Sketchy Santa....Santa the Bank Robber? That has been the headlines the last few days as we approach Christmas. Is it still politically correct to say Christmas? I don't get offended when someone says Happy Hanukka, Kawanza... or even Festivus- (google Fesitvus history started on a Seinfeld TV episode for this gem of a holiday celebration, which I would put a bbq twist on this by adding "Feats of BBQ cooking".
Seems like Nashville has been blessed to make the world news with a Santa gone bad and robbing a bank.. supposedly he has to pay his Elves, I think this Santa fraud will be spending time making license plates and not at the North Pole ..for the full story click this link: www.wsmv.com/news/22035199/detail.html also there is a web site of creepy Santa's that is interesting, it might take you back to the days your Mother took you to visit Santa and you got to tell a garlic breath old guy your childhood wishes... I think there is a union now and they are not to be subject with bed wetters, ADD children and no lists over 5 items.. well thats a rumor anyway. Check out Sketcy Santa's at www.sketchysantas.com
What does this have to do with BBQ? Maybe these Santa's would not have gone bad or be so sketchy, if they knew they were going to get bbq instead of some lame cookies and milk.. I think this will be our new Family tradition to have ribs on Christmas. Anyone can have ham, turkey, but ribs..yum ! I have searched on the web for a picture of Santa eating ribs and you know I have yet to find one. You know that image.where Santa has his white beard covered in bbq sauce, while his rib encrusted white glove hand is munching down on a spare rib....
It's ok to poke some fun on Santa, but take time to enjoy the season with yoru Family, don't get so busy you miss the splendor of the greatest of holidays to celebrate the birth of Jesus the greatest present of all to receive in your life!
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests. Luke 2:8-14
Pitmasters...sex symbols? ..maybe for chubby chasers ! Now that I got your attention with my tongue in cheek headline we can get on with my blog on my take on this Pitmaster show.
I will admit that I find the new TLC's Pitmaster TV show to be very entertaining, sometimes I even forget that our very laid back pseudo "sport" of bbq competitions is usually non-confrontational, but TLC has everyone convinced that we on the bbq competition trail, smack talk at competitions, cuss like sailors, drink like fish and would run over anyone that gets in our way !!!
I'm not saying I wouldn't pay for a pay per view of some head to head compeition of say Mike Davis of Lotta Bull BBQ taking on Adam Perry Lang of Daisy Mays for a winner take all $100,000 purse... but if either one start wearing tights and jumping off their pits,. thats where I draw the line!!
I guess when country music starts writing songs such as - "Do you find my smoker sexy?" or a rock anthem.. " Rockin my baby with Q ".... Maybe a Pop/ R& B ballad.. "I'm missing Your ribs..and Other things too..." Every story has to have villians, damsels and hero's... not sure where the drunk redneck fits in but it was entertaining.
Myron Mixon of the TLC Pitmaster Show does have a way with words, but I found at competitions he speaks more with his bbq, than with comments about other teams. I remember back in 2006 in AL, my first contest where I got to experience Jack's Old South. It was like a gun figher in the old west, riding in at sun down, the whole town is looking at this man in black as he pulls up in his bbq rig, late in the day, most teams would get there the day before, but Myron comes pulling up in big black truck and bbq rig, where he commences to pump his meat with all kinds of flavorable things such as apple juice, pineapple, etc..- well rumor has it anyway... Myron does good but doesn't dominate KCBS contests, like he does Memphis events, but he is a legend in BBQ and always someone that makes a contest bigger than life. I haven't had the chance to cook against Myron since possibly 2006- I dont remember the results but I think he did good that day.
John Trigg of Smokin Triggers is the Godfather of BBQ. I remember my first contest in 2005 where Johnny was there, I was amazed at the size of his RV and the look of his custom smoker, mag wheels and paint job that any car show would be envious of. Johnny just had this demeanor that said, I'm good and I'm going to show you how good as I take your money you just donated by entering this contest!!! LOL I have had the fortunate to have finished higher than Johnny a few times competing against him, but trust me Johnny can bring it and dominate a contest when you least expect it. Johnny for sure is a Hall of Famer in the BBQ world!
