Our second barbecue competition of the season is in the books and it was a hot one in Griffin, Georgia at the Doc Holiday BBQ and Music Festival.
The event takes place in historic downtown Griffin, home of the famous gunslinger, Doc Holiday.
The annual event celebrates his life and his role in the Gunfight at the OK Corral.
Complete with vintage costumes, actors portray the 30-second shootout between Doc Holiday, Wyatt Earp, town Marshal Virgil Earp, Special Policeman Morgan Earp, and members of a loosely organized group of outlaws known as the Cowboys, which took place in Tombstone, Arizona.
Food, crafts, and barbecue lined several blocks.
One thing I especially like about this competition; the craft vendors, kids’ area, and other activities are not in the same space as the barbecue competition.
We do not mind visitors; however, a constant flow of people can be distracting and of course, we are COMPETING and need to be 100% focus.
Journey to the Doc Holiday Competition
If you follow our escapades, you know, it seems we always endure drama just before a comp, or on the way to a competition; this was no exception.
Earlier in the week, Doug discovered a flat tire on the RV.
We just bought brand new tires for the entire RV earlier this year, due to several blow-out experiences during last year’s GBA season.
Click to Read about our GRAND CHAMPIONSHIP moment!
However, this time, it was a nail in the tire.
Fortunately, it was repairable. Doug reinstalled the tire after work.
Friday morning, as we prepared to leave for Griffin, he found a silver object embedded in a different tire.
Therefore, we had to make a detour to a tire shop, to hopefully, get this one repaired.
In route to the tire shop, the road was closed – UGGG!
So, we made a VERY NARROW, two-mile detour; waited 20 minutes for an available bay; only to discover, it was a rock embedded in the tire.
Doug had attempted to remove the object, while still at home, but it would not come out.
And at 6 A.M., in the dark, it was shiny and we thought the worst – a nail.
Nevertheless, we got back out on the road and made it to Griffin by lunchtime.
Competition Notes
Although a smoother cook than in Douglas at the previous competition, we were still not in strong form.
Having our brisket stall at 178º was enough stress for the whole day; however, we managed to pull out a top 10 finish.
Although we really would’ve loved to have taken home the coveted 1st place brisket trophy – CONGRATULATIONS TO Wright On Q, who did.
Despite a slow rise to the necessary temperature, our loin was delicious; tender, moist and full of flavor; however, it just was not what the judges were looking for.
We finished 36th. So happy for Fire In The Hole for winning their very first LOIN FIRST PLACE TROPHY!
Once again, our pulled pork was delicious and bursting with juicy flavor.
Imagine our surprise when we received a comment card, “looked dry and chewy,” but received a 10 in taste, on the same card?
Very confusing. Hats off to Hickory Flat BBQ Co. for their 1st place finish in pork.
Finally, our ribs were not at the same caliber as we are used to; so we were not surprised by our 34th ranking.
But OFF THE CHAIN nearly scored PERFECT for their preliminary ribs AND captured the GRAND CHAMPIONSHIP! Congratulations.
Great job to WE WANT QUE for their Reserve Grand Champion finish!
Smokin J’s Barbeque already has a strategy in the works to improve for our next competition scheduled for November in Jacksonville, Florida.
