Our first BBQ competition of the year didn't go completely as planned, but that had nothing to do with the actual event itself. Keep reading for the "bad news," but first here's our recap from the event. There's good news, too!
We traveled about 160 miles on I-80 on our way to Kewanee, IL, the Hog Capital of the World. It was a lovely, uneventful drive with miles and miles of open road and big skies. We were putting the Wolf Wagon to the test for the first time and she was riding well. Smoke Freaks were thrilled to arrive in Kewanee!
Upon our arrival, the contest organizers checked us in and we got settled into our space. These guys put on one heck of a show. They thought of everything. Not only were water, power and space abundant, but there were signs everywhere of the smaller details that made for a great experience. (And we learned Dan's secret of the 7 Ps, but that's a blog post for another time... )
Check out the awards for Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion!
These were hand carved by a local artist and were truly something special. We really, really wanted one of those!
And the goodie bags!
Not only was it nice to get one, these were filled with awesome stuff like bottle openers and paper towels. We go through a lot of paper towels so this was a big hit with us.
Our cook went well and we were pleased to take home 6th in Ribs, 10th in Brisket and 10th overall. Not bad for our first competition of the year. Oh, and if there were an award for most enthusiastic team, we would have won 1st place hands down. We are SMOKE FREAKS!!
So, here's where the bad news comes in...
We were headed out of town and got rear-ended. Fortunately, there were no injuries in either vehicle. We sustained damage to our beloved Wolf Wagon that puts our season in jeopardy but we know that objects can be replaced. It could have been much, much worse. We're so grateful for the well wishes from our friends and family. So while we're working with the insurance company on the repairs, we are bringing out our Freak Force Activate powers to get us back on the road as quickly as possible. As our good friend George says, "you can't keep a Smoke Freak down." That's right. Smoke Freaks will be back, better and stronger than ever. Taste the Freakage!