Awkward Milestones: Smoke on the Mountain (Galax, VA – July 18-19, 2014)
In Galax, Virginia, the big trophies are musical instruments. They give out customized guitars, mandolins, and fiddles. The awards table was making a couple of pickers like Luke and Leigh Anne drool. Smoke on the Mountain has been holding their competition in the Virginia highlands for 10 years. For the first eight of those years, it was a Memphis BBQ Network event. Last year, they made it a dual-sanctioned event by adding a KCBS competition.
That Memphis BBQ Network thingie . . . that’s a whole other kettle of fish. Competitors not only create blind boxes for judges for pork shoulder, pork ribs, and whole hog, but there are multiple on-site judging sessions as well. For each meat a team turns in, they get three on-site judging visits. Teams have to discuss their cooking process, show off their cooking equipment, and serve the judges. It is a full-fledged pro-duck-shun!!! When you add that in to the standard KCBS competition cook, things get a little wonky. For example, KCBS chicken turn-in was scheduled for 9:25. Brisket wasn’t due until 2:25 p.m.. Cook schedules had to be adjusted, and heaven help those teams who took the bull by the horns and competed in Memphis and KCBS!
Luke and Kim rolled into Galax late on Thursday evening, parking the Old Virginia Creeper next to fellow Dizzy Pig team (and Memphis competitor) Serial Grillers (“Wanted in every state!”). After getting the trailer situated, they turned in for an early evening. Leigh Anne showed up on Friday afternoon, and everyone dug in for meat prep and general set-up. After a deep-fried dinner from the event food court (fried gator, fried frogs legs, fried green tomatoes, and fried pickles), we started the fires and got ready.
At multiple times over the weekend, the team had to check their calendars. After all, cooking in July usually means copious consumption of Gatorade to combat dehydration under an unrelenting sun and downright hostile humidity. Instead, there were sweatshirts, long-pants, and arguments over who got to use the Snuggie as the mercury struggled to stay above 65 degrees. And of course, since we were cooking, there was rain — an inconsistent dripping with occasional sightings of a distant sun.
The cook itself felt great! The extra time between turn-ins started off feeling like a luxury, but it made for a damn long day. Our clean-up and tear down process got boiled down to a science. The Creeper was all packed up and ready to roll in just over an hour after brisket turn-in — that’s a world record, dear readers!!! The team retired to the local Hampton Inn to shower and prepare for awards at 7 p.m.
After listening to two local high school boys flail out a version of “Foggy Mountain Breakdown” on the respective grand champion awards (banjo for MBN and guitar for KCBS), it was time to get down to business. KCBS awards were first, and we were proud to get three calls — 8th in ribs, 7th in pork, and 3rd in brisket. However, the score sheet showed Old Virginia Smoke its very first DAL (Dead Ass Last) — 30th place in chicken.
It happens. It hurt like hell, but it happens to all of us. Over Mason jars of ‘shine and bottles of cold beer, our friends and fellow competitors have told us war stories about that dreaded ranking. Sometimes it’s how the numbers just add up . . . especially when the numbers are small. We took some risks with our chicken here, and there are no regrets — only opportunities and lessons learned. Moving on . . .
Dave, David, and Richard over at Serial Grillers were amazing neighbors. We hope to find another dual event so we can all hang out again. Much love to the other folks in our little corner of the Virginia mountains — Grillin’Thyme, Cammo’s BBQ, and Contagious Q. Congrats to our ol’ buddy Rock at Rock’s Money Pit on the RGC and Boar’s Night Out on the GC. Victory Lane BBQ — you’re welcome for the butter that you used to beat us in brisket. In hindsight, we should have let you pay us for it. To our new buddy Phil, thanks for all the help cleaning up on Saturday; drive safe back to Cajun country. As always, thank you to Dizzy Pig, BBQ Guru, and our Kickstarter supporters for their continued sponsorship.
As a final note, if you can ever attend a competition where those boys from The Shed BBQ present whole hog, you owe it to yourself to check it out. It is . . . we don’t have the words. Running pig. Pink pinstripe suits. Cooking in a woody wagon. Just . . . holy smokes.
Next — the Southern Maryland Brew & BBQ Music Festival in Leonardtown, MD on August 1-2, 2014.
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.
At the Apex!
Following a bunch of crazy months with work and getting ready for the season, the team thought it would be a great idea to head south in June and venture into foreign lands…North Carolina, for our fourth competition of the year.
Leading up to the event, we heard nothing but good stuff. Other competitors, especially Jerry from Redneck Scientific, praised the event and we were looking for a great time.
