At the Silicon Valley Barbeque Championship Today

[Larry The BBQ Guy]

I live close by and went there this morning just to look around. Didn't enter this year. Plan to next year. Let me know if anyone has questions about this event. I will go back at 2PM to take some pictures. That's when they turn in the chicken for judging.

The backyard competition category contestants were using 90% WSMs and black 22.5"!  No Tragers or Green Eggs to be seen, even though they were allowed. Good to see IMO. People love their Webers.

Judging is at 2:15 PM and awards are at 6. They are doing chicken and tri tip. Too bad about the tri-tip. I would  have preferred something challenging like brisket. They left that for the pro category. Even the pro section had quite a few Weber's! I will take some pics to share.

[LiquidOcelot]

I live close by and went there this morning just to look around. Didn't enter this year. Plan to next year. Let me know if anyone has questions about this event. I will go back at 2PM to take some pictures. That's when they turn in the chicken for judging.

The backyard competition category contestants were using 90% WSMs and black 22.5"!  No Tragers or Green Eggs to be seen, even though they were allowed. Good to see IMO. People love their Webers.

Judging is at 2:15 PM and awards are at 6. They are doing chicken and tri tip. Too bad about the tri-tip. I would  have preferred something challenging like brisket. They left that for the pro category. Even the pro section had quite a few Weber's! I will take some pics to share.

I dont think the average back yard guy would do a brisket. But not even a pork butt? That seems weird. But its cool that they have a back yard catagory at all. I know nothing of comps, do they all have a back yard type catagory?

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[Mike in Roseville]

Chicken and tri tip...sounds like every Central California wedding I've ever been to.

Is the chicken standard comp thighs with bite through skin? Or are they doing chicken halves like in the Texas backyard competitions?




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[Larry The BBQ Guy]

@Mike in Roseville
I just got back. Pretty sure the chicken is any way you want to make it. I didn't see any halfs, but the folks I talked to want the bite thru skin like you said. Most of the serious ones were doing thighs, roasting them low and slow and then searing them at the end.

Tried two of the entrants tri tip. Tri tip is hard to do well. The second one I tasted was excellent. Super tasty, not too salty and very tender. They marinated it for two days, cooked it low and slow and then seared it at the end. 

[Larry The BBQ Guy]

I don't know much about comps either. This one was hosted by the Kansas City Barbeque Society and is supposedly the second biggest competition on the west coast. https://www.kcbs.us/
I like the backyard comp too. Not sure if it's common.

[Larry The BBQ Guy]

I don't know much about comps either. This one was hosted by the Kansas City Barbeque Society and is supposedly the second biggest competition on the west coast. https://www.kcbs.us/
I like the backyard comp too. Not sure if it's common.

Hetes some pictures of the backyard Barbecue section. 90% Weber's!

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[Mike in Roseville]

@Mike in Roseville

Tried two of the entrants tri tip. Tri tip is hard to do well. The second one I tasted was excellent. Super tasty, not too salty and very tender. They marinated it for two days, cooked it low and slow and then seared it at the end.

A couple of things in response.

Can you elaborate on why you believe tri tips are hard to do well? Just curious.

The difference between tri tips and most competition meats is there are varying degrees at which some people prefer to eat it (as compared to chicken or say brisket). Some people eat tri tip rare...some medium...some well done.

Interesting that the meats were marinated in advance. Most of the time, you're allowed to trim in advance but not allowed to alter it with injections or marinades ahead of the contest as the meat must be inspected when you arrive.


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[Larry The BBQ Guy]

No problem. Probably because most of the tri tips I have tried are tough or over seasoned, but I sure was proven wrong by the samples I tried. Not sure if the first sample I tried was marinated but the second one was.   Doesn't mean that it has to be marinated to be tender.

I attended the cooks meeting they had at 9am and the guy in charge talked about how this competition was lucky because they waived the marinating and seasoning rule for the backyard contestants. The guy warned not to try to slip in prime rib for the tri tip because they could tell. The backyard included chicken and tri tip. I saw them inspect the chicken but not the tri tip but I think that's because the guy I saw inspected didn't enter tri tip. Not good because they only way to get the overall prize was to enter both. I didn't hear anything about trimming. I guess most of the changes are due to the low key nature of this backyard competition. He stressed it was about having fun. Completely different for the pro portion of the competition.