Maybe Vince McMahon of WWE will have a bbq smack down.... the best cookers of the Memphis Network vs the Kansas City BBQ Society.. hmmm then video games, merchandise... BBQ can be the next big sport!!! watch out UFC!
I will leave the politics out of the issue of global warming.. except to say we have had some of the coldest weather on average the last few years... you make up your own mind .. but I think we had a few weather cycles...the past few hundred years... and wonder how much carbon credit Al Gore and his bunch use up when flying around in their jets and driving their big ole SUVs- you know you have to be in style when fighting for the earth.
Ok, The global warming I'm talking about is Bodeans BBQ in London, England! That's right the Queen can have some pulled pork... Prince Charles brisket .. and Sir Paul McCartney a few burnt ends- well probably vegan style.
I ran across this web site Bodeans BBQ - www.bodeansbbq.com owned by Andre Blais purely by accident, when searching for flights to London, we are in the process of starting an adoption journey and wanted make a trip to London as I had been there in the mid 90s a few times and loved it.
I just got the whimsical idea of looking up bbq in London, I mean I love fish and chips and such but what if I get a craving for some Q? problem solved with finding Bodeans BBQ they even have American football on the screens there. I was blown away to ind a bbq pureveyor across the big pond that knows his stuff!! Andre cut his teeth on KC style bbq and is doing really well with introducing the fine art of Q to Brits and probably a few wayward Yanks, with about 6 locations around London.. So if your in the UK and needing to fill a fix for good ole U S of A cuisine called BARBEQUE head on over to Bodeans.
Now if someone will find me a BBQ place in Kiev or Donetsk Ukraine, I will be set!!! They do have some roasted meat dishes, so maybe I can be a missionary of sorts for BBQ when we make our trip over sometime in 2010 and see if they have any hickory in them hills to use to smoke!!
Barbeque for a cause.... in marketing when a company does something to help a non-profit or a worthy cause it's called "Cause related marketing" in hopes of garnering good will of prospective clients. We were happy to help with this 1st annual event that we hope will grow into a big event for MIddle TN but more importantly that people will know more about this great cause we were helping in New Frontiers.
Family battle at the BBQ Battle! BBQ Battle contest and 5K event to benefit New Frontiers a non-profit that works with at risk teens to provide camp activities, family counseling and other assistance- go to www.newfrontiers.org to learn more about this great organization making a difference.
Team Moore's Marinade- (Sheila Fellers of Light My Fire BBQ, with help Jeff Fellers) has another great day of cooking with a great finished of 2nd over all- 3rd in Ribs, 5th in Chicken to capture Reserve Champion and the 3ft trophy for 2nd place at the 1st annual BBQ Battle in Murfreesboro, TN. We were pleased with the finish considering how cold it was and also juggling vending bbq for the event and a catering job that night- ever try cutting ribs when your fingers are frozen?
Roger Jones, part of the Two Roosters BBQ team and Father of Sheila Fellers of Light My Fire BBQ, edged out Team Moores Marinade to capture Grand Champion. If we had to take 2nd, it was good to give the Championship to someone that has taken our BBQ classes and credits us for his success. Since taking our classes he has won 4 Grand Champion Backyard titles and a 2nd place since 2007- not bad considering he has entered maybe 9 total! For information on 2010 BBQ Battle go to www.bbqbattle.org
Email Jeff@lightmyfirebbq.com if you want to learn more about signing up for upcoming bbq classes.
It always seems to simple to just blog, you know write some words and post them... really simple, except if you get so busy you have about 15 catering jobs in the span of a month or so! In that time we cooked close to 300 lbs of pork butt,140 lbs of brisket, pulled over 40 chickens ...
We also threw in some bbq contests during that time and were happy to report were on a roll and probably have had the best span of consecutive bbq contests where we had great finishes such as 2nd place Chicken, 5th place pork, 7th place Ribs...
