MEMPHIS BBQFest > 2023 > 1 Month Away - $100,000 budget due to inflation! (1 Viewer)

[krista4]

Rooms booked!

I'll be just down the road. FBG'S IN ATTENDANCE THIS YEAR AT SLAB YO MAMA BBQ:• Tipsy McStagger (partying & cooking in some capacity)• Buddy Ball 2K3 • Krista: You guys doing the fest again this year?

Yes! Proud member of Born in the Que S A reporting in. After our best-ever 26th in ribs and 5th in tomato sauce last year, this should be good!This year we'll actually have to manage to meet! FBGs are all welcome at our tent as well. Ours is nowhere near as fancy as [icon]'s but we definitely have a very fun group and awesome food.

 

[tipsy mcstagger]

I've been dying to go to this for over a decade, but it always falls on the graduation weekend for the colleges here...huge busy time @ Dante's. But this year...it's on.

Props to icon for getting me motivated.

Now...how to tell the wife....

 

[Guster]

Not going to be able to make it this year, but I'll be following along jealously. I've got to try to get down next year - never been to Memphis and it seems like an awesome time. Good luck

 

[[icon]]

Yes! Proud member of Born in the Que S A reporting in. After our best-ever 26th in ribs and 5th in tomato sauce last year, this should be good!This year we'll actually have to manage to meet! FBGs are all welcome at our tent as well. Ours is nowhere near as fancy as [icon]'s but we definitely have a very fun group and awesome food.

Woot! Congrats again on the strong finishes last year! Agreed. I'm going to make a point of it to swing by for sure at some point. likely drag tipsy by I wouldn't exactly call our tent "Fancy" so much as rowdy

I've been dying to go to this for over a decade, but it always falls on the graduation weekend for the colleges here...huge busy time @ Dante's. But this year...it's on.Props to icon for getting me motivated. Now...how to tell the wife....

Can't wait GB. Gonna be a great time. Check the McClures thread but I think I found you a crash spot (fingers crossed) if you've got an air mattress. Of course, you're always welcome to crash at the tent if you're feeling like it but I can assure you one night of that is more than enough

Not going to be able to make it this year, but I'll be following along jealously. I've got to try to get down next year - never been to Memphis and it seems like an awesome time. Good luck

Sorry ya won't be able to make it and thanks for the well wishes. Will be keeping the thread up to speed again this year just like in the past so folks can follow along for a behind the scenes look at the wildest, biggest BBQ competition in the world. The Superbowl of Swine.... UPDATE:Team is exchanging emails. The same guy as usual is angling to get rid of the bar this year. He thinks liquor is bad. He brings it up every year. Every year I inform him that most females drink booze/wine and not beer... and nobody likes a sword fight. His reasons are: Liquor brings the wrong peopel to the tent (we have a door guy), liquor changes the complexion of the party (what?), and he doesn't think the team can afford to front the bar (I have personally fronted the bar the last 3 year and returned over $2000 in profits from tips to the team last year alone). He's an idiot. FYI profit is from tips...all drinks/food are free when you're in our tent. Funny aside: This same guy, his WIFE used to be our bartender. We had huge sponsors that funded the bar. She tended and kept all the tips... making a nice $700-1000 profit every year. 3 years ago we lost our main sponsor and killing the liquor bar was on the table for budgetary reasons. I said #### that and funded the bar myself and had friends run it (They were happy to help). She flipped the #### out demanding to be able to bartend and keep the tips. Our pitmaster laughed at her. She made a scene. In the end, we tended bar, turned a $400 profit which went back to the team. Every year since then this guy (obviously a mouthpiece for his wife) has tried to talk the team into not having a bar. Every year we tell him he's insane and fund the bar ourselves, turn a tidy profit, and turn the funds over to the team to help fund other stuff. Good times.

