It looks like we’ll have BBQ on TV yet again with BBQ Pitmasters Season 3.  Just a few days ago John Markus posted on twitter(below) to stay tuned for an announcement.  Hit the jump for details.

To all our great diehard BBQ Pitmasters fans, good news in the works.Check bbqforum.com for an announcement.Things are moving quickly!

— BBQ Pitmasters (@BBQPitmasters) January 26, 2012

We hope this new format is more like season one but we’ll take bbq on tv anyday!!! See below for the presser.

We have yet to determine which contests we’ll be attending but casting has begun and we want YOUR video auditions.

We’re looking for the best and brightest BBQ Pitmasters with the biggest personalities!

DEADLINE IS FEBRUARY 9 TH!!!!!!!!

How do you apply to be on the show?

Send us a 3 to 5 minute audition video. We want you to showcase your personality, your desire to win, and your incredible skills. Prove you have a shot at being and beating the best of the best. Be creative and sell us on why you and your team should be on the show.

Don’t worry, we’re not expecting videos with Hollywood productions values. More than anything, it’s the cook’s personality that matters. For a taste of the stuff BBQ Pitmasters are made of, go to:

http://tlc.discovery.com/videos/bbq-pitmasters-bbq-pitmasters-returns-august-12.html

Send your audition tapes & DVDs to Original Media, Attn: BBQ Pitmasters 175 Varick St New York, NY 10014

Or, send a file of your audition to bbqpitmasters@originalmedia.com Direct any and all questions there as well. Shoot schedule runs until the end of April. Good luck, and get goin’!

 Shotgun Fred Pirkle A true BBQ visionary has been profiled in 2 philadelphia area media publishings in recent weeks.  Hit the jump for the video and link.  Good luck and Godspeed Fred

We’ve met fred personally tons of times and love his contributions to industry and most important to us, the BBQ world.  We’ve interviewed him on occasion here and this is truly a role model in the BBQ world as well as Industry for that matter.

Below is the link which talks about his generous donation to his alma mater amongst other things

Paralyzed Bucks inventor puts his money where his heart is

Check out footage from wiredbbq of what happened this past weekend in St. Louis.  This will be an interesting story in the weeks to come.  What’s your reaction?  Let us know in the comments.  Video after the jump.

BBQ Radio is alive and doing well in the world of BBQ, and “radio” is becoming a good source for the latest BBQ information. Most shows are not going to be dialed up on your old AM/FM radio, they stream the shows, live via the internet. Very easy to pick up the show no matter where you are, and if you happen to miss your favorite show, you can listen, at your convenience in the archived shows.

www.OutdoorCookingChannel.com has really been taking off with the on-line talk show shows. Outdoor Cooking Channel has been started by Kevin Bevington of www.HomeBBQ.com. Great shows offered on this site, always some great BBQ information available. One of the most popular shows offered on the Outdoor Cooking Channel is Greg Rempe’s BBQ Central Radio Show.

Greg always has good BBQ information going out on his show, and he always gets the top names in BBQ and grilling as guests on the show. Tune in live every Tuesday at 9:00pm EST.

Another very popular show on the Outdoor Cooking Channel is “In The Hut” with Huck Jr. If you are reading this post, you are probably familiar with this show, yes it is the same Huck’s Hut………

Bruce McCall, aka, Huck Jr., has been diligently working on his site, and show. I use to download his shows onto my i-pod through i-Tunes, which you can still so, but now I prefer to listen to the live stream on the Outdoor Cooking Channel. Bruce is a true BBQ die-hard, and also gets great BBQ information out to his listeners. As of late, Bruce has had a regular panel of BBQ experts on his show, consisting of :

George Hensler from, Who Are Those Guys? A GREAT KCBS BBQ Competition team. Author of Startin’ the Fire. George always has good information, and can explain things where even the novelist cooks can benefit from his segments.

Another regular guest on Huck’s by-weekly board is Chad Ward from Whiskey Bent BBQ. If you want BBQ passion, Chad has it! More about Chad in a bit.

