BBQ Cookoffs

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kosher2-1

Cooking up a kosher BBQ storm in Big D

I don't know who invented the double-barreled lede, but old Charlie Dickens had it down: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." After talking to barbecue competition judge Jennifer Shiflett in advance of the Dallas Kosher BBQ Championship next weekend, we found ourselves in need of the same technique. She said there's no difference in taste between kosher barbecue and regular barbecue. And she wondered if competitors are using too much sauce on some of their entries. Either idea would make a good lede -- beginning --  for this blog item. During the interview, we the got…
 - 10/23/2016
aaronCWEB

Is reality TV stardom in Aaron Franklin's future? BBQ Pitmasters season 3 update

BBQ Pitmasters season 3 will begin filming tomorrow at the Don’t Be Cruel BBQ Duel competition in Tupelo, Mississippi. The big news for Texas BBQ followers is that Austin BBQ pitmaster/owner Aaron Franklin will be joining the upcoming season of BBQ Pitmasters as a judge. BBQ entrepreneur and author Myron Mixon, of Jack's Old South BBQ, has already anounced he will be back as a judge on the show. Championship pitmaster Tuffy Stone will also be joining the judging team. He was a major player on season one of BBQ Pitmasters and has great respect in competition circles. He also…
 - 03/15/2012
OC_2011_001

Photos from the Blues, Bandits and BBQ cook off in the OC

Here's a list on winner's from the Blues, Bandits and BBQ cook off at Lake Cliff Park in Oak Cliff. Congrats to all..... Brisket: 1st – Matador Meat wine; 2nd – Texas BBQ Posse; 3rd – The Smoke Cliff Boys Pulled pork: 1st – Smokin Ronnie’s BBQ; 2nd - Texas BBQ Posse; 3rd 3-Bar BBQ Ribs: 1st – Oak Cliff Oh’s; 2nd - Smokin Ronnie’s BBQ; 3rd - Matador Meat wine Chicken: 1st - Oak Cliff Oh’s; 2nd - Texas BBQ Posse; 3rd – The Smoke Cliff Boys Sausage: 1st – BBQ Bandits; 2nd – Matador Meat wine; 3rd –…
 - 10/23/2011
lupe-1

The Sheriff and her Posse

The Texas BBQ Posse cook team poses with Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez during the Blues, Bandits and BBQ cook off held in Oak Cliff's Lake Cliff Park. We did well (more details to come), placing second place in brisket, pulled pork and chicken. I'll be posting more photos shortly, but here's one of our favorites. Thanks to the amazing Rob Schear and his awesome crew, it was a BBQ fellowship to remember. Also thanks to the judges, who each had to eat samples of all 54 meat entries today! See you all next year...... Photo by Daniel Vaughn
 - 10/23/2011
gettin_sauced

Hey, Drew, next year, let's Get Sauced! in November

How hot was it at the 2nd annual Gettin' Sauced! competition in Austin last week, organized by Drew Thornley and Man Up Texas BBQ? "If sweat was gold, my friend Steve would be a millionaire," one Yelp reviewer wrote of the event at Independence Brewery. How hot was it? The official high was 110 degrees, just two degrees short of the all-time record for any day, any time in the Texas capital. (The record was tied the next day.) How hot was it? Texas BBQ king Aaron Franklin waved the white flag after about two and one-half hours in the…
 - 09/01/2011
BTGopen2-loHighRes-1

No, this isn't another rant against gas-fired bbq

First off, Johnsonville's Big Taste Grill, pictured above, uses propane. Don't even think about wood...or charcoal. But doesn't that machine look cool! The semi-tractor-hauled cooker weighs 53,000 pounds, is 65 feet long, 20 feet high and 6 feet in diameter, according to materials sent to us by Johnsonville, the sausage company. A dozen cooks can grill 750 brats at a time. The lid alone weighs 6,000 pounds and is operated by a hydraulic system. If you want to check out the grill, which has traveled to charity events throughout North America since 1995, it will be in Burleson July 21…
 - 07/14/2011
smokersWEB001

