2017 BBQ Competition Season

2017 was by far our most busy and involved BBQ competition season yet.  Big Dog BBQ VA competed in 19 separate competitions, from the freezing Great Brunswick BBQ Throwdown in Brunswick, Maryland to the first ever 3-1 competition Que'n in Cumming in Cumming Georgia.

This last event consisted of two separate competitions held simultaneously on Saturday followed immediately by another single competition on Sunday.  The Saturday challenge required that we cook about double the amount of meat in order to provide the very best selections for turn-in to the judges.  The extra load of meat in the cooker greatly affected the timeline of the cook which was part of the challenge.  Also intimidating was the final preparation and plating of two separate entry boxes.  As we were working through this, it was hard not to think of the strength of our competitors.  Out of the top ten point contenders in the Kansas City Barbeque Society, seven were in attendance at the competition.

We worked hard, got all the entries in, and were very proud of the quality of our food. And although the stiff competition resulted in a rather low final standing, we still felt a feeling of accomplishment in being able to compete with the best and hold our own.

The photos below show our setup at Lanexa VA, a brisket award at Almost Heaven WV, and the "Nightlife" at the National BBQ Cup in Cumming GA.