Hello BBQ Gang! Here's what's going on in the world of the Illinois BBQ Society... ~ Smokey J's BBQ Contest Anatomy ~ Part 2 of 5 ~ On Your Mark! Get Set! BBQ!...The Contest ~ April Fool's Joke...the Backlash ~ Certified BBQ Judge's Class Filling Up ~ Upcoming Non-Sanctioned/Backyard Contests... ~ Upcoming KCBS Contests... ~ Upcoming Classes... x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x This eNewsletter brought to you by: The Backyard Store ~ Wilmette, Illinois We now carry The Good-One Smoker! Check out our website for all the latest in barbeque and grilling tools. Be sure to visit our events information section for upcoming classes that feature Alex Cothell of Doctor Porkenstein & The BBQ Factory of Kenosha, Wisconsin; as well as 8 time American Royal Champion Chris Marks of Three Little Pigs BBQ and Ace of Hearts BBQ Specialties! Online: http://www.BackyardBBQStore.com x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x Smokey J's BBQ Contest Anatomy ~ Part 2 of 5 By Jason Duhamell, Owner of Smokey J's BBQ - Mattoon, Illinois Friday Night Continued....KCBS Contest Current mood: pissy Well now that the trailer is unpacked the site is set up and the meat is somewhat prepped there is only a few more things that goon for Smokey J’s BBQ on Friday night, since I have already rubbed the brisket and pork it is time for a little me time I will usually go and have a few adult beverages with some of the fellow cooks or they will stop by my site and have drinks with me, sometimes I will light the kettle and put on some wings or something to snack on and it is a guarantee that there will be a lot of other people that have food to share on Friday night, some of my favorites are Denver Cajun and his Gumbo, Smokin T’s Baked beans with brisket, and Pepperittaville Quiche. These are just a few of the things I have eaten on Friday night. Ok back to business its time to light the smoker and get ready to start cooking the pork butt and brisket I light a chimney full of the one and only charcoal I use Kingsford and my choice of wood, I fill the charcoal pan of 1 Weber Smokey Mountain clean the grates and fill the water pan with hot water, when the charcoal is nice and grey I add about 10 lit briquettes to the top of the unlit briquettes and wood (called the Minion Method named after Jim Minion the inventor), assemble the cooker get the Brisket and Pork out of the cooler insert thermometer probe in each piece of meat place on the directly on the smoker from the cooler and then let the wonderful Weber Smokey Mountain do its job, after tweaking the vents and monitoring the smoker it is almost time to take a nap. The meat usually goes on between 10-11 on Friday night, so at about midnight I am ready to take a nap, if you remember from the first blog I arrived at noon so it has been 12 hours of work. I will lay down in the back of the trailer with my trusty remote thermometer and try to get a nap usually about 3-4 hours before I get up and check the smoker, now the Weber Smokey Mountain will hold heat for 12-14 hours on one batch of charcoal but I still feel the need to get up and check it in the middle of the night, if it is good when I check I will lay back down for an hour or so I am up real early on Saturday to start an even more busy day…continued next blog. To follow more of Smokey J's BBQ adventures, or find out more about his catering, contest schedule, check out his MySpace site at http://www.myspace.com/smokeyjsbbq . *************************************** On Your Mark! Get Set! BBQ!...The Contest The village of St. Jacob, Illinois has just announced a brand new contest for 2007 that is already looking to the future. "On Your Mark! Get Set! BBQ!" will be a non-sanctioned event held June 7th & 8th and, with the help of some experienced advisors, is building this contest to meet KCBS standards for future sanctioning. The festival will feature Live Music, Food and Beverage Vendors, the four KCBS meat categories, will take up the downtown area, and has a $100 entry fee. For additional information, visit our Contest & Events page! *************************************** April Fool's Joke...the Backlash I won't go so far as to mention names, but at least one person who reads this site fell for the little April Fool's Day story about selling out to PETA. In fact, he wrote a nice little note... "I was hoping to become a member of your organization, and I pushed the subscribe button before I read any further. I was totally surprised, no shocked to see you had sold out to an organization like PETA. My God the most liberal , biased , misinformed hair brained organization on earth. Run by a bunch of rich, yuppie, idiots with nothing else to do but run around and protest something they don't understand, nor do they wish to. All I have to say is I hope you got a bundle out of it, to me would selling anything to such a cult would liken to selling your soul to the devil. Enjoy the silver Judas. I think I will go now and enjoy some dead pig!!!!" It's nice to see such passion from someone about amazing barbeque! I have written back to assure the writer that it was simply an April Fool's joke. *************************************** Certified BBQ Judge's Class Filling Up Troy Heitmeyer, organizer for the King City BBQ Showdown, has told us that there has been a lot of interest in