Checking out the smokers at the Smokin' Possum Cookoff

One of the coolest things at a BBQ cookoff is the opportunity to check out everyone's smokers and cook setup. Here's a quick tour of some of the teams the Posse is competing against here at Possum Hollow Camp near Graham.         Photos by Chris Wilkins
 - 05/24/2011
possesetupWEB

Smokin' Possum Cookoff a character-building experience for the Posse

We're still processing everything we learned at the Smokin' Possum Cookoff. It will take a while. We had fun cooking just outside our cabins at Possum Hollow Resort on Possum Kingdom Lake over a nearly weather-perfect weekend. As for our results, however, the best thing we can say is that it was a character-building experience. Our first entry into the world of sanctioned barbecue competitions was a crash course in harsh reality. Cooking to maximize the impact of that one bite a judge takes of your food is not the same as cooking for friends and relatives in your backyard.…
 - 05/23/2011
chickenWEB

It's turn in time at the Smokin' Possum Cookoff

Gary J's famous chicken & ribs have been turned in to the judges, now it's down to the biggie - brisket. That's a 3 p.m. turn in time. Marshall cooked three briskets to choose between for our entry. Out of that we'll enter just seven slices for the judges to taste test. Win or lose, we've had a great time last night and today. What an amazing day out here at the second annual Smokin' Possum Cookoff.   Photos by Chris Wilkins
 - 05/21/2011
smokeSM

Fear & Loathing at the Smokin' Possum Cookoff at Possum Kingdom Lake

It's less than 11 hours til our first check in time at the Smokin' Possum Cookoff. This is the second year for the competition, which has been named as a Texas state championship by the I.B.C.A. We're missing two members of our cook team, Bryan Gooding and Gary Barber, who were key members of the award winning run at last year's Blues, Bandits & BBQ Festival in Oak Cliff. This is our first cookoff since then. We're cooking ribs, chicken and brisket against a tough field of seasoned competitors. We'll be live blogging during the day, for better or for…
 - 05/21/2011
ledeoc

Texas BBQ competition season is upon us

As the Texas BBQ Posse, a small group of us from the The Dallas Morning News, and friends, have traveled much of the state in search of the best smoked meats we can find. Then we tell readers what we think of the joints we visit. Anyone can talk a good game, some readers have gently reminded us since we began our Barbecue Chronicles in late 2009. So we decided to see if we could also walk the barbecue walk. Last September, we entered our first competition, the Blues, Bandits & BBQ festival in Oak Cliff. It was an exhausting,…
 - 03/22/2011
mark2

Born to be a great pitmaster? Mark Cooper, 6, of Dallas makes the case.....

Can genetics contribute to the making of a great pitmaster? It worked for Tiger Woods, who began golfing as soon as he started to walk. As we know, the rest is history. Mark's dad is Marshall Cooper, the lead cook of the Texas BBQ Posse, who has over 25 years of smoker experience under his belt. Marshall led the posse to first and second place finishes at last weekend's Blues, Bandits & BBQ cookoff in Oak Cliff. Similar to Tiger, Mark has been observing his dad at the smoker since he could walk. Marshall reports he ate his first baby…
 - 09/16/2010
bluesbbq0001

Amazing photos from the Blues, Bandits & BBQ cookoff

Here's a great set of photos from the Blues, Bandits & BBQ cookoff by Texas BBQ Posse member R.J. Hinkle. R.J. joined us on Sunday to document the madness that invaded the OC last weekend. He's the manager of Quad/Photo—Dallas and one of the premier visual storytellers working the Texas BQQ trail. Enjoy......!
 - 09/16/2010
ledeoc

The Barbecue Chronicles: Blues, Bandits & BBQ festival, the Posse's first cookoff

As the Texas BBQ Posse, a small group of us from the The Dallas Morning News, and friends, have traveled much of the state in search of the best smoked meats we can find. Then we tell readers what we think of the joints we visit. Anyone can talk a good game, some readers have gently reminded us since we began our Barbecue Chronicles in late 2009. So we decided to see if we could also walk the barbecue walk. Last September, we entered our first competition, the Blues, Bandits & BBQ festival in Oak Cliff. It was an exhausting,…
 - 09/14/2010
hat

Texas BBQ Posse! "Converting the vegetarian, one diner at a time!"

