Wow – the thin blue smoke has barely cleared, and the sparks are now flying! The folks over at the AzBarbeque Forums are really upset with some unfavorable reviews on the event. Compared to some of the others, my review is vanilla!
Now the bunch at AzBarbeque Club is the last group of folks that I want to alienate. I have only recently joined their forum and so far they have been welcoming and friendly. They have a lot to offer in terms of knowledge and experience and I might enjoy cranking up my ‘cue to their level some day.
Here are some of the negative reviews floating around:
Chow Bella via The Phoenix New Times
Reading it all, and taking part in conversations at the BBQ Forums, I think everyone is right. Have a look at the commenter name Michelle – she made some points that were dead on. The food was great, but I think the event was probably mis-marketed. Now, I’m a pretty bright guy, but I was confused by it all as well. Some questions asked over at the BBQ forums showed me how BBQ folks view this type of event – “primarily a competition, that the public is invited to observe”.
I think the organizers/teams are too close to the event to be objective. They are obviously very passionate about what they do. They enjoy socializing with the other teams, and they enjoy competing. They are seeing it from a competitor’s point of view. The competition went well, they were able to visit with other teams, they had more public attend than expected. They cooked up some good eats, and the competition was hearty. For them, the event was indeed a roaring success!
I can’t speak for all of the public. I just can tell you that while I was waiting in line (about 1:30) I would guess about 1/3 to 1/2 of the people leaving weren’t very happy, and they were voicing that.
My wife and I got samples at the Big Green Egg tent and 2 other booths. The AzBarbeque club did in fact still have some food left, but we had just bought some frozen yogurt. The vast majority of booths were out. Their explanations make sense, after the fact. As “Michelle” pointed out though, the public was encouraged to come and “sample/taste/etc”. That was pretty challenging. Long story short – as a fledgling smoker, the logistical mishaps weren’t enough to keep me away next time, either as an entrant, a volunteer, or just a member of the public. I do hope that the organizers take some of the comments to heart, and do a better job of educating/promoting/informing Joe Public. As far as the heated discussions going on at the review pages, I truly believe it is simply the “Tale of Two Perspectives”.
If you were attending as a member of the public, what did you think?
