Beachfront Barbecue Contest in Imperial Beach 2004
Results

Team 'Holy Smoke' takes Grand Championship

Photos by Bentley Meredith

Carl & Verna Kaun of Team 'Holy Smoke' (Poway, CA)

Reserve Champion goes to John and Lynn Ross of team 'Smoke and Mirrors' (Kansas City, MO)

Team overall scoring:

1. Holy Smoke
2. Smoke N Mirrors
3. Out Of This World
4. BBQ'n Fools
5. A Taste Of Texas BBQ
6. QN4U
7. Palms Springs BBQ
8. Gourmet Grills
9. Stealth BBQ
10. Smoke Rings Circus
11. Burbank Bad Boys BBQ

Photo of the street where the cooks set up their sites.  

Reports from the contest:

Gene Goycochea-

Hello everyone, just wanted to say that I enjoyed having everyone who attended this year's Beachfront BBQ event.

The teams, the judges, our contest rep (john Hopkins who always does a great job for us...

This years event was judges by 100% KCBS certified judges and table captains... (good to see)

I want to congratulate Carl Kaun (Holy Smoke) a San Diego team who was the Grand Champion of this years event and John Ross (Smoke & Mirrors) a Kansas City team for Reserve Champion.

Del King-

All the teams were having a good time. If you ever get a chance to set up next to those Bad Boys do it. They will help you stay awake all night. Great people. I gave them a sample of the BBQ'n Fools new super Hot BBQ sauce without telling them it was kinda hot. Man what a show it was worth the price of gas just to watch that.

All and all those that missed this contest lost out on some great fellowship with other Q'ers. Congrats to Carl for such a great job taking Grand Champion.

Gene did a great job organizing the event.  There were a lot of people walking around the event both days and many expressed interest in the CBBQA.

Carl Kaun-

Thanks to Gene for the fine event (and the tri-tip dinner), John and Lynn Ross for the excellent and beyond-the-call competition, John Hopkins for repping the event, and to everyone who has been so generous with their congratulations.

Tom Chilton asked if I would give some hints about my success. I'm unsure whether to share dumping a brisket into the water pan, or steaming some ribs. At least my pit didn't catch fire, not to name names :-). Maybe I'll share what I think John Ross's chicken secret is - he grills them. But I guess there might be more to it than that. The more I think about it, why should I be the one giving hints? I didn't take first in a single category. The category winners should be giving the tips.

Actually, I didn't do anything especially different, except with chicken. I did frenched buffalo legs for chicken. My tasters compared them with some more traditional thighs, and unanimously voted the legs for turn-in. They were pretty zesty, so there's maybe something to be learned there.

I did cook as good a brisket as I know how to, and it only took a 4th. <sigh> What do I do now?

Anonymous tip-

Carl, to improve your next brisket, first grind into hamburger. Then marinate it for 4 hours in Liquid Smoke, lemon juice and soy sauce (1 cup of each).  Form it into one big brisket-shaped patty and smoke it.  Guaranteed a 1st with this technique. ;>)