Onward & Upward

It's been 12 days since Smoke Freaks suffered a totally-sucked-but-could-have-been-much-worse accident on the way home from our last competition. Yep, we got rear ended while towing our camper, The Wolf Wagon, back to Chicago.  Here's the Wolf Wagon before damage to the bumper and door.  

It definitely could have been a lot worse.  There were no injuries in either vehicle and the parts are ordered and repairs are happening.  There was a time when we thought our entire season would be up in the air, and are really relieved to be getting back on track.  

But Smoke Freaks aren't going to let a fender bender get us down.  So when we're not competing, we're spreading the Gospel of Freak.  Earlier this week we had the honor of presenting at the "Smoking with Wood" event put on by the Illinois BBQ Alliance.  We did a demonstration on our Ugly Drum Smokers to teach the finer points of starting the fire, selecting smoke wood and pairings to impart different smoke flavors on whatever you're cooking.

We love talking BBQ and this event was really special since we were able to talk directly to folks just getting started in their BBQ adventures.  In our experience, it's easy to overthink equipment, supplies and wood selection -- we know this because we did just that.  But over time, we experimented and had that pit running as often as possible to see what worked for us.  So one of our messages was simply to start.  Start anywhere.  Just start experimenting and in time, you'll be the best pitmaster on your block.  

Speaking of finishing what you started... we're finalizing prep for our next event.   ​Next up:  Grafton.  We're back on the road and headed to Grafton, WI for our next BBQ competition.  It's a field of 29 players, each angling for their share of $7,000 in prize money.  On hand will be Tim's Full Belli Deli, going for their 3rd straight at Grillin' in Grafton. ​So if you're in Grafton on Saturday, 7/2, stop by to Taste the Freakage!