after a twelve year run the organizers decided enough was enough. There wasn't many August contests so we figured we would take the month off. Then we heard about Smokin' in McMinnville. So much for the vacation! McMinnville is about 90 minutes South East of Nashville & is known for their Nurseries. Lots of sod farms, tree & shrub farms, & produce come from the McMinnville area. Arlie Bragg was the organizer so we decided to give it a try! Gary "Nickelback" was not making this trip as he was helping his Mom move. We would miss him but family comes first! When we pulled in we were greeted by Smokey Mountain Smokers, Lotta Bull, Jiggy Piggy, Wild Bunch Butt Burners, Team Allegro, & the rest of our BBQ Family! Everyone was there (Yoko brought a walrus, there was magic in the air....)

As you know we always have a cook out on Friday night. Usually we throw some pork chops & potatoes in the smoker and keep it simple. Not this time. If you know Richard then you know aside from BBQ one of his favorite hobbies is fishin! Well it seems that Richard is pretty good at this fishin thing cause he had a freezer full of fish that he was needin to git rid of! So we decided to have a Friday Fish Fry! Richard brought his FCR (Fish Cookin Rig) & enough hush puppies to feed an army & commenced to cookin! Swiggin Pig, Smokey Mountain Smokers, & High on the Hawg all chipped in some side dishes & it was time to strap the feed bag on! Man what a meal! I was afraid we weren't going to have enough to go around but it went much further than I thought. After dinner Richard outdid himself again by making some home-made peach ice cream! We topped the night off with some tunes & a few shots of AP (Apple Pie) & we were good to go!

Saturday morning was routine. No surprises except we had Dinosaur Thighs for chicken. They were huge! Even after trimming the heck out of them we could barley fit six in the box. I think they grew overnight! Richard & I struggled with prepping the boxes (Gary's specialty) & we managed to get everything turned in barely. I was not feeling very positive. I thought our food was good but not good enough. Well as it turned out I was mostly right! We were 21st with our "Thunder Thighs", 25th in ribs, & 21st in brisket. About as below average as you can get! Our lone call was in pork, we managed 7th place! Finishing 19th overall.

Well....we still had a great time & the fish fry was a big success. Maybe we should find us a fish frying contest! Congratulations to Smokin Triggers, Jiggy Piggy, House of Q, & Adams Rib for their category wins. Smokin Butt Crew took the win with Smokin Triggers taking the RGC! Congrats to them! A shout out to the organizers and the town of McMinnville. A great site, a great turn out, & a great contest! We look forward to next year.

DoRagQ Contest Fall Schedule

2009-08-30T19:17:00.003-05:00

September 4th & 5th - College Grove, TN
September 11th & 12th - Cookeville, TN
September 18th & 19th - Guntersville, AL
September 25th & 26th - Florence, AL
October 2nd & 3rd - Gallatin, TN
October 9th & 10th - Lewisburg, TN
October 30th & 31st - Talledega, AL (Tentative)
November 6th & 7th - Russellville, AR (Tentative)

American Bass Anglers Barbeque Cook-Off

2009-07-22T20:24:00.020-05:00

July 17-18, 2008

Paris, TN

On any weekend if you were to take one of the most beautiful areas in Tennessee, add a great lake, 100+ Bass Boats, some of the country's top fisherman some would say you would have a perfect weekend. The only thing missing (IMHO) would be the sweet smelling smoke from 30+ smokers barbecuing. If you were near Paris Landing in Paris Tennessee this past weekend then you were sure to see many people having the perfect weekend. Over 30 Pro & Back-Yard BBQ Teams & over 100 Bass Anglers competed in the first ever American Bass Anglers Barbeque Cook-Off. Paris is the first of five to be held in Tennessee, Alabama, Kentucky, & Arkansas. I must admit, when I heard about this combination I was a bit skeptical, but after taking a chance on the inaugural event, DoRagQ is "ALL IN"! The ABA knows how to put on a great event! Sure there were a few glitches, that is to be expected at a first year contest. The ABA got those taken care of & proceeded to put on a very cool contest. I was very impressed with the ABA and look for them to learn from the glitches & make the next stop in Kuttawa, KY even better!

The Bass Tournament was very interesting as I had never been to one. I was very impressed at the lengths the ABA & Anglers go to insure the well being of the fish. The Bass are constantly in aerated water & carefully released after weigh-in to insure the continued growth of fish in the lake. The ABA Staff was very professional & concerned that the BBQ'ers were taken care of as well. The "Icemen" were frequent, & there was always someone from the ABA asking if we needed anything. This first year event was run as well if not better than some I have participated in with more experience. Again, my DoRag is off to the ABA & Early Times!

As for the BBQ thing, we had a great time. The weather was perfect and we had many members of our BBQ Family in attendance. Team Allegro, Shadetree Cooks, The Pit Crew BBQ Team, Swiggin Pig, & Big River BBQ to name a few. We even had some family in the Backyard division with Gooby's BBQ & T's Custom Smokers there as well. It was great to see them all. For the first time in several contest all members of DoRagQ would be in attendance! Gary, Richard & I arrived, set up, & prepped meat. Several Teams had decided to cook steaks & fixins for dinner & before you knew it we had a full blown chow line forming. I don't know how we pulled it off but between Swiggin Pig, Jiggy Piggy, The Pit Crew, & Gettin Piggy With It, we fed over 30 people! Many were with the ABA & Early Times & it was great to get to know them & share some grub! I think a good time was had by all. (Thanks Joe for the gift!) The remaining night was calm by DoRag's standards. So we all turned in early & got some shut-eye.

Saturday morning we awoke to over 200 trailer lights lined up at the boat ramp! It was quite a scene watching them orchestrate launching their boats. I think they have done this a time or two. Around 5:30 AM we headed over to the pier and watched the ABA peeps do a safety inspection on the boats. A quick playing of the National Anthem & off they went! We headed back to Casa DoRag & whooped up some breakfast. The rest of the morning we spent visiting & cooking. By mid-morning most everything was going according to plan. We had one stubborn pork butt that did not want to get up to temperature, but that was the only glitch. We constructed our boxes & made all the turn-ins on time. Now all we had to do was wait it out. The awards were advertised as 5-ish so we cleaned up & packed.

Around 3PM we headed over to watch the weigh-in. I am here to tell you there was some Big-Ass Fish! I think the "Biggest Fish" was 7.4 LBS! Very cool! I can see why these guys & gals do this. Very exciting! Finally the weigh-in was over & the attention was on the BBQ. The first awards were for the Backyard Division. Our good friend Smokin T's Custom Smokers got calls in both chicken & ribs & won RGC & friends Gooby's BBQ took 2nd in chicken & 1st in ribs taking the GC! What a great finish. Congrats to all! the announcer was only calling out the top 5 in each category so it was hard to figure out where you stood. We did not get a top 5 call in chicken with Big River gettin the win followed by Jiggy Piggy in 2nd & Swiggin Pig in 4th. Ribs started out with Swiggin Pig getting a call in 5th & again Jiggy Piggy in 2nd. We thought we had good ribs & figured we were somewhere 6th to 10th. But wait! We could not believe it when we got the first place call for ribs! Holy sheep-shit Batman! Call the Chief! WOW! I am still excited! Needless to say there was some hoopin & hollerin goin on! We once tied for 1st in ribs but lost the tiebreaker so this was our first bonnified win in a category! It was great to get the win with Gary & Richard both there. They have worked hard for this & I'm glad to share it with them. Ok, back to the rest of the categories. In pork, Team Allegro got the call for 5th & Big River came in 3rd. You guessed it, Jiggy Piggy was 2nd & our Arkansas friends Delta Smoke took the win! In brisket, there were some new names. Hillbilly Hoggers, Smelly Butts BBQ, & Redneck Grillers were 5th thru 3rd. Again, Jiggy Piggy was 2nd & the win went to Barry, Mike, & Riley of Swiggin Pig! Great Job! I must admit even with a 1st in ribs I was somewhat disappointed that we had not gotten any other calls so when they gave the overall top 10 we were sure surprised to hear DoRagQ called in 4th place! We had managed a 7th in chicken, a 7th in pork, & 9th in brisket. Combined with our 1st place ribs we had a pretty good day! Congrats to Jiggy Piggy, their 4-2nds were un-stoppable & they took the GC with Redneck Grillers from Missouri taking RGC. Great location, great weather, great new association with the ABA, great people, & good friends. Hell that would have been enough for us to consider it a great weekend. To get 4 top 10's & our first ever category win, priceless!

Thanks to all our BBQ Family for the kind words, calls, & emails. They mean the world to us. Thanks to all that have given us advice & help as we continue to learn the art of BBQ. Thanks to Jack S. Rife, Jr. (my Grampo) for teaching me about BBQ & celebrating his 90th birthday on 7/14. Thanks to Gary & Richard for being great friends & the "Do" in DoRagQ! Hope we can continue to "not make anybody sick with our food"! We will be headin down to McMinnville on August 14th & 15th. Come hang out with us if your in the area. We love company but when we say you gotta git, you gotta go!

DoRagQ's Schedule!

2009-07-12T15:18:00.004-05:00

Several DoRagQ followers have been asking where & when we will be competing. Ok, actually only one follower asked....Ok it was Richard but still it counts! Anyway here is our schedule for the remainder of 2009:

July 17-18 - Paris, TN - American Bass Anglers Barbeque Cook-Off

July 22 - Nashville, TN - Our Kid Director's Meeting

August 1 - Evansville, IN - IMI Company Truck Rodeo

August 14-15 - McMinnville, TN - Smokin' in McMinnville

August 28-29 - Nashville, TN - Music City BBQ (Tennative)

September 4-5 - College Grove, TN - Pig'n in the Grove

September 11-12 - Cookeville, TN - Cookeville Cookoff

September 18-19 - Guntersville, AL - American Bass Anglers Barbeque Cook-Off

September 25-26 - Owensboro, KY - Grillin & Chillin BBQ Contest

October 2-3 - Gallatin, TN - Smokin' on the Square

October 9-10 - Lewisburg, TN - Lewisburg Rotary Club BBQ Cook-Off

October 23-24 - Lynchburg, TN - The "Jack" (Not cookin, just hangin out)

October 30-31 - Talladega, AL - DegaQue - King of the Pit (Tennative)

Hope you can come & hang out with us as we continue to compete on the the KCBS BBQ Circut.

Tennessee State Championship BBQ

2009-07-07T20:57:00.012-05:00

June 27, 2009

Lawrenceburg, TN

Much has happened since my last contest report. Ed McMahon, Tim Krekel, Karl Malden, Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson, & Steve McNair have passed on leaving us to again realize that fame & fortune does not always guarantee a happy life & a peaceful death. In the end, all we leave behind are the memories & impressions that we leave on those left behind. Live every day like it may be your last. No regrets! Above all tell those you love that you do! You may not have another chance. Ok, off the soapbox..... Now for the BBQ thang!

2009 would be DoRagQ's second visit to the Tennessee State Championship BBQ in Lawrenceburg, TN. We first competed in 2007. About all I can remember was it was hotter that a Stick Burner & we did not finish well. As Richard & I headed to the contest site on Friday, we hoped the weather & our food would both be better. Gary "Nickelback" was enjoying a much needed vacation in the Carolina's & would not be making the trip. When we arrived at the contest site we were shown to our site right next to my old friend Ron Montgomery of Team Top Chick. The Top Chick gang has been on fire this year winning a Grand & placing well in several contest. Soon after getting settled Brenda & Buck of High on the Hawg arrived & settled in on the other side of the Top Chicks. We had them surrounded!

Once we all exchanged greetings & visited for a while it was time to prep the meat. No surprises there. With prep complete we met up with Joe & Voncil of Smokey Mountain Smokers, & Buck & Brenda & headed out for some lunch at a Meat & 3 I knew about called "The Taste of the Town". Great home cooked food & service. I highly recommend it if you are in the area. With our bellies full we headed back to the contest site for more visiting. Many of the top teams were in attendance, Lotta Bull, Smokers Wild, Smokin Triggers, & Swamp Boys BBQ, to mention a few. In all there were 56 pro teams. The competition was gonna be tough but then it always is. There ain't no "bottom feeding" at any KCBS contest! We decided to act like the "Big Dogs" & rent us a golf cart. Apparently Richard did not have much experience operating a golf cart as I soon found out! I don't think we injured anybody but I can't say the same for the cart!