We also have started posting recipes to Hob Nob Murfreesboro a great web site for all things Murfreesboro you can learn some great recipes at: http://www.hobnobmurfreesboro.com/page/17689/
After 5 years on the KCBS competition circuit we have only competed 1x when we were not Light My Fire BBQ, that was a very cold but enjoyable weekend in October of 2004 where we had the team name of "Pork and Fiends" that lasted about 2 days, cause everyone kept calling us "Pork and FRIENDS"! that kinda took the edge off the name. After some visions of Jim Morrison dining on ceremonial brisket- they had a song called "Texas radio" and spent time in the Southwest, so I'm sure he dined on some slow smoke roasted cow. I say all this to say there is a 2nd time we won't be competing under "Light My Fire BBQ" and that will be Oct. 3rd in Gallatin TN where we join forces with our good friends "Pigsmokers in Paradise" to form what we would call in the 80's music a Super group.... anyway were doing this to just have a good time with our friends more than anything....
The name of our new team collaboration will be ....
Pigs On Fire...
You heard here first..... remember it, say it, Do it..
The Good... Started out June 5th with Habitat for Humanity BBQ for Building in Birmingham AL - We competed under Team Moores- I didn't cook as it was a non-sanctioned event and handed over the pit master duties to my Wife Sheila and Mother in law Geri- they seemed to have it under control as they took 1st place ribs and 2nd overall out of 27 teams!
The Great!... July 4th we were in Murray KY- finished 5th overall all- 3rd in Pork, 6th in ribs out of 27 teams- the Memphis in May champion was there as well as other top teams- very happy with our finish!!! Murray KY is a great little town to visit and happy for our friend Barry of team Swiggin Pig that got his first Grand- way to go Barry! Special thanks to Redneck Grillers that let us borrow a cord for our AC in our RV- I have written on my dash- Don't leave home with out AC cord! It's a bit hot with out Air condition in a very black RV!!!
The Ugly! Take the good with the bad.... BBQ contests are like playing sports you have momentum, flow and execution- June 27th at the Lawrenceburg TN cook off we had none of it! This was a who's who of over 56 teams...I'm not blaming a heat index of 110 degrees that day but it didn't help!!! Ribs/Chicken was 19th out of 56 pork 42nd, Brisket 55th.... in this day of bbq contests you have to bring your A game or you will not do well, there are too many good teams now.
Very Sweet....The middle of June was BBQ consulting and catering jobs - June 19th/20th 3 catering Jobs that weekend as well as a private BBQ class to a great guy in NJ that came to town to learn how to cook real BBQ. On July 1st we Catered a lunch for the employees of Dave Ramsey- you might have seen Dave on Fox Business or heard him on radio stations across the US. We had great feedback from our lunch and look forward to doing it again- special thanks to my good friend Jeff McCall that works for DR- Jefff is a real stud that kills it and drags it back to the cave!
The Sad- passing of Steve McNair, you feel for his kids and family, very sensless death and that in spite of the circumstances, Steve will not be forgotten in what he did for the Titans and for Nashville in their Superbowl run in 1999. I will also give a mention of Michael Jackson, regardless of what many thought of him, he was an amazing talent. Back in 1988 I had a friend that worked for a ticket agency and got me front row tickets to his BAD tour stop in Kansas City- I ended up selling my tickets to a girl I worked with, as she was a big fan of his and begged me for days to have them. I could have sold them for hundreds of dollars...... I sold them to her for face value, I just figured she would appreciate the show more than me, reality was all my friends were into heavy metal and wouldn't go with me!!! I just wonder what She was thinking this week, I know she remembered going to the concert.
It's rare that there is a bbq contest and I don't get to be the head cook! BBQ for Building was a BBQ contest to benefit Habitat for Humanity of Birmingham, AL. Habitat is a non-profit making a real difference in communities across the US to provide affordable homes for those that couldn't afford housing. They do a great job in transforming whole neighborhoods as they have done in our hometown of Murfreesboro, TN.
The First annual BBQ For Buildingevent has something which they can be proud of and build on for next year, it was a fun event, with music that was excellent!! I worked in the music biz, so when I like music it has to be good the first artist was a country artist that was a last minute addition that was really good- someone in music city should sign this guy, he covered songs and probably did them as good or better than the actual singers the main act was Big Sam's Funky Nation- a blues, funk artist that was killer! www.bigsamsfunkynation.com Attendees, got to sample bbq from all the teams and got a ton of free things including tea from Milo's tea, which is my tea of choice- I love the Splenda tea they have.