Huck Sr. is also a regular on In The Hut, talk about BBQ knowledge, Sr. has it. There is always a wide variety of BBQ topics discussed on Huck’s show, and Sr. has had experience with most of the topics. He is a walking BBQ encyclopedia, he just needs some help with his hats. Part of the entertainment is to check in every show to see what hat Sr. is sporting. I do have a suggestion for an upcoming show…….……..some how, I don’t think he will be taking my suggestion! lol

I really enjoy “In The Hut”, please join in by-weekly on Tuesdays at 9:00pm EST.

Darryl Mast has been doing a lot of shows on his BBQ Super Stars.

Darryl has numerous BBQ videos on you-tube, some great interviews, and how to BBQ videos.  I saw Darryl working at the FBA Smoke on the Water event, this past February, in Winter Haven, FL. Darryl is very dedicated  to BBQ, and he shows his passion through his shows. Please check out Darryl’s web-site for times & days of his show.

The latest BBQ radio show on BBQSuperStars.com is Chad Ward from Whiskey Bent BBQ hosting “In The Pit, with Whiskey Bent”. Chad has been doing this show now for, I believe 4 weeks, and I have thoroughly enjoyed his show!!! I have had the pleasure to met Chad and the Whiskey Bent BBQ team, and I know their passion for putting out top notch BBQ. These guys are professionals through and through, and are always willing to extend a helping hand to their BBQ brethren.

Chad started his show doing only a one hour show every Tuesday at 7:00pm EST, but quickly has realized that there is just so much content that they are trying to get into each show, they have been extending his show by a half hour each week, I do not know if this will be a regular schedule for “In The Pit”, I, for one, hope it will be.

One theme that Chad focuses on is helping folks that are interested in BBQ, take that next step and throwing their hat into the competition BBQ arena. There is a lot of interest in competition BBQ out there, but most folks do not know how to, or are unsure of taking that next step into competition BBQ. Chad has been more then happy to answer any questions to help teams reach their competition goals, and at the same time help the growth of BBQ as a sport.

One thing about all these shows, when watching the live stream, that I really enjoy, is the live chat during the show. This is a good way to not only listen and enjoy the show, but to have an active part in the show. Many of the host will answer some questions directly from the chat, and it is a good way to met other BBQ folks that are passionate about this sport. I know that many times, for Chad’s show, the chat has started before the show is on the air, and continues after the show ends, great way to catch up with what’s new in the world of BBQ.

If you are into the BBQ scene, or just curious and want to find out what the BBQ family is about, check out one, or all of these great shows, and make sure to participate in the chat, it is a great way to met some new friends.

Keep your fire stoked…

Doug

If you look back over the many improvements and or innovations in the realm of outdoor BBQing and grilling in the past 20 years or so, few could argue that one of the most innovative is the development temperature control devices for use on BBQcookers.