At the last contest in Franklin, KY our neighbors Big & Twig & us decided to cook up a "Cajun-Low-Country-Boil" for our Friday night dinner. Well mostly Big & Twig provided the ingredients & the cookin skills & before you knew it, we had a feast that any Cajun would be proud of! Shrimp, andouille sausage, corn, potatoes, & onions all took a dip in the Hott Tub of Cajun Love. B&T added a great salad & some ice cold beer & it was on! We had a great time visitin, & eatin, & drinkin, & eatin, & drinkin, & drinkin, &.... well you know what I mean. A perfect 999 from all that attended. Thanks to Big & Twig for the hook up! You guys ROCK! After that great meal & a few night-caps it was time to "Hit the Hay"!

Morning came quickly & it was time to get serious. We experienced some mechanical difficulties with one of our cookers but with the help of our neighbor Buck we quickly improvised & managed to get everything cooked and in the box on time. I felt our chicken was solid, our ribs were decent, the pork was so-so, & the brisket was in the money! If you follow my blog you know we have been struggling with our pork lately. Richard had some ideas so I told him to go with it. He was totally in charge of pork. Win, lose, or draw it didn't matter as we had not been scoring well. After turn in we packed up Casa DoRag & I drove us up to the awards in the golf cart. I want to mention Carl Counce & his staff did a fantastic job putting on this event. We always had someone asking us if we needed anything, the entertainment was great, & there was lots of locals wandering around. A real festival atmosphere. Thanks to Carl, The Kiwanis Club, & Lawrencburg for a truly first class event.

Now on to the awards. Swamp Boys BBQ took 1st in chicken with South Pork in 2nd. South Pork has also been cookin great lately. Must be that new Backwoods! We must have eaten the best pieces as we finished 46th. We didn't do much better in ribs finishing 39th. JoeBeaz Blazin Butts & Wings took top honors with Smokers Wild finishing 2nd. Then it was time for pork... I looked at Richard as he was saying "there ain't no way we are getting a call in pork" & no sooner had he gotten the words out of his mouth, they called in 10th place DoRagQ! HAAAAAAAAA! I wish I had a picture of Richard's face! He could not believe it. I made him go up & get the award by himself. I tell you that made the contest! What a great moment! The "Legendary" Johnny Trigg of Smokin Triggers took the win with The Grillin Stones coming in 2nd. Big & Twig was nippin at their heels in 3rd. E.M. Azing BBQ took the win in brisket with Smokers Wild & Smokey Mountain Smokers in 2nd & 3rd. The DoRagQ Gang managed to place 9th! The overall win went to Joe & Voncil of Smokey Mountain Smokers! (Way to go Mom & Dad!) Lotta Bull finished 2nd with Smokers Wild in 3rd. South Pork, Smokin Triggers, The Grillin Stones, E.M. Azing BBQ, Big & Twig, House of Q, & good friends High on the Hawg rounded out the top ten. We managed to place 25th in a very strong field. While not our best effort we did finish better than in 2007. It was all worth seeing Richard's face when we got the call in pork!

Once again we managed to finish in the top 50% of the field. Hey we are still learning, tweaking, & experimenting. At least we are getting our name called for something other than to MOVE YOUR TRUCK! We had a great time visiting, eatin, & drinkin with our BBQ Family. I also learned that Ron of Team Top Chick keeps his secrets well as I didn't learn a thing he was doing but it was great seeing Ron, Nancy, & the rest of the Montgomery family! We have a few weeks off until our next cook. July 17-18th at Paris Landing State Park on Kentucky Lake. This is a new series put on by the American Bass Anglers in conjunction with a Bass Tournament. Sounds cool. Come by & check it out if you are in the area. I think I'm gonna let Richard cook everything. Maybe I am holding us back! Cee Ya!

Franklin Simpson Fair BBQ

2009-06-25T19:12:00.011-05:00

June 19-20, 2009

This would be my second time competing at the Franklin Simpson Fair BBQ but DoRagQ's first. Last year good friend Dan Watson (Long Dawgs Blue Smoke) & I decided to throw in together & have some fun. This year Dan & I decided to divide & conquer. The contest location is in a park which is equipped with water & electrical connections for each site. The sites are all on level ground in a nicely maintained grassy area surrounded by tall shade trees. A great location. Defiantly one of our favs. Richard was on his annual fishing trip with one of his friends & would not be making the trip. Gary"Nickelback" was planning on making the trip until his knee gave out on him & his Mom had surgery earlier in the week! Looks like ole DoRag may have to go solo on this one! To top it off I had to work on Friday to boot! No step for a stepper!

On Thursday after work Gary & I took Casa DoRag to the contest site & set up. We figured to do as much as we could to make things easier on me on Friday. After setting a few things up Thursday night, we joined Voncil & Joe of Smokey Mountain Smokers, Mike & Barry of Swiggin Pig, & Jim & Johnny of Son Seeker's & headed to the Franklin Square to have some Wangs & Burgers @ "Burgers on the Square". What a great place. They even had a band! OK it was a Dude with a guitar but he was really good. I highly recommend checking it our. The Wangs were great & the beer was cold, what more could you want? After some food & fun, Gary & I headed back to Nashville for the night.

Friday was a wild & crazy day. I went in extra early & with all the extra time I had put in during the week I was hoping to slip out early afternoon. Once on site, I finished unloading & started prepping. Gary called to say his knee was a little better & his Mom was recovering so he was hoping to catch up with me later Friday evening. I finally got finished prepping & got our cook site organized. Finally some time for socializing! Long Dawgs & Big & Twig were our neighbors to each side while Team Allegro was across the driveway. Smokey Mountain Smokers, Lotta Bull, & Swiggin Pig were just down the way a bit & Old Dave of Ribs & Bibs was hangin out amongst us all! It was good to see Old Dave again. His sidekick Ziggy did not make the trip. Too bad we had some "Blue Yummies" iced down for him. Maybe next time!

Gary limped in & DoRagQ was officially "In Da House"! After a beer or two "G" settled in to make boxes. I threw on some pork chops & sausage for supper. Swiggin Pig fixed some taters & Long Dawgs threw together a salad & just like that dinner was ready! Good friend & sometime sponsor Mark Walker showed up with Chip & Chuck just in time to grab some grub. Work buddies, Kari & Denise paid us a visit along with Chris, Denise's hubby. They live in the area & had been wanting to check out all the fun we have. Hey the more the merrier right! Scott & Suzanne of South Pork also joined us. Dan made Margaritas & Voncil of Smokey Mountain Smokers made 'Nanna Puddin' for desert.... and Life Was Good! Friday nights at a contest with friends, good food, music, & some adult beverages is hard to top! After some socializing & a sip or two of "Apple Pie" it was time for them to leave! After all I gotta cook & Gary is on crutches!

Saturday morning was quite & peaceful. A nice change from the rain & wind of recent contests. Gary's knee (& other things) were hurtin so I had no choice but to step up & gut it out solo. Most everything went according to plan. I wish I had a $1 for every step I took. I have a new respect for Byron (Buttrubb.com) & Pete (Bean Bandits) who cook solo. You really have to be organized & keep focused. Somehow I was able to do that and got everything boxed & turned in on time! Gary did lend a hand as he got to feelin better. I was happy with chicken & brisket but our ribs were tough & I never know about our pork! So it was time to pack it up & see if were were hero's or zero's!

Thanks to Gary & Roxy of Governor's BBQ we had 25 teams. Category winners were South Pork in chicken, Swiggin Pig in ribs, The Pit Crew in pork, & Smokey Mountain Smokers in brisket. The DoRagQ Gang (less the Gang) managed a 3rd in chicken, 17th in ribs, 13th in pork, & 5th in brisket, finishing 8th overall! South Pork took the GC & The Pit Crew took RGC! Congrats! Other notables were Smokey Mountain Smokers 4th, Swiggin Pig 7th, Long Dawgs 9th, & Lotta Bull 10th.

Overall I am very happy with the outcome. I made a few tweaks to chicken resulting in our best score to date. Brisket is still solid. The ribs were below our standards that was no surprise. Pork was better, but not where it needs to be. I have gotta make a decision. This year's pork just isn't scoring well. Gotta come up with something new or go back to last years or even 2007's recipe! Looks like I am gonna be cookin lots of pork in the next few weeks!

Thanks to Mark Sexton & his staff. They did a great job & took good care of us. Franklin is one of my favorite cooks & I look forward to returning next year. It was also good seeing our BBQ family. Some we see often & other's like ZZ-Que, Hoosier Crawdaddy, Monty Pigthon & The Holy Grill, Ribs & Bibs, Son Seekers, Rockin Rooster's BBQ, Shadetree Cooks, & Castaway Cookers we don't see as much but it's always a blast catching up with them & hope we see them again soon. As for the DoRagQ Gang, it's off to Lawrencburg, TN for the Tennessee State Championship BBQ Cook-Off June 26-27. Richard will be back but "G" is gone on vacation. I guess Richard & I will have to make our own boxes again! Stop by if you are in the area, we love company & if you can make a box, your hired!

Haleyville 911 BBQ Results

2009-06-14T21:49:00.010-05:00

On February 16, 1968 the first 9-1-1 emergency telephone system in the nation went into service in Haleyville. First Haleyville Alabama is a long way from Nashville! I guess I shouldn't complain. There were teams from further away like Lotta Bull from Oklahoma and Pop's Blazen Smokers from Louisiana to mention a few. But I am here to tell you, it's a long frickin way from DoRag's house! OK you get the point, so I will stop wining. To start with Gary "Nickelback" was not making the trip. His knee & his mom's recent surgery would keep him home this time. So I headed down to Lewisburg solo to pick up Richard. We got an early start on Friday & Richard was looking to score some breakfast on the way. Mental note: when heading off the beaten path, eat at Cracker Barrel. Once we exited off I-65 onto the state roads there was not much to be had. We ended up stopping at the McDonald's right beside the contest site! I almost lost ole Richard!

After a hearty helpin of simulated egg-like substance we finally got set up right next to Barry & Mike of Swiggin Pig! They arrive Thursday & were kind enough to save us a spot. So we squeezed Casa DoRag in among the big rigs of Lotta Bill, Jiggy Piggy, Wild Bunch Butt Burners & Big River BBQ & commenced to prepping the meat. Prepping went relatively well and we were finished before noon. Once again, Richard was on the hunt for food! We had our choice of KFC, A&W, Captin D's, & McDonald's. After careful thinking we decided on KFC. Mike & Barry joined us & chauffeured us over on the UT Golf cart. Yes we were living dangerous driving the Big Orange cart around in Crimson Tide country, but when we told them we drove it all the way down from Nashville they grinned & shook their heads in dis-belief. I just had to grin with them and ordered up some hot wangs! After lunch the Alabama Power Company informed us they were taking the electrical grid down to install & transformer & heaver wire cuz we were pullin to much juice! So after a couple of hours of on for a while, off for a while they got 'er done right before the sky's turned dark & the winds began howllin! That's right, we were fixin to be right smack dab in the middle of a bonified Alabama thunderstorm! We quickly tied everything down & started saying our prayers. The wind gusts were fierce & the rain was heavy but Casa DoRag managed to make it through with only a few scratches. We did manage to find time to make our turn in boxes since our "Box-Boy" was laying out on us. BTW...Cell phone coverage is spotty at best in Haleyville so you have to use a pay phone to call 911 in case of an emergency. Anyway, we managed to make it to the 6 PM cook's meeting hosted by two of our favorite KCBS Reps, Ron "Cooks, Cooks" Harwell & his trusty side-kick Richard Preston. After laying down the law, we headed back to the cook site & once again we were in search of food! Luck was on our side & we weaseled our way into a spread put on by Jiiggy Piggy, Swiggin Pig, & Wild Bunch Butt Burners! They had salads, potatoes, steaks, & these little pigeon lookin things. Holy Crap, we done hit the Mother Lode! Later we found out those were Quail, not Pigeons. Either way they were outstanding! Thanks to all involved for letting us hang out. A good time was had by all in-spite of the continued rain. There wasn't much partying going on due to the weather so we headed back to Casa DoRag for a nite-cap & turned in.

Morning brought the loudest clap of thunder I think I have ever experienced along with more rain. In between showers we got pork & brisket finished & chicken & ribs cooking. About mid morning, the rains stopped & we managed to get everything cooked & turned in on time. We just weren't hittin on all cylinders without "G" plus the turn in area was a good 2 city blocks away! DoRag was huffin & puffin. After turn in Richard & I agreed that our food while not bad was not our best. We figured middle of the pack for our overall finish. If we had a chance at a "call" it would be in ribs. So we packed up & got ready to hear the results.

