3 Men And A Babyback Competition BBQ Team

Three Men and a Babyback started out with three barrels and a dream. Their custom built triple barrel smoker was built in a garage in Montvale NJ. It was baptized at Roc City Ribfest in Rochester, NY with a First Place trophy for ribs! Three Men followed that up with a 3rd place chicken trophy at the Hudson Valley Ribfest, a first place brisket trophy a First Place People’s choice award for clam chowder in Norwalk, CT (not bad for a bunch of Jersey boys). In 2010, they started the season in Little Rock, Arkansas at the USA BBQ championship and followed up with another first place brisket at the New York State Championship in Rochester, NY and a first place ribs at Hidden Valley, NJ.to name a few The team finished the season with a 2nd year people choice in chowder at the Oysterfest,  Norwalk, CT. The barbeque trio has brought their culinary trained brains and passion for good BBQ to create a winning combination and some stellar BBQ.

How did you come up with the team name? We came up with it on a whim and a few drinks. and since there was the three of us, it made sense.

Where does the team call home? Bergen County, NJ

When did the team come together? We started to brainstorm in January of 2009, and started to build the smoker soon thereafter.

Who were the founding members? The founding members were Dana Reed, Marc Mangano, Justin Reed. We have since taken on additional member Dan Krystiniak.  Of course none of us could pursue this passion with out three very supportive wives.

What is the furthest you have travelled for a BBQ competition? Last year we traveled to Little Rock Arkansas for the USA BBQ Championship. That was the furthest we traveled.

Have you won any competitions? We have taken a RGC at Mt. Holly last year, However we have placed first in Brisket, Ribs, and top 10 finishes in most categories. We have a good feeling about this upcoming season, and hope to get our much anticipated GC.

Does your team have a specialty? Our most consistent prize winning entries have been our Smoked Cheddar Chipolte Sliders and our KCBS Brisket.

What is the strangest / best / worst thing that has happened to you or your team since you have been in BBQ competitions? One of our Most memorable moment Other teams can attest to this, hearing your team name called for the first time is a once in a lifetime feeling. Now couple that experience with a first place rib call in a field of 60 very talented pitmasters,  and it being the very first comp you have ever done.

Do we do catering? We are a fully licensed and insured vendor and this to helps offset the cost of  the comps and all the toys that come with it    www.threemenandababyback.com

For the people that BBQ home do you have any BBQ tips? For those that do at home, Good BBQ comes from trial and error, Get a binder, and make notes about about what has worked and what you will never try again.
If your thinking about competing, be patient and take away a little knowledge from each comp. and most importantly, have fun.

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Our team name is Molloy Boys BBQ, it is made up of family me(John Molloy),my dad(Marc Molloy) and brother(Matt Molloy). We love doing bbq

How did you come up with the team name? Since our team is all family and we felt our bbq was so good we were proud to put our family name on it

Where does the team call home? Knoxville,Tn

When did the team come together? About 2 yrs ago

Who were the founding members? me and my dad

What is the furthest you have travelled for a BBQ competition? We pretty much have stayed around here so I guess the furthest we have went is Lawrenceburg,Tn

Have you won any competitions? Yes

Does your team have a specialty? chicken and ribs

What is the strangest / best / worst thing that has happened to you or your team since you have been in BBQ competitions? The worst thing that has happened to us would have to be during our first competition we fell asleep,needless to say things didnt turn out quite the way we wanted them to. The best thing would have to be the multiple awards we have won this year.

Many team seem to do catering as well do you? We don’t do catering per say we do a cook for hire occasionally and we have thought about doing some classes

For the people that BBQ home do you have any BBQ tips? I would say experiment thats how your gonna come up with your flavors, remember quality over quanity(it doesnt matter how much you have if its not good) and most importantly know your equipment!

Do you have a recipe or two that you would like to share?

Simple Brine Recipe

Apple Pie Drink Recipe

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Can you please give me a short paragraph as an introduction to the team? Back in 2004, my wife and I were watching a TV special on BBQ and then decided to we just had to learn how to be able to make good BBQ. Like a lot of new cooks we started out cooking a lot of pork butts and ribs. I found out that there was a local BBQ community called Great Lakes BBQ Association http://glbbqa.com that showed me there was a whole new world out there of competition BBQ. This last Winter through the BBQ Brethren http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/ I heard that Scottie Johnson of Cancersuckschicago.com was putting on a competition BBQ class to help raise awareness and money for the Corliss Johnson Memorial Fund http://corlissfoundation.com/. I was amazed at what was involved with competition BBQ and how different it was from just cooking BBQ at home. As soon as I left the class, I knew I was hooked and was going to be competing this year.