the CBJ class. Expectations are that it will fill up before the April 19th class time; so if you're on the fence, or have decided to go but have yet to get your application sent in, please do so ASAP. This is the last scheduled CBJ class for the year in Illinois and promises to be another outstanding event. In connection with the CBJ class, Mike Lake will also be putting on a Certified Table Captain's class in Mt. Vernon on April 18th. For information and application to either of these classes, check out the 'BBQ Classes' link at the top of the ILBBQS.com website. *************************************** Upcoming 2008 Non-Sanctioned/Backyard Contests... (All info & web addresses are posted on http://www.ILBBQS.com -> Contests/Events) ~ May 24-25, 2008 - Nashville Lion's Club MaiFest - Contact: Rodney Small, Post Office Box 27, Nashville, IL 62263 - Phone: 618-327-3224 Fax: 618-327-8479 - E-mail: drsmall@accessus.net ~ June 14, 2008 - 4th Annual Smokin' in the Park - Contact: Hap & Becky Zook at 309-266-5078 or Jim & Anita Allen at 309-962-9388 - E-mail: bjzook@verizon.net or jaallen@msn.com ~ June 28, 2008 - 2nd Annual Galesburg Railroad Days Jaycees Rib Cook-Off - Contact: Sherry M. Kincaid - E-mail: ribcookoff@galesburgjaycees.org ~ August 31, 2008 - Kewanee Hog Days - Contact: Janie Metscaviz - Phone: 309-856-6160 - E-mail: mtscvz@yahoo.com ~ October 5, 2008 - Maschhoff's Pork Farm Backyard BBQ Cook-Off - Contact: Julie Maschhoff, 7475 State Route 127, Carlyle, IL 62231 - Phone: 618-594-2125 - E-mail: juliem@pigsrus.net **NOTE** This contest is only open to 'local' teams...those teams from Marion, Clinton, and Washington Counties in Illinois. ~ October 17-18, 2008 - Barn Burner BBQ @ Lamb's Farm - Contact: Claudia Stevens, 14245 W. Rockland Rd, Libertyville, IL 60048 - Phone: 847-990-3750 ~ Fax: 847-362-0742 - E-mail: crs@lambsfarm.org *THIS CONTEST IS PENDING KCBS SANCTIONING* *************************************** Upcoming 2008 KCBS Contests... (All info & web addresses are posted on http://www.ILBBQS.com -> Contests/Events) ~ May 2-3, 2008 - Southwestern Illinois Spring Festival in Wamac, Illinois - Contact: Shane Swartzlander - Phone: (618) 533-5703 ~ Fax: - Online: http://www.gocentralia.com/springfestival - E-mail: 2chubby@sbcglobal.net ~ May 9-10, 2008 - CANCELLED - Dust Off Your Grill Backyard BBQ Cook-Off - Contact: Patty Peterson, 1000 Health Center Drive, Mattoon, IL 61938. - Phone: 217-258-2424 ~ Fax: 217-258-4135. - E-mail: ppeterson@sblhs.org ~ May 16-17, 2008 - The Randolph County Pig Party - Contact: Jason Vallett, 402 E. Broadway, Steeleville, IL 62288. - Phone: 618-965-3414 ~ Fax: 618-965-3177 - Email: jason@gregvallettautosales.com ~ May 24-25, 2008 - Red, White & Bar-B-Q - Contact: Jim Addington, 337 E. Traube Street, Westmont, IL 60559 - Phone: 630-443-2013 Fax: 630.443-2017 - E-mail: jaddington@ambankqc.com ~ June 13-14, 2008 - King City BBQ Showdown - Contact: Troy Heitmeyer, 104 N. 9th Street, Mt. Vernon, IL 62864 - Phone: 618-242-4020 x 15 ~ Fax: 618-242-3383 - E-mail: troy@cmacsoft.com ~ June 13-14, 2008 - Elk Grove Rotary Ribfest - Contact: Ron Nunes, 701 E. Irving Park Rd, Ste. 200, Roselle, IL 60172 - Phone: 630-307-8744 ~ Fax: 630-307-8755 - E-mail: rnunes9457@aol.com ~ July 11-12, 2008 - Illinois State Championship & Butt to Butt Pork Invitational - Contact: Connie Smith, 301 E. Sunrise Drive, Shannon, IL 61078 - Phone: 816-864-2542 ~ Fax: 815-864-2825 - E-mail: rrribs@frontiernet.net ~ September 12-13, 2008 - The BBQ Throwdown & Jam - Contact: Jim Reincke, PO Box 924, Salem, IL 62881 - Phone: 618-407-3300 ~ E-mail: bbqthrowdown@gosalem.com ~ September 19-20, 2008 - - Carbondale Main Street Pig Out - Contact: Meghan Cole, 121 S. Illinois Avenue, Carbondale, IL 62901 - Phone: 618-529-8040 ~ Fax: 618-529-8041 - E-mail: info@carbondalemainstreet.com ~ October 10-11, 2008 - Central Illinois Bragging Rights - Contact: George Fritz, 136 S. Vine Street, Arthur, IL 61911 - Phone: 217-543-2181 - E-mail: bbq@arthuril.com *************************************** Upcoming Classes... (All info posted on http://www.ILBBQS.com -> BBQ Classes) ~ Certified Table Captain's Class: Mount Vernon, Illinois - 04/18/2008 - Instructor: Mike Lake - Website: http://www.SouthernIllinois.com - Contact Information: Troy Heitmeyer ~ Phone: 618-242-4020 x 15 ~ troy@cmacsoft.com ~ Certified BBQ Judging Class: Mount Vernon, Illinois - 04/19/2008 - Instructor: Mike Lake - Website: http://www.SouthernIllinois.com - Contact Information: Troy Heitmeyer ~ Phone: 618-242-4020 x 15 ~ troy@cmacsoft.com *************************************** Upcoming BBQ Cooking Classes... (All info posted on http://www.ILBBQS.com -> BBQ Classes) ~ None Scheduled (That we know of...if you know of an upcoming class, let us know!) *************************************** If you have a BBQ related news item you would like to share with the group, be sure to send it in! There is an easy-to-use 'Submit News' button on our website at http://www.ILBBQS.com ...use it often! As always, if you have any pictures, stories, news items, comments, suggestions, questions, or ideas, let me know! Well folks, that's gonna do it for this year's news and updates. I hope you have a most wonderful, and safe, New Year! I'm looking forward to seeing a lot more of you down the BBQ trail of 2008! Carpe 'Que, Jim Rhino