My wife took over the majority of the cooking duties as head cook for "Team Moore's Marinade" which also consisted of my my mother in law Geri and sister in law Aera. I gave some input and some advice, that that it was needed..... mostly my job was to watch the temperature of the smoker in the wee hours of the night. I was busy at the Moore's Marinade booth handing out sample bottles of Moore's Original Marinade and Moore's Wing Sauce- which is becoming a big hit with me, as I like a Wing Sauce where it has some kick but you can still taste the chicken! I also gave out cooking tips, showed how to make a spice blend and my recipe of "Love Me Tender Ribs" printed compliments of Eat At Home Alabama - www.EatatHomeAlabama.com
I have said this before, that maybe I'm a better teacher than a competitor, as Team Moore's Marinde took First Place , Numero Uno, #1... in Ribs out of 27 other hard working teams and finished 2nd overall !!!! It was great to see my hard working Wife enjoy and experience the joy of bbq competition and benefit a great cause in Habitat for Humanity of Greater Birmingham.
We have had a great past few weeks! Catering bookings are up from a year ago and in this economic time that is a blessing! We just chose not to take part in the recession! The best marketing you can have if your in the food business is great product, great value and great service! Which we have always stressed from day one Does being a local family owned business have its advantages? YES! You get personal service, we take the time to meet with you to get details before your event if needed and on site you get the owners of Light My Fire BBQ catering over see the catering of your event.
Had a tough bbq contest in Pulaski TN at the Sun Drop BBQ contest. 16th in Chicken, 16th in Ribs, Pork and Brisket was in the 20s. Congrats to Smokers Wild and Team Allegro for 1st and 2nd respectfully. This year is a year where you have to be on top of every aspect of bbq to finish in the top 10, competition is too good and even trained culinary chefs from the best schools in the country understand that competition bbq is one of the toughest things to successfully compete in and has humbled a many a three letter or two word culinary trained chef.
Which transition me to back to May 2006 we just started our 2nd year of competition bbq and set up near a guy that just had a swagger about him and he seemed to know a few things we didn't... Which was a understatement! His name was Adam Perry Lang of Daisy May's BBQ in New York City. Adam Perry Lang trained at some of the finest restaurants in the world and a graduate of Culinary Institute of America. What we didn't know was that he was on a mission to bring the best bbq to New York City, which by the way I think he succeeded in a big way! I have heard nothing but rave reviews about his BBQ!
Adam Perry Lang recently wrote a book called "Serious Barbecue". I could almost tell you to throw away all your other books on bbqand just get this one book, but bbq is like jazz, there are many ways to get great results, so keep your collection, just don't loan this book out or I promise- you won't get it back!! Adam Perry Lang in "Serious Barbecue" approaches bbqin a way that very few have approached, trust me I have vast collection of bbq books and this book has set a new standard. Most books that write about BBQ are nothing more than a bunch of receipes that I doubt were ever really tested, they just needed to fill pages.
"Serious Barbecue" is THE new standard of barbecue writing with insite into theory of cooking bbq, a take on seasoning blends- not "rubs" as Adam does not like to rub spices into the meat. He even talks about that you really don't get a different flavor by using Apple or Hickory just a different depth of smoke on the meat, which I have never read till now! He seems to answer and refute alot of traditional ideas with a very analytical and logical conclusion. It also covers his experiances and travels in bbq and the high regard and inspiration for those that compete on the competition bbq circuit, with a section on cooking science and recipes for everything from the basic bbq meats to side dishes. Adam even has a wood chip or two on his shoulder about bbq and that you don't have to be in Kansas City or Texas to have great BBQ! I might object that New York is going to be the new capital of Q, but what Adam Perry Lang brings to the world in "Serious Barbecue" is a must read if you are even mildly interested in learning more about this very American food called B B Q!
Remember that contest in 2006 in Huntsville? Adam Perry Lang scored a perfect score for his Brisket... that's serious bbq!!! I have yet to be at a contest since then where anyone got a 180 for brisket.
