The BBQ Hall of Fame and Guy Fierri.

Posted on October 11, 2012 by Ernie Rupp

Guy Fierri and Johnny Trigg at the BBQ Hall of Fame Ceremony.

On Saturday night, in Kansas City, MO, Guy Fierri along with Johnny Trigg and Henry Ford were inducted into the BBQ Hall of Fame. Henry Ford was inducted for his work in the creation of the charcoal briquette. Johnny Trigg was inducted for the many years he has competed on the BBQ circuit and all the championships he has won. Guy Fierri was inducted for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, Mr. Fierri is active in the world of BBQ. His team, Motley Que Crew, won the American Royal Open BBQ contest last year and he has been competing since before he was famous on Food Network. Second reason is that he has star power and the KCBS hoped it would add a little prestige to the first Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Mr Fierri’s history with the sport of competitive BBQ is not as long as Mr Trigg’s or some of the other inductees but I do believe that he has a passion for the sport of BBQ and enjoys the environment very much.

Mike Mills, Carolyn Wells and John Willingham at the BBQ Hall of Fame induction ceremony

Saturday’s induction ceremony was outside at the American Royal stage and it was pretty cold that night. Most of the inductees were at a black apron dinner that had ended right before the induction ceremony was about to begin. The inductees came out 1 by 1 onto the stage and were placed in there assigned spots. Most came out to little or no applause as I think most of the people there were not aware of the BBQ history that was sitting in front of them. When Guy Fierri came out to take his spot the crowd erupted with applause and the flash bulbs started popping as fans were anxious to get a picture of Mr Fierri. Mr. Fierry was very gracious with the fans taking time to talk to a few that spoke to him from the crowd and made a few special poses for the crowds pictures. Once the ceremony started, the host, Roger Twibell, said a little bit about every inductee saving Guy Fierri for last. After this, Guy Fierri was the only inductee to stand up and make a statement. This is what I give Mr Fierri most credit for. His speech was not about himself and how great he is. His speech wanted to recognize Henry Ford and most of all Johnny Trigg. It was a very nice gesture from a celebrity that could have taken the spotlight all to himself.

On Sunday, after the turn ins were done for the American Royal Open contest, Mr Fierry left his cook site and made his way to Johnny Trigg’s cook site about half way across the parking lot. There were no film crews, no newspaper writers just a few fans of Mr. Fierri that wanted to catch a glimpse of him this weekend. In a very touching moment, the two men, Guy Fierry and Johnny Trigg, spoke for a few minutes and gave each other a team shirt which each put on at that moment. Guy was wearing a Smokin’ Trigger’s polo and Johnny was in a Motley Que T-shirt. Guy also gave Mr. Trigg a photo that his photographer took Saturday night at the Hall of Fame ceremony framed and everything. As Mr. Fierri left Johnny Trigg’s cook site he took time to sign autographs for people as he made his way back to his own cook site.

Johnny Trigg and Guy Fierri after turn ins Sunday at The American Royal BBQ contest.

I would like to commend Guy Fierri for all that he did this weekend in Kansas City. Congratulations on your induction into the BBQ Hall of Fame and a huge thank you from all of Kansas City. Mr. Fierri you could have big timed this event and flew in the day of and out the night after but you did not. You spent 3 days in KC with your team, Motley Que Crew, made yourself available for your fans and paid homage to BBQ legends at the Hall of Fame Ceremony. I also might add that you stopped by the BBQ Pitmasters set Sunday to talk and to wish your friend ( I will not give away the name) good luck competing that day. You sir are a class act all the way around.

I would be remiss in my duties if I did not list all of the inductees in the BBQ Hall of Fame so here they are. Rich Davis creator of KC Masterpiece BBQ sauce, Fred Gould, Speed Herrig, Mike Mills of 17th St BBQ, Carolyn Wells creator KCBS, Gary Wells creator KCBS and John Willingham BBQ Legend, Henry Ford, Guy Fierri and Johnny Trigg congratulations on your inductions. It will be great to have you all in Kansas City forever.