One of the Posse's proudest accomplishments this weekend was converting not ONE, but TWO vegetarians at the Blues, Bandits & BBQ cook off in Oak Cliff. After a taste of Bryan Gooding's award-winning chicken, they could not help but join the ranks of carnivores again. The photo below, shot by competition organizer Rob Shearer, shows the decisive moment as our first convert, in the center wearing a dark red jacket, bites into sample of Bryan's chicken at the Posse's Saturday night dinner party on Clinton Avenue. On Sunday, a second meat-free person rejoined the ranks of meat lovers after sampling…
 - 09/13/2010
teamfoto

Victory in the OC: The Posse wins for chicken and brisket

What an incredible two days camped out at the corner of Clinton Ave. & Seventh St. in Oak Cliff! The Blues, Bandits & BBQ cook off was our first competition and the Posse rose to the occasion. Posse cook team member Bryan "Chicken a la KIng" Gooding, below, won first place for his chicken. He had perfected a rub and cooking technique for organic chicken and executed his plan to perfection on Sunday. Our lead cook Marshall Cooper also nailed second place with a 15-pound monster organic brisket, smoking it for a full 24 hours at 220 degrees. After five…
 - 09/13/2010
couple

Blues, Bandits & BBQ cook off: The end is near

Well, the judging is done and the smokers are cooling down at the Blues, Bandits & BBQ cook off. Who will finish in the money? Stay tuned....... Also, a bonus photo of the Sunset High School Bisonettes dancing to Boot Scootin' Boogie, they might have been the highlight of the entire weekend! (Photos Chris Wilkins)
 - 09/12/2010
330am

3:30am at the Blues, Bandits & BBQ cook off, only the strong survive.

Can't believe I'm still standing. It's 3:30am and it's finally cooled down, after a pretty strong little thunderstorm over the OC at the Blues, Bandits & BBQ cook off. Below is a photo I shot at sunset, right before the rain moved in. What an awesome night, looking forward to a glorious Sunday amongst the smoke & BBQ pits. (Photos by Chris WIlkins)
 - 09/12/2010
overalldin

Amazing dinner at the Blues, Bandits & BBQ cook off

An awesome spread of food was laid out by the Posse at our spot outside the Kessler Theater in the OC tonight. We invited the public to join in. Posse member Bryan Gooding dished up his famous smoked chicken tacos and Marshall Cooper laid out smoked spareribs, joined by sides and a cold fruit salad, which really hit the spot after being in the heat, humidity and smoke all day. Bryan's chicken was so excellent that he even converted a vegetarian to come back to meat, shown in the bottom photo! Truly amazing, believe me folks, we can convert them…
 - 09/12/2010
possebannerwood2

The Posse heading to Oak Cliff for the Blues, Bandits and BBQ Competition

Come by and say hi to the Texas BBQ Posse cook team on Saturday and Sunday at the first annual Blues, Bandits and BBQ Sustainable BBQ Competition in Oak Cliff. Sustainable means organic, or grass fed, meaning you don't have near as much fat to help flavor and smoke your brisket or ribs. This should be interesting! Lead cook Marshall Cooper and others on the competition team have had several test cooks trying to perfect our organic meat smoking technique for our first BBQ cook off. Come on by the OC and look for the posse banner flying proudly. This…
 - 09/09/2010
tay2

Fear & Loathing at the Taylor International Barbeque Cookoff

We had an absolutely amazing weekend starting Friday night in Taylor, Texas. The primary purpose of the trip was to attend the Taylor International Barbeque Cookoff on Saturday, but the weekend began on Friday night with a dinner visit at Louie Mueler Barbecue followed by wine, cigars and great music on the back deck at the Talbot Street Bed & Breakfast in Taylor. Saturday morning brought the Texas BBQ bloggers round table at Louie Mueller, arranged by our friend Daniel Vaughn. Then on to the Taylor cookoff for some BBQ 101. Fellow posse member Gary Jacobson and I need all…
 - 08/23/2010

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