WOW! I have more interviews coming. More product reviews. More company profiles of some really neat companies. I have added some more links on the sidebar – please check out the “Friends” and “Partners” categories.

If you make a sauce, a rub, a cooking device or something associated with outdoor cooking – and would like to have a professional, thorough review done – please contact me! Your review will include links, photos, you name it!I even review coffee (now) and do book reviews as well.

If you have friends who like outdoor cooking, smoking, ‘Que – please send along my link to them or have them follow me on Twitter! Lots of cool things coming, not only here but on the Desert Rat Blog as well!

Well, with success comes change. The Skinny Moose network as been acquired by industry leader OutdoorHub.com.

With that came a re-design of my site. I hope you enjoy!

Dry Rubbed Rat

This looks like an awesome event! Unfortunately I have another commitment that day. I hope you all get a chance to make it! ~DRR

1st Annual Arizona BBQ Festival in Scottsdale

WHOLE FOODS FARMER’S MARKET
A full food experience on the day of the event, celebrating our local growers and farmers. The Whole Foods Farmer’s Market will feature the best our state has to offer in fruits, vegetables, meats and all things local.
VIP AREA
Here, our VIP guests will be able to relax in a bit more fashionable comfort. Think sofas, not picnic tables; top shelf liquor, not beer from a keg; and food not available to the masses. The VIP area will also be located closest to the stage to insure the best seats in the house.
MAIN STAGE
Our main performance stage will feature live music throughout the day. Various local bands will perform, providing the musical backdrop for the event.
CHECK IN
Your basic setup for Will-Call, collecting entrance fees, and food/drink sample ticket puchases.
PIT ROW
The 60+ cooking teams will be located in the west side of the site. Here, they will be getting their grill on. On the day, guests will be able to visit with the teams and sample their competition cooking.
BEER GARDEN
Our entire event site is one giant beer garden. Guests will be able to roam freely from vendor, to team, to expo with drink in hand. We will provide a seating area for our general admission guests.
VIKING COOKING DEMO STAGE
Our cooking stage sponsored by Viking, will not only have chef cooking demos, but also full BBQ seminars. This class will feature a real pitmaster taking our guests through a start-to-finish experience in BBQ’ing. This is a great team-builder.
KID’S ZONE
We will have an area dedicated to keeping the kids busy while the adults get to relax. Some features will include games, bouncy castle, petting zoo and more.
JUDGING AREA
This stage will feature the 40+ judges that will be presiding over the competition. The competitors will have to walk our “Cowhide Runway” to deliver their entries to our judges.
BBQ EXPO
The BBQ area will be the first thing visitors walk past. The expo will feature vendors displaying everything from grills to sauces, this will be a cornucopia of “All things BBQ.”
JACK DANIEL’S WHISKEY TENT
We will be hosting an area wherein visitors can sample all types of top shelf whiskey and bourbon. Samples will be sold; there will also be a full bar on hand.
GREEN LOUNGE
An exhibit area of the green technologies that are being developed right here in Arizona.

For those who are interested in the results from the 1st Annual Chandler BBQ Throwdown, here you go, courtesy of Mike over at the AzBBQ Forums.

Congrats to Jim & Adrian of Sweet Peppers for winning 3 out of 4 categories & Grand Champion.

Congrats to Vince & Alexa of Rhythm N’ Que for winning Reserve Grand Champion

Congrats to Catalina BBQ who competed in both events, won 3 out of 4 categories in Backyard, Won Backyard Grand Champion and finished 10th overall in the main competition. Incredible job.

Congrats to VRM Pit Crew for winning Reserve Grand Champion in the Backyard while also competing in the main event and finishing 7th Overall in that.

Congrats to Major Woody’s Baron Von Jager Team for Hosting the Midnight Appetizer Party, Providing the Party Bus & still finishing 4th overall.

Congrats to all who walked in the competition, there was some great talent out here.

GC – Sweet Peppers
RGC – Rhythm N’ Que
3rd – Otis & the Bird
4th – Major Woody’s Baron Von Jager
5th – BBQ Bullies
6th – Totally Que-Less BBQ Team
7th – VRM Pit Crew
8th – McFrankenboo BBQ
9th – Sauced Up!
10th – Catalina BBQ Company
11th – Smokin Phoenicians BBQ Team
12th – Smoked to the Bone
13th – I.A.B. 30
14th – Loot N’ Booty BBQ
15th – Smokewagon BBQ
16th – The Good Times BBQ Co.
17th – Bark N’ Chickens
18th – BBQ Castaways

Backyard, Kids Q & Best Booth Results.

