BBQ Competitions

Chkultr

I haven't really seen a BGE in one of these BBQ competitions. I even caught an episode of BBQ U and all he used was a Weber. I am sure he is sponsored so he has to! We are having one here in Hampton,VA. Is the BGE not allowed, not good enough, or is it cheating to use a BGE? I love my BGE and wouldn't mind entering in the competition. But rolling up to one with a BGE might be frowned upon!

Thoughts?

Botch

I entered my first, and my last, competition earlier this summer.  As long as its not specifically banned, I see no reason not to use your Egg.  It is SO good enough!  

Here's the only problem I see with an Egg in a competition: there just isn't enough "real estate" on an Egg to feed a crowd, and that's half the fun of a competition (well, this one).  I covered the judges just fine, but everyone around me, with their big twig burners, propane starships, and even Traegers were handing out chicken parts, whole ribs, etc to the sampling crowd, while I had to give each passerby a 1"x1"x1/8" bite of brisket, and I ran out just before the end of the competition.  If I had, say, three XL's, it'd be a bit easier, but I'm not that rich.  

My two scents.  

SGH

@Chkultr‌
The egg certainly produces a quality product. But as Botch mentioned above quantity is it's short coming for comp use. Most of the Weber guys are cooking on multiple WSM'S. Basically a sheet metal version of the egg. It's much lighter in weight and far easier to handle than a ceramic cooker. Also it's less fragile and can be taken apart for easy transport. At the other end of the spectrum you will find yourself cooking against guys like myself who can turn out massive amounts of meat to woo the crowd if you will. But can you do it on the egg? Certainly. Is it the best choice for comps? No. Pictured below is what you will be up against with your egg trying to complete all categories in the competition arena. The vertical unit will hold over 750 pounds of meat when properly loaded. The offset can hold over a half a ton. Literally.

Brisket_Fanatic

I am a KCBS judge and I see eggs all the time at competitions. WIth that said anyone using an egg has several of them in order to get the quantities need to cook at these things. I would love to start up a team but with only one large and one small egg, i am a little short. I have seen teams win using nothing than webber kettle grills for 80 bucks and beating the pants off teams with 10k in a cooker. I think as long as you master the cooker you are using and produce quality q your good.

Rusty Rooster

It varies greatly on the type of competition.  I was on a team that did many KCBS comps. using two XL's.  Most comps you do not serve the public, only the judges so you can get by with a much lower volume.

R2Egg2Q

The type of comp is definitely a factor in determining whether an Egg is a good choice for the event. Around here, People's Choice type comps are typically won by those who produce not only a decent product but lots of it. Not uncommon here for the winner to be the guy who didn't run out of meat and serves right up to the end. For that type of event large/commercial size cookers are a better choice IMO.

For KCBS style comps where you cook just for the KCBS judges the Egg is a pretty popular choice. Our last comp had 11 Eggs among 4 cook teams in one row alone. We had 4 Eggs and our neighbor had 3 LBGEs.

johnkitchens

@R2Egg2Q I love that pic!

KennyLee

I've seen several of the teams on the BBQ shows using them, most notably Big Moe Cason of Ponderosa BBQ.  He doesn't use it exclusively, but does use it for something every time I've seen him in a comp.

DMW

Looks like Nature Boy (Of Dizzy Pig) figured out how to make Eggs work at a comp.

Grand Champ at Harpoon Championship New England BBQ Competition.

Congrats Chris and team!

GalanteNate_OneEa

http://www.biggreenegg.com/events/competition-teams/