One of the best organized events, and team friendly, on the east coast. Graham Wilson and his team did an exceptional job. We made a lot of great new friends, especially the wonderful folks at The Beer Dispensary. If you’re ever down in the triangle, make sure you give them a try. Hopefully you’ll get to meet Jessica there as well. A torrent of knowledge about beer, and a great homebrewer.
We had a great spot to set up in. It was HOT, as you might imagine, but everything went about right with the cook. We even had a bunch of visitors!
Miss Amy Parker (now Sayre) and her husband Jeremy came by on both Friday and Saturday. Well, I should say…Amy came back on Saturday. Someone, ahem, despite their zeal for brisket, underestimated their zeal for beer and a good time…
That being said, it was great to see old familiar faces prior to getting started with our cook.
The surprises would keep on coming!
On Saturday morning, Leigh Anne was outside cleaning dishes and came in the trailer and said, “Hey boss. The rep wants to talk to you outside.”
My response was, “What the **** do they want…” and stormed out the door. (Don’t take it personal, reps. I was busy!)
Lo and behold, it was Kim’s dad and his girlfriend, Bob and Carey! They made a surprise appearance, all the way from Myrtle Beach!
We got all our food in, and cooked a bunch of pork for the Apex Rotary to sell. Lemme tell you about these people…they had about 20 people chopping, saucing and selling pork for 7 hours straight. It was one of the most impressive things I’ve ever seen. All volunteers. We cut up some ribs for ‘em, and also took a rack up to The Beer Dispensary for their hospitality.
It was much to our surprise, later, when we found out that we had passed out 1st place ribs! Couple that with another strong brisket call (4th) we finished up the day pretty well, with a 7th overall in our first foray into the South. Big props to Jerry with Redneck Scientific and Brian with Smokin’ Skullies for their hospitality. And coincidentally, congrats to Jerry with Redneck Scientific on their GC, and Brian with Smokin’ Skullies on the RGC. Funny how that works! And huge props to Graham, the Apex Rotary, and of course The Beer Dispensary for making us look forward to our trip to Apex next year!
393: Beltway BBQ Showdown in Fort Washington, MD
No sense in burying the lede — Old Virginia Smoke won its first Grand Championship on a beautiful June Saturday in Prince George’s County, Maryland.
The Beltway BBQ Showdown was held at the Tucker Road Athletic Complex in Fort Washington, MD. Organizer Jonathan Jones created such a team-friendly atmosphere. While folks like us were firing the smokers and getting ready for the competition, members of the public enjoyed live entertainment, a classic car show, and lots of good food and games. Mother Nature blessed all of us with a beautiful hot June day, although it got downright nippy ’bout 4 a.m. on Saturday morning.
Old Virginia Smoke set up camp in the back corner of BBQ Row, between friends Pig Pickers and Jersey Joe’s. We worked Friday to get some new organizing equipment into our trailer (efficiency is sexy). We noshed on burgers and mango salsa. The vibe was relaxed.
It wouldn’t be accurate to say that this was a seamless cook. We got off to a later start than we had planned. We had a Backwoods Gator that took off like a rocket and stayed hotter than necessary for far too long. It also wouldn’t be accurate to say that this was a difficult cook. For example, it was not pouring down buckets of rain. There were no fire drills — literal or metaphorical. For us, it was a typical cook — hitting on all cylinders most of the time and clearing the occasional unexpected hurdle every now and again.
However, it felt . . . different. It felt like we were zeroed in.
Awards were a blast. We got to see all our friends get a shout out, and then we got one with 2nd Place Ribs. After a minor trophy mix-up and switcheroo, we got to hear our names twice more — 8th Place in Pork and 8th Place in Brisket. We got three calls and a walk. We were pretty dang satisfied. It was closing in on Miller Time — especially since Mike Palmer at Southern Maryland Smokers won the MABA Craft Beer Pork Challenge and he was parked sooooooooooo close to us.
Math is a funny thing. Three calls is a great event, but a lot of folks were getting three and four calls. A lot of folks were solid candidates to fight for the top spots. It all boiled down to scoring numbers. Then Jonathan said that Old Virginia Smoke was the Grand Champion, and nobody was thinking about math . . . or scores . . .or cook times . . . or anything. It was time for tears and hugs and kisses and photos and hot damn!
Three hundred and ninety-three (393) days ago, Old Virginia Smoke entered its first KCBS competition — the 2013 BBQ Jamboree in Fredericksburg, VA. Just over a year later, and we have won our first ever Grand Championship.