 

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UPDATE:

Was so excited to head down to assist Tipsy in his Hogs for the Cause competition this weekend... alas, the ####### train was full 2 weeks before the event. I've never seen the City Of New Orleans book solid on the DAY OF, let alone 2 weeks early. Crushed my plans. :(

So, now I'm focusing on Memphis In May. A few notes:

RED BULL:

We have been approached by Red Bull for this year. They are bringing in a slew of top Red Bull and Liquor reps for the event and they want a host team. They have loved what we've done in the past (Hence why they provide us with unlimited product, tables, coolers, etc) and want us to be their home team. THey will be aligning with 5 or 6 teams and providing them with product. Their guests will wander between the tents but ours will be the primary spot.

We'll be catering dinner or them (50 guests) on top of our other sponsor (25 guests) and the other 300+ friends/family who will filter through our tent during dinner time. Thankfully our pitmaster will have some exceedingly capable help in FBG's own Tipsy McStagger of McClure's Barbeque fame.

The added catering arrangement brings about some issues however. First we were considering having to block off our both for dinner time to accommodate 25 folks. Now we're talking about having to feed another 50 in a spacious seated environment. This posed problems. As a result we're looking into scaffolding setup (14x37 floor space) butting directly up against our 10x40 Double Decker BBQ Trailer. It would give us 2 second levels independent of each other. Both overlooking the MS River. in fact the entry for our tent will be about 30-40ft from the banks of the river...right on the edge of the park.Talk about a view....

In addition we're in talks with a local distributor for Bacardi... and we're reasonably sure we'll get stocks donated of: Bacardi Rum, 42 Degrees Vodka, Bombay Gin, Dewars Scotch, and some sort of tequila. Full bar this year This is also on top of the 20 kegs of brew donated by PBR. Should be pretty killer bar setup.

So we're finally going 2 stories (if this deal works). We've got Resident FBG BBQ Guru Tipsy coming up to lend a hand.... picking up some more major sponsors... it's setting up nicely for one hell of a year.

 

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RedBull: Confirmed. More details to come

 

[tommyGunZ]

I love reading this thread every year. Some year I'm going to raise up and make it to Memphis for this event and enjoy a few cold ones with you icon.

 

[[icon]]

I love reading this thread every year. Some year I'm going to raise up and make it to Memphis for this event and enjoy a few cold ones with you icon.

Anytime buddy. I've got you covered! Tipsy and Buddy Ball 2K will be there this year and can give a detailed account from the point of view of a first timer Should be entertaining if they end up posting in this thread during the fest as well

 

[[icon]]

Looking like the only rooms remaining for downtown are:

Peabody Memphis : $329/night

Mariott Memphis (on main) : $219/night

Best Western Plus Gen X Inn : $360/night

The other 15 hotels downtown are booked solid now.

Again, you'll want to look at checking in Thursday May 17th and leave Saturday night late or Sunday (20th).

Meeting with RedBull Tuesday to finalize details of the arrangement. The arrangement is they will be paying us $6000 plus unlimited free cases of redbull for the tent (we went through close to 50 cases last year at a retail value of $60/case or so. ($3000 in product)). They're also bringing in a bunch of nice high-top tables, a redbull fridge for atop the bar, and possibly a redbull DJ booth for at night.... space dependent.

In exchange, they will be bringing in 50 top reps from around the country. We'll be catering dinner for them all Friday night on the 2nd deck of our tent overlooking the MS river. Essentially they're funding our scaffolding, the food cost, table/chair rental cost, and then throwing in an extra $2k and product for our troubles. Helps with team expenses a lot.

In addition they are working with a local liquor distributor to line up an excellent selection of liquors (comped) for our bar. This has been outlined above I think though.

BAD NEWS: Our awesome 40' Custom Double-Decker BBQ Trailer is having tire/axle issues. We need to add a second axle and get a new round of tires. We're looking at $3-4k of unforseen expenses and it MUST be addressed as the trailer is now undriveable in it's current state. Wheee!

Band lineup is coming together. We will yet again have Patrick Dodd for sure (Beale Street Entertainer of the year) and I'm note sure who else he will be bringing aboard. Kirk Smithhart has played both previous years. The 3rd slot had been Grant Garland (now lead singer/guitarist for Grant Garland band at BB King's Las Vegas) 2 years ago and Zack Fairley on bass last year. Not sure who they will bring in this year but you can count on it being amazing.

