BBQgeek

BBQ Pitmasters Reality Show at the 2012 Atlanta BBQ Festival

In addition to hosting both a KCBS cookoff and a backyard cookoff, this year's Atlanta BBQ Festival played host for the filming of an episode of the fourth season of Destination America reality series BBQ Pitmasters.  Over the course of Friday and Saturday night, three teams competed for a chance to appear in one of the final episodes.  The three competition teams were GA Bob's out of Macon. Lazy Bear BBQ from Gainesville and Holy Smokes BBQ from Dublin, GA.  Season 4's judges are a welcome carryover from Season 3 - Myron Mixon from Jack's Old South BBQ, Aaron Franklin of Franklin BBQ in Austin, TX, and Tuffy Stone of Cool Smoke BBQ, Richmond, VA.  All three judges are extremely well respected and well seasoned competitors and restaurant owners.  BBQ Pitmasters seemed to struggle a little in seasons 1 and 2 in finding its format and judging personalities.  But all signs are that season 4 is a reprise of the winning Season 3 formula.  It will be interesting to see how the GA teams carry on into the finals.  Most interesting to me is where Aaron Franklin had dinner while here in ATL.  The guy gets repeated features on No Reservations and has the number one BBQ restaurant in the country.  Does anyone know where the judges chowed down?

Follow BBQ pitmasters on Facebook here and on Twitter here....

 

 

 

 

 

Using BGE platesetter with Bubba Keg/Big Steel Keg

Due to the overwhelming success of the Big Green Egg, several competitor Kamado cookers have entered the market in the past ten years.  Companies like Primo, Kamado Jo, Bubba Keg/Big Steel Keg, have all tried to penetrate the Kamado/BGE market with moderate success.  I was lucky enough to get a Bubba Keg for evaluation purposes a few years ago.  I immediately fell in love with certain aspects of their design as compared to the BGE.  The Bubba Keg was made of aluminum which made it much lighter than the BGE.  It also had removable side shelves, wheels, and a trailer hitch which made it infinitely more mobile than the very heavy and bulky BGE.  But the one thing the Bubba Keg lacked which rendered it almost unusable was a diffuser plate like the BGE's platesetter (pictured above).  During my first year with the Bubba Keg, I tried over and over to smoke long cook meats, but they always  came out overcooked and bitter because they were direct smoking as opposed to offset smoking.  Ultimately, I stopped using the Bubba Keg for smoking and repurposed it as a high temperature grill (which it does very well due to it's styrofoam insulation core).  When this year's BBQ season rolled around, I decided to try one last time to learn how to cook low and slow with the Bubba Keg.  This time I trolled a few BBQ boards and learned that many people had success using a BGE platesetter as a diffuser.  I took a few measurements of the Bubba Keg fire bowl and headed to the local BGE store.  For a mere $65 bucks, I was able to fix my problem.  Now I'm enjoying my Bubba Keg/Big Steel Keg much more....so much that I'm considering investing in a BBQguru so I can cook long meats effortlessly.  For those of you out there with a Bubba Keg/Big Steel Keg, this simple workaround will really improve the quality of your BBQ.

2012 Pigs and Peaches BBQ Competition–Kennesaw, GA

		Pigs and Peaches BBQ competition VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Best of the Big A BBQ Voting Underway

I'm not sure how this fell of my radar, but the official voting window for the AJC's Best Barbecue opened on September 20th.  This year's field of six restaurants includes Community Q, Fox Bros., Fresh Aire, Swallow at the Hollow, Pig-n-chik, and (gag) Fatt Matt's.  You can cast your vote here.  In my humble estimation, the field of six is really a field of three, with the community's best BBQ easily identified.  Let's all band together as a community and make our voices heard.  Vote now.  Vote often.  Represent your community.

ATL Festival Weekend - ATL 2nd Annual BBQ Festival & Field of Greens

 
Atlanta's 2nd annual Bar-B-Q Festival takes place today at Atlantic Station.  This year's event is a new location for the festival.  From a quick examination of the website, it appears there will be several new BBQ vendors this year, including Fox Bros. BBQ and Jim & Nick's. Pro teams will also be competing for people's choice awards.  This means some teams will be offering up samples of their BBQ in exchange for some votes.   Last year's event had free admission.  This year's event will cost you $10 a head for adults.  Kids twelve years old and younger are free.  It looks like a beautiful day to get outside today.  If you don't have plans, stop by and smell the smoke.

The Field of Greens Festival is taking place Sunday, October 3 at Whipporwill Farm (which is roughly 35 miles east of downtown Atlanta).  It is a celebration of sustainable farming and includes a fantastic list of participating restaurants/chefs that have embraced the farm to table/sustainable ethos.  This years list of chefs is jaw-droppingly awesome.  Tastings are available from 12-3pm, as long as they last.

From the festival's website, "Bring the whole family and enjoy locally grown, chef-prepared food, live music, and green living education, all in a family-friendly, fun environment."

Entrance ticket includes:

• All-day access to the farmers' market and educational expo
• Small-plate tastings of farm-fresh food creatively prepared by Atlanta and Athens’ most dedicated farm-to-table chefs (noon to 3pm only)
• Expanded kid's learning and activity area
• Live music
• Cooking demos from your favorite chefs
• Street food tastings from the best farm-sourced food carts (3-5pm only) in partnership with the Atlanta Street Food Coalition

Dave Poe's BBQ - Marietta, GA

 
 

Barbecue brings people together.  Friends and family gather at the table to eat, laugh, and talk while enjoying pulled pork, ribs, brisket, chicken and delicious side dishes.  But for some families, barbecue is more than just a great meal.  Dave Poe of Marietta, GA embodies the idea of barbecue as a way of life.  Dave's family has been in the barbecue business for many years.  Dave got his start in barbecue with his father, catering and competing around the state with Stump and Sons BBQ.   Atlanta magazine recently recognized Dave Poe's BBQ  as some of the best barbecue in the city and the best cole slaw overall.

