Swillin' & Grillin BBQ Team's 2013 Launch!

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capndonkey

Newbie
Original poster
Jan 7, 2013
21
10
Columbia, Maryland
Good Morning!
 

My friend Jason Turner and I decided to launch our KCBS Competition Team, Swillin' & Grillin' BBQ this year.  We both have been restaurant employees for years.  We met when I rented a room in my home for extra income, and Jason needed a bed to sleep in Mon-Fri because he worked in Columbia, MD, but lived in Northern PA.  We discovered that both of us love to cook and especially love to bbq.  We have attended several competitions in the MD/DC area as spectators, and we decided to take this BBQ Relationship to the next level.  We purchased 2 WSM's (22.5"), but not until a few days ago, and as of this posting, we haven't received them in the mail yet.  Delivery Date is only a few days away, though.  Can't wait.  Right now, we are using the charcoal half of my CharGriller Duo with added firebox.  This picture was taken yesterday morning.  Yes it's January in Maryland.  Yes, that's me in the hawaiian shorts.  You can't see Jason's legs but he's in shorts too.  It's how we roll.  This picture was taken at the tail end of our first full competition run, after having been awake for almost 24 hours straight.


The propane side of the CharGriller Duo is being used as a counter only.  No gas cooking allowed in KCBS competition!

(Note:  the boxes shown below are not competition size blind boxes, they were just used for display)

Using my little smoker, we were able to successfully smoke competition style Chicken Thighs:


Pork Ribs:


Pulled Pork (we used picnic shoulder):


and Brisket (flat cut):


As for the name, well, Swillin' & Grillin' was my idea.  I'm "Swillin'"


And Jason's "Grillin'"


All of our sauces, rubs, and spice mixes are hand made from scratch, and all meats were slow cooked between 225-275 degrees on that CharGriller smoker using lump charcoal for heat and hickory wood for smoke.  We took all the food we made to a local bar here in Columbia, and passed it out for free at halftime to our friends and neighbors to get some good feedback.

When we finally get our WSM's, we are going to try to practice one cut per week (maybe two) for prep, timing, and presentation.  We know our flavors are there, but we have to nail appearance and tenderness to be a successful team on the KCBS circuit.

As novices to the competition circuit, we are hoping to spend the next 4 months (first comp in MD is in April) learning as much as we can about prep and presentation, as well as some helpful info on how to survive out on the circuit.  I know I'll find plenty of tips and tricks here.

I'm looking forward to some great 'que talk!  Nice to meet you all.
 
Hi Swillin'! 
welcome1.gif
to SMF!!! We're happy you joined us! Would you do us a favor and add your location to your profile, Thanks! Those boxes look Great! Can't wait to see more of them!
 
Best of luck to you.  Practice...practice and more practice.  Especially as you stated with the timelines.  Get those WSM's tuned in and you'll be able to get some sleep.
 
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