Smoke Freaks had a wild ride at our first appearance at the Masters in May doubleheader last weekend. We ended up 45th out of 56 teams on Day 1 -- aka totally smoked. We were disappointed, upset, distressed and pretty shaken up. But somehow, we had to shake it off to have any chance of a good cook on Day 2. It took a lot of serious focus but we managed to pull it off. We danced and howled our way to the Reserve Grand Championship on Day 2 and our very first 1st place award (Ribs)!! Here's what I learned from that experience:
10. Lock in 4WD before you drag an 8,000 pound trailer into the mud
9. The BBQ family takes care of each other
8. Get to "Walking Biscuits & Gravy" early
7. Mary makes the best Bloody Marys
6. Don't be downwind when Mr. Freak applies the Freakage Rub
5. Darren is the nicest guy in BBQ
4. The Matrix of Freakage works
3. Ask for advice and you'll probably get it
2. Be resilient no matter how badly you get smoked
1. Never give up on the box
We'll be back on the BBQ trail Memorial Day weekend at the "Red, White & BBQ" Competition in Westmont, IL.
Until then, Freak ON!
Hi! This post was initially published on 5/10/17 on our original blog platform and has since been moved here. Thanks for reading and Freak ON!