Bryan Gooding & R.J. Hinkle set up for the Blues, Bandits & BBQ cook off.  Photo by Chris Wilkins

A barbecue competition team operates pretty much like a typical manufacturing company.

That comparison became clear after the Posse competed in the fourth annual Blues, Bandits and BBQ cook off in Oak Cliff this past weekend.

We had our production staff, the guys who actually cooked the meat, working around the clock. We had distribution staff, the meat cutters and runners who made sure contest entries got to the judges on time and food samples got to our serving table.

And we had our sales staff, the hard-working servers who weren't bashful about touting the special creations that we gave out along with our regular barbecue to try to win the People's Choice award, voted by festival goers.

These were our special items, as described by our servers, who also did the final assembly:

-- A tortilla chip topped with smoked pimiento cheese, pulled pork, homemade bourbon BBQ sauce, and a jalapeno bread-and-butter pickle. One Posse member kept encouraging people to eat it all in one bite because "the flavor explodes in your mouth!"

-- A homemade crostini topped with a smear of brie, peach preserves, and a slice of smoked pork belly. "This one had a really nice blend of flavors - sweet, salty, and smoky," Posse member Libby Gagne said. "It was definitely a crowd favorite."

"Bribery on a crostini," one Posse member said. "Heaven on a crostini," another said.

-- A homemade crostini topped with smoked red bell pepper pesto and brisket. Our visitors seemed to favor the particularly fatty pieces of meat as well as the much sought-after bark, Libby said.

Of course, Libby acknowledged, additional words were used to describe the items, such as "delicious" and "homemade" and "smoked," and even an "award-winning" or two.

In the end, the special barbecue creations devised by Martha Gooding and the work of the sales team carried the day. None of our competition meats -- brisket, ribs, pulled pork, chicken, sausage -- placed in the judges' scoring. But in a very close contest, we won People's Choice for the second straight year.

All in all, a fun time. And, just as in real companies, never underestimate the importance of sales.

Posse "sales staff" L-R, Libby Gagne, Paula Mele-Weatherbie, Sherry Jacobson & Martha Gooding. Photo by Bryan Gooding

 

David Weatherbie preps his ribs. Photo by Bryan Gooding

Ribs and pork bellies on the smoker. Photo by Bryan Gooding

 

The Posse won People's Choice Award at the Blues, Bandits & BBQ cook off. Photo by Paula Mele-Weatherbie

 

The sun sets on the Posse cook site. Photo by Bryan Gooding