What a long strange trip it's been...

What a long strange trip it’s been…and we’re just getting started!  This road started in late August, the last weekend to qualify for the Jack Daniels Invitational World BBQ Champions, or “The Jack” for short.  We traveled to Tijuana, Mexico to attend an event that, at the time, wasn’t even a qualifier. At the end of the event, they had the 15 teams needed to make it a qualifier and we were crowned Grand Champions!  Actually, we were crowned the first ever International Grand Champions, and this was the first win of our BBQ “career”.  With that win, we were placed into the draw for The Jack in our home state, Arizona, with three other teams, Iowa’s Smokey D’s, 4 Legs Up and Smoked to the Bone, also out of Arizona. 

Fast forward one week and we arrived in Mequite, NV for the Smokin’ in Mesquite contest.  Still reeling from out first ever GC, we received that news that our bung (the little rubber stopper from the whiskey barrel) was pulled from the barrel in the The Jack draw!  Holy cow, we’re going to The Jack?  Holy cow, we’re going to THE JACK!!  For some, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity so we were thrilled.  Of course, we were at a competition so we had to focus on the task at hand and prepare for the impending turn ins!  During awards we were happy to see our friend (and the other Arizona team in the draw for The Jack), Jennifer Duncan of Smoked to the Bone, crowned Grand Champion! 

Oh yes, fast forward yet another week, and we are in Grand Junction, Colorado for the Pork & Hops BBQ Challenge!   The weather was beautiful and the grass was lush and green and the trees provided long missed shade.  We were not happy with our meat that day, but I guess the judges were because we ended up with the title of Reserve Grand Champion!  We also won the Kingsford Charcoal Points for that event.  Our friends Kelly and Roni Wertz of 4 Legs Up were crowned Grand Champion. 

We had a 3 week BBQ competition hiatus and didn’t really know what to do with ourselves but, thankfully, time has flown by!  Now, off we go to Lancaster, California for the beginning of the chaos called October!