05/07/2026
Well, I haven't posted in a long time, spending more time running Events then competing. However, I manage to cook a competition once and a while but usually last minute and to be more "support" for just fun then "competitive. Well, I showed up last weekend to the Pendleton Cattle Barons BBQ Challenge with more of a drive to give it a little more than usual. Not the prettiest competition with some issues at entry data so all of us teams had to wait for 4 days for final results which was a meticulously thorough process with multiple judges packing in many hours of vetting we got results. So, after 15 years competing and winning a category here and there, to hear The Rib Mafia get top calls in 2 or 3 categories to have the last bomb and take us out of contention... we finally took Grand Champion!! It was not the "ideal" situation for sure but the shock has me still in disbelief. 13th in chicken, 5th place in tri-tip and a 2nd place ribs. I want to congratulate the Cattle Barons Association for a great event, our judges who stuck with it and didnt throw their hands up and especially to all the teams who drove all the way out to middle of nowhere to fight the drive, wind and circumstances just for a "hobby" that has become a lifestyle. This means a lot to The Rib Mafia to finally grab one! Special shout out to Slow Porkin's Eric Mendel for the RGC and anyone who did the "virtual" walk as well as the PNWBA for being so much part of my life the last decade and a half. I guess I better add a couple more to the calendar this year!!