The  accolades in Atlanta magazine are just a friendly reminder of the quality barbecue served on a daily basis at Dave Poe's.   Over the past few years, Dave has earned glowing reviews from the Atlanta Journal Constitution and a devoted word-of-mouth following that keeps his restaurant packed for every lunch and dinner.  I recently stopped by to visit my best friend and mentor to grab a bite and some photos to share with each of you to remind you why you should make it a point to stop by and enjoy some of the fantastic food available at Dave Poe's BBQ.

continue reading Dave Poe's BBQ here....

Cochon 555 - Atlanta, GA

Pork liver pate with apple jelly from 2010 winner Sean Brock of McCrady's of Charleston, SC at Cochon 555.

Cochon 555, a multi-city, national event celebrating the cultivation of heritage breed hogs, rolled into Atlanta, GA this past Sunday.  It was my second pork-themed event in less than a month.  You may have already read my write up of the Southern Foods Pig Out in the Park.  What can I say?  I'm a lucky guy.  The basic premise of Cochon 555 is to assemble five of the best regional chefs, give them each a 175 lb. heritage breed pig to cook, and let the assembled masses enjoy the fruits of their labors.  Joining these five chefs are five wineries showcasing their wines.  So, the 555 equals 5 hogs, 5 wines, and 5 chefs.  Simple enough.  Atlanta's Cochon 555 took place at the downtown W hotel.  Several hundred foodies, food critics, and bloggers turned out to indulge in everything fine about swine (did I really just make that horrible rhyme?).  I've assembled a simple photo essay with minimal commentary to describe the event for you.  Enjoy.  Continue reading Cochon 555 - Atlanta, GA here....
 

Judge's Table - Southern Foods' Pig Out In the Park

Pictured from left to right are a few of the chefs, as well as one judge, that participated in Southern Foods' Pig Out in the Park - Jose Hernandez and Matt Swickerath (Valenza), Shane Touhy (Dogwood), Allan Benton (Benton's Hams), Stephen Herman and Guillermo Hernandez (Haven)

Twelve chefs from some of Atlanta's best restaurants gathered yesterday at the Park Tavern in Piedmont Park to participate in Southern Foods' Pig Out in the Park, a food industry showcase featuring a pork cookoff.  The participating restaurants included Holeman and Finch, 4th and Swift, Haven, Rathbun's, Dogwood, Valenza, JCT kitchen, Serpas True Food, Speakeasy, Parker's on Ponce, Two Urban Licks, and Miltons.  The pork cookoff was judged by Allan Benton, David Roberts, and me.  Allan is famous throughout the American culinary world for crafting some of the highest quality artisinal country hams in the world at his smokehouse in Tennessee, Benton's Hams.  David Roberts is a the chef and partner in Atlanta's most recent barbecue darling, Community Q.  Me?  I run a little BBQ blog, and I'm still trying to figure out how I managed to be lucky enough to land a seat at the judges table.  Chefs, line cooks, service professionals, and restaurant owners all stopped by the Park Tavern to sample all manner of foodstuffs from some of Southern Foods top line vendors, as well as taste dishes from all twelve of the competing restaurants.  Continue reading Judge's Table - Southern Foods' Pig Out in the Park here....

Pig Out at the Park - March 23,2010

Southern Foods will be sponsoring an event for food industry professionals at the Park Tavern in Piedmont Park, Atlanta, GA, on March 23rd from 3pm to 8pm to highlight their services and products.  Pig out at the Park will feature a BBQ cookoff competition between 13 of Atlanta's top chefs.  The competition will be judged by Allan Benton of Benton's Hams, David Roberts of Community Q, and yours truly (the BBQgeek!).  Here is the lineup of competing chefs:

1    Rathbun's  - Kevin Rathbun 
2    Dogwood Restaurant  -    Shane Touhy   
3    Serpas True Food  -   Scott Serpas  
4    Two Urban Licks   -   Cameron Thompson   
5    Holeman and Finch  - Jason and Ryan
6    4th and Swift  -  Jay Swift  
7    Miltons  -   Boyd Rose  
8    Haven  -    Stephen Herman
9    Valenza  -    Matt Swickerath
10   JCT Kitchen   -    Ford Fry   
11   Speakeasy  - Wes Chapman   
12   Prestige Gourmet   - Robert Guillou
13   Parker's on ponce   - David Hartshorn

Smoke on the Lake BBQ festival - Acworth, GA

On May 8, 2010, the city of Acworth will play host to the  Smoke on the Lake BBQ festival.  The competition is set up as a backyard barbecue competition and will also feature BBQ vendors including some of Marietta's best - Dave Poe's BBQ, Sam's BBQ1, Smokin' J's BBQ, Williamson Bros. BBQ, Bar-B-Cutie, and Barbecue Street.  Sponsored by the Rotary Club of Acworth, the event will feature live music, a kid's area, and a Sweetwater Beer Garden.  Looks like it will be a great day by the lake to enjoy some fine BBQ and suds.