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My thoughts about The American Royal.

Posted on October 9, 2012 by Ernie Rupp

The greatest weekend of BBQ in Kansas City is now done for another year. Congratulations to Shiggin and Grinning for winning the American Royal Open contest on Sunday and to Big Poppa Smokers for winning the American Royal Invitational on Saturday. They had lots of great competition but came out on top. They also went up against some classic Missouri weather. Lows at night were in the low 30′s and highs during the day were only in the 40′s until Sunday when the sun finally came out in time to warm everyone up for turn ins and the taping of BBQ Pitmasters.

For those of you that have never made it to KC for the American Royal here is how the schedule works. Teams arrive early in the week, usually before Friday. They get there spot set up and see the town. Friday is party night at The Royal. Some teams are hired by companies to cater large parties with music and drinks. There is even an award for best party. This is the day with the largest attendance numbers. The parties end around 11 or so and the invited teams (all previous grand champions this year) get ready to begin cooking for Saturdays Invitational contest. After turn ins on Saturday, the teams must again begin to get ready to cook for Sunday’s Open contest. Most teams invitational teams do compete in the open although some with longer trips home chose to leave before the open contest. All in all this makes The American Royal (in my opinion) the toughest BBQ contest in the world.

This year was a little different . Usually, Saturday night’s entertainment is some local band playing country music to a much smaller crowd that Friday night. This year in addition to the band, KCBS had the first ever BBQ Hall of Fame inductions. The Hall of Fame has been around for a few years now but KCBS purchased the rights to the Hall of Fame and hope to make it a grand occasion every year at The American Royal. The KCBS invited the previous seven inductees which included the likes of MIke Mills, Dr. Rich Davis, Carolyn Wells and John Willingham along with the 3 new inductees Henry Ford (representative), Johnny Trigg and celebrity chef Guy Fierri. It was a nice ceremony that honored all that attended.

For the first time ever, The American Royal had a Sunday event. The Destination America show BBQ Pitmasters was taping an episode in Kansas City. John Markus, Myron Mixon, Tuffy Stone and Aaron Franklin were all on hand for the season 4 taping. I got to speak with all of 4 of them personally and talk about this season and BBQ in General.

For the BBQ fan this had to be the ultimate weekend event. So many big names were in Kansas City, Mo that you would have trouble listing them all off the top of your head. Let me tell you some if my impressions of the event. First off, the contests, I have no idea how much organization it takes to put this on but the American Royal staff did a heck of a job. I heard no complaints from any cooker I spoke with about how the event was run. I have never had this kind of access to the Royal and was really impressed with the organization of it all. Awards were late (they always are at any contest) and the Hall of Fame Ceremony was a little late due to set up issues with the stage. Really neither was a big deal at all. Second, the Hall of Fame Ceremony was well thought out. The KCBS gave credit to all the previous inductees who were not privileged enough to have a ceremony when they were inducted into the Hall of Fame. Nice touch KCBS! Attendance at the ceremony was very sparse. Saturday night never has the attendance that Friday does, but some huge BBQ names were up on stage being honored. I did not see that many BBQ teams up by the stage area watching as ,The Godfather, Johnny Trigg was inducted. At 7pm that night at least some of the cookers should have shown up for the people that have paved the way for them to do what they do. The KCBS could have promoted it better than they did as well but there were over 500 teams at the Royal and I do not think there were 500 people at the ceremony. Hopefully Kansas City can do a little better next year. Sunday was BBQ Pitmasters Day with free admission to all. Once again not really advertised very well. The Pitmasters started at 7:30am and announced the winners at 6pm. Do not ask me for spoilers I purposely did not stay until the end so I would not have to keep a secret. I would have thought a lot a backyard cookers would have come down to watch that event and the crowd was small. I enjoyed talking to all the judges and creator John Markus. They were more than nice and obliging for my son Tanner and I. Overall a great weekend.

