Smokin' up the center, Year two!

Sodus Fire Department - Rib fest & Ameture BBQ challenge

September 17th, 2022

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Here we are again! Our second competition under our belt, We were able to participate in the Sodus center volunteer fire departments BBQ cook off again for our second year in a row. This years competition included brisket, ribs, burger and a new category chili!

Ill start off with the burgers, This year we did two burgers again, Believe it or not they had to put a limit on the amount of burgers this year due to not having enough judges to try them all! So for this year we decided to go a new to us route for burgers, smash burgers!

Also to add another variable to our plan, We brought our new Pit Boss flat top griddle, We only had it for a couple weeks before the competition but we knew it could give us an edge. For the first burger we did one very simple with a blend I have been playing with called "Beef blend" it's salt and pepper based with a few other ingredients. We formed it into a 60z ball and smashed it down on the hot flat top. After it got a nice char it was topped with Swiss cheese, sauteed mushrooms, home made bacon and served on a toasted bun. The second burger got a sweeter blend of spices that we use a lot on our ribs and pork butts. After it got smashed on the flat top it got cheddar cheese, homemade maple bacon, homemade BBQ sauce and a toasted bun. This year our burgers placed second and fourth, The second place burger was the one with Swiss on it, and the fourth was the cheddar with maple bacon. Next year is looking pretty good!

Now the chili, This was a new part to the competition this year which ended up being a stiffer competition than I expected. We made a chili in our cast iron Dutch oven on the flat top. I started with a base of ground pork, beef, veal and some short ribs. We added some diced peppers, along with a few different types of beans and let it simmer until turn in. The cool part of the chili contest was the public was able to try it after the judges had their share. The shocking part of the chili contest is the winning bowl was vegetarian chili, Goes to show you never know what the judges will like!

For our brisket this year we were going to go with our usual blend of coarse black pepper and kosher salt, but I forgot the kosher salt. Luckily I remembered to pack the seasoning salt which is also in our traditional blend but this time we had to increase the amount to offset the lack of kosher salt, This year the brisket was very lean and very thing compared to last year or any brisket I have ever cooked. It was cooked over white oak and charcoal. When it got a nice dark bark, we wrapped it in butcher paper with some beef tallow to help keep moisture and flavor. For turn in we prepared the blind box with some lettuce and parsley. Unfortunately this year we didn't do well for scoring, the brisket ended up being dryer than I wanted, but now I know a few tricks to help retain moisture in a cut like that.

For the ribs this year we stuck with our tried and true. The ribs were nice this year, even and meaty, They received a light trim, then a generous rub of our BBQ sweet rub. They went onto the smoker for around three hours, until they got wrapped with some brown sugar, butter and apple juice. After a few more hours the ribs came out the wrap and then got slathered in our signature BBQ sauce and left to smoke for about another hour. For the blind box they were placed on a bed of lettuce and parsley. This year the rib competition was stiff, We placed very high on taste and texture but lower on the presentation.

All in all it was another great competition, This year was even better than last even though we didn't win anything, We got to know a lot of the competitors and learn some tricks and tips, and shared some laughs! Thank you everyone for your support! Here's to next year!