Team iBQ’n came together shortly thereafter and is made up of myself as Pit Master and my wife Brandy Parker as President of Efficiency.

We are also very pleased to be sponsored by the Great Lakes BBQ Supply Company http://www.greatlakesbbqsupply.com/

Our team enjoys cooking on 2 drum smokers or otherwise known as ugly drum smokers (UDS) and 1 WSM.

How did you come up with the team name? Coming up with an original BBQ name is difficult especially if you don’t want it to end in BBQ. My suggestion for anybody trying to come up with a team name is to ask family and friends to right down everything that comes to mind and that will give you ideas to pick from.

Where does the team call home? Wyoming, MI is our team headquarters.

When did the team come together? 2010 – Rookies!

Who were the founding members? Richard and Brandy Parker

What is the furthest you have travelled for a BBQ competition? We were so excited to compete in our first KCBS sanctioned competition this last Spring we drove 5 ½ hours to the Indiana Smokin’ on the Water – BBQ Festival by the Lake in Liberty, IN. It rained cats and dogs all night and the power was going in and out, but we ended up getting everything turned in on time and didn’t get DAL in any category with a 22nd overall out of 36 teams.

Have you won any competitions? Not as of yet!  We have participated in four KCBS sanctioned events our rookie season and our last one at Silver Lake Apple & BBQ Festival we were honored to get Reserve Grand Champion out of 47 teams.

Does your team have a specialty? I don’t think we have a specialty in any of the four meats, but I enjoy cooking brisket more than the rest. The only problem is the judges don’t think so, because I have yet to get a walk in that category. Hopefully I can change that with two more competitions left in the year Harvest on the Ridge BBQ Contest in Sparta, MI and Barn Burners BBQ in Libertyville, IL.

What is the strangest / best / worst thing that has happened to you or your team since you have been in BBQ competitions? This year at the Riverwalk Brew-B-Q in Lowell, MI I made the decision to not stake down our EZ-UP canopy because the weather was supposed to be nice with at most 5mph winds. Just as I was finishing my rib turn in box, it started blowing and raining like a hurricane. I ran out of the trailer to hold down the EZ-UP but then realized I was going to miss the rib turn in, so I let go. It landed about 30 yards away on top of another competitor’s trailer taking off the mirror on my Ford F150 as it went by. Those ribs ended up taking 8th giving us our first top ten finish of 7th overall out of 30 teams.

Many teams seem to do catering as well do you? Not as of yet! We are hoping to get in to some catering in the next year or two.

For the people that BBQ home do you have any BBQ tips?
1. Don’t try to cook your BBQ based on time because every piece of meat is different and requires a different amount of time to be perfect.
2. Don’t worry about your flavor profiles as much as making sure your product is cooked to perfection.
3. Make sure your meat doesn’t hit the grill until you have a nice blue smoke. A bad smoke (not blue) will give your product an off taste which many home cooks believe is coming from their rub or sauce.

Do you have a recipe or two that you would like to share?
The only original recipe I have is my competition chicken recipe, and I can’t give that one away yet.

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The 2010 Big BBQ Bash is set for Oct 15 -16 at Maple Lane Farms, Greenback, TN. The event is AN amateur barbecue cook-off and fundraiser for the Helen Ross McNabb Center, CREATED by the Leadership Blount Class of 2007.

Amateur BBQ teams are invited to “smoke up or shut up” by cooking their best plates of barbecue. Categories include pulled pork,ribs,brisket, chicken and “anything BUT.”

Prize money totaling $6,000 will be awarded for each category including a trophy and, OF COURSE, bragging rights for THE TOP THREE TEAMS IN EACH CATEGORY the next year. The current grand champion team is THE Soggy Bottom Smokers OUT OF CORRYTON, TENNESSEE.

Admission to Saturday’s Big BBQ Bash, October 16, is free to the public and will include musical entertainment BY THE DIXIE HIGHWAY BAND and food vendors. The BBQ teams may charge a fee per plate to the public on Saturday only GIVING ATTENDEES THE CHANCE TO TASTE SOME OF THE BEST BBQ IN THE SOUTH!

Since its INCEPTION in 2007, the Big BBQ Bash has raised more than $50,000 for charitable services offered in Blount County.

All proceeds from the 2010 Big BBQ Bash will benefit programs of the Helen Ross McNabb Center.

To register an amateur BBQ team or for sponsorship and vendor information, please visit the official event website, www.blountbbqbash.com.

The Helen Ross McNabb Center is a not-for-profit provider of mental health care, addictions treatment and social services to children,adults and families in 17 East Tennessee counties. The Center’s mission is to improve the lives of the people we serve by providing quality and confidential care. For more information, please visit http://www.mcnabbcenter.org/.