My final thoughts about The American Royal are this. This is the best contest in the US because of the setup and level of competition. I am a little biased, being from KC, and I have not been to Memphis in May or The Jack yet. Second, when KCBS and The American Royal have special events on Saturday and Sunday for the public they should do a better job of letting the public know of them. I wish more people could have been there for the Hall of Fame ceremony. The amount of BBQ knowledge on that stage that night was astounding. Third and last, if Destination America want to really push the BBQ Pitmasters show then they should promote the tapings on the network. Let people know why you are showing the previous episodes that a taping is coming up and where people can go to see it.

I will have more articles later in the weeks to come about some great experiences I had this weekend. Let me congratulate both Grand Champions crowned this weekend and thank everyone who I got to speak with this weekend.

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Introducing Sean Bardwell of Tatoos N Que

Posted on August 30, 2012 by Ernie Rupp

If you don’t “like” him on Facebook or follow @SBQue on Twitter you may not recognize this pitmaster. His name is Sean Bardwell and has a competition BBQ team called Tatoos N Que. I have been following Sean for most of this year and have been really impressed by some of Sean’s creations. He shows them regularly on Facebook and they all look very tasty. I had the pleasure of talking to Sean about his recent activities while he was doing a practice cook for an upcoming contest last week. Sean has big plans for the future and a game plan to get there.

Sean was raised on BBQ. His best childhood memories were being with his father cooking on an old Weber kettle grill. BBQ was a treat. Sean spent summers in Arkansas with grandparents who also fed his BBQ cravings. To this day, BBQ reminds him of his childhood. Currently, Sean is kitchen manager of a chain restaurant called Smokey Bones in York, Pennsylvania and has held this position for 4 years. He started as a line cook and has worked his way up the ladder. Sean wants to own his own BBQ restaurant one day and is working very hard to achieve that goal. His goal for the next year is to get a food truck to be used for a catering business and to take on the competition circuit.

Sean has many BBQ idols. He attended the NBBQA Convention in South Carolina last year and got to meet the likes of Ray Lampe, Chris Lilly and the person Sean states he owes the most to, Danielle Dimovski of DivaQ BBQ. He stays in touch with Danielle via twitter and says she gives him a lot of advice. He also credits ,Prince of Q, Jay Prince and Stephen Hartsock of Sock’s Love Rub with inspiring him as well. At the MBBQA Convention, everyone told Sean that if he wants to open a restaurant he needs to first compete and get your name out there. This inspired Sean and his Tattoos N Que BBQ team to enter the New Holland Summerfest BBQ contest last weekend. Tattoos n Que competed against 72 other BBQ teams. Tattoos N Que did not win any awards at New Holland but they did not finish last in any category they entered and met Myron Mixon and Tuffy Stone. Sean considers this a success.

Sean also has a variety of rubs for sale on his website, sbque.com His rubs come in Original flavor which is an all purpose rub, Savory which is used a lot on poultry, Sweet for ribs and pork and is developing one called Tattoos N Que which is a competition style rub. All the ingredients used in Sean’s rubs are also smoked before they are combined. This gives Sean’s food layers of smoke flavor. I found this to be very interesting and I cant wait for the sample Sean is going to send me. Sean also makes his competition sauce from scratch using all smoked ingredients. He joked that he can never do anything simple.

If all of this was not enough, Sean has published his very own e-cookbook. It contains 17 original recipes all created by Sean Bardwell. It is a free cookbook so feel free to download it here http://store.blurb.com/ebooks/296973-sbque-recipes . When you get done with the cookbook you will ask yourself, ” Is there any food Sean won’t smoke?”

