Smoke Freaks survived the brutal heat of the Effingham BBQ Jam last weekend. It was a weekend of blood, sweat and…. brisket!!
There’s nothing better than standing over a hot cooker all day, except snagging 4th place pork and 3rd place brisket! Our best brisket result EVER!!
We were happy to get our Freak Streak back on track and seriously stoked about our brisket performance. Our brisket is back, but now our chicken needs some work. Turns out we missed another Reserve Grand Championship by less than a point, due to my 19th place chicken!?!
All in all, we had a good cook, except for that moment when I cut myself with our brisket knife. Fortunately, we were already prepared for turn-in but I had to think quickly to get that wound covered to walk our brisket in for judging on time. Nothing a little paper towel and painter's tape can’t fix, especially when covered by a food service glove!
The Effingham competition was staged on the streets around the town square, which was a pretty cool set up. We even got to turn in our meats to the judges at the Effingham county jail building!
And those trophies – Boos Blocks handcrafted by Norbert at John Boos & Company – were really something special. Receiving any award is a treat, but the care and craftsmanship make these ones extra special treasures.
The original Boos Blocks were founded in 1887 by Conrad Boos who harvested Sycamore from wooded areas around Effingham. Such a beautiful product with a rich history.
What’s next for Smoke Freaks? We’ll be hitting the Badger Brew & Que next weekend in Manitowoc, WI. The contest is another double-header and the #2 team in the nation just signed on. Our season will be coming to an end soon, so we are pumped up for another set of chances to see what we can make happen.
So we're taking our first weekend off after 7 competitions in 6 weeks to enjoy the comforts of home. It does feels a little strange not to be loading up for a competition and we’ve both had BBQ nightmares about forgetting to cook a meat or bring one of the smokers.
(Oh, and you better believe that I’ll be practicing my chicken cook to get that back on track. Game on.)
If you’re in Manitowoc on August 6th and 7th, come out to Taste the Freakage!
Here are a few Freaky moments from Effingham…