Weekend Chili Cookoff Results

Overall I would have to say that this past weekend was a lot of fun and pretty successful in my opinion.  I had the Norton boys, Sean and Troy helping me out on Saturday, and I couldn't have done it without them.  Tom's Backyard BBQ placed 3rd out of 17 in the Amatuer category.  Here's the story of the weekend:

I fired up the egg and poured a black and tan right after work on Friday.  The rub I used this time around was a mix of Dizzy Pig Red Eye Express and Bad Byrons Butt Rub.  The wood chips I used were cherry

Around 6:30pm I fired up the weber to start cooking dinner.  Don't let anyone ever tell you that you only need one grill - case in point, Friday night. 

After an eight hour smoke or maybe a little longer I pulled the briskets, wrapped them in foil, and let them rest in a cooler over night.  On Saturday morning the briskets were unwrapped, sliced, and cubed for the chili.  Below is the start of my chili which includes cubed brisket, browned sausage, beef broth, onions, and Sam Adams Oktoberfest.

Below is my full stock pot full of chili which was right around four gallons worth.  We ended up having maybe a gallon left after the competition, so I made just the right amount in my opinion.  Let me also say that this was my first batch ever in this quantity, and I don't think it tasted nearly as good as my dutch oven chili which produces about a gallon.  Regardless, it was good enough to take home 3rd place with help from the Norton boys to sell it at the competition.

Left to right: Sean Norton, Tom Douglas, Troy Norton - Tom's Backyard BBQ.  This being my first cookoff, I wasn't sure what to expect.  I had the basics - table, tent, propane stove, tools, but that is about all.  Sean being the marketing guy in the bunch quickly noticed that we were by far the most under promoted / decorated team at the competition.  We parked next to Pure Roswell's team and another tent full of ladies decked out in full witches costumes, and we kind of stuck out like a sore thumb.  In the end, the chili spoke for itself and it was fun sneaking beers into 8 oz styrofoam cups in between servings.  Thanks again to Troy and Sean for making this a fun day!

My sales team - Sean and Troy

My wife and son - Meredith and Thomas

After taking 3rd place in Amateur category.  The beauty of the sparce set up was easy take down in time to catch kickoff of the Georgia vs. Florida game.  Georgia winning only made my Saturday that much better!

We'll be back next year coming after 1st place!