BBQ Joints

Hey insiders...I wanted to get your opinion. French Lick Resort is putting together a BBQ Cook-off for August 8. Any Louisville area restaurants that are must haves?

Hey insiders...I wanted to get your opinion. French Lick Resort is putting together a BBQ Cook-off for August 8. Any Louisville area restaurants that are must haves?

Dyan,

Dude, It's kind of hard to judge from your posts exactly what this contest is all about (for one thing is it a Grilling contest or a BBQ contest ?). If it is what I think it is you are going to have to kick it up at least two full notches to have a chance at attracting the kind of restaurant participation I think you are looking for.

Let me put it this way, my lovely bride and I don't even own a restaurant but we do hack our way around the competition BBQ circuit. This weekend we are cooking an itty-bitty contest in a New Albany church parking lot that pays more than you are offering. Not to be a smart alec and with all respect to you and this fine resort but (based on what I've read so far) I wouldn't even load up my smokers for this gig.

Make it 5 grand to win, pay down to 5th or 6th place, comp some rooms and give away some free stuff to the competitors and you might get the level of restaurant participation you appear to be looking for.

Dyan,

Dude, It's kind of hard to judge from your posts exactly what this contest is all about (for one thing is it a Grilling contest or a BBQ contest ?). If it is what I think it is you are going to have to kick it up at least two full notches to have a chance at attracting the kind of restaurant participation I think you are looking for.

Let me put it this way, my lovely bride and I don't even own a restaurant but we do hack our way around the competition BBQ circuit. This weekend we are cooking an itty-bitty contest in a New Albany church parking lot that pays more than you are offering. Not to be a smart alec and with all respect to you and this fine resort but (based on what I've read so far) I wouldn't even load up my smokers for this gig.

Make it 5 grand to win, pay down to 5th or 6th place, comp some rooms and give away some free stuff to the competitors and you might get the level of restaurant participation you appear to be looking for.

Do you put that same "bite" in your bbq?

Dyan,

Dude, It's kind of hard to judge from your posts exactly what this contest is all about (for one thing is it a Grilling contest or a BBQ contest ?). If it is what I think it is you are going to have to kick it up at least two full notches to have a chance at attracting the kind of restaurant participation I think you are looking for.

Let me put it this way, my lovely bride and I don't even own a restaurant but we do hack our way around the competition BBQ circuit. This weekend we are cooking an itty-bitty contest in a New Albany church parking lot that pays more than you are offering. Not to be a smart alec and with all respect to you and this fine resort but (based on what I've read so far) I wouldn't even load up my smokers for this gig.

Make it 5 grand to win, pay down to 5th or 6th place, comp some rooms and give away some free stuff to the competitors and you might get the level of restaurant participation you appear to be looking for.

Do you put that same "bite" in your bbq?

Becky,

Folks who know me, know that I would never be mean to anyone except Phil. (jussssst kidding). So I apologize to Dyan if it came off that way. The resort is probably putting a lot of effort into this and I just figured I'd just call it like I saw it.

oh i didnt think you were being mean at all.... i like people that call it like they see it. Fluff is for sissies!

Hello Steve P,

Thanks for your honest and open feedback. We have learned a lot through this process of trying to host our first BBQ Cook-off. Silly us, we just thought it sounded like a cool idea for August!

We plan on taking all of these great suggestions and making next year's event better.

Dyan

Hello Steve P,

Thanks for your honest and open feedback. We have learned a lot through this process of trying to host our first BBQ Cook-off. Silly us, we just thought it sounded like a cool idea for August!

We plan on taking all of these great suggestions and making next year's event better.

Dyan

Dyan,

It IS a cool idea...and after looking at your website I think your resort would be an excellent venue for a cookoff.

My suggestion would be to call or write the Kansas City BBQ Society (KCBS)...These folks sanction hundreds of BBQ contests each year and REALLY know what they are doing. I'm not sure but I think they even have (some form of) training materials for organizations who are sponsoring contests. Their website is:

http://www.kcbs.us/index.php

I'm betting that once they realize the grandeur of your resort they would fall over backwards to help you. Also you might want to do a little recon work. There are two contests coming up that would serve you well for this purpose...One in Madison IN (60+ teams) on the weekend of Aug 20/21 (12K purse) http://www.madisonribberfest.com/ and another in New Albany IN (25-30 teams) on the weekend of Oct 9/10. (4K purse) http://www.hoosierdaddybbq.com/index.html

Just a little FYI and personal observation stuff about BBQ contests...

Most contests charge around $200-250 dollars for entry. Teams generally begin showing up on Thu. night and begin cooking on Fri. night. Judging takes place on Sat. afternoon.

I would guess the average payout (i.e. entire purse) for a small to medium sized contest (15 to 30 teams) is probably in the neighborhood of 4K. Much less than that and you aren't going to get people show up. On the other hand there are a few contests out there now that are paying upwards of 25K and they draw a LOT of people...BTW we're not talking a bunch of goobers with no teeth here. Most teams are made up of family and/or friends and are generally well behaved and don't mind spending a lot of money for bragging rights.

Most BBQ contests I've been in have cooking areas of around 15x20...and charge a small fee (20-30 bucks) for larger sites (many people bring RV's). It is S.O.P for the organizer to provide water, electric and ice for the teams.

Two more things to take into consideration...August and an asphalt parking lot in southern IN do NOT make for a pleasant place to cook. If it were me I would consider something earlier or later in the year. Late May or Mid Sept would be good Also, it is important to note that (by KCBS rules) teams are not permitted to hand out samples to the general public (there is a way around this by having a "people's choice" catagory)...The fact that teams can not vend BBQ usually causes a LOT of bitching from the people who visit the contests since they are generally not aware of this restriction...So separate from any competition, most contests usually have a couple of restaurants or caterers come in to vend BBQ.

Sorry to get long winded there but I get fired up about BBQ the way some of these folks get fired up about beer and wine. Hope this helps.

Sorry to get long winded there but I get fired up about BBQ the way some of these folks get fired up about beer and wine. Hope this helps.

Wow, I don't plan on throwing a BBQ festival anytime soon, but that was really interesting. I had no idea the purses were usually so large.

Now this is a large purse:

Hey insiders...I wanted to get your opinion. French Lick Resort is putting together a BBQ Cook-off for August 8. Any Louisville area restaurants that are must haves?

Yes... Ky BBQ Company is a must... Our Brisket is off the charts!!! <3

Hey insiders...I wanted to get your opinion. French Lick Resort is putting together a BBQ Cook-off for August 8. Any Louisville area restaurants that are must haves?

Yes... Ky BBQ Company is a must... Our Brisket is off the charts!!! <3

I volunteer to be a judge of that.

Steve P...You are awesome! I wish I had stumbled across your expertise about six months ago.

Thanks for laying it all out for me. I just emailed KCBS to get the ball rolling.

Next up...I believe a roadtrip is in order