 

[JerseyToughGuys]

one of these years...

haven't read the whole thing, but scaffolding =

Bring me on as your risk manager imo

 

[[icon]]

one of these years...haven't read the whole thing, but scaffolding = Bring me on as your risk manager imo

What could go wrong with hundreds of people on temporary scaffolding erected on a muddy riverbank?! All joking aside, this is actually very common down there. Some tents (Memphis Grizzlies team tent) actually build 3 story structures. Ours will only be 2 stories and will only be 14x40 (vs 24x40) so it should be structurally very sturdy. Our team is a LLC and everything is run through there to help mitigate some risk at least. THe company that we're using to do our build is very reputable and does the majority of the booths down there so they're experienced with the conditions. Ya need to make it down sometime... I think you'd end up making it an annual pilgrimage. We already have "regulars" at our tent that fly/drive in annually from New Orleans, Virginia beach, Wisconsin, Michigan, California, and Texas.

 

[tipsy mcstagger]

I cannot wait.

We need to discuss the menu for my cooking night. And if I need to bring any other LA treats outside of the seafood.

Char grilled Oysters Rock

Redfish on the Half Shell with Jumbo Lump Crab & herb salad

Barbecue shrimp, LA style (in a spicy sauce)

Seafood Gumbo or Etouffe

Crawfish / Seafood Boil

Any of that sound ok?

 

[JerseyToughGuys]

one of these years...haven't read the whole thing, but scaffolding = Bring me on as your risk manager imo

What could go wrong with hundreds of people on temporary scaffolding erected on a muddy riverbank?! All joking aside, this is actually very common down there. Some tents (Memphis Grizzlies team tent) actually build 3 story structures. Ours will only be 2 stories and will only be 14x40 (vs 24x40) so it should be structurally very sturdy. Our team is a LLC and everything is run through there to help mitigate some risk at least. THe company that we're using to do our build is very reputable and does the majority of the booths down there so they're experienced with the conditions. Ya need to make it down sometime... I think you'd end up making it an annual pilgrimage. We already have "regulars" at our tent that fly/drive in annually from New Orleans, Virginia beach, Wisconsin, Michigan, California, and Texas.

I've got a scaffolding company as a client, like I said

 

[JerseyToughGuys]

I cannot wait. We need to discuss the menu for my cooking night. And if I need to bring any other LA treats outside of the seafood.Char grilled Oysters RockRedfish on the Half Shell with Jumbo Lump Crab & herb saladBarbecue shrimp, LA style (in a spicy sauce)Seafood Gumbo or EtouffeCrawfish / Seafood BoilAny of that sound ok?

jeebus I want to go home and cook

 

[Tusken Raider]

I cannot wait. We need to discuss the menu for my cooking night. And if I need to bring any other LA treats outside of the seafood.Char grilled Oysters RockRedfish on the Half Shell with Jumbo Lump Crab & herb saladBarbecue shrimp, LA style (in a spicy sauce)Seafood Gumbo or EtouffeCrawfish / Seafood BoilAny of that sound ok?

Oh Hell M-F'n yeah.What night are you planning on cooking? I'm usually good for one night at BBQ. Slab Yo Mama treated me well last year.

 

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I cannot wait. We need to discuss the menu for my cooking night. And if I need to bring any other LA treats outside of the seafood.Char grilled Oysters RockRedfish on the Half Shell with Jumbo Lump Crab & herb saladBarbecue shrimp, LA style (in a spicy sauce)Seafood Gumbo or EtouffeCrawfish / Seafood BoilAny of that sound ok?

Looks like Courtney's thoughts on the menu for the Catering/Dinner Friday are going to be: Pulled PorkPork TenderloinBaby Back RibsBBQ Smoked ChickenHot Wings (we make GOOD ones...have taken as high as 3rd place)Plus the usual compliment of Slaw, Potato Salad, Beans, etc. Anything we do that's creative (like the stuff you're talking about) likely needs to be either lunch thursday or Wednesday night for the team-only dinner. Unfortunately our tent runs at the scale that cooking stuff like that on Thurs/Fri/Sat is difficult and expensive as we'll have several hundred mouths to feed. It's tough. I am so excited about chargrilled oysters.. ####### LOVE them. Hopefully we can work together a budget that fits with what you're trying to do. We definitely need to get on a conference call with our Pitmaster and all get on the same page.

