Good Times in Rochester

Hey everyone! Usually this place is dedicated to our ramblings about the weekend…but in Winchester, we were blessed to have Roger Fair, one of the more esteemed judges in the Mid-Atlantic region, join us for our cook at Hogging Up in Winchester, VA. I’ve asked Roger to write up the report from Winchester…Enjoy!

And I would be remiss if I didn’t congratulate Leigh Anne and Kim on their Anything Butt victory. The dish was amazing…and I was very proud of them. Way to go girls!

And congrats to 3Eyz on the GC, and Checkered Flag 500 on the RGC!

Lucas has asked me to write my take on this great BBQ weekend. My name is Roger Fair and I cooked with Old Virginia Smoke in order to satisfy the KCBS requirement that I cook with a team prior to being able to receive my Master Certified BBQ Judge status.

It was a fantastic weekend. I learned a lot about competition BBQ from Lucas, Kim and Leigh Anne. Cooking in the backyard for your friends and family is one thing and competition BBQ is quite another. Everything must be precise and done exactly on time. There is an emotional ride that is hard to describe. From Prep to Turn-in the pressure never lets up, but the team spirit prevails and you sleep good on Saturday night. The friendship and comradeship between the teams is much greater than I expected. It is really quite a tightknit group and they are willing to share cooking techniques, equipment, and some of their ingredients with one another (but not all their secrets). I am privileged to have been a part of that group.

Even though I am part of the BBQ world there is always a little distance between judges and cooks. I cannot believe the way I was accepted and made to feel a part of the team. I was allowed to photograph the cooking process, make notes of what was happening, and to participate in the food preparation. And to top it all off, I was sitting there at the awards ceremony and sharing the excitement of hearing the team name called. It was a weekend that I will never forget and I am grateful to Old Virginia Smoke for allowing me to be a part of the team.

2nd Place in brisket.
1st Place in Anything Butt
10th Place in ribs
15th Place Overall

Thank you guys (the Cook, the Show, and the Angriest Woman in BBQ) for allowing me to share this great adventure.