Sean has a passion for BBQ. He shows this in all that he does. From rub creator, cookbook author, competition cook and his daily job they are all examples of how dedicated Sean is to perfecting his craft. Sean is a very goal driven individual and I have no doubt that he will leave his mark on the BBQ world. Check out his website, order some rub and get that cookbook. You will be glad you did.

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Houston We Have Ribs

Posted on August 9, 2012 by Shane Draper

Picture provided by Chile Pepper Magazine
Photographer – Rick McMillen

Many of you have been asking when you can find the issue of Chile Pepper magazine featuring us. I got confirmation today that is hitting newsstands as we speak. So check it out and let us know what you think.

Up until this point we have been a bit tight lipped about the details of the article and the ensuing rib competition. We can now talk about it a bit more and share some of our experiences. The article is of course about our competition team, experiences and what we bring to the table as a competitor in the Quest for the Perfect Ribs. It also features our rib recipe, my favorite broccoli salad recipe and Mike’s sweet potato pie with pig candy recipe. All in all, the editor of Chile Pepper magazine, Rick McMillen did an awesome job capturing who we are and what we are about as a competition team. His photography skills are amazing and he was exceptionally easy to work with. We are pleased to now count Rick as a personal friend and barbecue fanatic.

I want to also remember to thank Hoyt Liggins for the use of his amazing house down in Millington,TN for the photoshoot. The location was nothing short of perfect and for those of you that know Hoyt you know his hospitality is second to none. Hoyt remains one of the best people I have come across and we are blessed to call him a friend.

We begin the next leg of our journey to compete in the Quest for the Perfect Ribs on September 13^th, driving to Houston,Texas. The activity starts the next day where we attend a Meet n’ Greet hosted by McAby Media owners of Chile Pepper magazine. This will be the first time we get to meet the rest of the CPM team as well as our competitors.

Our competitors for this challenge include: Bill & Barbara Milroy (Texas Rib Rangers, Denton,Tx), Dann & Dianne Boland (2 Skinny Cooks, St. Charles, Il), Pete & Melissa Cookston (Yazoo’s Delta Q, Memphis, Tn), Harvey Gebhard (Lone Star BBQ Society, Burnet, Tx) and Vince Carrocci & Alexa Fairbairn (Rhythm ‘n Que, Phoenix, Az).

As you can see for yourself, a laundry list of world class talent makes up the field and we are just proud to be included in an event that includes these amazing pitmasters.

On Saturday, September 15^th the gloves come off and the competition takes place center stage at the Houston Hot Sauce Festival. There are 3 turn-ins that take place. The first is the main blind box turn-in to the judges. An hour later we complete a second turn-in for people’s choice. Finally, three hours after the people’s choice we serve ribs to the attendee’s for dinner. The official awards ceremony takes place at 7:00pm and the Grand Champion is crowned.

The awards for this challenge are as follows:

Grand Champion - $2,000, 4 page feature story in Chile Pepper magazine, interview with editor in chief recorded and aired for 30 days on chilepepper.com, 2 ¼ page ads and 1 free booth space at the Chile Pepper Extravaganza to be held in New Orleans, La Sept 2013.

1^st Place - $500, feature story in Chile Pepper magazine, interview with editor in chief recorded and aired for 15 days on chilepepper.com.

2^nd Place - $250, feature story in Chile Pepper magazine.

This will mark the first live competition for Draper’s BBQ using Green Mountain Grills. Green Mountain Grills has been a great partner and sponsor. They are instrumental in Draper’s BBQ being able to attend this awesome event.

The test cooks we have done on the GMG’s for this event have been excellent and we expect nothing but a great cook on these cookers. The GMG’s are easy to control the temp on, easy to maneuver, take up very little space and produce excellent barbecue. These are essential when you are competing at a high level.

All in all this is shaping up to be one amazing opportunity and we plan to chronicle and document every part of our trip and our experiences. So be on the look out for updates as we get ready to begin the Quest for the Perfect Rib.

