For those of you interested in Competitions, here are the three local sanctioning bodies that you should join. The national sanctioning body is the Kansas City BBQ Society (KCBS). Their website and newsletter list all of the big events. On a local level, there is the Calif BBQ Assoc (CBBQA). And for those who willing to cross state lines, there is the Nevada BBQ Assoc (NVBBQA). Memberships are not expensive, and you get to network with the "circuit".
Smoking up a batch of BBQ involves a lot of cooking stages, along with precise temperatures and durations. It takes a lot of practice and patience to calculate just what is the perfect combination based on your individual pit and taste preferences.
In order to keep track of every cook session, I designed and use a paper worksheet so that I can document my successes and failures.
I learned about this tool from some pitmasters while hanging out at a competition. The Chargon is an easy way to scrape your grill grates clean. It does not have any metal bristles that could break off and pose a health risk. I got mine on Amazon.
BBQ falls into 3 main classes: Backyard, Restaurant/Vendor/Caterer, and Competition.