The awards were in a church so I was already a little on edge. If they had bells ringing, I figured I was a gonner. (That's a long story for another time). After the announcements & speeches from the dignitaries, it was time to "Fear the Reaper". The DoRagQ Gang (minus G) managed to pull off a 9th in chicken, 8th in ribs, 20th in pork, & 3rd in brisket! Finishing 9th overall out of 34! A very pleasant surprise! Category winners were South Pork in chicken, Pop's Blazin Smokers in ribs, The EGGseQuetive Council in pork, & South Pork in brisket. The overall Grand Champion was Mike & Debbie Davis of Lotta Bull BBQ with South Pork Reserve Grand Champion. Other notables were in 4th Joebeaz Blazin Butts, 5th Jiggy Piggy, 6th The EGGseQuetive Council, 7th Wild Bunch Butt Burners, 8th Late Night Whiskey Smokers, & in 10th Swiggin Pig. Congrats to all!

It was good to see & visit with out BBQ family again. After a 4 week hiatus we were a little rusty but still managed to pull off a decent finish. Better than we expected! Next week we head to Franklin Kentucky for the Franklin Simpson County Fair BBQ Contest. Again we will be with out one of the Do's in DoRagQ as Richard has a prior fishing commitment with an old friend. We will miss him but friends & traditions are important so catch a big one Richard! Gary & I will do our best to carry on without you! One thing is for sure, we are going to have a great time with our BBQ fam ily! Drop by if your in the area! Until next week, may your coals be read, & your smoke be blue, grab your meat and let's BBQ!

Sundrop Country BBQ Cookoff

2009-05-10T18:35:00.017-05:00

May 8-9, 2009

Friday morning I found myself driving to pick up Richard & Casa DoRag in one of the wildest electrical storms I have ever seen. Around 5 AM the Nashville sky's were full of lightening & the rumble of thunder. I have never seen such a display! I lost count of the bolts that lit up the skyline. The rain was heavy but luckily the winds were not very strong. I arrived at Richards & we were able to get hooked up before the rain caught up with us. We pulled into the picturesque cook site & began to setup. We tied down everything we could expecting to get hit sometime during the weekend. Like last week in Huntsville the forecast was rain, rain, & more rain!

This would be the 5th weekend out of six we were cookin' BBQ & 2009 would be our 3rd visit to the Sundrop Country BBQ Cookoff. There is a large "Back-Yard" division (cooks only chicken & ribs) as well as 30+ "Pros". It's always good too see our Back Yard friends like Rooster, T's, & Gooby's as well as the rest of our BBQ Family. After meat prep we settled in for some socializin! We were flanked by High on the Hawg & E.M. Azing BBQ. Our friends Jobeaz & Carl Counce of Coldwell Bankers BBQ we also in our neighborhood. We also got to visit with Smokers Wild & Chad Hayden of Moonswiners (2007 Jack Daniels World Champion). Chad was one of the first friends I made in the BBQ community. He was competing in 2006 at the Fiddlin', Brewin' & BarBQ'n @ Opryland Hotel. That was our first contest & Chad was setup across from us. He was kind enough to give us a few tips. Then in 2007 I ran into him again in Benton, KY. Later that year Richard & I decided to stay for the awards at "The Jack". Moonswiners got several calls and eventually took the GC! What a great night that was! A great BBQ memory.

After the "Cooks Meeting" we had some ABTs, pork chops, & baked potatoes. Lou & Buck turned in some incredible smoked salmon for Anything Butt. Gary "Nickelback" finally arrive after a 2 week hiatus and DoRagQ was officially "In Da House"! After dinner we just hung out and socialized. Then it dawned on us, it had not rained since we had arrived! Maybe "Mother Nature" was going to give us a gift for "Mother's Day". More on that later. The rest of the evening was spent listening to the music from the arena & sipping on some "Apple Pie". An occasional "Freebird" was yelled out to carry on the tradition but the band never granted our wish. I guess thats better than the year they did play it & forgot most of the words! What respectable redneck bar-band doesn't know the words to frickin FREEBIRD! The party broke up around 10:45 PM & we all headed off to get some shut eye.

We made it through the night without any rain or winds but daylight did bring cloudy skies. About 7 AM it began so sprinkle & by 10 AM the sprinkles turned into showers. We keep on cooking making the best of the wet conditions. With Gary back we were hittin on all 3 cylinders. He was making boxes while Richard & I did out cookin thang. By noon we were ready for chicken turn in. We had been tweaking our technique & recipie since the beginning of the year & we were happy with the outcome. Our rib box was awesome! One of our best looking boxes we have ever produced. We also thought our ribs were pretty good as well. Our pork had a great taste but our results have been inconsistent. We put together a nice box & thought it was pretty tasty as well. Brisket was a challenge. We thought it was dry & tough so we beat it with a hammer & set it outside in the rain but I thought it was a lost cause. Whats done is done. It's all up to the Judges now.

It did quit raining before turn ins and we even got a peak at the sun every now an again. After turn in we had a few minutes to enjoy a beverage & then it was time to pack it all up! Sure wish there were BBQ Roadies to do this. We managed to get it all packed up and have a few minutes to reflect before awards @ 4 PM. We all thought our chicken was good. Gary predicted "top 5"! We all like the looks & taste of our ribs, Gary predicted "top 10". Again we all thought we had a great looking pork box & we all liked the flavor but pork is hard to predict so Gary had no prediction. A dry tough brisket never scores well so we all felt we would "tank" again no prediction.

It was finally time to "read em & weep"! As we all congregated around the PA system, Jay thanked Linda, Tana, & Mark for being great contest reps. The Back Yard results were announced, Gooby's got some calls. Sorry I can't remember & no results are posted yet. Then it was on to the "Pros"! Wild Bunch Butt Burners took 1st in chicken, Team Top Chick was 1st in ribs, Colonel E's BBQ was 1st in pork, & Charcoal Cowboys took 1st in brisket. Smokers Wild took the overall win with Team Allegro taking 2nd! Congrats! DoRagQ was 5th in chicken (Gary called it), 13th in ribs (actually tied for 11th Gary almost called it), 20th in pork (WTF?) & 6th in brisket! Guess the hammer & rain helped! DoRagQ came in 8th overall! No complaint here! rounding out the overall top ten starting with 3rd was Swiggin Pig, 4th Lotta Bull, 5th Team Top Chick, 6th Big River BBQ, 7th Jobeaz Blazin Butts & Wings, 8th DoRagQ, 9th High on the Hawg, & 10th Smokey Mountain Smokers! Congrats to all. Thanks to Jay, the event staff, & contest reps that helped put on the contest. Special thanks to Sundrop & Wallmart for supporting BBQ. We appreciate your participation. We are looking forward to coming back in 2010. Maybe less the rain & mud!

As I look back on the last 6 weeks, I would have to say we are happy with our results. We have improved in some areas and still need some work in others. It's harder that you may think to produce 4 categories that 6 judges all think are good. Lots of factors enter into a finished product, the quality of meat, rubs, technique, equipment, organization, weather, cookers, & recipes all play important parts. When its all said & done, if you turned in the best you could on that day & had a good time, you have won the battle. You may not get the prize but hey, you got to cook some BBQ & be with friends & family, what more could you want?

We are taking a short break from competing. We need too clean up, get some rest, do some "Honey-Do's", & spend some time with family. We are looking forward to cooking in Haleyville, AL June 12-13, Franklin, KY June 19-20, & Lawrenceburg, TN June 26-27. Come by & visit! We love company! Until then, keep the heat low & cook it slow!

DoRag

Click the link below for pictures of the Sundrop Country BBQ Cookoff

http://www.flickr.com/photos/doragq/sets/72157617950904082

DoRag in the News!

2009-05-03T10:47:00.002-05:00

Hey check this out! We got some press coverage & it is not for a criminal offence (although I have cooked some BBQ that I should have been arrested for)! Click here for the link!

Whistle Stop BBQ Festival

2009-05-03T08:18:00.015-05:00

May 1-2, 2009

Huntsville, AL

Let's just say that Buttrubb.com's pit would have felt right at home at this contest. It rained, & rained, & rained! There was water & mud everywhere but it didn't dampen the spirits of 62 pro cookers and 60+ backyard teams as they competed in the 2009 Whistle Stop Festival & Rocket City BBQ. This was DoRagQ's first time to visit the Huntsville contest and we were excited to compete against many of the top teams and certainly the largest contest so far this year. Due to a work obligation I would not arrive until Friday evening. Richard & our good friend Buck of High on the Hawg were able to get "Casa DoRag" pulled down on Thursday night to secure a good spot. Buck & Lou would not be competing at this contest so they volunteered to help and hang out! Richard, Buck, & Lou arrived on Thursday & got set up in time to attend a Mexican buffet with all you can handle Margaritas! From what I hear Richard & Blindog have a "Good Time". But you know the saying, "What happens in Huntsville....".

Richard & Buck were at it early Friday morning despite the rains and got meat inspected & prepped. All the hard work was done! All I had to do was to show up. Hey I'm kinda liking this setup but showing up wasn't as easy as it sounds. After work I set off for the 100+mile trip from Nashville to Huntsville. Once I arrived in Huntsville & found the festival site, finding my way in was a different story. Glad I had my pills with me as my frustration level was building. Buck & Richard finally found me and got me directed to the parking lot that "was not on the map". I even asked directions breaking one of the basic "Man-Rules". The Dude I asked was more lost than I was! Once I was at Casa DoRag my stress & frustration level was diminished by a cold beer. Soon it was time for the "Cooks-Meeting" but it was cancelled due to the heavy downpour. There wasn't much socializing going on, most were keeping dry by staying at their cook sites. Once there was a break in the rain we got a quick tour. We ran into Barry of Swiggin Pig, & Melinda & Mike of J-Mack Cookers. They were set up across from Voncil & Joe of Smokey Mountain Smokers. We also visited with Kathy & John of WBBB, & met Bubba & Shannon of Bub-Ba-Q. JoBeaz Blazin Butts, & House of Q were set up close to Casa DoRag. We also saw old friends Bobby of Team Bobby-Q, & George & Crew of The Dead End Society. It was great to see our BBQ Family even in the rain! The night was really quiet we mostly sat in Casa DoRag & visited with Lou & Buck. Later Joe & Voncil dropped by for a visit and a great time was had by all. With "quiet time" approaching we all decided it was time to turn in so after I tucked Richard in & read him a story I set off on my own to see what was going on, surely there was somebody having some fun. Sure-enough J-Mack had a trailer full of Kentuckians & they were having a good time! Mary Jo & Terry Stinett & friends from Owensboro, KY had come down to judge. It was great seeing them and laughing about our "past" experiences. They party "big" & when them & the DoRag Crew get together it is a LARGE TIME for sure! I had a midnight curfew so I headed back to Casa DoRag & settled in for the night.

Saturday brought the hopes of clear skies but Mother Nature was not going to cooperate. We had short showers all morning but did see some gaps with no rain. Our cook went off without a hitch except for a broken electric knife. Thanks to Swiggin Pig for the loaner! We got all 4 + desert categories turned in on time and all we had to do was wait & pack up cuz they were saying the "big storms" were headed our way. So we sprang into action & got most everything packed up before the 4 PM awards ceremony. About 10 minutes till we started over to the awards when the rain intensified! We were soaked! (note to self....put umbrella in trailer).

Blindog did a fine job as the awards emcee. The place was packed and loud. When the dust (mud) settled DoRagQ finished a respectable 16th overall out of 62 teams! We had a 17th in chicken, a 13th in ribs, a 30th in pork, and a 16th place brisket. Taking top honors was Bub-Ba-Q with House of Q a close 2nd overall. DoRag friend's Smokey Mountain Smokers finished 3rd, WBBB was 4th, JoBeaz was 5th (great job), Big & Twig was 6th, J-Mack was 10th, & Swiggin Pig was 13th. Great showings in a very talented field. A shout out to category winners JoBeaz for chicken , Bub-Ba-Q for ribs, Smokey Mountain Smokers for Pork, & Killer's Dirty Pit BBQ for brisket. Oh I almost forgot! Lou fixed a desert for us to turn in and we finished 10th! they were great Lou! Thanks!

OK, in spite of the rains we had a great time. I can see why this is the premiere contest in Alabama. Lots of people, music, food, and good times. DoRagQ will defiantly return next year and maybe stay the whole weekend (if the weather ever clears up). To all my BBQ Family it was great to see you again. Hope you all have a safe return home. For DoRagQ, thanks to Brenda & Terry for their help & support. We love you guys & look forward to many more good times with you. Richard, again you are the Do in DoRagQ. Thanks so much for your friendship & your desire to cook good BBQ. I couldn't & wouldn't want to do this without you. Gary (Nicklback)...we missed you. Hope you can join us next week in Pulaski. Ok..so next is the Sundrop Festival BBQ in Pulaski, TN. In 2007 we got our 1st two calls there, in 2008 we fell flat on our pork butts. What will happen in 2009? I don't know but one things for sure, DoRagQ will have a good time, see our BBQ family, & get to cook BBQ! What else matters? Hope to see you there, drop by & give us a shout! Until next week, remember, BBQ is not just for breakfast anymore!