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Draper’s BBQ and GMG

Posted on August 8, 2012 by Shane Draper

Some of you may have heard the rumors, so here is the confirmation. Draper’s BBQ is now officially sponsored by Green Mountain Grills. This cooperative agreement is a culmination of several projects where we got to work side-by-side with members of the GMG team. It became obvious to both us and the GMG leadership that working together on a more formal basis would greatly benefit both companies.

Draper’s up to this point has never accepted an endorsement deal or sponsorship of any kind for our competition team. We have and will continue to help all companies whose products we believe in and use but our competition focus, for the remainder of 2012 and beyond, will now reside primarily with GMG and the pellet grill market place.

As a part of this partnership we are now also a full GMG dealer and will become an active part of driving GMG to the forefront of the pellet grilling market. We will do everything we can as a company to support our partners in this endeavor and look forward to becoming West Kentucky’s premier full service pellet grill dealership. We are fully committed to GMG’s policy of service excellence before, during and after the sale and we will be bringing you a line of barbecue products and classes designed to help all barbecue enthusiast get the most out of their culinary adventures.

If you have any questions about Green Mountain Grills please contact Shane or Mike via email and they would both love to help you in making the right choice for your barbecue and grilling adventures.

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Ultimate Rib Challenge – Accepted!

Posted on July 2, 2012 by Mike

Draper’s BBQ is proud to announce our acceptance of the invitation to the Chile Pepper Magazine Rib Challenge: Quest for the Perfect Rib competition. Draper’s BBQ will be featured in an upcoming issue of Chile Pepper magazine in advance of the actual competition.

The event, sponsored by Chile Pepper magazine, takes place in Houston, Texas in mid-September. Draper’s will compete against barbecue luminaries such as Melissa Cookston of Yazoo’s Delta Q, Bill Milroy of Texas Rib Rangers, and Rhythm ‘N Que of Phoenix, Arizona.

To be selected to compete against five teams of this caliber is truly an honor.

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McKenzie’s Nights on Broadway BBQ Competition recap

Posted on July 2, 2012 by Mike

On Saturday, June 16th, The McKenzie’s Nights on Broadway BBQ Competition was held on the square in downtown McKenzie, Tennessee. The square was surrounded on three sides the teams with plenty of room for everyone. Water was easily accessible from several points around the square and each spot had power.

The organizers really made a good effort to make sure the teams had what they needed and felt welcome. This wasn’t the first year for this comp but it was a year of change, with some mixed results.

While most competitions have turn-ins in early afternoon, McKenzie opted to mix things up a little bit and push the turn in times back to the 5:00 to 6:30 range. This was to get the barbecuers to hang out a little longer and sell some grub to the general public. The story goes that in years past, only a crew or two stayed around to vend and this left some folks going hungry.

I can certainly understand the organizers wanting to make sure the public gets to enjoy the phenomenal food that was produced but it had the unintended side effect of keeping the competitors working over a hot pit during the hottest part of the day. The National Weather Service may say it was only 92 degrees but the DBQ thermometer under the canopy was pegging triple digits.

Time for the first turn-in and another snag in the plan revealed itself – the people looking for barbecue were filtering in and looking for food while teams were shuttling boxes to the judges.

To my knowledge, no one was seriously hampered by this oversight but every competition cook knows that little anxious feeling during the walk – what if the box gets dropped, what if things get jostled? Dodging people looking for a rack of ribs while trying to turn in does little to relieve that stress.

After the turn-ins were done and the crowds fed, people started packing up. Results were supposed to be at 8 but, due to more than a few ties and other issues, results were posted two days later. By way of an apology, the organizers offered free entry to this year’s competitors for the 2013 contest.

Congratulations to Splitwood Cookers on the GC. Draper’s took 5th overall with 4th place in Ribs, 5th place in Pork and 10th place in Chicken.

We had a great time and look forward to seeing folks back there next year!