We could not have done this without the love and support of our friends and family. We would like to give a special shout-out to our sponsors Dizzy Pig and BBQ Guru. To our Kickstarter friends — you have made such a difference in our lives. Thank you Michelle DeBrosse for visiting and helping out with clean up; your presence and your prophetic Facebook posting about “game-changing BBQ” means that you need to be at all of our events now! Thank you all so very much.
Our BBQ Family continues to grow. We love you JD’s Smoking Misfits, Southern Maryland Smokers, Pavone Brothers, 3 Eyz, 420 Q, DeGuello, Aporkaplypse Now, Pig Pickers, Jersey Joes, and Life is Good But BBQ is Better. To our new friend Diva Q — we’ll see you out there on the highways and byways if we’re not too busy chair-dancing!
It’s a whole new world. This ride keeps getting better and better. We’ll see ya at the Peak City Pig Fest in Apex, NC, in a few weeks.
Head NORTH, OVS!
Back when we were in the throes of planning for this season, we kept looking at Memorial Day weekend and saying how much we wished there was a competition that weekend on Saturday and Sunday. Might as well, right?
Kim found the Roc City Rib Fest in her hometown of Rochester, NY. 7 HOURS. We decided to keep an eye on it.
Then, we went to the MABA meeting and one of the entries that they raffled off was for that event! I couldn’t find the guy that won it, so I emailed the head of MABA and Pitmaster for Aporkalypse Now. He told me who won it, and then quickly told me that he had bought it. So we knew we would have one friend there.
We sent in our entry form and started planning. Leigh Anne couldn’t go, but we figured it would be fun for just Kim and I to give it a shot. Kim’s mom drove up from WV, we packed up and hit the road.
In typical OVS fashion, we had perfect weather until we hit New York. Buckets of rain. We get to the Genessee Valley Park and get in line. Apparently the park is a mud hole. After an hour we get near the front of the line, where we first meet our new awesome organizer, J. He tells me that the county inspector is going to look at my truck and trailer and make a determination as to whether I get thumbs up or thumbs down to go on the grass.
Me: what does thumbs down mean?
J: means you have to park in this gravel lot.
Me: then thumbs down me right now! Can I pay for thumbs down?
We get to second in line…J looks at me…I point towards a swath of nice gravel, coincidentally right across from Aporkalypse….
J starts walking over….
“Make it happen.”
Now, I’m not exactly skilled at this trailer business yet…but I slammed that thing into its spot, dropped the gate…unhooked and then left for dinner.
We got back around 8:30 and sent Kim to her Aunt’s to sleep. I started setting up…and then wandered over to the Buckner Brothers party.
Whoa. These guys can get after it.
I held my own, eventually made it back, and went night night time.
Kim got there early, and wasn’t pleased. Nothing had been done!
A quick set up…then time for ribs for the Roc City Rib Cook Off. They came out great…and we finished a surprising 12 out of 120.
Yet not the highlight of the day. Spending time with Kim’s Aunt Debbie, Uncle Mike, Bean and Pam was a ton of fun! And to put the cherry on top…as I returned from turn in, one of my best friends Danks and his wife Abby jumped out of the trailer! It’s always better when friends and family are there.
Kim and I ham-n-egged it through the night. Had to get some gas at 5 am for the generator (thank you Uncle Dave) which caused a small quarrel, but was very necessary due to the impending 2 hour power outage….
Then we cooked. We stayed focused and finished 5th overall, with a 4th in chicken and ribs. A great time!
Big thanks to Mike, Hilary and Don of Aporkalypse Now, the people of Roc City, and all our new friends up north. We will see you next year!
We’ll Drink to That — BBQ Jamboree @ Fredericksburg, VA (May 9-10, 2014)
We’ll Drink to That — BBQ Jamboree @ Fredericksburg, VA (May 9-10, 2014)
The BBQ Jamboree holds a special place in our hearts. One year ago, Old Virginia Smoke packed up our tents, smokers, and dreams into the back of a pickup truck and came to Fredericksburg for our first official KCBS competition. We first met the people who have gone on to become our best friends. On our first score sheet, we tied for 13th for chicken — a score that would give us the energy and drive to persevere. So much has changed . . .
This year, we pulled our new BBQ trailer onto the fairgrounds, thanks in no small part to our Kickstarter friends. We’ve got wonderful sponsors in Dizzy Pig and BBQ Guru. MABA named us the Rookie Team of the Year for last season. Our off-season has been filled with strategy sessions and practice cooks. We were ready to kick things off on a high note.