For a complete rundown on the contest results click here!

Vote For Your Favorite BBQ Blog!

2009-04-29T22:44:00.004-05:00

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The Best Buckin' BBQ Cookoff

2009-04-27T20:33:00.012-05:00

April 24-25, 2009

Athens, AL

This marked DoRagQ's first experience cooking in Alabama. We had great weather, actually it was very warm on Saturday. The contest layout was good & the contest was well organized. Richard & I arrived early Friday morning and were greeted by Barry & Mike of Swiggin Pig & Voncile & Joe of Smokey Mountain Smokers. It's always great to see our BBQ Family. We found our spot, unloaded, & started meat prep. Fairly routine except we were missing "Nickelback"! Seems that Gary had a previous commitment & DoRagQ was going to have to forge on without him. During prep Buck, of High on the Hawg arrived and pulled in next to us. We gave him a hand unloading and got back to work.

We all worked up an appetite so Joe suggested we head down to the town square in Athens to a Pizza place called Village Pizza. We arrived & Joe asked to inspect the Pizza ovens & kitchen. Ok this was either going to be a good thing or trouble. I think he is doing some research for a secret project! Joe gave them a "thumbs up" on his inspection & we were cleared to check out the menu. We ordered some Cheese Stix & two kinds of wings, The Village Honey (Carolina's honey BBQ) & The Village Jerk ( Jamaican jerk style wings with a little heat and a hint of cinnamon). That gave us more time to check out the Pizza selection. We finally decided to "Build our Own" with Italian Sausage, Pepperoni, Mushrooms, Sun Dried Tomatoes, & Feta Cheese. After a round or two of beer the Cheese Stix arrived accompanied by a marinara sauce & garlic butter. Very tastee! Then the Wings arrived. The Carolina Honey wings were my favorite. Very moist and juicy with lots of flavor. I could have eaten the whole basket myself. Joe liked the Jerk the best. Both were top notch. After another brew out came the Pizza. WOW! A work of art! I forgot my phone & camera so there are no pics but it gets 9's on appearance. Now for the real test, let's see if the flavor has as much punch as the appearance. We were not disappointed. I want to go on record as saying "This was the best frickin pizza I have ever had in my entire life". I ain't playing! It ROCKED! We all gave it 9's on taste & the crust was cooked to perfection. I also noticed a 99 on their health rating. Very clean & fresh atmosphere. I hope they open one in Nashville! Pay them a visit if you are in their area. Check out their website @ http://www.thevillagepizza.net/ You won't be disappointed! We also visited an old hardware store across the street that was very cool. It was like going back in time. Athens is a cool place. Check it out.

OK, back the the BBQ Thang. After our fun trip downtown we got back to the cook site & did some socializing. We saw Kathy & John of Wild Bunch But Burners, Bobbie, & Lee of Music City Pig Pals, Marty of Big River BBQ, Randy & Elien of Team Allegro, Wayne of Bubba's Tennessee Smokers, & the Governor himself Gary Roberts! We also met some new peeps like Justin, Carrie, & TJ of Killers Dirty Pit BBQ. Very nice young people who like to Q. Its great to see new faces getting involved. Later in the afternoon Ron Montgomery & Trent of Team Top Chick arrived with out the Chicks. BTW this contest has a large Backyard Division. I am not sure but I think around 60 Backyard Teams were there to compete. Very cool contest if you are a Back-Yarder!

The Cook's Meeting was standard stuff. Six pieces, no red lettuce, number on top, & DoRag behave! After the meeting we were treated to a catfish & hush puppy supper with all the trimmings. I think I gained 10 lbs on Friday! Friday night was pretty calm by DoRag standards. Brenda's son Jeremy & his "squeeze" (I can take you by surprise & make you realize) Amanda joined us and we settled in for the night. Later Dan of Long Dawgs drove down to visit. He just can't stand it when we are having a good time without him. The rest of the night went off without a hitch. Before we knew it morning had brought us another beautiful day of sunshine & BBQ.

Richard & I struggled through without Gary (we missed you G) and got everything sliced & diced & turned in on time. After a brief rest, we started packing & loading up Casa DoRag. The awards were being held in the Limestone County Sheriff's Rodeo Arena so we all filed in like cattle & took our place among the BS. The Backyard Awards were first. Congrats to Three Little Pigs for taking the GC. Please excuse me if I got the name wrong. The team was a father & his 3 daughters! What a great way to spend time with the kids. Congrats! It was then time for the Pro Awards! Of the 35 Teams DoRagQ finished 12th overall with a 8th in ribs & a 7th in brisket. We can't seem to get all 4 workin for us on the same day but hey we're gonna keep on trying. Congrats to Kevin of The EggseQuetive Council on his first GC & Jiggy Piggy on their strong RGC. There was ony .0002 of a point difference in their overall scores. Other notables were Swiggin Pig in 3rd & High on the Hawg 10th overall. High on the Hawg had their second consecutive 2nd place finish in Chicken. They have go it goin on! A shout out to Barry of Swiggin Pig for 1st place chicken (177.7144) a perfect score is 180! House of Q was 1st in ribs, TNT Southern BBQ placed 1st in pork & The EggseQuetive Council took the brisket category with a 177.1430. Hey and our new friends from Killer's Dirty Pit got a 10th place call is brisket! Great Job all!

Well that about covers it. We had a great time cooking BBQ & hangin with our BBQ Peeps. We plan to do it again this week in Huntsville, AL at the Rocket City BBQ Cookoff. Stop by and say "What Up Dude" if you in the area. Who knows we may have a adult beverage or two to share. Can you say "Apple Pie"! Thanks to Lou & Buck for their friendship, guidance, & help. Richard as always you are one of the DOs in DoRagQ. We will keep praying (yes I remember how) for your Father. Until next week, keep the fat side down or you'll burn your butt!

DoRag!

High on the Hog, Winchester, TN

2009-04-19T18:51:00.005-05:00

April 17-18, 2009

Winchester Park is just outside of Winchester, TN on Tims Ford Lake. This would mark the 22nd year of the High on the Hog Bar-B-Que Cook-Off & DoRagQ's 3rd time to compete. Winchester is known for a well managed contest and one of the most competitive in these parts. We have never finished well at this contest (32nd in 2007 & 46th in 2008) but it is still one of our favorites. In '07 we met now DoRagQ team member Richard Finley for the first time & in '08 we got a 3rd in Pork! So we were cautiously optimistic after our Clarksville top 5 finish. One thing I have learned from this "BBQ Thang" is that it is very humbling. One week you finish good and the next week you tank! All we can do is cook consistent and hope we get a good group of Judges who like our product. If they do or if they don't, just cook the best you can and forget about the last contest.
DoRagQ converged on Winchester on Friday afternoon and began prepping. Gary had brought his boat and was out on the lake wettin a line. Richard & I forged on and finished prep. Our good friends Lou & Buck of High on the Hog were set up next door and would be competing for the first time in 2009. Other DoRagQ friends such as Team Allegro, Scenic City Smokers, Wild Bunch Butt Burners, Team Bobby-Q, Music City Pig Pals, Gettin Piggy with It, Swiggin Pig, Team Top Chick, & ULIKA, just to name a few were all present. We did niss Jen, Dan, & Louie of Long Dawgs Blue Smoke who could not compete due to a previous obligation called WORK! We missed you guys! Gary finally returned (empty handed) with some tail of hooking a smoker in the shallows but we all discounted that as a "Fisherman's Tall Tale". LOL.... Supper was finally done (smoked pork chops & baked taters) and we were joined by Mark & Karen of BBQTV.Com and Lou & Buck. "Big" of Big & Twig joined us for some "Adult Beverages" & a stogie and we settled in for a quiet evening. Winchester is known for its bad weather during the contest and we were all crossing our fingers that we wouldn't see any this year.

Friday night was un-eventful by DoRag standards, seems all the excitement happened on Thursday. Our friend Byron of Buttrub.com had a small mishap with his smoker while unloading ending up in Tim's Ford Lake! Luckily both Byron & the pit were not injured and with the help of a forklift the smoker was rescued! We all pitched in and ordered some Pontoons for next year.

After dinner we got some sleep and woke up to a beautiful morning. We kicked into high gear and finished cooking without any incidents. What? No Drama in Camp DoRag? Something must wrong! Maybe this would be the year? Well don't hold your breath! We placed 19th out of 47 teams! A big improvement from our last 2 visits. We finished 14th in chicken, 30th in ribs, 37th in pork, & 5th in brisket. Congrats to Lou & Buck with their 5th place overall finish! A great way to start the year. Also congrats to Wild Bunch Butt Burners & Jiggy Piggy for finishing in the top 2 spots overall. Other notables were Scenic City Smokers with a 1st in ribs, & Gettin Piggy With It finishing 8th in ribs, ULIKA 8th in pork. Great Job! At the awards Mike Davis of Lotta Bull gave a wonderful speech inducting Fred Gould into the BBQ Hall of Fame & Dan Watson gave Bad Byron an award for "Underwater BBQing".

Next week we are headed to Athens Alabama to the Best Buckin Bar-B-Q Cookoff. Be sure and stop in for a visit if you are in the area. It will be our first time competing at this contest and we are looking forward to giving it a taste of DoRagQ! Thanks Richard & Gary for being the Do in DoRagQ! Until next time....May your beer be cold & your sauce be sweet, keep the temperature down or you'll burn your meat!

Click here to view more pics of this event!

Porkin' in the Park Results

2009-04-05T09:20:00.004-05:00

April 3-4, 2009
After a day of bad storms and several inches rain on Thursday our plans to get an early start Friday morning began with the truck & trailer stuck in the mud in the backyard! Ok, here qo...
Richard quickly remedied the situation with some "Redneck Engineering" & a tie-down, & we were back on our way to Clarksville. The day was still overcast & a bit "Nippy" but the forecast called for no more rain. We found our way to the contest site after breakfast & a quick stop to meet up with Joshua Rogers who had a "special" gift for us. Thanks JR, it was great! After picking our spot, unloading, and setting up, we got down to prepping around 10 AM. Around 12:15 PM we finally had everything prepped & in the coolers & set out for lunch. We met up with Paul Hood of Bigbriq.com & headed to Brunie's Bar & Grill for some chow. The atmosphere was Diners, Drive Inns, & Dives...more on the Dives side, but a cool place to eat, drink, & listen to music. I highly recommend Brunie's!

After lunch we had a great time seeing our BBQ Family. Joe & Voncile of Smokey Mountain Smokers, Bobbie & Lee McWright of Music City Pig Pals, Roxie & Gary of Governor's BBQ, to name a few. It was like a family reunion. We also re-connected with several teams that we don't see that often such as Smokin' Scotsmen, Doctor Porkenstein, Quau, Johnny Mitchell's Smokehouse, & Ol' Man Larry's BBQ. It was great catching up with them. Later in the afternoon, Gary showed up and DoRagQ was officially "In Da House"!

I want to thank Frazier Allen & the Downtown Kiwanis Club for a great event! We had a "Low Country Boil" courtesy Wayne of Bubba's Tennessee Smokers. That was some good eatin! Great job Wayne! At dusk, Gary fired up the outdoor fireplace and we all sat around having a great time visiting. Lou & Buck joined us and the party was on! We were about 100 yards from the Bud Lite Stage and the music the bands played was just right. After some "Apple Pie" for desert (thanks again Joshua) we called it a nite. There was some excitement at a nearby Hotel around 2 AM. Seems someone pulled the fire alarm & everyone was evacuated. We heard the sirens but I asure you that DoRagQ had nottin to do with it as we were all tucked in the bunks of Casa DoRag!

The first contest of the year is always a little different. Things don't usually flow just right, timing is off, tools & ingredients out of place, and we just don't remember what to do. We usually have to cook 3 to 4 contest before we are jelling. Thanks to the BBQ Gods we seemed to be in-sync for Porkin' in the Park. Out of 31 Teams, DoRagQ finished 9th in Chicken, 7th in Ribs, 7th in Pork, & 18th in Brisket. Placing 5th overall! Congratulations to Voncil & Joe of SMS on finishing Grand Champion. Our friends from Michigan, Smokin' Scotsmen were Reserve Grand Champions.