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Separated by 4 years and 400 miles,and brought together by a passion for BBQ. Brothers-in-law Mick Chessor of Centerville Tn and Blaine Morgan of Peachtree City Ga. make up the team Rub Won Out.

Although new to the competition BBQ circuit,they have been honing their skills to the delight of friends and family for years. Mick heads up the ribs and brisket,while Blaine takes the lead on pork and chicken. These brothers-in-law and brothers in smoke are looking forward to “Rubbing out” the compition this season…

How did you come up with the team name? It was trial and error really. We came up with a lot of names, but we wanted something people would get a chuckle out of. Then, once we selected the name, we had a friend of ours, John Harville, design a logo with the animals we cook. Then it hit us, the bull had to be choking the chicken.

What is the farthest you have traveled? My girlfriend and I went to New Palestine, Indiana a few weeks ago. We actually got several calls!
10th place in brisket, 3rd in chicken and People’s Choice!

What is the strangest / best / worst thing that has happened to you or your team since you have been in BBQ competitions? Well, there have been some crazy things happen but really, what happens at bbq comps stays at bbq comps.  Kinda like vegas, ya know ?

Many teams seem to do catering as well do you? Yes we do a little mainly at my family’s winery for blues concerts, although I find myself taking a lot of orders for BBQ recently.

For the people that BBQ home do you have any BBQ tips? Invest in a really good thermometer . Become very familier with what you cook on whether it be on a pit that costs thousands or a home made UDS you and your buddies made. If you can’t operate it, it wont put out good bbq.

Do you have a recipe or two that you would like to share? I have found that ice plus Pabst really improves anything I cook.. really just find what you like to eat and try to improve on it. What I may really enjoy, the guy down the road may hate, although I havent had any complaints yet.

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Rescue Smokers are a BBQ team comprised of great friends that are more like family.  The team consists of Robby & Stephanie Royal, Raymond & Amy Poore, and Billy & Joyce Caton.  Our children are also a big part of our team.  Our team was initially put together to cook the “BIG PIG JIG” in Vienna, GA annually.  We have since started to cook not only MBN, but are now doing GBA, FBA, and KCBS events.  This year we are cooking around 20 competitions.  Our main goal at any competition is to make new friends who also love BBQ. Our team is family oriented and versatile, there is no “I” in team.  We have great team work and if one or two members are missing on any given weekend the others take up the slack.  We really gel as a team due to the fact we don’t focus on winning.  Our motto is “Have fun and the rest takes care of itself” and “It is what it is”.

How did you come up with the team name? Our name “Rescue Smokers” came about because all of the men on the team work in public service and all volunteer for our counties Fire/Rescue.  Robby is a Paramedic, Raymond is Georgia Forestry, and Billy is a Firefighter.

Where does the team call home? Sycamore, GA

When did the team come together? Our team was initially started in January 2007.

Who were the founding members? Robby & Stephanie Royal and Raymond & Amy Poore.

What is the furthest you have travelled for a BBQ competition? Sebring, FL (354 Miles) FBA Event

Have you won any competitions? We have won 9 Grand Championships and 2 Reserve Grand Championships with all but one Grand coming in the past 10 months.  We have won grand in the Georgia BBQ Association, Florida BBQ Association, and KCBS this year.  Our goal is to add a MBN Grand for the BBQ Grand Slam in a single year!

Does your team have a specialty? We probably don’t have a specialty, we are very consistent in all four meat categories from cook to cook.  We have great team work due to the fact we don’t focus on winning, our number one goal at a contest is to have fun, enjoy great fellowship with our families and other BBQ teams.  I would say that’s been the secret to our success this year!

What is the strangest / best / worst thing that has happened to you or your team since you have been in BBQ competitions? The best thing that has happened to our team is our success this calendar year.  We won the 2010 Georgia BBQ Association “State Championship” in Fort Valley, GA September 10-11 and were also awarded the 2010 GBA Team of the Year & a new STUMPS BABY SMOKER for winning the 2010 points race.  We are currently ranked #25 in the National BBQ Rankings out of over 5000 teams!
The worst thing that has happened is we had a blow out on our cook trailer three events in a row this year heading to the cooks.

