Men in Aprons: 3rd Annual TCA BBQ Cookoff: Print This

The past few weeks have been a constant exercise in obsession and mental preparedness for my first ever BBQ Competition. This weekend, I participated in the 3rd annual Texas Culinary Academy BBQ Coookoff. I knew that this would be a small event, one in which there would not be a lot of pressure to be the best, but one in which I could get my bearings and decide whether I would like to do it again in a more competitive environment.

That said, let me just say this: 1st PLACE BRISKET! 1st PLACE RIBS! 2nd PLACE CHICKEN!

Here's a picture of the 1st place brisket:

And here's the team:

Here's a nice shot of the inside of the pic. You'll see two briskets, one lone fatty, and the ribs which are braising inside of foil. I was so frazzled most of the morning of the competition that I didn't get as many pics as I would have liked.

The BBQ event was a really fun experience, and I have to give a lot of shout outs and thanks to people for everything they did.

First and foremost, I'd like to thank my teammate Ben Witt for braving the I-35 corridor to come and help out on the team. I had only met Ben once before and corresponded a few times over email, so I guess it's a testament to what a quality guy he is. Also thanks to his wife Mandi for allowing him to come down and to put up with all the heat and smoke around the team site.

I'd like to thank Dan Martin of Big Cock Ranch for sponsoring the team. We couldn't have done it without the generous donation for meat and supplies.

Special thanks go to The Texas Culinary Academy for allowing a non-student team the opportunity to compete in the competition.

More special thanks go to TheWife for putting up with the kids all day Friday and Saturday so that I could participate in the event. And other special thanks go to my in-laws for allowing me to borrow the truck, the cooler, and various other supplies.

Since this is the beginning of National BBQ month, I will consider this the beginning of my month-long devotion to grilling and BBQ. Please stick around for the best information and recipes for outdoor cooking.