What a great weekend. Good contest, good music, good food, & good friends! Thank you Mark Walker of Wireless Plus & Motorola for your support. Lou & Buck thanks for your support & Gary & Richard for being the "Do" in DoRagQ! Up next, April 18th is High on the Hog in Winchester, TN. Hope we can keep it goin!

Click here to see more pictures of Porkin' in the Park!

It's BBQ Time in Tennessee!

2009-04-02T22:04:00.002-05:00

We are ready for our first contest of 2009. Porkin' in the Park will be held in downtown Clarksville, TN. Richard & I will leave out in the morning for the 45 minute drive. Gary, Jeff, Buck, & Lou will be joining us later in the day. Jeff is coming to hang out (I think he has the BBQ Bug again). Buck & Lou are coming to hang out and help wherever they can. Their contest season has not begun as of yet so we invited them to come hang with the DoRagQ Crew! We are excited to see all of our BBQ Family again. We have not seen some of them since last season. We also have a few new things to try out on the judges.

I spent last weekend and most every evening getting ready. It's almost like work! I gotta make it easier. I need a "Roadie"! Yeah, a BBQ Roadie. That would be cool. Anyone int rested should email their resume and a recent picture for consideration. Pay is low but great benefits! Hey you can party with the DoRagQ Gang. What more could you want?

I wish all my BBQ Family a "Hot Fire" & "Blue Smoke" this weekend. Gotta get some shut-eye. Tune in to the contest wrap-up on Sunday! Later Gator!

2008 DoRagQ Review

2009-03-02T19:02:00.003-06:00

2008 Wow what a year. New smokers, new trailer, new techniques, new challenges, & new friends. We started out in Clarksville, TN back in March & finished in Lewisburg, TN in October! We hung out at "The Jack" and had a ball at the BBQ Christmas Party! All in all a great year for the DoRagQ Gang. We competed in 11 contest and got several calls in all categories. Our best overall finish was 5th in Lewisburg, a great way to close out the year. Other 2008 highlights were placing 5th twice in chicken (a HUGE improvement), a 2nd place in ribs at the Amazin' Blazin' in Lebanon, a 3rd in pork at High on the Hog in Winchester, & a pair of 3rds & 4ths in brisket! Overall our scores were up from 2007 and above all we were more consistent. We had a few lows (Pulaski) but we keep on trying and eventually got into a grove. In the KCBS Team of the Year standings we were 200th overall, 165th in chicken, 146th in ribs, 144th in pork, & 76th in brisket out of over 4000+ teams! Not bad for out 2nd full year but we got a long way to go before we can compete with the "Big Dogs"!

I want to thank Mark Walker & Joe Davis of Wireless Plus & Motorola for helping us out. We couldn't have done it without them. We appreciate their friendship and look forward to many more years of the same. Dan & Jennifer of Long Dawgs Blue Smoke became our confidants and cheering section. Many days Dan & I were on the phone bouncing thoughts & ideas off of each other. Lou & Buck of High on the Hawg & Voncile & Joe of Smokey Mountain Smokers also gave us guidance, friendship, and a Hell of a Good Time every time we were together. We made & drank out share of Margaritas and Tito's Vodka! Which reminds me we gotta stock up for '09! We got to know more of the Teams like BigBriq.com, Ribs, & Bibs, Ulika, Pig-Pak, Late Night Whiskey Smokers, Pig Smokers in Paradise, Swiggin' Pig, Big & Twig, Big Blue, Wild Bunch Butt Burners, Buttrub.com, Team Allegro, Lotta Bull, Governor's, Pig Pals, & Gettin Piggy With It, just to name a few. Thanks for being our BBQ Brothers & Sisters! It truly is a BBQ Family!

There are a few that I just could not or would not want to do this BBQ thang without. That would be Gary "Nickelback" Lackey & Richard "Old Hairy Man" Finley! They are my friends, partners & Buddies. They are the DO in DoRagQ. Thanks for puttin up with me and being a part of the crazy BBQ ride. I look forward to many more years of friendship, moonshine, & BBQ!

Sorry I took so long to do the 2008 wrap up. I promise to do a better job in '09 of keeping it fresh. Remember "If your looking, you ain't cookin" & "keep the fat side down".

DoRag

Comming Soon! 2008 Review & Whats in store for 2009.

2009-02-08T19:31:00.001-06:00

DoRag with the 3-Stooges (Mo, Joe, & Guy)

2008-12-15T20:41:00.003-06:00

Richard & I had a great time hanging out at "The Jack". Our good friends Voncil & Joe Amore of Smokey Mountain Smokers invited us to hang out with them & enjoy the festivities. We arrived Friday and made the rounds. There were many failure faces, Buttrub.com, Lotta Bull, Moonswiners, Team Bobby-Q, Ulcer Acres, Pellet Envy, Jacks Old South, Natural Born Grillers, & The Dead End Society to name a few. We also saw many friends who like us aspire to get the "Draw" someday. We mostly hung out with Voncil & Joe who were surprisingly "laid back"! We made some new friends as well, Susie & Mo of Big Mo from Aho came down to help Voncil & Joe. We made Margaritas by DoRag and ate Hot Wings by Mo. We also hung out with Guy Fieri from the Food Network. As the turn ins began on Saturday you could feel the excitement building. The International Teams really let loose and have a great time at the awards (I am thinking of turning European!) while the American teams seem to be a bit more nervous. Hey lighten up! Its only the World Invitational BBQ Championship! No big deal right? Hell I was as nervous as a cat and I wasn't competing! Anyway, SMS got a call in Brisket (8th) & finished a respectable 18th overall! Congratulations Voncil & Joe! For the complete results check out the KCBS Website.

This was my fourth visit to "The Jack". It is a very special place but whats even more special are the people. I look forward to October 2009. Who knows there might even be a DoRag in da house!

DivaQ at the Jack

2008-11-10T21:41:00.003-06:00

Stop the music player on the right side of the Blog before playing video. You gotta hear Diva SCREAM!

Goats, Music, & More - Lewisburg, TN

2008-10-12T20:16:00.002-05:00

October 11, 2008

Overall Results
Grand Champion - Big River BBQ
Reserve Grand Champion - Jiggy Piggy
Long Dawgs Blue Smoke - 3rd
Blinddog's Outlaw BBQ Gang - 6th
High on the Hawg - 7th

DoRagQ's Results
Overall - 5th
Chicken - 7th
Ribs - 11th
Pork - 6th
Brisket - 4th

Smokin on the Square - Gallatin, TN

2008-10-12T20:12:00.002-05:00

October 4, 2008

Overall Results
Grand Champion - QUAU
Reserve Grand Champion - Pig Smokers in Paradise
Team Allegro - 3rd
BIGBRIQ.COM - 6th
Smokey Mountian Smokers - 9th
High on the Hawg - 10th

DoRagQ's Results
Overall - 14th
Chicken - 5th
Ribs - 4th
Pork - 18th
Brisket - 16th

Grillin & Chillin BBQ Cookoff - Owensboro, KY

2008-10-12T20:06:00.009-05:00

September 27, 2008

Grand Champion - Monthy Pigthon & the Holy Grill
Reserve Grand Champion - Smokin' T's

Team Allegro - 9th
Blinddog's Outlaw BBQ Gang - 10th

DoRagQ Results
Overall - 11th
Chicken - 12th
Ribs - 15th
Pork - 43rd
Brisket - 3rd

Most of the contests that we compete in are in Tennessee. This year we decided to venture up North to "Big Blue" country and give it a whirl. Gary, Richard, & I departed DoRagQ Headquarters on Thursday late afternoon to make the 2 1/2 hour road trip to Owensboro to meet our friends Jen & Dan Watson of Long Dawgs Blue Smoke. The ride up was mostly uneventful thanks to Richards GPS unit. (Did I just say unit?) After a few adult beverages and some chit-chat with Dan we called it a night.

Friday Lou & Buck of High on the Hawg drove up to hang out with the DoRag Crew. They had decided to take a weekend off and wanted to check out the scene in KY. Jim & Johnny of Son Seekers also pulled in and we were complete! All of our Peeps were "In Da House". After our usual "Friday Feast" (pork chops, baked potatoes, & salad) Jim broke out the home-made ice cream! What a treat! After gaining 15 pounds we all went to check out the entertainment. DJ & Karaoke was advertised and we pursuaded Gary "Nickel-Jax" to strut his stuff. And he didn't let us down. After a fine rendition of "Chattahoochie" the crowd rewarded Gary with the largest appause of the night! A star is born! So be sure to check out DoRagQ Records newest (and only0 recording artist "Gary Nickelback Lee" preforming at a stage near you!

After a brief fan club meeting Saturday morning we got down to biz and turned in out offerings. We were pleased to finish 11th out of 52 teams with a 3rd in brisket! We were most proud of our 12th place chicken. Thanks to Lou & Buck for some coaching we finally are cooking some eatable bird. Son Seekers finished 13th overall with a 9th place showing in chicken, a 10th in ribs, & 16th in Brisket. Long Dawgs Blue Smoke finished 16th with a 1st on pork & 6th in brisket. Way to go!

All in all a great weekend with great friends in a great location. Mary Jo, Terry, and crew did a fantastic job taking care of all the cookers as well as 200 other campers. Owensboro was the first of three contests on consecutive weekends. I hope we can ride the wave the rest of the way and get a top 10 overall. We were close but no cigar!

Cookeville Results

2008-10-12T20:01:00.007-05:00

September 6, 2008

Overall Results
Grand Champion - Music City Pig Pals
Reserve Grand Champion - BIGBRIQ.COM
High on the Hawg - 6th
Ulika - 7th
Blinddog's Outlaw BBQ Gang - 8th

DoRagQ's Results
Overall - 24th
Chicken - 26th
Ribs -25th
Pork - 16th
Brisket - 4th

Well there is not much to say about this weekend but "WE SUCKED" except in brisket. Several valuable lessons were learned this weekend. First, when you change your recipe & technique (chicken) practice more than once! Second, when you normally cook 4 racks of ribs for competition, don't cook an additional 4 racks for friends. This seems to take your focus away from the 4 competition ribs. Third, be sure to have a good time on Friday night because you may SUCK on Saturday! So I am glad that we had a good time and partied like "Rock Stars". We still love the Cookeville contest. The crowd and atmosphere make the event fun and exciting. The music is always good and we always seem to have some friends drop by and also manage to make some new ones. Thanks again to Richard & Gary who made it a blast. Congrats to our neighbors Lou & Buck of High on the Hawg, Paul Hood of BigBriq.com, Ulika, & Blinddog's Outlaw BBQ for a great showing. It's always a blast to hang out with you guys.

I also want to congradulate two of my mentors Bobbie & Lee McWright of Music city PigPals who took the Grand Championship. It was a thrill to see them win. Thank you for all your support and help over the years. You are the BEST!

Cookeville was our highpoint in 2007. In 2008 it wasn't that kind to us but I made some bad decisions that put us there. I was pissed for a while but quickly began thinking what to do to get us back on track. Only a couple of weeks until Owensboro but we will be ready.

P.S. Great Job Tony Stone! Move your truck!

Amazin' Blazin' BBQ Cookoff, Lebanon, TN

2008-08-18T20:11:00.010-05:00

August 15-16, 2008
Several weeks ago I found out the Lebanon contest was full. No problem right? I had sent my entry & check in right? WRONG! I had forgotten.....Major Bummer. We called and pleaded our case but rules are rules even for DoRagQ. We found ourselves first on the waiting list. Hey at least we got a first in something. Fast forward to last weekend (8/10/08). No one had cancelled. I called Richard & Gary and told them to make other plans. It was looking like we would be watching from the sidelines. I received a voicemail on Monday around 2:30 PM from a number I did not recognize. As I listened the message said one of the competitors had fallen ill and we were in! While we wish no ill fate on any competitors, it felt good knowing we were in one of the most prestigious and competitive contest in these here parts! DoRagQ would be In Da House!

After contacting Richard & Gary the rest of the week was insane. Work was crazy and every night I seemed to have something work related taking priority over the BBQ. Somehow we managed to get our shit together and Richard & I headed to Lebanon Thursday evening. We arrived and were rewarded with a prime spot right inside the gate. During setup Ziggy & Ole Dave of Ribs & Bibs from Indiana came over and invited us over for pizza cooked in their smoker. That sounded great to us and boy it was some mighty fine pizza! Paul Hood of BigBriq.com came over for a slice & invited us over to Music City Pig Pals site for a taste of Dueling Margarita Machines! Both Paul & Lee (MC Pig Pals) had set up their machines and were churning out Margaritas & Jackaritas for all the early attendees. It was great seeing our BBQ Family in a non-competitive atmosphere. It was like a Who's Who of BBQ. DrBBQ Ray Lampe was there as well as Carolyn Wells of the KCBS, Dan of Rubmasters (Go Predators), David Roper of Jack Daniels, Kathy & John of Wild Bunch Butt Burners, Joe & Voncile of Smokey Mountain Smokers, and our hosts Lee & Bobbie McWright & Paul Hood & many others. It was especially great seeing Mike & Melinda of J-Mack Cookers. We had not seen them since the Christmas party last December. After some socializing Richard & I headed off to Wally World for some last minute provisions. We returned and had a few more Adult Beverages and hit the hay.