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DBQ Atomic Bacon Explosion (ABT meets BE)

Posted on June 24, 2012 by Shane Draper

Last week I had to come up with a recipe for a “cooks choice” entry at a small unsanctioned barbecue competition. Truth be told I relish doing these smaller unsanctioned events since many of the larger, sanctioned events have lost their luster for me personally. I don’t know if it is the expense of the larger entry fees or the pressure to do well, but the larger events have just lost favor with me. I have come to love these smaller events because we can go out as a team, have a good time, experiment and typically we do pretty well. These events are refreshing and much needed.

After slogging through a few cook books and bouncing around the internet I had a few ideas in mind. It had been awhile since I had cooked a Bacon Explosion and I was craving one, so I figured that was a good place to start. I also hadn’t had a A.B.T. in well over a year. So that was the spark. I started trying to figure out how I could make this work. I knew there wouldn’t be any time to practice the dish before the competition so all the trial and error would have to be done in my head. This violates rule 1 of competition – don’t try new stuff at competitions. Of course that rule violates my number 1 rule….have fun no matter what. Give you one guess as to which one I went with.

So of course I cooked it and turned it in. Unfortunately I don’t think the judges knew what to make of it since we finished in the middle of the pack for that category. The people at the competition who were walking by loved it and raved about it, that was enough for me. So I figured why not post this for the world to see and make use of.

In the interest of full disclosure I am not trying to take credit for this mishmash of recipes, nor am I claiming I thought of it first. It was truly an original idea, in that I had no previous knowledge of existence of a bacon explosion with an A.B.T. in it. Given that the internet is filled with billions of talented chefs then I have to imagine somehow, somewhere, someone has done something similar before now. So before I get any hate mail about “hey you stole my idea,” congrats on thinking of it before me and shame on you for not calling and telling me about it!

Without further delay here it is. One part Bacon Explosion, one part A.B.T and two parts awesome that I like to call the DBQ ABE (Atomic Bacon Explosion).

Ingredients:
2 Packages of thick cut bacon
1 package of your favorite brats
1/4C Fromaggio blend cheese (Asiago, Parmesean, Romano)
3-6 Jalapenos (size dependent)
1 package cream cheese
1 bottle Draper’s Smokin’ Sauce
1 bottle Draper’s A.P. Rub

Step 1
Wash, cap and core your jalapenos. Using a tool such as the “Pepper Whipper” really speeds up this process. If you’ve never seen a Pepper Whipper it is the clear plastic tool on the cutting board. They are very inexpensive, simple and easy to use and if you do very many A.B.T.s then you need one.
Step 2
Place cream cheese in a bowl, either put in the microwave for a couple of seconds to soften or allow to sit out for 20-30min on your counter to aid in easier mixing. Add 1/4c of the mixed cheese, 1 ½ TBS of AP Rub and 3 TBS of Smokin Sauce to cream cheese and mix well. The mixing can of course take place in a stand mixer on the low setting. A note on the mixed cheese, you can use any cheese you wish, I have been a fan of the sharper, dry cheeses in my A.B.T.s so that is what I went with here. The Parmesan, Romano and Asiago blend works well.
Step 3
Place cheese mixture into a plastic ziptop bag. Remove one corner of bag and pipe cheese mixture into jalapenos. Make sure you get the cheese all the way to the bottom of each jalapeno.
Step 4
Lay bacon out on cutting board, making a bacon weave. Coat completed weave with AP Rub.
Step 4
Remove casings from brats, mix meat together and then spread into one even layer on the bacon weave. Dust sausage with AP Rub and then drizzle with Smokin’ Sauce.
Step 5
Cut the tip off of one jalapeno. Place it in the middle of weave / sausage canvas and then place a jalapeno on either side of it. This will create one long jalapeno.
Step 6
Roll weave and sausage around the jalapenos forming a roll. Dust with more AP Rub.
Step 7
Smoke on a 250 degree pit until internal temp reaches at least 145 degrees or until you achieve the firmness and color you are looking for. I like a more direct heat or cooking on the side of the pit with the most heat to ensure the bacon gets fully cooked. Brush with Smokin’ Sauce the last 15min of cook time and add a second coat just as you are removing from the pit.
Step 8
Let cool for at least 25min before slicing to allow the cream cheese to solidify again and enjoy.