 

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Also, Tipsy... we have two guys who do shrimp grits every year for Seafood. They're good (we took 2nd last year) but I think with you throwing out pointers, they could be better. Just throwing that out there....

 

[BringItOn]

I so need to get down there one of these years...

 

[Buddy Ball 2K3]

I love reading this thread every year. Some year I'm going to raise up and make it to Memphis for this event and enjoy a few cold ones with you icon.

Anytime buddy. I've got you covered! Tipsy and Buddy Ball 2K will be there this year and can give a detailed account from the point of view of a first timer Should be entertaining if they end up posting in this thread during the fest as well

Found out on Monday that we wont be going. Knee replacement for the old man. Hopefully we will be doing this next year.

 

[[icon]]

I love reading this thread every year. Some year I'm going to raise up and make it to Memphis for this event and enjoy a few cold ones with you icon.

Anytime buddy. I've got you covered! Tipsy and Buddy Ball 2K will be there this year and can give a detailed account from the point of view of a first timer Should be entertaining if they end up posting in this thread during the fest as well

Found out on Monday that we wont be going. Knee replacement for the old man. Hopefully we will be doing this next year.

No ####?! Oh man. Had you guys booked rooms and such? I'm hoping they're cancelable? Sorry to hear... you're going to miss a helluva year.

 

[tipsy mcstagger]

I love reading this thread every year. Some year I'm going to raise up and make it to Memphis for this event and enjoy a few cold ones with you icon.

Anytime buddy. I've got you covered! Tipsy and Buddy Ball 2K will be there this year and can give a detailed account from the point of view of a first timer Should be entertaining if they end up posting in this thread during the fest as well

Found out on Monday that we wont be going. Knee replacement for the old man. Hopefully we will be doing this next year.

No ####?! Oh man. Had you guys booked rooms and such? I'm hoping they're cancelable? Sorry to hear... you're going to miss a helluva year.

It's because of me isn't it.

 

[tipsy mcstagger]

Also, Tipsy... we have two guys who do shrimp grits every year for Seafood. They're good (we took 2nd last year) but I think with you throwing out pointers, they could be better. Just throwing that out there....

Um...i have a little knowledge

 

[tipsy mcstagger]

How many to feed on Wednesday night? I could even bring soft shell crabs.

 

[glumpy]

awwwww Jeeeez.. If there's anything that would pull me from a BBQ fest it's soft shell crabs, shrimp & grits, .... good seafood. And this fest has Both??!!!

I'm down to OBX a week in May; gotta see if the schedules will sinc.

 

[Smack Tripper]

Wait, we can hang in your tent icon?

I recall from other years we can't just go tent to tent, they're all invite scenes.

Can you give a cliff notes update on how this works, can you buy bbq, can you buy tickets to these other tents?

 

[Buddy Ball 2K3]

I love reading this thread every year. Some year I'm going to raise up and make it to Memphis for this event and enjoy a few cold ones with you icon.

Anytime buddy. I've got you covered! Tipsy and Buddy Ball 2K will be there this year and can give a detailed account from the point of view of a first timer Should be entertaining if they end up posting in this thread during the fest as well

Found out on Monday that we wont be going. Knee replacement for the old man. Hopefully we will be doing this next year.

No ####?! Oh man. Had you guys booked rooms and such? I'm hoping they're cancelable? Sorry to hear... you're going to miss a helluva year.

It's because of me isn't it.

Yes, yes it was.I was able to cancel the rooms. I am pretty bummed about not being able to go with the old man. He has wanted to go to this for years and it seems something always comes up. He is barely able to walk with out a major limp any more, so there was no way he would be able to manage two days of walking on a stomach full of bbq and beer. Hopefully we will be able to make it next year.