When you mention temperature control devices the name BBQ Guru comes to the forefront almost immediately. http://www.thebbqguru.com/ Shotgun Fred Pirkle,the founder and developer of the BBQ Guru temperature control devices would be considered by many to be Thee BBQ Guru. Especially when you look at the definition of the word guru: an influential expert; somebody who has a reputation as an expert leader,teacher, or practitioner in a particular field.
I first met Fred back in 2007 when I was in the market for a BBQ smoker. I called him with some preliminary questions and Fred spent a long time explaining the advantages to his product and answering the questions of a complete BBQ novice. I didn’t make a decision right away and what further impressed me was two months later when Fred made a follow-up call to me asking if I had found a smoker yet. Eventually I decided to purchase a new unit from the BBQ Guru. When I picked the unit up at their WarminsterPennsylvania facility, Fred spent several hours with me going over the operation and careof the unit. I was impressed then and continue to be impressed by the level of service provided by his firm.
Over the years I have had the privilege of hanging with Fred and his crew at numerous
BBQ contests all over the northeast, many times sharing a cold drink and swapping stories. It is easy to see how Fred comes up with many of his products and ideas; hereis a guy that is always thinking of ways to make something better. His parent company,Thermomegatech is a leader in the field of manufacturing temperature control values and devices for use in numerous industries and applications all around the world.
Fred’s talent as an inventor is evident both by the number of patents he holds as well assome of the many ideas and prototypes he has developed, many of them outdoor cooking related. I enjoy nothing more than running into Shotgun Fred at a cook off and seeing what his latest project is. I think what I enjoy most is listening to Fred as he explains the reasoning and or particulars regarding his latest development, passionate would be anunderstatement.
Not long after they began to distribute BBQ Guru products, Fred and business associateBBQ Bob Trudnak became interested in the growing sport of competition BBQ cooking.They started their own team “The BBQ Guru” in 2005 and have become a force to be reckoned with when competing in BBQ contests all over the Country. During their short time on the circuit, the Guru Gang has collected numerous accolades as well as several grand and reserve championships. In 2010 they took home Reserve Grand Championship honors from the 22nd Jack Daniels Invitational BBQ contest held each October inLynchburg Tennessee, an accomplishment Fred is quite proud of, and deservedly so.
In the spring of 2008 while at a BBQ contest in Salisbury Maryland Fred suffered a stroke. He has worked very hard at his therapy relating to his recovery in the years since the stroke and had begun to once again become more of a regular on the BBQ circuit. InJune of this year, Fred received a setback when he was diagnosed with ALS or what is more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Fred stopped by the BBQ Guru site last month in New Holland, Pennsylvania and was inundated with visitors and well wishers.His spirits were high and I know he will continue with the struggle and challenge resulting from this latest development.
In the past, while watching Shotgun Fred take his walk to the stage at a BBQ contest it was very evident that this is a guy with great passion for BBQ as well as life itself. Few can dispute the fact that the BBQ world has benefited greatly as a direct result of the vision and numerous contributions made by Shotgun Fred Pirkle. He recognizes problemsand finds solutions in a way that few others have done. I am proud to call him a friend and look forward to seeing what Shotgun Fred, Thee BBQ Guru, has up his sleeve to make outdoor cooking and BBQ easier and more efficient today as well as going forward into the future. Godspeed Shotgun Fred.

Here in FBA country, summer time is a good time, for some of us, to practice competition BBQ. Competitions are spread a bit thin, and unless you have a good way to stay cool during the summer heat, we all having to wait for cooler weather. Cooking so much BBQ, sometimes you have to be inventive on how to get rid of it. My family can only eat so much BBQ, friends see me coming, and quickly turn the other way, because they know that the conversation will end up being about BBQ.

This past January we competed in the KCBS, Lakeland, FL Pigfest. We sold our BBQ at this event. Funny thing vending, your cooking for 1000′s of folks, but, if your like me, you don’t even get a bite. That is what happened for my family at PigFest. We served our BBQ Nachos, and they were a BIG hit. We sold out, Friday and had to go get more supplies from the store early Saturday, and sold all of it that day. Folks told us, they came all the way across the park, just for our Nachos. This week my family and I were discussing the PigFest, and realized none of us had even tried the Nachos, friends had all tried them, and told us they were good, I just went on their word, and man were they right! Of course, with all this practicing, we had pulled pork in the freezer, so it was an easy fix.

This is  a very simple recipe, but I was very pleased with the flavor. With football starting, this is a great snack for game day.

First I start with some Hogs Gone Wild BBQ Pulled Pork.

HGW Pulled Pork

After that the ingredients are very simple, Corn Chips, Nacho Cheese & BBQ Sauce. We used our house sauce, HGW “Sweet with some Heat”, we found the sweet and a hint of spice, is a nice contrast to the cheese and corn chips.

Simply construct you nachos, we started with the chips, added the cheese, then the pork and finally the BBQ sauce.

BBQ Nachos, very tasty!!!

Nothing better then sharing Nachos with great friends and family, and the beverage of choice of accompany this tasty treat is…..Ice Cold Beer……..surprise!!!

Enjoy!!!

Please visit us at www.hogsgonewildbbq.com

The panel discuss charcoal vs. pellet cookers, pork butt prepping for competition and backyard, the thermapen, Diva’s invite to the jack and more!!!

In case you’ve missed it BBQ Bob was on the 10 show today cooking on a WSM and BBQ Guru’s own Onyx Oven.  Hit the jump for the video.

View more videos at: http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com.

