Competition BBQ Masterclass Recap - November 2017
Last weekend, we held our inaugural BBQ Competition Masterclass in our Seaford store to raise money for a 500km charity bike ride I'm doing next April.
We had 2 competition teams put on an absolute ripper of a day for 12 BBQ enthusiasts interested in taking their BBQ skills to the next level. Rather than the standard BBQ Masterclasses we've run in the past, this BBQ Masterclass was focused around preparing for a BBQ competition and having both teams actually competition against one another on the day.
After the event, we surveyed the participants and 100% of respondents said they received value for money, the food exceeded expectations, the pit masters were helpful and that they would highly recommend it to others. If you haven't already registered for our Sydney event on 10th December
The day mimicked a real life competition as much as possible with meat being presented in proper hand-in boxes and designated hand-in times and participants of the class judging based on appearance and taste. Boxes were filled with either parsley or kale and teams had to adhere to the strict hand-in times below.
For team Flaming Coals and Moist BBQ, the first task of the day was to pull the brisket out of the smoker that was put in the night before and start preparing burnt ends. Because of the time taken to prepare and cook a brisket, both teams came in the night before to trim and rub their briskets before putting them into the smoker at around 10pm at 260ºF. Brisket hand in was at 12pm with both teams putting up 6 slices and burnt ends. Flaming Coals also handed in pulled brisket.
- Moist BBQ used Lanes Brisket rub
- Flaming Coals BBQ used Flaming Coals Bovine Espresso rub
All participants judged both boxes based on appearance (1 point given for the box which had the best appearance) and then based on taste (2 points given for the box which has the best taste).
Like any BBQ competition, teams had to juggle different meats with close deadlines with pork needing to be handed in by 12:20. Like the brisket, the pork was prepared the night before and smoked throughout the night so it would be ready for hand-in. Both teams handed in pulled pork and slices of the money muscle
- Moist BBQ used Lanes Sweet Heat rub
- Flaming Coals BBQ used BBQ Mafia La Familia rub
Once brisket and pork were handed in, participants enjoyed pulled pork and brisket rolls with coleslaw and pickles.
During lunch, the teams got straight back into preparing pork ribs; trimming, squaring up, removing the membrane and rubbing. The teams explained the differences between different types of ribs and the participants took the opportunity to grab and knife and be guided by experienced pit masters.
Once the ribs were put in the smoker, the teams took a back step and demonstrated how they prepared the briskets and pork shoulders using the exact same method they had used the night before. This allowed the participants to see how to re-create what they had just seen handed in and what they had for lunch.
Next came chicken. To allow the participants to experience the most commonly used cuts of chicken, Flaming Coals BBQ prepared chicken lollipops (legs) and Moist BBQ prepared chicken cupcakes (thighs). Again, participants helped the pitmasters remove fat from under the skin of the thighs and remove the skin from the legs. Many hands make light work!
The last box to be prepared was Chefs Choice where the pitmasters could choose anything they wanted. Flaming Coals chose chicken flappers, while Moist BBQ chose poppers. Personally, I'd never smoked poppers before, I don't think I have the patience for such a tedious task which is kind of strange because I'll comfortably spend an hour trimming up a brisket and tend to the fire for 12 hours.
Throughout the afternoon, teams spritzed, wrapped, sauced and answered every conceivable question from participants eager to learn. Many participants were already existing customers who had previously purchased our Flaming Coals Offset Smoker. Others had been to our entry level BBQ Masterclass while some were brand new faces who left as friends.
As we approached the pointy end of the day, teams had 3 boxes to put up in close succession.
- Moist BBQ used Lanes Sweet Heat rub
- Flaming Coals BBQ used Lanes SPF53
- Moist BBQ didn۪t use a rub on the poppers
- Flaming Coals BBQ used Flaming Coals Gyros Rub and Lanes One Legged Chicken
- Moist BBQ used Lanes Signature rub
- Flaming Coals BBQ used Lanes Sweet heat rub
The day concluded with all you can eat dinner, however to be honest, most people were already jam packed full. We gave people doggy bags so they could take some of the meat home and enjoy with their families.
While the day was certainly tiring and I reckon I spend at least 2 hours washing chopping boards and knives, it was a great day. I am extremely grateful to both the Flaming Coals BBQ and Moist BBQ teams for volunteering their time to help me reach my fundraising goal and of course to the participants which came and spent and awesome day with us.
So who won? While Flaming Coals BBQ won 3 out of the 5 categories, Moist BBQ came out on top overall, taking out the title of Grand Champions in the BBQ Spit Rotisseries Inaugral BBQ Competition.
From the absolute bottom of my heart, I wanted to thank athe boys from Moist BBQ and Flaming Coals BBQ who were extremely generous and came in (unpaid) to run the day. Without their support, the day would not have been possible and we would not have raised almost $2,000 for Hands Across The Water
Lanes BBQ also kindly donated rubs and sauces which were used on the day and given to participants in their take home packs.
We'd also like to thank Char Char Char who fixed us up with top quality brisket and boston butts at a good price. The meat was spectacular!
After the event, we surveyed the participants of the class and 100% of respondents said they received value for money, the food exceeded expectations, the pit masters were helpful and that they would highly recommend it to others.
Want to attend the next one? We'll be doing it all again on 10th December at our Moorebank showroom. Places are capped at 16 people and we are around 50% sold. In addition to a great day eating competition quality BBQ, you'll also receive a take home BBQ pack with all the pit master essentials valued at over $100
Hope to see you there.