Many teams seem to do catering as well do you? We do also cater a variety of events.  229-222-1070 or 229-567-5212

For the people that BBQ home do you have any BBQ tips? LOW & SLOW
When you find a flavor profile that works, stick with it until it doesn’t.
If your scoring is not consistent, make minor changes to your recipes, not big ones.
Peach Wood!
STUMP’s SMOKERS(Stretch) and BUBBA GRILL’s(Hog Cooker)

Do you have a recipe or two that you would like to share? The best recipe we have is:  Fun+Consistency+Corteousy=WINNER     LOL

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An interview with Doug Francis of Hogs Gone Wild Competition BBQ Team – www.hogsgonewildbbq.com

How did you come up with the team name? I came up with our team name by, making a long list of names. I had many names on this list, and marked them off one by one, as my wife and I reviewed them. Then it just came to me Hogs Gone Wild BBQ, I did not even have to write it down because I knew it was the one.

Where does the team call home? We are out of Lakeland, FL

When did the team come together? I started the concept of our team in February 2010, it has taken some time to put things together, I have had some friends come on board with in the past couple of months.

Who were the founding members? The founding members are myself and my wife Birgit.

What is the furthest you have travelled for a BBQ competition? We are so new that, we haven’t done a competition yet. We have just last week took part in a BBQ school put on by the FBA, which was run and judged just like a real competition. We had great fun and learned a lot. We will be doing our first Pro Competition on October 1 & 2 in Sebring, FL. another FBA event.

Have you won any competitions? We have not won anything yet, in the school we came in an overall 21st place, out of about 40 teams, it was not bad for the first time out the gate, I just did not want DAL.

Does your team have a specialty? I enjoy cooking ribs the best, but our pork always gets the most attention.

What is the strangest / best / worst thing that has happened to you or your team since you have been in BBQ competitions? One thing I have learned in my short BBQ career, which is something I knew already, but was being relaxed about it and I paid the price for it…always wear closed toe shoes. At the end of the school just before the awards, I slipped and tore the nail off my big toe, not nice. I sat through the awards, trying not to bleed everywhere, this was the only time I will ever be glad not to get a call.

Many teams seem to do catering as well do you? We are not set up for catering, but we have discussed maybe doing it in the future.

For the people that BBQ home do you have any BBQ tips? Tips for the home BBQ’er, the top one for me would be to love BBQ, not just eating it, but making it, for me I like watching someone enjoying something I have prepared more then enjoying it myself. Also I would say, get a good grill, I was working twice as hard working on a cheap grill from a large chain store, now I have my large custom stick burner, which is a rib making machine, but I also have my new love, a Green Mountain Grill, (GMG). This is a pellet smoker, and take about making your BBQ life easier, this grill does that and more. If interested in checking one out, I would suggest getting in touch with Chad from Whiskey Bent BBQ, he will take good care of you.

Do you have a recipe or two that you would like to share? Hogs Gone Wild Cabbage Salad with Kidney Beans Recipe

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How did you come up with the team name? Some friends were sitting around back in 2006 and one of them said that he always wanted to open a place called Pig and Swig so the name is a play on his idea.

Where does the team call home? Nashville, TN

When did the team come together? Our first contest was in 2006

Who were the founding members? Barry Johnson and Mike Johnson with a lot of help from my college buddies, Brian Corwin and Chris Jenkins.  Since then, we’ve added the rest of my family and friends and of course Riley the Golden Retriever who has become the most popular member of the team.

What is the furthest you have traveled for a BBQ competition? We had the honor of being invited to the 2010 Sam’s Club Invitational in Oklahoma City so that was about 1000 miles one way but generally all over the Southeast.

Have you won any competitions? Our first Grand Championship came in 2009 and we have another one this year.

Does your team have a specialty? Not really, we strive to be consistent in all categories.

What is the strangest / best / worst thing that has happened to you or your team since you have been in BBQ competitions? The best thing has actually happened recently.  We have had 2 180’s in Ribs at consecutive contests with one of them being a perfect perfect 180 and also had 2 first place briskets at the same contests. Four 1st’s and Two 180’s in 2 weeks I’d have to say is a pretty good feeling.

Do you have a recipe or two that you would like to share? Swiggin’ Pig Jalapeno Potato Recipe

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An Interview with Swamp Boys Championship BBQ Team – www.swampboys.com.

Swamp Boys is a team comprised of best friends. Four of us – Amy and Rob Bagby, Robin Harrison, and Tammy Sanders are all Special Education teachers who have been working together for over 19 years, and competing together for 6 years. Woody Woodford joined us about 4 years ago and we’ve all been together ever since. We have had the time of our lives competing and vending at BBQ contests. The whole crew comes along to the ones in and around central Florida, as well as the special venues like The Jack. Most of the out of state contests are handled by myself. We’ve already decided that when we all retire, we’ll get a big motor home and travel the country together, cooking contests and making more BBQ memories!