By-the-way, the weather was fantastic! Last year we saw temperatures of 100+ this year however we were greeted with high 80's and mild almost cool nights. Perfect weather! Friday morning after breakfast with original DoRagQ member Jeff Edwards we settled in to get prepped. Around mid-morning Buck & Lou of High on the Hawg arrived and set up next to us. The rest of the day was spent prepping for contest & supper. Gary arrived with the "Green Stuff" and we continued our Friday night tradition in the DoRagQ Camp of smoking some Pork Chops & Taters. We threw in some ABTs (Atomic Buffalo Turds) & some fresh sliced tomatoes from the DoRag garden (Thanks to Mrs. DoRag). We were joined for supper by Mark Walker of Wireless Plus, Buck, Lou, & Mickey of High on the Hawg, Ziggy & Ole Dave of Ribs & Bibs, Jennifer Watson (1/2 of Long Dawgs Blue Smoke) and whoever else came along looking hungry. Late arriving guests Amber, LouAnn, & Jeff Edwards showed up after the Titans game. Friday night seems to fly by & soon it was time to fire up the FEs. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention we added another FE100 to our arsenal. More on that on a later post.

This contest takes place on the opening weekend of the Wilson County Fair, one of the premiere fairs in Tennessee & the nation. The sounds of the fair make it a special atmosphere. It can also make for a long night. Seems the roosters have their biological clocks messed up and started crowing about 2 AM! Maybe they were mourning their soon to be smoked cousins. Little did they know how close they came to joining them!

Saturday morning found us behind in getting our briskets & butts up to temperature due to a timing miss-calculation. We came up with a alternative plan that seemed to get us back on track. A decision was made to try some different rub on our chicken. A decision that we hoped would take our average chicken to greater heights. BIG MISTAKE! The lesson we learned was not to change anything at a contest without testing it first in the backyard. So without further A-Dew (how do you spell that anyway?) here are the results: Out of 54 teams DoRagQ finished 22nd. We had a disappointing but deserved 48th in chicken, & a respectable 19th in brisket. We did ourselves proud with a 9th in pork and 2nd in ribs! We actually were tied for first but lost the tiebreaker. WOW! What a turnaround from last years 2nd from last finish in ribs to 2nd from first. (Did I say that right?) I am still floating in the clouds! Congrats to Adams Rib & Wild Bunch Butt Burners for finishing in Grand Champion & Reserve Grand Champion. Other notables were Blinddog's Outlaw BBQ Gang in 5th, Team Allegro in 7th, Music City Pig Pals in 8th, & Ribs & Bibs finishing in 10th.

I want to thank Gary & Richard for their continued support and ideas. They are the "Do" in DoRagQ. I also have to give a shout out to their families for letting them hang out with a person of my questionable character. Props also go out to Rob Marlow (thanks for the hook-up), Jen & Dan Watson, Lou & Buck Buchannon, Joe & Voncile Amore, Bobbie & Lee McWright, Debbie & Mike Davis, Melinda & Mike Ford, and all of the others who have helped us along our BBQ journey. Each one of you have given us encouragement, tips, & ideas that has helped us along the way. Of course I could not do any of this without Mrs. DoRagQ (Kathy) thanks for believing in me & giving me the courage & opportunity to pursue my passions.

PS. Sorry Shotgun Shorty, maybe next time....I love you Gramps.

Gary Silvey's BBQ Cook Off Clarksville, TN

2008-08-07T19:35:00.021-05:00

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.

Happy Birthday "Shotgun Shorty"!

2008-07-19T16:05:00.005-05:00

Jack S. Rife, Jr. celebrated his 90th birthday on July 14th, 2008. Jack (AKA Shotgun Shorty) is my Grandfather and who taught me how to BBQ. Grampo gets his nickname from the old days when he carried several wepons including a shotgun hanging on the gun rack in his pickup truck. He is an avid hunter and expert marksman who is always ready to squeeze one off! While only 5'6" he was a giant to me. He reminds me of John Wayne or Audie Murphy. A honest hard working Texan who served in WWII. While serving in Germany Jack was awarded several medals & awards. A subject I will cover in a future post.

I have been asked "why I love to BBQ so much"? the answer is simple. Some of my fondest memories of Texas & growing up were on any given Friday or Saturday when Grampo would fire the pit up and cook something. Most times it was brisket or cabrito. Sometimes it was a Havelena or deer he shot while hunting. Everyone seemed to congrigate at "Uncle Jack's". Friends, family, hell even people we didn't know would stop by. Grampo always had a cold beer to share. Later her would bitch about the moochers but I know he enjoyed them stopping by. My job was to keep to wood burning, place coals in the pit, check the meat, and get him a cold Budweiser! So my answer to "why I love to BBQ so much" is everytime I fire up the pit I get to re-live those memories. If you don't understand that you never will understand BBQ. You see it's not the rub, injection, or cut of meat. Its not what kind of pit you have or wood you use. Its the concept of family, friends, & tradition that makes good BBQ. I have been fortunate to learn from one of the best. No, Shotgun has never won a BBQ competition but he has won my love & repect and many many others.

So when you see me at competitions having a few beers and listening to old country music, don't think that I dont take the competition seriously. I'm just carring on the family tradition. I can't wait to hand over our first GC trophy to Shotgun Shorty. I love you Grampo.

A Great BBQ Story

2008-07-19T14:59:00.003-05:00

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92677223
Check out this story about Snow's BBQ in lexington, Texas. This is what BBQ is all about. Food, Family, Friends, Traditions, and the characters who live and breathe BBQ. I am planning a BBQ Trip someday and I will make sure that Snow's BBQ is on the itenairy.

Here is the link the Texas Monthly which published the "Top 50 BBQ Joints in Texas". http://www.texasmonthly.com/magazine/bbq

Dickson Fiddler's Contest

2008-07-15T20:54:00.006-05:00

June 27-28, 2008
Gary & Richard thought I was crazy when I told them we had entered the Dickson Fiddler's Contest. Hell, I don't even have a Fiddle much less know how to play one! Its a good thing they had a BBQ contest at the same time. Richard & I headed West of Nashville about 45 miles on Thursday to get set up. We arrived & got set up before dark. After a few adult beverages we turned in for the night.

Friday morning after heading down to Cracker Barrel for some chow we started prepping. Voncil & Joe of Smokey Mountain Smokers invited us along with Buck & Lou of High on the Hawg to lunch at one of the local Mexican eateries during which Voncil was treated to a birthday treat in the form of a shot of Tequila! Happy Birthday Voncil! Shortly after returning to the contest Gary arrived and DoRagQ was IN DA HOUSE! After bringing Gary up to date on all the happenings we were asked by contest organizer Tim Owings to judge the sausage category. Gary & I accepted and off we went. I tell you, judging is not as easy as you may think. We were treated to some very original culinary delights featuring Tennessee Pride Sausage. Some rocked & some rocked our stomachs! Upon completion of judging the sausage category, Buck & Lou of High on the Hawg treated us to a spaghetti supper complete with garlic bread. I didn't know that 6 lbs of spaghetti could feed half of Dickson! The evening was topped off by yours truly making several of my famous DoRag Margaritas. Luckily the Tequila ran out before the "Grills Gone Wild Crew" arrived. We wouldn't want to be seen on one of those cheesy late-night advertisements selling DVDs. No one was lost or hurt and the evening ended quietly.

Saturday brought the chance of rain, gusting winds, and the hope of a good finish. The rains held off, the winds died down, and we finished in the middle of the pack. A 18th place finish in chicken, 8th in ribs, 22nd in pork, & 9th in brisket combined for a 14th place finish overall. Congratulations to Pig-Pak & Team Allegro for finishing Grand Champion & Reserve Grand Champion respectively. DoRagQ friends High on the Hawg finished 6th, Bigbriq.com came in 9th, and newcomers Gettin'Piggy With It in 12th. Thanks to Gary & Richard for their continuing efforts. We continue to pay our dues & keep learning. Until next time....Keep on Smokin!

P.S.I forgot to mention our 2nd place finish in the desert competition! But then that's another story.......Thanks Lou!

Long Dogs on the Rag or Doggie Do BBQ?

2008-07-15T20:10:00.006-05:00

June 20-21, 2008
Dan Watson of Long Dawgs Blue Smoke & I waited to the week of the Franklin Simpson County BBQ Cookoff to decide to enter. We both had planned to take a few weeks off but after talking about it all week we decided to hook up together and cook. On Thursday Dan headed to Franklin Kentucky which is North of Nashville about 40 miles. The cookoff was held in the City park next to a river. Each site had power & water hookups and grass was green and cut like a high dollar golf course. A great setting for a contest. Mark Sexton the contest organizer did a fantastic job taking care of the cooks. We had entertainment on Friday night and a steak dinner to boot!

Our combined efforts resulted in 10th in chicken, 1st in ribs, 5th in pork, & 7th in brisket with a 5th overall. Not bad for a last minute contest. Congratulations to Debbie & Mike Davis of Lotta Bull for taking the Grand Champion. Smokey Mountain Smokers took Reserve Grand Champion. DoRagQ Compadres Bigbriq.com finished 3rd, Team Allegro 8th, & Pig Smokers in Paradise rounded out the top 10. DoRagQ plans to add this cook to our schedule in 2009. It was a beautiful setting, well organized, and just plain fun! Thanks Dan & Jen for putting up with me. Can't wait to do it again!

The BBQ Song

2008-07-15T20:09:00.000-05:00

CMA Musicfest BBQ Cookoff, Nashville, TN

2008-07-13T19:53:00.010-05:00

June 7-8, 2008
For the first year the CMA (Country Music Association) added a BBQ cookoff to the Musicfest activities. The CMA Musicfest (formally FanFair) is a week long festival attended by thousands of country music fans from around the world. The atmosphere was electric and the heat was high. The cookoff was located in a parking lot right behind the Somet Center near the Country Music Hall of Fame. We fired up the AC in Casa DoRag and kept the temperature bearable inside. Richard & I set up camp on Friday night along with several others who had to wait until after 8 PM arrive due to other activities. Later we sat outside and listened to the sounds of downtown Nashville. An occasional train, siren, & drunk could be heard most all night. Paul Hood of BigBriq.com came over for a visit and a beverage or two. Paul owns and distributes an all natural charcoal that does not contain coal, coke, lime, nitrate, or any of the other nasty things that major charcoal brands contain. Check out his website @ http://www.bigbriq.com/ for more information. Paul also is a veteran of the Memphis in May circuit. Richard & I enjoyed listening to his experiences and stories. He will do well in the KCBS.

After a good nights sleep, Richard & I got busy preparing chicken, ribs, pork, & brisket. There is quite a bit of work left to do once "on-site" to get ready to cook. I hope to document a contest week in a future post. I think you will be surprised at the effort we put in even before we lite the pits. due to the extreme heat we spent much of the day in Casa DoRag enjoying the cool AC. Gary arrived later afternoon and we began constructing our turn in boxes. All day country music fans stopped by and asked questions and shared BBQ tales. We even saw a celebrity or two. Jessica Simpson, Lindsay Lohan, and Bucky Covington were seen wondering about the grounds. Lee McWright hosted a celebrity Iron Chef with music stars Mark Willis & Jamie O'Neal. Mark Walker of Wireless Plus stopped by with wife LouAnn friends Chip & Penny Hooper before heading over to LP Field for the big concert featuring Alan Jackson. Wireless Plus is a big supporter of DoRagQ and we always enjoy the chance to "PARTY" with them.