It seems like every time I look at the calendar it is the 15^th of the month. The deadline for some of my monthly scribblings is the 15^th and no matter when I have just sent in a submission, the next time I look at the calendar, it is the 14^th or 15^th. This month was no exception.

Sometimes I sit and stare at an empty screen just waiting for a random thought to pop into my head so I can begin my article or story for the month. Occasionally it is somewhat of a struggle, this month was a bit different. I needed a story, the deadline was fast approaching (of course it was) and I had nothing (of course I didn’t). The upcoming weekend had us cooking a contest, no problem; I would just knock it out my article on Sunday after the cook-off. Just what you feel like doing on the Sunday after a BBQ contest is sitting down at your work station and trying to be creative. Of course that wouldn’t  have been so much of a problem if I had already selected my topic, this time, being completely honest, I had not.

While at the contest it hit me, the subject just dropped out of the sky like a huge rock, right onto my alcohol soaked brain. The contest rep was giving us their short informational pep talk during the meat inspection process.

Authors note: The upcoming bit of commentary and banter is by no means directed towards the contest reps or organizers, who by the way did a swell job of organizing and running this first time event. I will also mention that the point of view you are about to read is mine and is not the opinion or position of the site host.

“The County health department, wants to make sure that all teams are building their boxes underneath their canopies or easy-ups, you are required to wear gloves when handling any and all food products”, we were told by the contest rep. “Also, you shouldn’t be surprised if you receive a visit from a County Health Department representative to look over your site.” I had no problem with the overlying theme of the message, to use your head and practice safe food handling, which for the most part, is SOP at a BBQ contest.

The more I thought about his message, the more I realized I had my story right in front of me and didn’t know it. I had heard about more and more Health Departments poking their noses into the world of competition BBQ cooking, inspecting teams, wanting to see thermometers, requiring coolers to be placed on wood blocks up off the ground. I even heard of an instance a while back where some dolt from the HD thought it should be a requirement that all BBQ teams cover the ground of their assigned contest site with a plastic tarp while preparing their submissions for the judges.

In this instance, what if I didn’t have a canopy or an ezy-up? What then? Would the Health Department official ask me to prepare my boxes in the cab of my truck? (I’ll bet after some minion from the HD took one look at the inside of my vehicle they’d be rethinking that request.) But seriously, what if I didn’t bring a pop-up cover? Is this going to be a requirement for the future?

Of course, the supposed reasoning behind all of this madness is they are simply looking out for the general food consuming public right? WRONG!!!!!!!! JUDGES AT A BBQ CONTEST ARE NOT THE GENERAL PUBLIC, THEY ARE NOT PAYING FOR, OR PURCHASING FOOD FROM THE TEAMS. (Sorry for screaming, but this is a topic that really gets me going, so much in fact that my fingers hurt just from punching the keys while typing)

The fact of the matter is teams are actually paying an entry fee, driving long distances, getting very little sleep, spending large amounts of other monies on sauces, rubs, cooking equipment, and really working their butts off to get their products to the judges on time. We aren’t selling anything to anybody; we are spending money to pursue our passion. The judges are volunteers; they do not have to pay to sample our wares, they are there freely and are not being forced to eat our que.

How in the world can any reasonable thinking person in their right mind justify this process? Is this where we are headed? Do we need the Government to protect us from ourselves? What is next, will you have to draw a permit and subject yourself to a complete Health Department inspection just to have a few of your family and friends over for dinner? Don’t laugh, think about it. If I think about it too much it makes my head explode.

A BBQ contest is nothing more than a large scale family picnic. Some of the competitors and judges are friends, some are even family. The organizers have invited them in to eat a little BBQ. At some of the more prestigious and popular events, judges are asked to remain on waiting lists for years an years before being given a chance to judge.

Do we really need to have the Government involved in this process? My answer is a resounding no. With all of the recent talk about local and State governments being strapped for operating capital, does it really make sense to encourage more and expanded inspection processes? I have got news for you out there in BBQ land, this stuff is not going away, it is here to stay and will get nothing but worse. More and more of these local jurisdictions are going to be sticking their long and pointed noses into more and more places where they don’t belong, and of more concern to me, where they think they belong.