To add a little more starch into everyone’s cook-aprons, the fellows over at Aporkalypse Now issued a challenge to all participating MABA teams. Ante up a bottle of high-end small-batch craft whiskey into the kitty, and the team with the highest brisket score walks away with all that oak-aged goodness. (Editor’s Note — High. End. American. Whiskey. The kind of stuff they lock up at the liquor store. Nothing you’d find at the local Ruby Tuesday. The good stuff!)
We had ourselves a fine cook. The smokers cooperated. The meat cooperated. Heaven help us, the weather even held off — simply drizzling and blowing, as opposed to the thunderstorms that were predicted. As a team, we had shaken off any accumulated ring rust through our practice cooks.
After the KCBS meats were turned in, we processed mountains of pulled pork for the People’s Choice competition. Our friends Keith, Cara, Laura, and Jenny helped us take our meat to the masses. When 4 p.m. finally wound down, we cracked some beers, took a load off our aching feet, and enjoyed a beautiful afternoon with friends and family.
Awards started late, but we were patiently waiting in our chairs. It was a difficult awards ceremony. People’s Choice, chicken, ribs, and pork winners were named. We were not. We cheered for all our friends, but it was hard not to hear our name. After all, we’d been getting consistent calls since Louisa’s Que & Cruz event last July. Doubt was beginning to cloud our minds. We were honestly feeling like it was going to be a skunked competition for us. They kept naming heavy hitters during the brisket awards — defending champs Beerbeque, Aporkalypse Now, 3 Eyz BBQ, and Rock’s Money Pit.
“First place in brisket, and winner of the MABA whiskey side bet — OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE.”
Yep — we ran whooping like school-children toward the stage.
Yep — we ran first to the big table of whiskey, not the trophy or the stage.
Yep — our smiles almost split our faces when we stood still enough to get our picture taken.
Yep — we drank right from the bottle.
This was our first category #1 call, literally just one year after we started as a competition team. All that whiskey tastes sweet, but this tastes so much sweeter. We’ve got a lot of work to do, and we’ve got a long summer ahead of us. Still, it’s such a wonderful way to start the 2014 season.
Loving thanks to all our Kickstarter supporters, Dizzy Pig, and BBQ Guru.
We couldn’t have managed our People’s Choice without such good friends like Keith, Cara, & John Thompson, Laura Cortina, Jenny Mitchell, and Scott Oser for their incredible help.
We love our BBQ friends — JD’s Smokin Misfits, Hog-It-Up BBQ, Southern Maryland Smokers, Dizzy Pig, Brown Liquor, Makin’ Bacon, Pepper Monkey, Pavone Brothers, DC Fire Fighting BBQ Team, Grand Slam, and 3 Eyz.
It was good being neighbors with you Pig Pickers and Jersey Joe’s BBQ. We’ll see you around the circuit.
Congrats to Aporkalypse Now on the Grand Championship.
Next stop . . . Roc City Rib Fest in Rochester, New York (May 23-26).
What We Did On Our Winter Vacation
It was an assignment that everyone got upon returning to school in the fall. We carefully wrote down descriptions of summer softball leagues and family vacations. It seemed like there was someone in the class who always did something ridiculous and amazing like hiking the Amazon or meeting Mr. T at the local ice-cream shoppe.
But competition barbecue is mostly a summer-into-fall endeavor here in the mid-Atlantic area. Our last endeavor on the circuit was way back in October. Things slow down as the weather gets colder. It’s now spring, and summer is almost within reach. This weekend, Old Virginia Smoke hits the road for our first KCBS competition for 2014. We thought it made sense to share with you how we spent our off-season.
We practiced. The best way to prevent the rust from accumulating is to keep moving, so Old Virginia Smoke held mini-competition cooks from November through May. In April, we even hosted six KCBS judges to help us get a preview on our 2014 approach.
We expanded. In late 2013-2014, Old Virginia Smoke successfully launched a Kickstarter campaign in to help our organizational growth. We invited folks from across the nation to join OVS, and we were blessed by an incredible outpouring of support. We simply do not have enough words to show our appreciation. This has allowed us to add some amazing new tools . . .
We traveled. In one long, hilarious weekend, Old Virginia Smoke tore up and down Interstate 95 to pick up our newest addition . . . our cook trailer!!! Named after the Old Crow Medicine Show song about a fabled train, the “New Virginia Creeper” will be our home away from home this season. “Chug along, chug along!”
We celebrated. The Mid Atlantic BBQ Association named us the 2013 Rookie of the Year, and that is an honor for which we are truly thankful.
Now, we cannot wait until tonight. We are headed to Fredericksburg for the BBQ Jamboree to begin our sophomore competition season. We have plans to be bigger and bolder than ever!!!
