Have you ever thought about attending a barbecue competition?  They can be a lot of fun, but for the most part, the public doesn’t really know what they’re about.  This can really be frustrating for the teams.  Here are some of my thoughts on competitions and spectators.

To
be blunt, the competitions aren’t really for the public.  The public is
pretty much in for free (there may be a charge for some other part of
the event), and the teams are certainly not compensated by the public
for the time and money they put into the competition.  To give an
example, I think my team spent about $800 per competition last year,
though that included some durable equipment we’ll be able to reuse; I
expect to spend about $500 including food and entry fees per
competition.

Why do the teams show up.  Fun is certainly part of
it, but there’s generally money on the line, with literally thousands
of dollars at stake… With that in mind, the teams are mostly going to
be pretty serious when it comes time to get turn ins ready.  IF YOU’RE
ATTENDING A COMP, DON’T BE OFFENDED IF A TEAM IS BUSY!!!

Here are some basics you can expect, as a spectator:

• Friday
  night is pretty relaxed, with teams enjoying themselves.  You may not
  get any samples, but you’ll likely be offered a beer or soft drink if
  you stop and talk.  You’ll also get to talk barbecue if you’re
  interested and ask any questions.
• The smell will be incredible,
  especially at night, I think.  You’ve got all teams with smoke coming
  out of their cookers… it’s a smell that’s hard to beat!
• Saturday
  morning, you’ll see a lot of tired people, getting their food ready for
  turn ins.  Prior to 9 or 10 in the morning, people will probably have
  time to chat a bit, but keep in mind that they’re going to be checking
  food.  Don’t take offense if they ask to be excused, or just leave, to
  do what they came to do.
• Once the teams get serious about
  getting turn ins ready, leave them alone.  They’re going to be really
  working hard to get everything done just the way they want and to get
  them turned in on time.  As soon as a turn in leaves, they’re either
  taking a quick break then getting the next item ready, or just starting
  right in on the next entry.
• Once turn ins are done, the teams
  may, if they want, give out samples.  Don’t expect them, as there is no
  obligation to hand them out.  The teams paid for their own food, put in
  the work, and have every right to take it all home.  However, many
  teams will offer samples.

During turn ins, I’ve had
people reach in to take food we were prepping for turn in.  I’ve heard
stories of people going into tents and trying to take food.  The food
is not there for you; there will hopefully be plenty to try.  If you
reach in when someone’s cutting brisket, your fingers may be included
in the slice, so don’t be rude!

I think we’re as friendly as
most teams, but during the late morning and early afternoon hours, I’m
in no position to even talk to people that stop by.  We put our table
behind everything to discourage reach-ins, but people still try to grab
food.  I wish organizers did a better job on whole of educating the
public; I know it’s tough to do, but I haven’t seen much done to make
sure the public knows what’s going on.  I think most people would be
understanding if they knew.  One example from Madison, IN, last summer
was when we were prepping ribs for the turn in box.  I was slicing the
ribs, and we were deciding what to turn in, tasting which were the
best, etc.  A man and his probably six year old boy were standing
outside our EZup, but I didn’t really notice until he said, loudly, to
his son that the least we could do was offer them a rib.  I would guess
he had no clue what we were really doing, so he was offended that we
didn’t offer him our entry food.