I am by no means encouraging civil unrest or asking people to cause a scene when the person with the pocket protector meat thermometer shows up at your contest site. I am, however, just suggesting that when presented with this situation you not just roll over and comply. Voice your displeasure with their interference and meddling all in the name of public safety. Ask THEM a million questions, play dumb, make them work for their money while costing them time. If just one team in 50 does this, they will think he is a nut job and probably ask him to leave. But if all 50, I say ALL 50 pit masters do it they will think it is a movement. And you know what? They’ll be absolutely right. (thanks to Arlo Guthrie)

Maybe, if it takes these inspectors 6-8 hours to work their way through a 50 team competition which then causes them to show up late at their favorite Friday night martini bar, they might think twice about picking on a few guys and gals that are doing nothing more than making a little something for their friends and family to nibble on. The next time a Heath Department employee shows up at your site to poke around before a contest, just tell em to THINK SMOKE!

George Hensler (www.watgbbq.com)

One thing that a competition BBQ team needs each time out, is to have a consistent cook.  Getting your name called in a category is fun, but everyone there wants to hear their name called last. You don’t have to win all four categories, but just have a strong cook in all. I was doing well in the pork & rib categories, but struggled in the chicken & brisket categories, I think it is these cuts of meats that most home cooks do not have experience with. Coming from the backyard into cooking competition BBQ, I had never cooked a brisket till I was in my first competition…we did not come in DAL, but…enough said. Chicken on the other hand, everyone has cooked chicken at some point in their lives, but cooking to competition standard…now that’s a different story. To many, chicken is the arched enemy of BBQ teams, there are many steps that need to be followed to achieve results that will please the judges. The procedure to get your chicken to that point, can be quite time consuming, some folks take longer then others, I have spent 5 hours prepping chicken for a competition, but of course, as time went on the more beer I drank, the more socializing I was doing, well you get the picture.

I try to do a chicken practice cook, when ever I can, and chicken is one meat that my family still enjoy, with practice comes results, I am probably most proud of our first place chicken award at our last competition. This was our first call EVER for chicken, backyard or pro, we got RGC at the event, but I keep telling everyone about our first place chicken!!!

Work paid off

Our take for the day in St Cloud, FL.

Sweet!!!

I was happy with where we were going with our chicken, but I still had to try it again, just to make sure it was not by accident that we did so well in chicken, you can do the exact same procedures each time your out at a competition, and come home with different results each time. I want to do everything I can on my end to give the judges something to work with, if they score me down from what I turn in, at least I know that I have done everything I could have done. A couple of weeks ago I was taking, online, with a friend of ours here at Hogs Gone Wild BBQ, C-Dub’s BBQ Rub.

Great folks, check them out!!!

I have not had the opportunity to check out their great rubs, but I plan on doing it very soon, but I hear it is GREAT on chicken. Anyway, C-Dub’s and I were taking about chicken prep, online, and it got the urge to do a practice cook going again for me. C-Dubs and I exchanged a couple of ideas, then it was off to the drawing board. Thanks C-Dub’s!!!

I will be happy to share how I prepare my competition chicken with everyone, most things here can be found, more in depth trough out the internet, this is just a basic guide to do a couple of things that I feel are necessary to create competition style chicken. I will not be able to share certain, “proprietary” secrets, and flavoring will need to be something that everyone should do to their liking, but I did give you a good hint above!!! (Another hint…I do not use muffin pans!!!)

Let’s begin, I always cook thighs, white meat is fun to try out and experiment with, I have even thought about wings, but I always come back to thighs. There are many teams that have used wing, with good results, I’m just happy to get the thighs where I like them. Thighs stay juicy and have a good flavor, I do not take the bone out. I started off by cutting the “knuckle” joint off, but I have decided to stop doing that, I do not like the way the bone is exposed on the end piece.

Chicken straight from the package.

I look for the package of chicken, that has the most uniformed pieces, the skin looks good & does not have any discolorations. Some chicken skin will appear to be yellow, I try to stay away from those brands, I want the skin to be as white as possible.