 

[[icon]]

Also, Tipsy... we have two guys who do shrimp grits every year for Seafood. They're good (we took 2nd last year) but I think with you throwing out pointers, they could be better. Just throwing that out there....

Um...i have a little knowledge

A LITTLE?!

How many to feed on Wednesday night? I could even bring soft shell crabs.

We're talking about feeding about 70-80 on Wednesday night. Team only plus about 50-60ish guests. We are limited on the number of passes we'll have. HOw much are you talking about here? Seafood ain't cheap!

Wait, we can hang in your tent icon? I recall from other years we can't just go tent to tent, they're all invite scenes.Can you give a cliff notes update on how this works, can you buy bbq, can you buy tickets to these other tents?

Yes, you can. I'm extending an actual invite to FBG's who want to come down. You will eat for free, drink for free, have the time of your life for free. The only cost is $8 general admission to the festival. Yes... all tents are invite only. It is illegal for teams to sell invites to their tents, though some will accept large donations discreetly for admission. Generally $20-40 will get you into a lower tier tent. If you show up with a buddy and waive a hundred bucks at us on thursday or friday night you still aren't getting in. Show up with 2 attractive women and a hundred and you might. You will have a hard time getting in random tents as a stranger. it will be next to impossible to get into GOOD tents as a stranger. All I ask of FBGs who come is: 1) Be cool. A large number of my friends and family will be here. Rampant FBG shtick is generally not welcome. (This HASN'T been an issue in the past, thankfully) 2) I am usually pretty busy during the fest helping run the tent. A lot of these people are folks I don't see very often...Plus I have friends on 20ish other tents so I mix and mingle a lot. Please understand and don't expect me to be able to hang out for extended periods of time. (This has been an issue in the past)3) Take care of your bartenders. If we're pouring booze down your throat for 3 days straight and shoveling top shelf BBQ down your gullet, I figure this goes without saying.4) Please don't try to do stuff you're not supposed to, saying "It's cool, I'm with Matt". Everyone there will be "with me". (This has been an issue in the past unfortunately). 5) Please don't show up at off times and ##### that there isn't food there. We serve lunch and dinner. The food lasts about an hour if that. If you show up at 3pm hungry, expect to wait a bit. If you show up at 7pm hungry, expect to go buy a corn dog. If anyone is interested in coming, please let me know in advance. If you just show up and drop names, security will not let you in. You need to have a team wristband or be on a list. Sorry if that seems sorta hardcore but just wanted to get all that out in the front.

 

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THE MAP IS IN!

I know this doesn't sound like a big deal to most of you, but packet day (when you get your packet confirming admission and booth number) and Map Day (the day they release the CAD rendering of the park layout) are big milestones for this event. I'm currently sipping on a Fat Tire in celebration of our good spot.

What constitutes a good spot for the Superbowl of Swine? I'll give ya a little insight...

1) It's all about the river baby!

Like anything else in life, the dirt closest to the water is worth the most. We applied for and paid for a riverfront spot but you learn to never take it for granted until you see your booth location. Sometimes you get a spot that is river view but is pretty far from the actual river. It sucks. We got a great riverfront spot.

2) Access is key

There are two main entrances to this event. Being close to one of them is kinda nice. Easier for friends to find your booth. Easier to bring stuff in. Easier to get in and out of the fest if you want to run to your hotel room to shower up midday or something like that. There are two entrances to this park. A south entrance that dumps you off near an interstate on ramp and in a decent but slightly shady part of town far from any sort of nightlife. THen there is a north entrance that dumps you off about a hundred yards from the head of Beale Street... a world famous entertainment district and birthplace of the blues. A place where open containers are encouraged (ala Bourbon Street) and last call at many places is 6am. Which end do you want to be near when the park closes at midnight? We're 10 tents in from the North entrance.

3) While the cat's away....

IN the heart of the park there is a judging tent. Around that tent is where most security come in and out. At the south end of the park is where the main operations tent is. Most of the park staff go in and out of that tent frequently as the day goes on... meaning traffic around that tent of enforcement staff is high. We are, again, at the north end of hte park. Almost as far away from event officials as one can get. Why is this important, you ask? Last year we were directly across from judging. When our band (which is technically illegal) started up, we were shut down within 30 minutes by event officials. It sucked. That SHOULDN'T be a problem this year.