Saturday evening arrived and it was time to get down to business as we fired up the pits and put the briskets and pork butts on to cook. After some socializing with Buck & Lou of High on the Hawg it was bed time for Billy Bob. Until Mark & Chip came banging on the door after the concert. They defiantly had a good time! Sunday brought more heat and excitement as we approached turn in time. Heading into the awards we thought we had cooked our best of the year but as the top ten in chicken, ribs, and pork was announced, DoRagQ was not called. I will admit some frustration building as the brisket category was announced. I thought we had done our best and would not even get a single top 10 finish. As the brisket top five was being announced I was surprised to hear DoRagQ called for 3rd place! It was great to know the all the hard work the Richard, Gary, & I had put in had payed off at least in one category. We actually received 2 perfect scores in brisket. Our best to date! DoRagQ placed 15the overall out of 45 teams with a 28th in chicken, a 27th in ribs, a 17th in pork, and our 3rd place brisket. Congratulations to Lotta Bull (Grand Champion) & Jiggy Piggy (Reserve Grand Champion). Other notables were Wild Bunch Butt Burners in 3rd, Moonswiners in 4th, Team Allegro in 7th, Team Top chick in 9th, & Buttrum.com in 10th. Buck & Lou of High on the Hawg placed 3rd in chicken, and Rick & Amber of Porkenstein BBQ Team finished 6th in ribs.

We keep pluggin along, paying our dues and having tons of fun. At least we didn't have a Pulaski!

Sundrop Country Cookoff, Pulaski, TN

2008-07-13T19:37:00.002-05:00

May 9-10, 2008
Not much to tell. We stunk! Just when you think you have it all figured out; you have a Pulaski! We finished 13th in chicken, 23rd in ribs, 23rd in pork, and 27th in brisket. The only positive things were we were consistent and didn't finish DAL (dead ass last)! Congratulations to Jiggy Piggy (Grand Champion) & our friend Barry of Swiggin Pig (Reserve Grand Champion). The rest of the overall top ten were 3rd Wild Bunch butt Burners, 4th Team Top chick, 5th Tennessee Butt Burners, 6th Bill & the Dixie Chicks, 7th Big Daddy Q, 8th Smokey Mountain Smokers, 9th Late Night Whiskey Smokers, & 10th High on the Hawg. Way to go Buck & Lou. Our only consolation is knowing we had some company down at the bottom. Several teams who are usually in the running joined us with low scores. All we can do is move on to the next one and keep practicing and hope we don't have another Pulaski!

High on the Hog, Winchester, TN

2008-06-13T20:50:00.010-05:00

April 19th, 2008 marked our return to Winchester's High on the Hog contest. It also was the first since the passing of Fred Gould. Fred had a profound impact on the BBQ community and was a big part of the High on the Hog contest. I had met Fred at last years High on the Hog contest. Fred was one of those people who made you feel like you had know him for years. Fred will be missed but remembered fondly in the hearts of many.

The High on the Hog contest also marked the one year anniversary of meeting current DoRagQ Team member Richard Finley. Richard's contributions to our team cannot be measured. He has become a close and dear friend and I look forward to many many years of BBQ and friendship. Thank you Richard!

Ok, now that we have gotten some things off my chest, let's tell you about the contest. I picked Richard up on the way to Winchester. Gary had to work and would catch up with us later. We had the same spot as last year, right on the lake beside the boat ramp. We noticed the lake was quite a bit higher that last year. We had great weather for the most part. Only a small shower Friday night. Once set up, Richard and I began preparing the meat. Once completed we had some time to visit. There were 52 Teams competing including close friends Music City Pig Pals, Ulika, Lotta Bull, Buttrub.com, High on the Hawg, Wild Bunch Butt Burners, Swiggin' Pig, Big Brig.com, Pig Smokers in Paradise, Governors B-B-Q, Scenic City Smokers, J.C.'s Pit Crew, Sun Bear BBQ, and Porkenstein to name a few. It was good to see everyone again. Kinda like a family reunion. Gary arrived late afternoon and DoRagQ was IN THE HOUSE! The rain cut down on our socializing so we just retired to Casa DoRag and got ready for the long night ahead.

Saturday morning brought sunshine and the hopes of a respectable finish. Gary's turn in boxes looked great and all that was left was to let the Judges do their thing. Once turn in was completed, Gary had to head back home for a prior commitment and left Richard and myself to attend the awards. We finished 18th in chicken, 29th in ribs, 3rd in pork, and 46th in brisket. That placed us 22nd overall. While not a great finish, I was happy with getting to "walk" in pork. I was most dissapointed with our brisket. I really thought we had cooked the best one yet. I was ok with our chicken finish and still scratching my head trying to figure out our ribs. Still not a bad finish considering the level of competition.

The Grand Champion went to Bareknuckles BBQ, with Team Bobby-Q getting the Reserve Grand Champion call. Other notables were 3rd Wild Bunch Butt Burners, 4th Buttrub.com, 6th Music City Pig Pals, 7th Ulika, 9th Lotta Bull, and 11th High on the Hawg.

All in all we can't complain. We are still getting use to our new trailer, cooker, and technique. Thanks to Gary and Richard who "complete me". I could not and would not want to do this without them. To see pictures from this contest, click the link below.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/doragq/sets/72157605602919589/

Porkin in the Park 2008

2008-04-15T21:09:00.018-05:00

April 5, 2008 marked DoRagQ's first competition of the 2008 season. Heavy rains and cool weather did not dampen the spirits of the 29 Teams that converged on the Clarksville Fairgrounds. Richard & I left Nashville on Thursday hoping to get a prime spot while Gary joined us on Friday. This was also the maiden voyage of DoRag's new Toy Hauler and new cookers. The comforts of a dry warm place to rest and prep made a world of difference compared to the primitive E-Z Up of last year. I don't know how we made it through last year!

Richard and I got some sleep between heavy rains on Thursday night and woke up early on Friday to grab some breakfast. We came upon a out of the way dinner that cooked up a mean omlete. After feeding our faces we returned to prep the meat. It seemed to take longer than usual, I guess we were a little out of practice. We finished up the pork, brisket, and ribs about the time Gary showed up. We let him relax for a few and then started in on the chicken. We brought extra chicken so we fired up the new FEC100 and made some supper. After supper the organizers asked us over for some left overs from a fish fry. Needless to say we all had plenty to eat. We then adjourned to the confines of Casa DoRag and started making our turn-in boxes. Once completed we all turned in for some shut eye.

Saturday brought us hopes of warmer, dryer weather. While it was dryer it wasn't much warmer. We stumbled through our routine trying to remember what to do next. We somehow managed to get everything turned in on time and there were no reports of ill health! When the dust settled, 2007 KCBS Team of the Year "Cool Smoke" took Grand Champion with "Learn 2 Q.com" finishing Reserve Grand Champion. Nashville based team Ulika finished a strong 3rd, with Jacks Old South & Smokey Mountain Smokers rounding out the top five.

Other locals, Pig Smokers in Paradise and High on the Hawg finished 6th & 9th respectively. DoRagQ placed 15th in the 29 team field with a 14th in chicken, 26th in ribs, 13th in pork, and 8th in brisket. We are not sure what happened to our ribs. We thought they were a winner and we normally finish strong in that category. For complete results go to: http://www.kcbs.us/events.php?year=2008&month=04&id=1065

Overall, not a bad start to our sophomore season. New environment, new smokers, and new ideas take time to get the kinks worked out. We have high hopes heading into Winchester. Until then, Peace Out!

We Be Bonified!

2008-03-03T21:19:00.004-06:00

On Saturday March 1st, me and my lovely & talented wife Kathy and the coolest sister-in-law ever Patti attended the KCBS Certified Judge's class held in Lewisburg, TN. We sat and listend as KCBS Representive extroadaire Ron Harwell shared what a KCBS Judge needs to know to fairly judge a contest. Assisting Ron were Bill Gauge and Wayne Lohman. Also in attendance were some of the best known BBQ faces in Tennessee such as Linda Gould, Tana Shupe, and David Roper. The class had 41 attendees from several states. the food was prepared by Buck & Brenda of High on the Hawg, Dan of Long Dawgs, Blue Smoke, and Gary & Richard of our very own DoRagQ. After several hours of instruction and tasteing, Ron asked us to face the West and raise our right hands. We then took the KCBS Judges Oath and became BONIFIED KCBS CERTIFIED JUDGES! YEEEEHAWWWW!

2008 Contest Schedule

2008-03-03T21:10:00.002-06:00

4/4/2008 Clarksville, TN
4/18/2008 Winchester, TN
5/9/2008 Pulaski, TN
6/7/2008 Nashville, TN
6/27/2008 Dickson, TN
7/11/2008 Clarksville, TN
8/15/2008 Lebanon, TN
9/5/2008 Cookeville, TN
9/26/2008 Owensboro, TN
10/3/2008 Gallatin, TN
10/10/2008 Lewisburg, TN

DoRagQ Winter Update.

2008-02-25T18:55:00.001-06:00

Time to come out of hibernation and get ready for the 2008 Competition BBQ season! Actually we have been pretty busy during the winter. In October we purchased a 18 foot Predator Toy-Hauler which will be used to haul our equipment and also to help us get some comfortable rest while competing. In November we purchased a new Stumps Elite 6 Competition Smoker. These additions should help us improve our sophmore competition season. Looking back in 2007 we had some highs and some lows. We learned some things and we had a great time. In 2008 we are looking to step it up a bit and we think these additions will help us produce a consistant product for judging.

In 2007 Wireless Plus signed on as DoRagQ's primary sponsor. We enjoyed having them aboard and appreciate their support. We are happy to announce Wireless Plus will be returning as primary sponsor for the 2008 season! Thank you Mark Walker & Joe Davis for helping us out. Your support and friendship means a great deal to us. We look forward to bringing you the fruits (and leftovers) of our labor. If you need a Motorola 2 way radio system please give them a call. They are the best in the Middle Tennessee area.

A Pig A Day, Icons of Barbecue 2008 Calendar

2007-12-03T20:55:00.000-06:00

Be sure to get the 2008 Edition of "A Pig A Day" Icons of Barbecue Desk Calendar. If you like BBQ you will love this! We were lucky enough to be one of the last ones asked to be in the 2008 calendar. I received my copy and was BLOWN AWAY! It is the coolest gift you could give somebody. DoRagQ's day is October 13th 2008. It has our logo and a short paragraph about our Team. Each day features a team, resturant, festival, contest, or product. They are $12.99. Check it out at http://www.bbqcalendar.com

The Jack 2007 (Part 2)

2007-11-02T20:10:00.000-05:00

It had been almost a week since The Jack. What an incredible experience. I can't imagine what it would be like to compete. Just attending the festivities was somewhat overwhelming. I want to congratulate all that participated. Several teams that we have competed with were there. Lynchburg's own Late Night Whiskey Smokers finished 8th overall, Smokey Mountain Smokers finished 14th, J-Mack Cookers finished 25th, and Lotta Bull finished 40th. It gives me great pride to say I have cooked with some of the BEST BBQ'rs IN THE WORLD. Who knows maybe someday the DoRags will make it to Lynchburg! I want to offer congratulations to Grand Champion Moonswiners, and Reserve Grand Champion Habitual Smokers. Great job!

I also want to thank Brenda and Terry of High on the Hawg for "Hookin us up". Brenda and Terry were working as volunteers and just so happened to get assigned to the grazing table. The grazin table is where the left over food is brought from the judges tables. The food is usually laid out for the volunteers to enjoy. Several small bites seemed to make it our way. I actually said "No More Please". I think I gained 5 lbs without drinking a beer! Like the judges, we did not know who cooked what we sampled, I was somewhat surprised to learn that in my opinion the Q that we cook was is some cases as good as what we sampled. I expected to taste something out of this world and except for one piece of chicken, I was disappointed. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying there wasn't some unbelievable BBQ turned in, we only sampled a fraction of the turn in. In a way it renewed my confidence that our product is at least in the same ballpark.

In closing, The Jack is a special place and time for those who compete and those who attend. A time that many won't soon forget. I can't wait for next year!

The Jack 2007

2007-10-28T21:39:00.001-05:00

The Jack 2007
Originally uploaded by bcis93

Richard Finley and I spent most of Saturday attending the festivities at the 19th Annual Jack Daniels World Invitational BBQ Championship Cookoff in Lynchburg Tennessee. Richard & I met in Shelbyville around 8 AM and rode together to Lynchburg arriving around 8:45 AM. Check out The Jack 2007 photo set on my Flickr site. Over the next few days I will post more about the exciting day.

2007 Goats & Music Festival

2007-10-23T20:55:00.001-05:00

October , 2007
Lewisburg, TN

Gary & Billy
Originally uploaded by bcis93

Two thirds of DoRagQ.

2007 Gallatin

2007-10-23T07:36:00.001-05:00

2007 Gallatin
Originally uploaded by bcis93

The DoRagQ Crew.