I take special measures with chicken, I store it sepetate from all other meats, I use different cutting boards & work ares designated just for my chicken. The first thing I do is wash the chicken, then I take the skin completely off the piece of chicken. I just pull it off, some folks say it is better to cut it off, but I like to preserve as much skin as possible. I trim the fat from each side of the chicken, and make the piece nice and uniformed shape.

Keep all the skin for use later.

From the under side of the thigh, there is a small loose piece of meat, commonly referred to as the “oyster”, I always remove this piece. When a judge bites into the piece of chicken, this could put the flavor off, and has a strange texture after cooking, best to just remove it.

I

The "Oyster" take it off.

After I cut off the oyster, I want to take care of a problem that gets many teams disqualified at the competitions, taking out the blood vein, (that’s what I call it, i don’t know the official name for it). This vein can be full of blood, even after washing the chicken thoroughly. The chicken can cook to temperature, but this vein can hold the blood, when bitten into, it will flow out, as if the chicken is under cooked, and we all know what comes from bloody chicken…disqualification!!!  I norally find this vein near the bone, I will go in with my knife and work it along the bone, using the backside of the knife, if you use the sharp side of the knife, you’ll just cut through the vein. Use the backside of the knife, and pull the vein out as far as you can then cut it at each end. There is  some extra work doing this, but it is better then having your box returned to you at the competition with a DQ.

This vein is normally near the bone.

This could mean the diffence between D.Q. and 1st place.

I want my piece to be a nice uniformed piece of chicken, I take off as much fat as I can. Normally end up with a heart shaped thigh.

I will place the thighs only, keep the skins off to the side and cold, into a zip-lock bag for marinating. There are many commercial marinates and chicken soaks on the market, if you have a favorite, please continue to use them, I use Italian salad dressing. Yes it is true, Italian dressing makes a good marinate for chicken, the oils and vinegar works well on the chicken, and gives good flavor. I will try to have my chicken in the marinate over night. Please be sure to rinse all the marinate off your chicken before cooking.

Now I turn my attention to the skin. Skin on the chicken is another BIG issue. even before the judge is able to taste the bite he/she had just taken, they evaluate if there is, what is known as “bite through skin”. The last thing you, as a competition BBQ cook wants, is for the judge to take that bite of chicken, and the entire skin comes off in that one bite. The judge was not able to bite through the skin cleanly. Smoking/grilling chicken, can lead to tough and rubbery skin, not a good thing to have on any chicken, mostly your turn-in chicken, one of the best ways to insure that does not happen, you need the skin to be a thin as possible. All the fat from the underside of the skin MUST come off.  This does take some doing, and I would suggest doing some practice, before going to a competition. This will be something you will need to master, and not many folks will get it right on the first try. There are a couple of ways to achieve this, some like to scrape the skin, I like to use a thin filet knife, and cut the fat off.

Cutting the fat off the underside of the skin.

Skin has to be so thin, there' only one side!!! lol

Now I wrap the skin back onto the thigh, keeping everything as tight as possible, and place the thigh on your rack for cooking. As far as seasoning, and some special cooking techniques, there are so many out there, I will leave this up to you to decide which is best suited for you and your team.

All lined up and ready to cook.

I cook thighs at 275 degrees for at least 1 hour & 45 mins. For chicken you are looking for an internal temperature of 178-182 degrees. DO NOT UNDER COOK YOUR CHICKEN!!! When the chicken is at the point where I am satisfied that it is done, temp is good, and only clear juices coming out of thigh, I will then dip the entire piece into my sauce and place back on the grill for another 15 mins at 300 degrees.

No secret about my sauce of choice, I use Draper's, period!!!

Pull the chicken off the grill and let rest.

I think we have a couple of useable pieces here.

Test your product!!!

Now that's what I mean by "Bite Through Skin"

We made a mock box for your practice cook, it is not an official box, actually is the top of a serving plate. The competitions we enter are Florida Barbecue Association events, and they do not allow garnish of any kind.

Not bad!!!

I hope this has helped answer a couple questions about chicken, trust me, you never stop learning. Fell free to add comments, or to contact me at www.hogsgonewild.com Thanks for your interest.