You think you’re special, you do
I can see it in your eyes
I can see it when you laugh at me
Look down on me and walk around on me
This time I’ma let it all come out
This time I’ma stand up and shout
I’ma do things my way, it’s my way
My way or the highway
My Way – Limp Bizkit
Last Friday, I competed in my third BBQ competition. I did one last July and my second one in October. In competition, I’ve not been that successful. Best finish so far has been 4th place in ribs. But, like any addiction, is suppose, it’s hard to kick. So, I signed up for the Hilltop BBQ Cookoff in Clarksville, TN.
If you’ve never seen one of these, it’s a somewhat intimidating experience. There are three types of competitors. First are the serious ones. They have custom-built rigs, fancy trailers, and a team of cooks. Second are the wannabees. Most have either store-bought smokers or homemade contraptions. The guy next to me built his out of a farm-grade fuel tank with chrome stacks from an 18-wheeler welded on top. The final group are the rookies. They watch enough BBQ competitions on TV and YouTube videos and finally decide to compete. That was me for the first one. Now I’m clearly in the second group.
It’s usually hot out and you set up on asphalt which means the heat radiates up too. Most of the cooks look like they are also competing in a Chris Stapleton lookalike contest. The music is a combination of country with a little R-rated country-rap. The guy across from me had a barrel he used to make coals. The wind blew in smoke and sparks into my cook site all day and night. On a positive note, the smoke seems to have burned out all the pollen that was activating my allergies, although I felt like I’d smoked several cartons of Camels.
And the competitors, while mostly nice, are clearly checking you out.
I don’t have a nice setup. My smoker is an Old Country Pecos smoker which I tow on a trailer. Although I’m a team of one, my BBQ team is Mad Mack’s Famous BBQ (note: “Mad Mack” was my nickname when I played Rugby in Australia back in the 80s, clearly a play on Mad Max. Aussies tend to give everyone nicknames). I’m sure my competitors didn’t think much of me.
This competition is the first one I’ve done that involved brisket. Brisket is the toughest meat to smoke. It comes from the chest of the cow and if you don’t do it right, it either falls apart like your grandma’s nasty pot roast or has the consistency of a spare tire. That’s a risk because it’s also very expensive. A good brisket will cost about $75.00 so you don’t want to screw it up. But done right, it’s carnivore heaven. I’ve only cooked brisket for family and friends and it’s hit or miss. But since it’s not big in Tennessee (it’s mainly a Texas thing), I thought I’d give it a shot.
At 10PM, I started my fire. At midnight, I put the brisket on. I had already injected it around 4 PM (a combination of beef broth, garlic juice, Worchester sauce, soy sauce, and a shot of Jack Daniel’s Old #7 (Yeah, I know, but since JD makes me feel better, I figured it would make the brisket better too!). Then I put a layer of thick cracked black pepper, followed by a layer of kosher salt and garlic, then another thick layer of pepper. This makes what’s known as “the bark.” Briskets must cook for a long time at low heat (about 275 degrees) which means you have to keep your eye on the fire and the temperature the whole time (unless you use a pellet smoker, which I consider the equivalent of an EZ-Bake Oven).
Meanwhile, I also cooked the chicken thighs, ribs, and pork butt (the butt is the hog’s shoulder, not its ass). When the sun came up, everything seemed to be going well.
Judging started at 11:30 AM. Chicken got turned in first, followed by ribs at Noon, butt at 12:30, and brisket at 1:00.
I really wanted to nail the brisket, so when I pulled it from the fire after 12 hours, I cut off the fatty, pointy end and cut it into cubes to make burnt ends, otherwise known as “meat candy.” These are put in a pan, doused with my homemade BBQ sauce and a thick layer of brown sugar. Then it goes back on the smoker. They aren’t that hard to make, but I wanted to impress the judges. At 12:30, I sliced the brisket, and it was PERFECT! I cut out six slices and placed six burnt ends in the turn-in box. Then at 1:00 I walked it up and turned it in.
By now I was exhausted and dehydrated. I started to break down my tent and load up for home. The judges were taking their time tabulating the scores and I needed to get home and tend to my dogs, so I finished packing and headed home. I didn’t know how I did, but I felt as though I left it all on the field. My best effort. Probably because I wanted to prove I belonged.
About 10 minutes from home, I got a call:
Hey is this Mad Mack?
Yes it is.
Hey this is Bill from the contest. Are you around? You just won third place in brisket.
Wow, seriously?
Yeah. You did a great job. I have a trophy for you and $200.00!
And that’s how it happened. My other stuff was right in the middle of the pack, but the brisket, the most difficult meat to cook was a winner.
And more importantly, I felt like a winner. Like I proved myself. Like I accomplished something really special.
And this post isn’t a humble brag. It’s a lesson to NOT be intimidated even when you feel out of place, like you don’t belong, and are not good enough. Why NOT you???
That song above was playing on Spotify when I was putting the brisket on at midnight. It’s now my official anthem. Maybe it will give you some inspiration next time you feel inadequate.
YOUR way or the highway!