Notes – There are a million and one changes that can easily be made to this recipe. That is the core of the genius of the basic Bacon Explosion that Jason Day came up with. If you don’t own the book he wrote with Aaron Chronister (BBQ Makes Everything Better) go check it out, its a great book full of ideas.

Additions I would consider to this recipe? Maybe adding chopped onion to the sausage layer or maybe even some bleu cheese. Adding a small piece of pineapple or other fruit inside the jalapeno before you pipe the cream cheese in. Using two jalapenos stacked on one another to form a “figure 8″ design in the middle of the roll. Or maybe even figuring how how to do 4 peppers stacked together to form something akin to a four leaf clover. Literally the options are endless, use your imagine, don’t be afraid to explore and for goodness sake have FUN with it.

-Until next time folks….Love Peace and Pork Grease!

Shane

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Competition Notes – 1st Annual Jim Guinn Charity BBQ Cookoff

Posted on June 15, 2012 by Mike

It’s not every day you get the opportunity to see something new come together and be, however small, a part of it. Draper’s BBQ cooking team had the privilege to be part of the 1st Annual Jim Guinn/CDS BBQ Cook off at Cherokee Hills Ranch & Trading Post in Buchanan, Tennessee.

The contest is an extension of the annual motorcycle poker run. Both benefit Community Development Services, a local nonprofit that provides service and support to adults with developmental disabilities in Northwest Tennessee.

This unsanctioned competition had three categories: ribs, chicken and pulled pork. All the turn in times were on Sunday afternoon, starting at one with chicken and ending at three with pork.

All in all, it promised to be a very relaxing weekend.

We rolled out on Saturday afternoon, and, with full disclosure, had to call to get better directions. We didn’t realize that Cherokee Hills is such a large ranch, it actually straddles two states and thus has addresses in both Kentucky and Tennessee.

The cook was an intimate affair, only eight teams and the atmosphere was very laid back. We brought enough food that we felt we could be a little creative with the preparation. Two butts, 6 racks of St. Louis style and 12 pounds of chicken thighs were prepped and cooked on the Tucker.

We had really solid product come off the pit and some of our ideas really came to fruition. Team DBQ tweaked flavor profiles, methods and injections, spritzes, pretty much everything but temperature.

Admittedly, we had weather try to come in. No rain but the wind was just enough to keep the draw from the firebox from being consistent. Still, the Tucker is a good pit and with a bit of compensation, we had a really good cook and felt good about each category.

We took 4th in Ribs, 4th in Chicken and 2nd in Pork for a third place overall. Congratulations to Chris Chadwick’s Hawg County Cookers for being named Grand Champion. So, all in all it was a good cook: respectable results and we helped a fine charitable organizations like CDS as well.

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Father’s Day Gifts – 2012

Posted on June 9, 2012 by Shane Draper

Ok everyone one and their play cousin has published a Father’s Day Gift Guide already. In typical Draper’s fashion we are one of the last to post our recommendations. It’s ok to save the best and most comprehensive for last though. You would expect a barbecue company to give a Father’s Day Gift Guide chocked full of grilling related items, accessories and sauces. You will find some of those here, but being the renaissance men that we are, we wanted to provide you a list of items that addresses all the parts of good ole dad. Dad isn’t a one dimensional guy and while he may love barbecue and grilling the most we are betting he also has a humorous side and an intellectual side as well. So our gift guide was designed to address every side of your special guy’s persona and give you ideas in which we know he would love.