See you ‘round the cooksite. It’s time to get the smoke a-rolling.
Luke, Kim, and Leigh Anne
Old Virginia Smoke
And It Begins!
The 2014 BBQ season is well underway in the Mid-Atlantic this year. Already three competitions in the books, and some really strong performances by our friends out there in the BBQ world.
It’s time for Old Virginia Smoke to throw their hat into the ring.
We’ve been cooking and working for what seems like an eternity to this weekend. We’ve got a new trailer with the help of our friends on Kickstarter, which will be revealed this weekend!
And some other fun stuff. We’ll be doing some live blogging this weekend from the event, so expect a ton of pictures and such.
Wish us luck! If you’re free on Saturday, come on out to the BBQ Jamboree in Fredericksburg, VA and support Old Virginia Smoke!
Humbled
Just to give you a frame of reference for my team’s addiction to BBQ, I’m writing this for the blog as I ride the early train to make an early morning delivery of pulled pork and ribs. It doesn’t ever stop! As you may know, we started a Kickstarter campaign on Monday to help us get started with our competition season and catering venture in 2014. The response so far has been amazing, and we are extremely humbled so far by the participation of our friends and acquaintances.
Only five days in, and we’re almost a fifth of the way towards our goal. People have called and told me how proud they are of me for starting on this journey. Friends are spreading the word out to their networks and people and getting them involved in Old Virginia Smoke. Our supporters are spread from coast to coast. It is amazing to have people like that in your life.
We enjoy cooking great food for great people, and enjoy the great people that we’ve met over the past year. I find that I’m happiest at 4 a.m. on a Saturday morning with 100 lbs of pork butts on the grill ready for attention.
We are planning some exciting things for Old Virginia Smoke in 2014. We’ve already got part of our new logo, with more work being done in the meantime. Stay tuned! Working with some great people on some great projects. The best is yet to come!
So thank you for reading this. Thank you for being a fan of Old Virginia Smoke. Help us get started by visiting our kickstarter page!
Improvisation: 3rd Annual Shenandoah Valley BBQ Fest!
Autumnfest is a great way to celebrate the approaching fall season in the Shenandoah Valley. The leaves on the trees are changing, and the forest is filled with ambers, golds, reds, and dusty greens. The clouds hang low over the mountains. Off in the distance, a few hot air balloons add a bit of whimsy to the skyline. It’ almost as if one could not ask for a better setting. Almost. It gets damn cold at 4 a.m. on a Saturday morning, even if you are huddled around an improvised fire pit made from bottom of a Weber Smoky Mountain.
Pitmaster Luke shouldered the set-up solo again, as Kim and Leigh Anne arrived on Fridayafternoon and evening, respectively. Forty teams circled the oval track of the Woodstock fairgrounds, and many of our new friends from this season were there. Most of us were closing the season.
Team Old Virginia Smoke would like to introduce our newest addition. A few weeks ago, we purchased a Backwoods Gator from our neighbors from the Richmond Recovery Fest cook. She’s the big dog on our porch, with real estate and heat output to spare. Of course, we brought our Backwoods Party, “Mountain Mama II,” and our original WSM gangsta, the Grillenium Falcon.
Having more than exceeded expectations with this first season, our team approach to this final comp was to stretch our wings and try a few new things. In addition to breaking in our Gator, we mixed some things up with our meat supplier, rubs, and sauces. We put some new steps in our timeline. While ribs remain an area for focused concentration during the off-season, this approach worked well for the three other meats. Our chicken process produced some amazingly succulent, flavorful thighs no matter what the immoral ingrates at table 5 said. Do not get us started on table 5. We are locked down and lasered in on pork and brisket. All in all, it is a nice way to tie up an inaugural season of competition BBQ. We were able to secure a 10th place overall, with a 9th place brisket. Third top 10 in a row.
We’d like to thank Uncle Dave with Pavone Brothers for driving down with us, and in general being there for pretty much anything we need. Such as coffee whilst freezing to death. As always, much love to JD’s Smokin Misfits, Hog-It-Up, Southern Maryland Smokers, Makin’ Bacon, Peppermonkey BBQ, Grand Slam BBQ, and Checkered Flag 500 for being great friends. It was great to meet Ash Kickers and That Guy BBQ. A special thanks to Kit Rudd from DeGuello BBQ for lending us a few secret ingredients when it turned out our larder was a little low. And congrats to Kit on the GC! But damn, that trophy was straight up creepy. El chupacabre.
See you ‘round the circuit next year, y’all.