food MikeUSMC: "Bury Me in Smoke"

Well, the competition was yesterday, and I had a BLAST! So much fun, and met so many awesome people 🍻 I’m pretty happy with how I did, knew exactly what went wrong (and did it anyway, lol), and learned a lot.

Ended up getting 🥇1st place in chicken thighs ($250), and 🥈2nd place in ribs ($150)! I wasn’t thrilled with how my ribs came out but they still did well 👍🏻 The guy who came in first was an actual chef, lol. Cool freakin’ guy too! The reigning champs defended their title, deservedly so! :clap: Another great couple of guys. Their Wild Card entry was a smoked cheesecake covered with candied bacon, and it was absolutely phenomenal! After we all turned our boxes in, we all shared the leftovers with each other :cheers:

My Wild Card entry came out like garbage, hahaha. Didn’t even place, and it shouldn’t have, lol. I made the pork belly pineapple skewers, but for whatever reason, the bacon tasted like a salt lick, lol (low sodium bacon too! :shocked: ) I knew that and, like an idiot, I put the bacon on anyway. I have no idea what I was thinking, hahaha. Must’ve been my nerves getting the best of me. Talking to the judges after the awards ceremony, 2 of them told me that if I’d just omitted the bacon, I would’ve won 1st place in the Wild Card (another $250), AND won the Grand Championship ($500). What the HELL was I thinking?! That salty ass bacon ended up costing me $750 and the title 🤣 Either way, I had a ton of fun and met some really great people 🍺

Some random pics:
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My turn in boxes:

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I can’t even describe how much fun I had yesterday. I’m still smiling 😁

This pic pretty much says it all :metal:
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Thanks for looking, everybody! And thanks for all of your continued encouragement, advice, and support! I love all of you clowns 🤡😉

Cheers! 🍻
 
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Man those chicken and ribs looked Amazing not surprised you did so well Mike and we'll done buddy and on winning you can see you enjoy it and the passion runs deep.👍🙂
 
DownRiver said:
Congrats @MikeUSMC ! Looks like ya done good.

When is the next one? :cool:
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Thanks, everybody🍻

Next one was supposed to be in 2 weeks; October 15-16. The “Hartford Riboff.” SCA on Friday night, and KCBS on Saturday. They just officially canceled it because of rising COVID cases around here.

I wasn’t planning on competing anyway. Too much going on with the kids’ sports and stuff. Plus, I have the big cook I always do for Halloween coming up and, the week after that, I have to cater a party for a guy at work 😎 I did want to go, just to hang out though, and have someone else cook some BBQ for me for once 🤣
 
ST. LOUIS TRIMMED PORK SPARE RIBS

Seasoned with a base layer of Kosmo’s Q “Dirty Bird Hot” and a final layer of Kosmo’s Q “Honey Killer Bee” BBQ rubs. Glazed with Kosmo’s Q “Apple Cherry Habanero Rib Glaze.” Cooked on my Weber Smoky Mountain with cherry chunks. Look at those smiling “teeth” 😎

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Thanks for looking, everybody 🍻

(@The Hot Pepper would you mind moving this thread out of “Wares” and into one of the food/cooking subforums? Thanks, Pook! :cheers: )
 
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@MikeUSMC I'm in the same boat Mike. I have TWO 55's sitting in the garage. Even had them sandblasted and then I primed them. Also bought a drum kit from BPS. That's up on the shelf. Been at least five years now lol. Maybe you'll inspire me. :thumbsup:
 
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Downriver said:
Maybe you'll inspire me. :thumbsup:
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Hopefully I will, bud! 🍻
I got the barrel for free from the shop at work (glass company), and there’s literally an unlimited supply of them. They’re absolutely flawless. Zero scratches or dents, and the insides are IMMACULATE. They were used to hold caulk but the caulk was inside of a plastic drum liner (clear 55 gallon bag), so the insides are as clean as a whistle. Once the shop transfers the caulk out into smaller containers (1 or 5 gallon), they just throw the drums in the dumpster 😳 I got the rest of the hardware delivered the other day, minus the grill grate supports. I’m still not sure how I want to hold those up. If all goes well, I’m planning on drilling all of the holes for the pipes, handles, exhaust, etc. during the week, and (hopefully) burning it out this coming weekend.

If this all goes well, I might swing back to the shop and grab a truckload of them and start slinging them on Craigslist or FB marketplace, haha! I just don’t want the boss gettin’ wise and wanting a cut though 😉

PtMD989 said:
UDS, eh🤔
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Yes, sir! 👍🏻 I can’t decide on a paint color though. I’m going with the traditional black (high temp engine paint; hopefully I can find something with a glossy finish) for the barrel itself, but I want to use a different color for the pipes, handles, hinge, etc. (I’m thinking caliper paint)

I’d really like it to “pop”, ya know? I’m leaning toward a bright green (neon-ish, but not “safety vest” lime, lol) or maybe a bright purple. I’d really like to do an American flag theme, and make the intake pipe on the left blue with white stars, and the one on the right red and white stripes, but I don’t think I feel like getting into all of that, lol
 
hard to fairly judge from a picture but you might need to crack your inlets open a bit further judging by the white stuff spewing from your purple beast. 😉 unless of course you have been elected the Pope of BBQ. 🙂
 
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