See the full PDF of the November/ December edition of ‘Drippings” magazine here and go to pages 10 and 11.? The Drippings Click Here

Hot Grill on Grill Action?s new book!

The Book on Competitive Barbeque

A Book Review by Sonny Ashford

The Flabongo?s are hung on the tent rail with care so that any who venture close will know that Hot Grill on Grill Action are there and ready to compete.? It certainly distinguishes them from the other teams that are generating smoke in the early hours before a contest. I had the pleasure of meeting this vibrant group of young men at several of the contests in and around the Midwest.? Ryan Amys, Matt Frampton, Logan Hendrickson, and Chris Yelick comprise the team known as Hot Grill on Grill Action, and to their credit beyond authoring The Book on Competitive Barbeque, that I?m reviewing they represented Nebraska at the Jack Daniels Invitational this year.

The whole group has opened their tent flap to people that want to learn what goes on after the Friday night party comes to an end and now there is a book that shows what you need from ?git to go? in a contest environment. This book is for everyone that wants to cook ?Competition Quality? barbeque whether you?re in the backyard, a street bragging rights event or one of the 350+ events sanctioned by KCBS. It appears to all be there in one electronic source.

Yes, this is an e-book. I did a review of an e-cookbook in September that was packed with recipes from the Carolina?s but this e-book is much more than a cookbook, it is a how too book. Yes, there is an introduction with some strong opinions and opinions well worth listening too, such as: ?Following this intro, you will NOT find the phrase ?use your favorite rub or sauce.? There aren?t many resources that we find ?useless??..but those recipes that state this are, quite frankly, VERY useless.?

They point out that their opinion is not the end all of what you need to know about smoking barbeque but they assure you that want they have in this ebook is well founded from years of practice and information gathered over the years.

What I find very interesting is that right after the Introduction is the BBQ Competition Overview where they show the beginning to end of a contest.? They dig into ?The POWER of Taste? as this is the ?#1 most important aspect of competition BBQ, no question.? It goes so far as to list the weighting factors that are used in the KCBS Scoring Software with TASTE obviously carrying the highest value and this is put there to illustrate the effort that needs to be put into having a product with great taste.

From there it goes into all the things required for the Chicken category. Matt Frampton is the team Chicken Man and he gives not just words, but pictures so that even John Underwood can follow the directions. Nice color pictures that illustrate every facet from the type of chicken to buy to the whole preparation you go through. And yes, they give you a chicken rub recipe. This will take you through everything from on the tray to the final product and even how to build a box for the presentation. This is a super book for everyone!

Ryan Amys goes forward as the Rib Man. He is quick to tell you that there are people who believe that the longer you cook ribs the better they are and he says that is not true. He gives you the recipe for proven success.? Some of the ingredients are store bought, but his product is bone-sucking good.

Ryan enhances his trip through rib world with when to buy ribs and what to look for ? like straight bones. He goes through the preparation and again the pictures are worth the words as you read through the color pictures.? It is very detailed and even gives you the cooking temperatures and the schedule and also the wrapping times.? Again there is great detail for the novice or the pro to address what they are doing and validate what is currently being done with what kind of success. Ryan, I could use a slab or two, no make that three of your ribs.

Great job!

Chris Yelick is the Man of Pork, and he?s about to release what Myron Mixon was the first to hear when Hot Grill on Grill Action appeared on BBQ PItmasters, secrets to their pork that made Warren Sapp say, ?Cook on my team. You had a 300 lb man smiling inside.? Like the Chicken and Ribs sections there is nothing held back as the recipe and all the pictures are there to illustrate how they are winning the pork category time and time again.? Cooking temperatures, wrap times, it is all there including the turn-in box for you to see. You can?t go wrong with a guide like this. But you still have one more category to go and that is brisket.

Logan Hendrickson jumps all over the brisket and starts of with words like ?unpredictable, tough, and capable of driving cookers crazy as they are all different.? In his very capable way Logan has made all, well most of the mistakes and gives you a path to a probable success when you follow his roadmap. He gives you all the stuff you need to start and then the ?Miracle Mop?. Pictures are worth a thousand words and this is so true with brisket.? Learn all you can and Logan gives a box full with his words and pictures. Please note the electric knife in the pictures.

In closing up this review, the guys give you so much more to go over. Things that include:

• ? General Equipment, lists and what to bring
• ? KCBS Rules and Judging
• ? Official general Rules
• ? Official judging Guidelines
• ? How to become a judge [Call Sonny]
• ? Contest timeline
• ? Cooks meetings
• ? Woods, etc
• ? Competitive Edge

There are several more, but suffice it to say that they have tried to give you everything you need in a contest, whether in your backyard or at the American Royal. I guess you have figured out I think this a good book and definitely one you can use time and again.

Get your own copy at www.bbqrevolution.com, or you can write to BBQ Revolution ? Hot Grill on Grill Action BBQ Team, 4350 S 154th Street, Omaha, NE 68137.

You can also find out what a Flabongo is and how to make one for your own party, and it will settle some challenges.

Thank you for allowing me to review the book, it was worth every minute.