Train to Lanexa
A couple of late schedule changes put us in the great position of being able to add another contest, so we figured we’d head back down to Pickin’ and Pullin’ in Lanexa for a fun filled weekend.
We got down there early Thursday morning and got to see a lot of familiar faces, but also a bunch of folks we hadn’t seen yet this season, including the Palmers of New Revolution Q and Wes and Christina of Makin’ Bacon (a fantastic name.)
One group was there, however, that we didn’t realize was coming–our friends John and Tony from Historic BBQ out of Ohio.
When Kim and Luke decided to attend the KCBS Banquet in January, they decided to randomly sit at a table so that they could meet new people. They sat down and were greeted by a couple of judges, and these two fellas from Historic BBQ in Ohio who were in the running for the Smithfield Team of the Year award, a contest that was held throughout the entire 2015 BBQ season.
They didn’t know where they had finished, and were extremely nervous during dinner. After some good-natured professional football differences of opinion, the whole table rallied around John and Tony as they started to announce the Smithfield Team of the Year.
As they made it to the final two, the tension was thick. The whole table had goosebumps. And boom…Historic BBQ, 1st place. Kim and Luke were super ecstatic for their new friends, who were promptly whisked away by the Smithfield folks.
Fast forward to Lanexa. The Historic BBQ rig will leave you speechless. It’s an impressive cooking machine. But it isn’t nearly as impressive as John and Tony themselves. They openly welcome all visitors, show them everything and are true ambassadors of not only Smithfield, but of the sport of BBQ. They answer all questions and truly are two of the nicest people in BBQ. If they are cooking at an event near you, OVS highly encourages you to pay them a visit.
(Pitmaster’s Note – I’d also highly encourage you to try the Smithfield Prime product. We received some and it cooks GREAT.)
After a normal Friday, we headed to dinner with the Historic boys, Mark and Sharon from Checkered Flag 500, and Rick and Liz Hamilton from Hambones By The Fire. Rick would be joining OVS on Saturday for some cleaning and turn-in action. It was a fantastic dinner, and it’s always great to bring BBQ people together.
The cook itself didn’t go as planned. Some adjustments had to be made throughout the night, but things looked to be on course in the morning when Rick and Leigh Anne showed up.
Upon Leigh Anne’s arrival, she informed the group that not all awards had been given at Hagerstown. So, we had to make a delivery…1st place Sno-Cone.
That joke will never grow old.
We headed to awards, and started off strong with 4th place in chicken. That would be the only call of the day for OVS, but a lot of friends did really well. A huge shout out to Aporkalypse Now for the GC, 3 Eyz for the RGC and a special call out to Mark Gibbs for a perfect 180 in Pork!
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