Needing to broaden my culinary horizons, I am filing this dispatch from the Way Out West BBQ Competition in Stockton, Ca. I'll be for here two days, working as an intern for Tim and Gina Mar, rising stars in the barbecue competition circuit of California.This is a big departure from the fancy white-tablecloth world of Oliveto, where I've been a chef apprentice for three months. Instead of working inside a crowded kitchen, I am outdoors, surrounded by scores of pit masters and assistants, trucks, trailors, grills and smokers.
The smell of smoked meat fills the air, and many of the competitors are sitting in chairs, drinking beer and enjoying the Delta breeze."This is one of the weird subcultures of American society," said Tim, who caught the barbecue bug a few years ago and started competing last year.
But it's a fun culture, he added. Competitors see each other every few weeks, traveling the state with their grills and gear. "It's a good group of people. We all get along," adds Tim, who won his first competition last year, in Modesto, and finished third last month in the state championships.Tim and I connected after he read some of my initial blog dispatches and emailed me with an invitation (more accurately, a challenge) to work as his assistant for a day or two.
"I think this would be a great opportunity for your readers to see the sometimes serious,
sometimes wacky world of competitive cooking contests," Tim wrote.
How could I turn down such an invitation?So far today, I've helped Tim inject a special seasoning agent into a pork shoulder. I've also trimmed a beef brisket and spread dry rub on it, and trimmed chicken. Ribs are next.
Tim uses some special ingredients for his BBQ, which he disclosed to me but would prefer not to detail. After all, this is a competition.
"Basically, we are all a bunch of egomaniacs," he said. "Otherwise, why else would we do this?"
Some 22 teams are competing in the Way Out West competition. The longest journey was made by Harry Soo, owner of SlapYoDaddyBBQ, who lives in Diamond Bar, Ca.
Harry is an up-and-comer who was inspired by Mar's victory last year. His team competed against more than 160 competitors in Kansas City in May and came in second, quite an accomplishment. "You probably never knew there was so many Chinese who were into competitive barbecue?" said Harry.
"We are part of the Asian invasion," joked Tim.
So the fun is just getting started. A potluck has just begun, and fires are being stoked for brisket and other meats that need to cook overnight.
I'll be posting updates as time allows, today and tomorrow. Stay tuned, or better yet, stop by the Weber Point Events Center in Stockton tomorrow for the public tasting, which starts at 11 a.m.
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