Idea 1 – T-Shirts

Before you think we’ve lost our marbles and have gone all cheap on dear ole dad hear us out. If your dad is stuck in khakis or slacks and a button down all day, at that 9 to 5 grind he calls a job to put you through school, then I can promise you one of his favorite things to do is put on a pair shorts, a t-shirt and some comfy shoes and chill out. To add to that putting on a funny t-shirt only makes it better. So check out some of our favorites from Tanga.com all of which are under $10!

Idea 2 – Bacon

Dad understands that bacon is not a food it’s a lifestyle and we believe it’s one that should be celebrated in every way possible. We firmly believe nothing says “I love you” quite like bacon. So here are just some accessories that will be sure to please the giver-o-the-allowance. If you want even more, even crazier gifts just Google “Bacon Gifts.”

Bacon Wallet – Because its cool! – $9

Bacon Hot Sauce – What’s better than bacon? HOT BACON! – $7

Bacon Bandages – Because sometimes dad’s Ninja impersonation ends badly. – $5

Bacon Wrapping Paper – Why? Because EVERYTHING should be wrapped in bacon. – $6

Baconnaise – Want the ultimate BLT? Then you need this! – $15

Idea 3 – Tech

Every dad is a tech dude to a certain extent, yes we know he still can’t program the correct time on the 15yr old VCR but we promise he will like these tech gifts.

Logitech Harmony 650 – Because he deserves the remote control at all times! – $60

Klipsch IMAGE S4 Ear buds – Because yes your mother does talk too much…. sometimes. shhh Dont tell! – $65

Roku LT – A Roku of his very own! He will love recording his favorite bbq shows on this! – $50

Idea 4 – Grilling

We know your dad is already the Greatest of the Grill Grates but just in case he isn’t or perhaps he just doesn’t have these items then you know what to do. HOOK HIM UP! These are the our personal favorite things from around the grill and we know your dad will love them as well.

Thermapen – Super fast and now even cooler! – $96

Firewire Flexible Skewers – These are awesome for those bbq grills that are tight on space! – $10

Victorinox Knife Set – If dad travels to bbq competitions this is a fantastic set of knives to have! – $130

Grill Grates – There arent many universal bbq tools that make everyone a better cook but this is one of them! – $55

MeatRakes – Help dad stop fingering his food and RAKE some MEAT. – $20

Draper’s BBQ Moo’d Enhancer with Shaker – No list would be complete without some Draper’s products. This package contains our super successful beef rub and the best shaker dad will ever have! – $20

Yoder YS-640 Smoker – This smoker got the most votes on our panel for its combination of cooking size, features, build quality and pricing. – Starting at $1300

Idea 5 – Books

Before you start saying “books??? LAME!” Just wait and hear us out. These aren’t regular books, they are reference/recipe books and are of course barbecue related. These books represent a mix of our personal favorites along with the best that has been released this year. I can promise dad will thumb through these books over and over again getting ideas and inspiration for his barbecue. What we love about books is that they work just as well in great weather as they do in bad. They are a year round gift that keeps us inspired and thinking about what we really love, barbecue. :) Oh don’t cry we still love you too.

Alright kids that pretty well covers it. If you can’t find something on this list for the older dude in your house you call dad, well you just aren’t looking very hard. We did our best to cover a wide price range and provide you with gifts that any dad would love to have. In the end though we dads would prefer spending the day just hanging out, manning the grill cooking up something for those that love us and call us dad. Of course doing that on a new pellet smoker, drinking a nice cold and frosty beverage, using new barbecue tools, to cooking up a new recipe from a book you got us wouldn’t be all that bad either.

Peace, Love and Pork Grease to all the men out there who go the extra mile to be involved in their families lives and earn the title Dad.

- Draper’s BBQ Staff

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Draper's BBQ – Fine sauces and rub for three generations

Purveyors of fine BBQ sauce and rub and devotees to all things barbecu

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