Fiddlin', Brewin', & Barbq'n

2007-09-29T20:32:00.000-05:00

September 28-29, 2007
Nashville, TN

Grand Champion - Cool Smoke
Reserve GC - Lotta Bull BBQ
78 Teams
DoRagQ Results
Chicken - 35th
Ribs - 16th
Pork - 56th
Brisket - 75th
Overall - 62nd

Cookeville 2007

2007-09-09T07:38:00.000-05:00

September 8-9, 2007
Cookeville, TN

Just wanted to share with our BBQ Family the results of the 18th annual Cookeville Cookoff. This was our first time to compete in the Cookeville contest. The contest was held on the town square in conjunction with a street fair. There was plenty of music, food, crafts, and other stuff going on. The place was rockin! Dan Watson of Long Dawgs Blue Smoke had not planned to compete so we asked him to cook with us. We had wanted to collaborate for a while and the timing seemed right. There were 30 teams entered. Our results were: Chicken 18th, Ribs 2nd, Pork 5th, and Brisket 11th (same score as 10th). Overall 4th! I can’t thank Gary and Richard enough for being a part of DoRagQ. Their hard work and contributions have helped in our success. Thanks to Dan Watson for his assistance and use of the toy hauler. To view pictures from Cookeville, click the DoRagQ Pics link.

Cookeville 2007
Originally uploaded by bcis93

DoRagQ takes a 2nd place in ribs @ Cookeville.

Amazin, Blazin. Barbecue Cookoff, Lebanon, TN

2007-08-25T15:23:00.002-05:00

August 16-18, 2007
Amazin’ Blazin’ BBQ Cookoff Lebanon, TN

The 11th annual cookoff held in conjunction with the Wilson county Fair would be DoRagQ’s first as a competitor. I had attended as a spectator for the last several years and we were looking forward to participating. The Tennessee heat had been in the 100’s for several days in a row and Thursday was not going to be any different. Richard & I arrived mid-afternoon to begin setting up camp. Our neighbors, Chic N Bones were kind enough to offer us the use of their air conditioned camper for the night as they were not staying on site Thursday night. They did however, advice us of their intentions to make full use of the facility on Friday night! Evening came but the heat stayed near 100 as we attended the early arrival dinner hosted by the contest organizers. Many of the top teams such as, Lotta Bull, J Mack Cookers, HomeBBW.com, Team Allegro, & the ABS Cooking Team were in attendance as well as Ray Lampe (Dr. BBQ). Richard & I mingled and enjoyed the food & conversation. Most ate and retreated to the comfort of their air conditioned motorhomes or trailers. Richard and I were left to drink cold beer sitting in front of a fan blowing hot air dreaming of the day when we too will have those comforts. I guess this is what many call “paying your dues”! The heat seemed to wear us out so we adjourned to the Chic N Bones camper for the night. The AC was kickin out some cool air. I actually got cold and had to find a blanket!

After a good nights rest, Richard whipped up some breakfast and we waited for the Meat Inspectors. Gary called and was picking up some last minute supplies before makin the 30 mile trip. Once the meat was inspected, we proceeded to prep. We had done most of the preparation earlier in the week, all that was left was adding the rubs and injecting. Once completed, we decided to make a run to get a four sided tent and try to rig up and AC to keep us cool. Long story short, it wasn’t worth the trouble. So we finally settled down and tried to keep cool for the afternoon.

Our normal MO (method of operation) is to cook ABT’s, baked potatoes, corn, & pork chops on Friday night. No reason to change a good thing so we fired up the pit and commenced cooking. We invited Chick N Bones to join us in return for the cool crib Thursday night. Robert Bowen arrived from Birmingham just as dinner was served. The rest of the evening was spent talking about BBQ and taking in the sights. The sounds of the rides at the fair & the smell of cotton candy seemed to make us forget that it was still in the high 90’s. Gary started making the turn in boxes with some occasional help for us.

We had decided to use Richards rig again to cook on so we fired up the Big Green Egg and started smoking the butts. The chicken, ribs, & briskets would go on the big smoker. Friday evening’s temperature finally was bearable after midnight and we did manage to get a few hours of comfortable sleep. Saturday morning arrived and we were treated to a hearty breakfast by the contest organizers. Then it was time to get down to business. Dan Watson of Long Dawgs Blue Smoke arrived right before we began to construct our chicken box. For the next two hours we cut, pulled, sliced, & sauced until we had finally turned in all of our entries.

Out thoughts during turn in were as follows:

Chicken – We thought it was the best we had cooked this year.
Ribs – Gary said it was the worst we had cooked all year.
Pork- We were pretty happy with and thought it would finish high.
Brisket – Not happy with the slicing, but the taste was there. Again we thought it was the best brisket we had cooked all year.

After breaking down and packing up camp in 100+ weather, we all were ready to get this over with! Here’s our results:

Chicken – 23rd out of 60 with a score of 162.2852
Ribs – 59th out of 60 with a score of 135.9996
Pork – 36th out of 60 with a score of 153.7140
Brisket – 27th out of 60 with a score of 154.8572
Overall – 44th out of 60 with a score of 606.8560

Top 10 Overall
GC J Mack Cookers (Well deserved, Congradulations)
RGC Smokin Triggers (Always tough)
3rd Rock River BBQ
4th BBQrs Delight
5th Late Night Whiskey Smokers (what a cool name)
6th Blindogs Outlaw BBQ Gang
7th The ABS Cooking Team (Great job, Bobbie & Lee)
8th Big Pigs BBQ Co.
9th Learn2Q.com
10th Rubmasters (way to go Dan)

Closing thoughts:
We were right on chicken & ribs, our best scores this year. Gary was right on the ribs, the worst we have ever done. We aren’t sure what happened to the pork. We are encouraged in the chicken & brisket department. We know we can cook good ribs & pork cause we have. The trick is doing it all at the same time. All we can do is learn from our mistakes, and get ‘em next time. We had a great time (except for the heat) and we look forward to next year. Thanks to Robert, Dan, Richard, & Gary for helping me do something that I truly love to do. i could not do it with out your help! Check out our photos at our Flickr site. See the link at the top right of the page.

Gary Silvey's 3rd Annual BBQ, Clarksville, TN

2007-08-25T15:23:00.001-05:00

Grand Champion - Governor's BBQ
Reserve GC - Team Allegro
17 Teams
Chicken - 13th
Ribs - 9th
Pork - 9th
Brisket - 13th
Overall - 11th

AT&T Championship BBQ Cookoff, Lawrenceburg, TN

2007-08-25T15:22:00.000-05:00

Grand Champion - Lotta Bull BBQ
Reserve GC - Bill & The Dixie Chicks
56 Teams
Chicken - 42nd
Ribs - 29th
Pork - 38th
Brisket - 37th
Overall - 41st

Tennessee Heritage Festival, Smyrna, TN

2007-06-30T20:52:00.001-05:00

Grand Champion - Smokey Mountian Smokers
Reserve GC - Southpork
36 Teams
Chicken - 18th
Ribs - 5th
Pork - 11th
Brisket - 32nd
Overall - 16th

Hearth & Grill Shop BBQ Nashville, TN

2007-06-30T20:51:00.002-05:00

Grand Champion - L.A. Grillers
Reserve GC - Allegro Comp BBQ
12 Teams
Chicken - 5th
Ribs - 2nd
Overall - 4th

Sundrop BBQ Festival, Pulaski, TN

2007-06-30T20:51:00.001-05:00

Grand Champion - Late Night Whiskey Smokers
Reserve GC - Bill & The Dixie Chicke
48 Teams
Chicken - 22nd
Ribs - 7th
Pork - 8th
Brisket - 33rd
Overall - 14th

High on the Hog Winchester, TN

2007-06-30T20:50:00.002-05:00

Grand Champion - Lotta Bull BBQ
Reserve GC - The ABS Cooking Team
55 Teams
Chicken - 36th
Ribs - 35th
Pork - 24th
Brisket - 32nd
Overall - 32nd

Benton KY

2007-06-30T20:50:00.001-05:00

Grand Champion - Ulcer Acres
Reserve GC - Late Night Whiskey Smokers
30 Teams
Chicken - 11th
Ribs - 12th
Pork - 25th
Brisket - 23rd
Overall - 17th

Flickr Site!

2007-06-30T18:40:00.001-05:00

I know it has been a while since my last post. I will do my best to bring you up to speed on out contest results and activities. While you are waiting check out my Flickr site @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/doragq

Flickr is so cool. It is a great way to share photos with friends and family. Just copy the url to your address bar or click the Flickr link on the right of the page. Check it out!

Do-Rag-Q Logo

2007-02-25T19:43:00.000-06:00

2/25/2007 Spoke to my friend Robert Bowen last week when I was cookin. He lives in Birmingham and we have cooked together. He is part of a Chubb's Deep South Team. They have a really cool logo. He refered me to http://www.bbqlogos.com. So Saturday I sent them an email with some ideas. Today I received the new logo! We tried to incorporate a few of the thinks I love to do. BBQ, Harleys, Cigars, & Texas. Hope you like it.

Superbowl-B-Q

2007-02-24T22:33:00.000-06:00

2/23/07 We were asked to do some cooking at one of imi's concrete plants in Livingston TN. The plant had won a contest and the prize was a BBQ! My cookin partner Jeff & I decided to use this opportunity to get some practice for the upcomming competitions. We planned to cook chicken, ribs, & brisket. I decided last minute to cook a pork butt using a new injection that BiPolar Smoker gave me. We also threw on some Slovacek Jalepano Sausage and a few ABTs. In all we had about 15 to cook for. Did some prep work on the brisket and injected the pork butt on Wedensday night. I put on the brisket & pork butt on Thursday @ 1:30 PM, prepped the ribs, and made the ATBs. It was a long day! Pulled the brisket around midnight. Wrapped and placed in storage. Packed up the smoker and headed to Livingston @ 5:30 AM Friday morning. Met Jeff with his smoker in tow on the way. Arrived and fired up the smokers @ 8:30 AM. Jeff started cooking the chicken and I placed 12 slabs of babybacks and several sausages in my smoker. Later I added the ATBs and heated the pork butt & brisket. Jamie Kemp imi's Sales Rep. brought beans & slaw. By noon we were ready to

start serving but waited untill 12:30 for some late arrivals. The brisket seemed a bit dry to me. The chicken was overcooked & dry. Jeff is still working out the kinks on his smoker since being modified. Ribs were moist & flavorfull. The real surprise was the pork butt! I think it was much better that I have done before. Everyone also liked the ATBs. They are always a big hit. I wish they wern't so labor intensive. In summary, I was pleased with the overall cook. Plenty of room for improvment.

Do-Rag-Q

2007-02-11T19:10:00.000-06:00

2/11/2007 I have finally decided to call my Competition BBQ Team Do-Rag-Q. If you know me, then you know I wear Do-Rags when I cook & ride my Harley. This is something that I have done for years. It kinda makes a statement about me. I really don't know what it is, but it's a statement. It also is functional, it keeps the sweat out of my eyes. A do-rag, also spelled doo-rag or durag, is a simple piece of cloth tied at the back, used to cover the head.

BBQ Pit Project

2007-01-27T22:08:00.000-06:00

My 87 year old Grandfather gave me a smoker that a cousin had made for him several years ago. Growing up in Texas he and I would smoke brisket, ribs, cabrito, and anything else we could fine. He is now in a Veterans Retirement home in Floresville Texas and I have moved to Nashville TN. During a visit several years ago he told me I could have the pit. Since I live in Nashville I usually fly to San Antonio to visit. this Christmas I loaded up the wife and dogs and headed to South Texas. Got back cleand up the Pit and fired it up. It's a little rusty and in need of some TLC.

BBQ Pit Pics

2007-01-27T21:23:00.000-06:00

A little worn and rusty but not bad for a 12+ year old rig!

Added cooking area !

2007-01-27T20:26:00.000-06:00

Firebox

2007-01-27T19:30:00.000-06:00

Sandblasted to the bare metal.

2007-01-27T18:38:00.000-06:00

Sandblasting done by Mike Taylor!

New Paint

2007-01-27T17:53:00.000-06:00

Pit Bling!

2007-01-27T15:16:00.000-06:00

We have almost completed our Pit refurbishing. Had rust areas on the back of the smoker patched. (Shout out to Mike Hartley for getting that done). Pulled the pit to Jeff Edwards place in Lebanon. We installed 1" plugs in the holes on the back and drilled holes and installed Spicewine Ironworks thermometers and BBQ Guru adapter. Not sure if I will use the Guru but I want to try it out to see how it works on the bigger pit. I used it on my Bandera with much success. We also finished painting the undercarriage and gave the white spoke wheels a touch of paint. Fired her up and cooked some Sloovack sausage.

BBQ Guru

2007-01-27T14:13:00.000-06:00