4) Extra Space is Free Space

When you pay $2000 to rent a 24x40 plot of grass, getting additional space for cheap/free is always welcome. It's nice to look behind your tent and see how much open space you have. It's also nice to be on the river because you have a good 20' of grassy riverbank/bluff to use during the day for stuff like cornhole games and whatnot. That extra space is awesome. We have decent amount of space behind us (we usually setup a cooking pit back there and the porta-potties) and then we'll have the riverbank as well. Nice.

WIthout further ado....

THE 2012 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP OF BBQ EVENT MAP

 

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One more thing... a little "intro to BBQfest" post from a team we know. These guys are kinda dorks who are always begging for people to join their squad (vs having a waiting list of over 100 people for a good team like ours)... but most of the stuff in this is pretty accurate. The video midpage is kinda goofy but does give an idea of how this truly is the world's largest BBQ Contest (as certified by Guiness Book of World Records) and it is truly an international contest. A little tidbit... over the 3 days of the festival, contestants cook nearly 100 TONS of pork (the article is out of date).

Article

 

[tommyGunZ]

####### awesome.

 

[ConstruxBoy]

Great stuff. Need to get back to this again some year.

 

[[icon]]

Looking into small business LLC loan to fund trailer axle swap (two new dually axles with new wheels and tires). Plus looking at selling our Tucker smoker and getting a Backwoods Compeitior.

 

[Megla]

Looking into small business LLC loan to fund trailer axle swap (two new dually axles with new wheels and tires). Plus looking at selling our Tucker smoker and getting a Backwoods Compeitior.

Is the Backwoods big enough?I hate to see you lose the love of flame going with this type of smoker but I can understand wanting the ease and the ability to regualte temps

 

[Steve Tasker]

Looking like the only rooms remaining for downtown are:

Peabody Memphis : $329/night

Mariott Memphis (on main) : $219/night

Best Western Plus Gen X Inn : $360/night

The other 15 hotels downtown are booked solid now.

Again, you'll want to look at checking in Thursday May 17th and leave Saturday night late or Sunday (20th).

Meeting with RedBull Tuesday to finalize details of the arrangement. The arrangement is they will be paying us $6000 plus unlimited free cases of redbull for the tent (we went through close to 50 cases last year at a retail value of $60/case or so. ($3000 in product)). They're also bringing in a bunch of nice high-top tables, a redbull fridge for atop the bar, and possibly a redbull DJ booth for at night.... space dependent.

In exchange, they will be bringing in 50 top reps from around the country. We'll be catering dinner for them all Friday night on the 2nd deck of our tent overlooking the MS river. Essentially they're funding our scaffolding, the food cost, table/chair rental cost, and then throwing in an extra $2k and product for our troubles. Helps with team expenses a lot.

In addition they are working with a local liquor distributor to line up an excellent selection of liquors (comped) for our bar. This has been outlined above I think though.

BAD NEWS: Our awesome 40' Custom Double-Decker BBQ Trailer is having tire/axle issues. We need to add a second axle and get a new round of tires. We're looking at $3-4k of unforseen expenses and it MUST be addressed as the trailer is now undriveable in it's current state. Wheee!

Band lineup is coming together. We will yet again have Patrick Dodd for sure (Beale Street Entertainer of the year) and I'm note sure who else he will be bringing aboard. Kirk Smithhart has played both previous years. The 3rd slot had been Grant Garland (now lead singer/guitarist for Grant Garland band at BB King's Las Vegas) 2 years ago and Zack Fairley on bass last year. Not sure who they will bring in this year but you can count on it being amazing.

This sounds awesome.

 

[[icon]]

Looking into small business LLC loan to fund trailer axle swap (two new dually axles with new wheels and tires). Plus looking at selling our Tucker smoker and getting a Backwoods Compeitior.