How did you come up with the team name? I graduated from the University of Florida and am a huge Gator football fan. The football field there is referred to as “The Swamp”. I wanted a tie-in to UF without being too obvious, so we came up with Swamp Boys.

Where does the team call home? Winter Haven, FL

When did the team come together? We formed and cooked our first contest in January of 2004. It was the backyard division of the Lakeland Pig Fest, and we won it!

Who were the founding members? Myself, my wife Amy, and our best friends and co-workers Tammy and Robin. We have since added Tammy’s boyfriend Woody to our team.

What is the furthest you have travelled for a BBQ competition? The furthest I have driven was to tha American Royal Invitational, and that was 1,262 miles, each way. I have flown to two contests – Shannon IL and Harpoon in VT. So far I’ve competed in nine different states.

Have you won any competitions? Yes, we’ve been pretty lucky. I’ve won 27 grand championships and 17 reserve grand championships.

Does your team have a specialty? We seem to do the best, most consistent job with brisket. Pork used to be our strongest, we even won 1st place in it at the Jack Daniel’s, but it is taking a beating this year.

What is the strangest / best / worst thing that has happened to you or your team since you have been in BBQ competitions? The strangest and worst things that have happened to me at BBQ competitions would have to be broken bones. In 2007 I broke my neck up in TN, and this year I broke my ankle here in FL. The best thing that has come out of BBQ competitions has to be all of the great friendships I’ve made. You hear it a lot and it’s true – BBQ folks are the best you’ll meet, anywhere. I’ve developed friendships that I will keep for the rest of my life.

Many teams seem to do catering as well do you? Yes, you can call 863-206-9363 or visit them at www.swampboys.com

Do you have a recipe or two that you would like to share? Swamp Boys Smoked Wings

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An interview with Gettin’ Piggy With It Competition BBQ Team – www.gettinpiggywithit.com

How did you come up with the team name? Our team name was decided upon by Greg Flatt and Dave Wilson.  We put together a long list of choices and sat down with family and voted on the one we liked the best.  We then enlisted the help of Elizabeth Flatt and Paul Wilson, who in conjunction came up with the final design of the team logo.  We get alot of complements on the name and especially the logo.  Starting this year, there will be a section on our website that fans of the team or logo can pose next to the sign and we will add them to the website.

Where does the team call home? Officially, the team is based out of Nashville, TN, however, we sometimes call Memphis, TN home.  Greg lives just outside of Nashville and Dave lives just outside Memphis (temporarily)

When did the team come together? We put the team together in 2008 based on a crazy idea that we had plenty of extra time to spend on a new hobby.  Once we got a few contests under our belt, it became very addictive.  Additionally, we started the team for both families to have something to participate in together and we have had some good success making this a “family” sport.

Who were the founding members? Greg Flatt and Dave Wilson were the original founding members.  Victor Fisher joined the team as a cook just after we got started.  Since we wanted this to be family participation, everyone has a position with the team.  For the full list, you can see all of us on our website at www.gettinpiggywithit.com

What is the furthest you have travelled for a BBQ competition? We went to Anderson, SC earlier this year for an American Bass Anglers BBQ Contest, which is the furthest we have traveled.  We do have one planned for Bainsbridge, GA next month and we are looking at doing one in December in Scottsdale, AZ.

Have you won any competitions? No, we have not won any competition yet, but feel we are getting very close.  We have placed well in some categories and are getting higher scores as we progress.  We do have a perfect 180 in a dessert competition that we are very proud of.

Does your team have a specialty? Competition wise, no, we do not have a specialty.  If we had to pick one area we consistently do better in, it would have to be ribs.  Outside of the competition meats, Dave loves to cook different dishes on the smoker for other teams and friends to try.  His stuffed colossal bacon wrapped bbq shrimp or pecan encrusted pork tenderloin pinwheels are always a huge success.  Some of these recipes can also be found on the Gettin Piggy With It website.

What is the strangest / best / worst thing that has happened to you or your team since you have been in BBQ competitions?  Shortly after the team was started, Victor and Melody Fisher joined the team.  In 2009, Melody Fisher lost her decade long battle in fighting cancer.  The team changed from black t-shirts to pink t-shirts to honor Melody.  The pink t-shirts were worn by all of the team and family members for a full year.

Many teams seem to do catering as well do you? Presently, we do not do any catering.  However, it may be something we would consider for the right person or reason.  Both Greg and David have cooked some meats for friends, Churches and the Scouts, but have not gone any further than that.

Do you have a recipe or two that you would like to share? Excluding our competition recipes, we have opened a new section on our website that has a few recipes.  We will always be updating this section with new recipes and photos for all of our fans and friends to use.  Please visit us at www.gettinpiggywithit.com

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