3rd Annual Backyard BBQ Bash Aftermath

There was so much to do to make the event happen. So much to prepare. So much to collect. So much to buy. So much to coordinate. All for a single day of grilling, chilling, and competing.We needed sponsors, a location, judges, stuff for judging, stuff for raffles, stuff to feed the volunteers, a PA and DJ, a PA and band, bouncy house, signage, trophies, beer (lots of beer), and money to pay for all of it. So before I get into the particulars of the day, I want to give our heartfelt thanks to a whole lot of people.

First of all, Ken and Ron for throwing themselves and their business, Arnold Stove and Fireplace, behind the event. This event does not happen without them. They did more than the competitors and event participants will ever know. If you need a grill (gas or charcoal), grill accessories, a fireplace (indoor or out), stove, or outdoor patio furniture, please go to Arnold Stove and Fireplace to get them. Without your support of them, they can’t support us and this event.

I also want to thank the Mike Emerson otherwise known as Pappy. Yes that Pappy of Pappy’s Smokehouse. His financial backing was invaluable to making this happen. If you haven’t been, you have to go. This guy does it right on so many levels and I’m not just talking his amazing BBQ. He is truly one of the good guys who believes in giving back and helping others succeed:

Mike Lonero of Ferguson Brewery helped us raise a ton of cash for Wounded Warrior Project. I hope that all of you who were able to sample some of his amazing brews are now converts like I am. That guy makes some seriously good beer. I might be imbibing in a growler of Pumpkin Ale as I write this.

And if you haven’t seen what Mike and his family have done in Ferguson, you need to make the trip whether to Ferguson Brewery or to Cork Wine Bar across the street as well as all kinds of cool little places in walking distance. They have planted a seed there that will blossom and spread for miles. You will want to be able to say you were going there from the beginning.

And we wouldn’t have been able to serve that fantastic Ferguson beer without the assistance of the two Shelly’s from Havana Cigar Room who graced us with their liquor license for a day as well as their presence:

Can’t make it to Arnold to the Havana Cigar Room? Have them come to you. Next time you’re having an event, have the ladies come out and make it all the more exciting by having the Rolling Divas in attendance doling out their wares and dolling up the place:

And we can’t forget Andria’s for providing sauce for every team and raffle prizes. We have been using Andria’s for years before we started the website and are giddy that they are part of what we do on both the site and with this contest. If you haven’t checked out their salad dressing, you need to:

Some say judging a BBQ contest is a treat that everyone should enjoy, but it’s also a hassle and time consuming on an awesome fall Saturday afternoon. Thank you to all the judges that let us inconvenience you to make this contest a reality. We really appreciate it.

I also want to thank Erik Hemmann who was gracious enough to do the scoring and doing it professionally. His spreadsheet is a thing of beauty. Anyone who would like a copy of the full spreadsheet with all scores of all teams, email me by clicking this link.

He was not the only volunteer that was amazing. Kevin, Emily, my Mother in Law (Maureen), my Mom (Linda), Katherine, Tami, Amy (even if she is a Cubs fan), Sarah, Sharon and Mike, and of course my amazing wife. I couldn’t believe she was sporting this shirt as she is not really into smoky stuff from the grill:

Anyone who knows Colleen is cracking up right now. They could see Maureen wearing one, but not Coll:

Let’s not forget the music. We had both a live band and a DJ. The was band: Last Gnome Standing. Love these guys. Any band that can go from the Beatles to Michael Jackson in back to back songs has some serious talent and fantastic range:

Don’t forget Birk Tinker as the DJ and more importantly king of working the crowd, letting everyone know when turn in times were, raffles, and the like. He did such an amazing job. I’m proud that the guy is my neighbor as well as a friend. He was integral to the success of the event, and yet I have no picture of him. Sorry, Birk!

And one more big thank you goes to Ken Lowe out at St. Louis Trophy and Engraving. He’s been responsible for the rock star trophies the last three years. He does such an amazing job:

He can do anything from plaques to magnets to name tags to ribbons as well as amazing trophies. Give him a shout for your next event.

Now to the actual event. We were blessed with absolutely fantastic weather and an amazing venue. It truly was the best Backyard BBQ Bash to date. It started early with half the teams onsite before I strolled in a little after 7:00 a.m.:

Caught what might be the first and only violation for the day. This is not a contest for professional with custom trailered rigs. Well this one isn’t trailered, it is custom but it’s just plain cool. This is the grill from Big Dick’s BBQ and they only cooked samples on the grill rather than competition food so we gave them a pass on it:

I walked around and got some pics of some of the teams sporting some sweet signage:

And while not a team sign, it was a sponsor sign for Phatso’s BBQ of Hot Shots Bar and Grill. And the Grillin’ Fools love us some Hot Shots:

And we had some amazing beer at the event, including this Ferguson Pumpkin Ale:

We also had some folks drinking their own beer and starting pretty darn early. First beer of the day was popped before 8:00 by these guys:

But he wasn’t going it alone. These two guys are a team!

But those weren’t the only characters that made the event. We had plenty more. How about Chris from Pit Squad:

But after a few adult beverages Chris was showing off his dance moves:

And here is Chris after his buddy there told him that I love to take pictures of this kind of stuff for this post!

There were countless more with 25 teams and so many people who showed up to check the place out:

And is that a beer sighting at the tapper?

And who’s drinking that beer so early?

Time to get the grills going and the smoke rolling:

And of course time to prep the food:

And love what else they brought to the event – the flags:

Last Minute BBQ brought some things to the event too. Their hardware from last year:

And here’s a little of what could’ve been sampled the day of the event by event goers:

The folks from Easy Grilling Products weren’t done there. They were doing a whole ham too!

I’m seeing a gender bias here at the event. Lots of men and very few women. That just wasn’t the case. There were plenty of the fairer sex at the event:

And how could she not be excited? We had a bouncy house for the kids:

This little Grillin’ Fool loved the bouncy house:

We also had raffles all day:

And here are a few shots of the crowd. Here are a couple pics from above in the early afternoon before we really got cranking:

The last boxes are turned in and judged and Erik is tabulating the scores while the teams start to pack up. One of the coolest things I saw all day were the guys from Average Joe BBQ stowing their American flag properly:

In what is now a yearly occurrence, and one both of my children now participate in, the singing of the Thomas boys:

How do you keep two boys who are desperate to keep singing on the microphone occupied? iPhones:

And now it’s time for the trophies 50/50 and the Big Green Egg raffles:

And the winner of the Big Green Egg?

You can’t make this stuff up. 60 seconds after giving back he 50/50, she wins the Big Green Egg! Wow!

But before we go, a little about why we were here and what we raised $3000 for:

Wounded Warrior Project helps those coming back from defending our freedom that lost their lives doing so. While they survived, they did lose a limb and thus we are doing what we can to help them. They didn’t pay the ultimate price but they came close and will have to live without a part of themselves for the rest of their lives. For that we honor them as much as we can with our time, effort, and money. The first year we raised $1000, the second year $1500 and this year $3000! I like that progression!

By these words we live:

If you’re not giving, your not living. The greatest thing we can do on this earth is help others.

Scott Thomas

Scott Thomas, the Original Grillin’ Fool, was sent off to college with a suitcase and a grill where he overcooked, undercooked and burned every piece of meat he could find. After thousands of failures, and quite a few successes, nearly two decades later he started a website to show step by step, picture by picture, foolproof instructions on how to make great things out of doors so that others don’t have to repeat the mistakes he’s made on the grill.

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BBQ Grilling

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This article was initially published on: October 2, 2012