Is the Backwoods big enough?I hate to see you lose the love of flame going with this type of smoker but I can understand wanting the ease and the ability to regualte temps

The backwoods is indeed very very nice for simplicity while smoking. We use a lot of charcoal with a few sticks when cooking on the tucker anyway so this won't be that much of a departure. Size wise... I'm hoping so. It's what our pitmaster wanted but I'd like to see us move up to a Pro JR or something like that.

Whatever the team gets, I'm going to push to store it at my house during the offseason. I think it would look good on my patio Hell, I've been storing the Tucker since last year... might as well.

 

[SteevieG]

Looking into small business LLC loan to fund trailer axle swap (two new dually axles with new wheels and tires). Plus looking at selling our Tucker smoker and getting a Backwoods Compeitior.

If you choose to sell the Tucker how much would you need to sell it for?

 

[[icon]]

Looking into small business LLC loan to fund trailer axle swap (two new dually axles with new wheels and tires). Plus looking at selling our Tucker smoker and getting a Backwoods Compeitior.

If you choose to sell the Tucker how much would you need to sell it for?

My guess is it would go for around $2k or so. It's still in very good shape and is well seasoned. Just needs to be cleaned. Fresh coat of black high-temp paint on it. They're about $3500+ new.

 

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Tent admission wristbands ordered. Separate versions for Sponsors and standard guests.

Sponsors will have access to a dedicated line at the bar for quicker access to beer/booze and will generally get some degree of preferential treatment at the tent overall.

Ordered 2000 of the general guest wristbands. Hopefully it's enough....

 

[tipsy mcstagger]

 

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Looking into small business LLC loan to fund trailer axle swap (two new dually axles with new wheels and tires). Plus looking at selling our Tucker smoker and getting a Backwoods Compeitior.

If you choose to sell the Tucker how much would you need to sell it for?

My guess is it would go for around $2k or so. It's still in very good shape and is well seasoned. Just needs to be cleaned. Fresh coat of black high-temp paint on it. They're about $3500+ new.

Well that was quick. On a whim I threw it on craigslist yesterday. Within an hour it was sold. I've got a steady stream of inquiries coming in still so I had to pull down the ad. The thing was FONKY... paint peeling a bit (didn't know that was the case), and the inside was HEAVILY gunked up with a nice layer of the mold you get when you leave your smoker outside all winter. It needed some SERIOUS TLC and I wasn't looking forward to it.

Guy was so eager to buy it (bought a case of ribs on the way to my house to pick it up! lol) that he said he'd pay asking price and would take it as-is. No need to clean it. Needless to say that was a big relief.

So the Tucker is gone (RIP).... and we will be buying the Backwoods Competitor today. $3718.25 including tax and delivery.

 

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Starting today I'm gettin a countdown going. One daily photo from the fest... unless i forget.

33 DAYS TILL OPENING NIGHT (me with some random chick from 2010)

BONUS PIC:RIP "Tucker"(our old smoker)

Very official serious business Slab Yo Mama BBQ Planning Meeting(2011).

 

[otello]

I am going to this thing, someday....

 

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Last years "Vodka taste-off"... when we were trying to decide on what brand of "Cheap" vodka we would be serving at the tent. We had a blind taste test of both candiates with all the types of mixers we would be serving at the test. Sobieski won...handily. Note the detailed ballots on the edge of the table.

Today's photo

Followed by the obligatory beer pong matches on our 5 year old history-laden table. Some very very entertaining moments documented on that table.

BONUS: That's what it's all about right there. Notice the custom cups too

 

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Our Shiny new Backwoods Competitorthat we took delivery of an hour ago. $3700 including heat diverter. Not bad.

The inside is too clean. Going to season it and then put a case of Curly's Baby Back Slabs through it next weekend (13 slabs) to pop the cherry.

 

[tommyGunZ]

Looking into small business LLC loan to fund trailer axle swap (two new dually axles with new wheels and tires). Plus looking at selling our Tucker smoker and getting a Backwoods Compeitior.

If you choose to sell the Tucker how much would you need to sell it for?