Kids Q

Grand Champion – Big Daddy’s Kids
Reserve Grand Champion – Major Woody’s Baron Von Jager BBQ Team

Backyard BBQ Throwdown

Grand Champion – Catalina BBQ Company
Reserve Grand Champion – VRM Pit Crew
3rd Overall – Freddie G’s BBQ

Chicken:

1st – Catalina BBQ Company
2nd – Freddie G’s BBQ
3rd – VRM Pit Crew
4th – Billygoat BBQ
5th – Native Grillers

Best Burger:

1st – VRM Pit Crew
2nd – Brady’s Midwestern Meats
3rd – AZBarbeque
4th – Catalina BBQ Company
5th – Freddie G’s BBQ

Carne Asada:

1st – Catalina BBQ Company
2nd – Native Grillers
3rd – Brady’s Midwestern Meats
4th – Billygoat BBQ
5th – Freddie G’s BBQ

Salsa:

1st – Catalina BBQ Company
2nd – VRM Pit Crew
3rd – Freddie G’s BBQ
4th – Native Grillers
5th – Billygoat BBQ

Best Booth:

1st – Loot ‘N Booty BBQ
2nd – AZBarbeque
3rd – BBQ Castaways
4th – VRM Pit Crew
5th – Whiskey Ranch

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:

East Valley Tribune

Good Greasy Eats

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?

If you are on Facebook, you won’t want to miss the cool contest that they are running over at Mad Cow Cutlery.

The winner receives a Victorinox 8-pc knife set with block, a forged F. Dick 1905 series chef knife, or a Smith’s Diamond sharpening steel. That’s some awesome stuff, right there. Go here to sign up: SWEEPSTAKES.

Whether you are new to backyard grilling or cooking in the kitchen, I suggest you contact Daniel Clay or one of his staff over at Mad Cow. Let them know what you are doing, your budget, etc., and they can put together a “starter kit” based on your criteria, and their vast experience. Seriously, from knives to sharpeners, thermometers, utensils, you name it – Mad Cow can set you up.

What a beautiful Arizona spring day! Our daughter was over at friends’ so my wife and I took the opportunity to visit the 1st Annual Chandler BBQ Throwdown. I think the organizers must have been very pleased with the event. When we arrived at around 1:15, the line extended around the block and patrons were leaving saying that they had run out of ribs LOL.

Overall, my wife and I had a very enjoyable time. It was apparent that the vast majority of logistical glitches were due to the fact that they had a LOT more people show up than were anticipated. That, combined with the fact that it was a first-time event explained a lot. I think reasonable people take that into account.

It was our first BBQ event ever, so we weren’t sure what to expect. You had to pay to get in, and pay for samples. Half of that money went to charity. You can read some pretty good discussions and explanation over at the AzBarbeque Forums. It was apparent that this event was a massive undertaking and that it was well-planned in regards to sponsors, promotion, logistics, etc. For sure next year, I hope to participate in some way, other than as an “attendee”. My wife was hooked also.

Some pics:

The Big Green Egg crew

Yum. peppers and onions on the hotplate at Senor Chile’s

MMmm. Walt’s BBQ sauce line-up

Lotsa heat at the Anthony’s Spices booth

Wow – what a great idea! One of the things that keep our troops going is “comforts from home”, and what better treat than BBQ sauce! Yum. I want to thank the folks at the Carolina Sauce Company for telling me about this awesome program. Kudos to them, and all of the folks that contribute to their efforts. ~DryRubbedRat

Please, please, please visit Operation Sauce Drop and consider contributing to this cause.

From the Operation Sauce Drop website:

The mission of Operation Sauce Drop is to deliver great-tasting sauces to US military personnel stationed abroad, free of charge. Why are we doing this? Because we would like to thank our brave troops for their sacrifices with a small token of our appreciation, and perhaps a taste of home. We have assembled seven different themed gift boxes of sauces, from mild and zesty to hot and fiery, from which any serviceman or servicewoman stationed at an APO or FPO address may choose, and we will ship their choice of gift box to their APO or FPO address at absolutely no cost to them whatsoever.

Maybe next year I’ll be entering! Mark your calendars for March 20th! This looks like an awesome event. I’ll try and make it so that I can get some photos, talk to some teams, etc. ~DryrubbedRat

You can view all of the info here: Chandler Throwdown.

Some info:

HDE Agency is proud to announce that the inaugural Downtown Chandler Barbeque Throwdown has been scheduled for Saturday, March 20, 2010. Cooks, vendors, and tourists from around the state and country will make their way to historic downtown Chandler for the event.

The cook-off will be the largest International Barbeque Cookers Association (IBCA) sanctioned BBQ event in Arizona, drawing thousands of spectators and 30 nationally-sanctioned teams from all over the country. The event will be judged and governed by the IBCA, and is endorsed by the Arizona Barbecue Association.

The Downtown Chandler Barbeque Throwdown is a competition for the best in four categories: pork ribs, pork shoulder/butt, brisket, and half chicken. There will also be a Backyard Division for chicken, burgers, carne asada, salsa and Kids Q.