My guess is it would go for around $2k or so. It's still in very good shape and is well seasoned. Just needs to be cleaned. Fresh coat of black high-temp paint on it. They're about $3500+ new.

Well that was quick. On a whim I threw it on craigslist yesterday. Within an hour it was sold. I've got a steady stream of inquiries coming in still so I had to pull down the ad. The thing was FONKY... paint peeling a bit (didn't know that was the case), and the inside was HEAVILY gunked up with a nice layer of the mold you get when you leave your smoker outside all winter. It needed some SERIOUS TLC and I wasn't looking forward to it.

Guy was so eager to buy it (bought a case of ribs on the way to my house to pick it up! lol) that he said he'd pay asking price and would take it as-is. No need to clean it. Needless to say that was a big relief.

So the Tucker is gone (RIP).... and we will be buying the Backwoods Competitor today. $3718.25 including tax and delivery.

Amazing the difference in your description of the smoker before vs. after the sale.

 

[YSR]

Hey icon, serious but possibly stupid question. Let's say that my husband and I get a wild hair on Friday and make the Knoxville to Memphis trek.

I know hotels are booked but if we could find lodging, what else would we need to get to your table?

 

[[icon]]

Looking into small business LLC loan to fund trailer axle swap (two new dually axles with new wheels and tires). Plus looking at selling our Tucker smoker and getting a Backwoods Compeitior.

If you choose to sell the Tucker how much would you need to sell it for?

My guess is it would go for around $2k or so. It's still in very good shape and is well seasoned. Just needs to be cleaned. Fresh coat of black high-temp paint on it. They're about $3500+ new.

Well that was quick. On a whim I threw it on craigslist yesterday. Within an hour it was sold. I've got a steady stream of inquiries coming in still so I had to pull down the ad. The thing was FONKY... paint peeling a bit (didn't know that was the case), and the inside was HEAVILY gunked up with a nice layer of the mold you get when you leave your smoker outside all winter. It needed some SERIOUS TLC and I wasn't looking forward to it.

Guy was so eager to buy it (bought a case of ribs on the way to my house to pick it up! lol) that he said he'd pay asking price and would take it as-is. No need to clean it. Needless to say that was a big relief.

So the Tucker is gone (RIP).... and we will be buying the Backwoods Competitor today. $3718.25 including tax and delivery.

Amazing the difference in your description of the smoker before vs. after the sale.

Yeah well I wasn't really aware of how dirty the inside of the smoker was. It's nothing that you couldn't take care of with some 10pct bleach solution, a good grill brush, and a pressure washer... But I wasn't excited about the prospect. The smoker was still in perfect structural shape. He's already got it cleaned up and is very very happy with his purchase which makes me happy.

 

[[icon]]

Hey icon, serious but possibly stupid question. Let's say that my husband and I get a wild hair on Friday and make the Knoxville to Memphis trek. I know hotels are booked but if we could find lodging, what else would we need to get to your table?

You have two legs and 8 bucks (park admission)? Peabody still has rooms at 400/nt downtown. There are plenty of hotels within a 10 minute drive of downtown.. It's just a hassle to park / drive after drinking all day. I would cab it personally.As far as my tent, I would meet you and give you two wristbands to our tent. You would then be free to come and go all weekend as my guests. Free food and booze.Be aware though that the park closes at midnight and Saturday is very low key with turn in and judging. We actually have to kick everyone out for several hours midday to prepare for onsite judging and such. If you were going to make the trip I would plan on being down Friday afternoon and make a day/night of it. Day and night have two totally different feels (can't stress that enough)

 

[SofaKings]

Our Shiny new Backwoods Competitorthat we took delivery of an hour ago. $3700 including heat diverter. Not bad.

The inside is too clean. Going to season it and then put a case of Curly's Baby Back Slabs through it next weekend (13 slabs) to pop the cherry.

MY EYES!!!

 

[tipsy mcstagger]

Talk to me about the new smoker. it looks like a gas smoker....true?....im seeing on their site it looks like a charcoal cooker....true? Folks win competitions with charcoal? not trying to be a smarty, but that is contrary to my instincts and tastebuds.