The 2007 BBQ season is upon us and if you’re planning on entering a BBQ team, want to join a team, want to be Judge or Judge’s Helper at a BBQ Competition, or just want to eat some darn good BBQ get these dates on your calendar.

Saturday May 5th / All Jamaica Invitational Grill-Off
At the Ranch / Caymanas Estates, in Jamaica mon!

Sunday June 10th / The Jack Daniel’s Annual BBQ

Date to be announced later / La Bodega de Mendez

You can get additional information here on our web page

Hey let's talk BBQ Teams for minute

I think that a lot of people think it’s difficult to get a team together and even more scary to think about going out to a BBQ competition and actually cooking against all these teams that have done it before and they are sure to be all great cooks and produce nothing but the very best BBQ anyone has ever eaten on the planet! Bullsheet!

Wake up and smell the coffee for BBQ sake. These other teams put their aprons on just the same as you do.  There is darn little that is scary about it and a whole lot that is just pure fun and the greatest experience you can imagine. Making a team is easy enough.  You just get together with a few couples in your neighborhood, or a few friends from work that like to "Q" too or talk with a few people from the CBBQA and you’ll have the people you need to field a good BBQ team. I’ve been on teams with as few as 4 people and as many as 30, so it’s all about what you make it.

From experience I can tell you that every cook out there in a competition is not a great BBQ Pit Master.  Yes there are some good ones and many more that are simply practicing the BBQ craft and working on perfecting their skills as a Pit Master.  Believe me all BBQ Judges will tell you they have tasted some BBQ in a competition that just ain’t worth eating.  They are not all great BBQ cooks, they just look like it and act like it.

I’ve eaten BBQ cooked by many of our own CBBQA members that have never competed but they are great BBQ cooks. Don’t underestimate your "Q" dudes.  Remember that BBQ is like sex, when it’s good it’s really good, and when it’s bad it’s still pretty darn good, and it’s always fun.

Participating on a BBQ team in a competition is some of the best BBQ training and experience you can get. Talk about fun.  If you like to eat BBQ you get lots of opportunity to cook and eat your practice BBQ while getting ready to compete, and multiple heads are better than one so good ideas always seem to get developed by your team.  It’s a blast to hang out with your friends and "Q" and eat and refresh yourself with good beverages.  You have to re-hydrate regularly because of the extreme heat from the grills and smokers so remember safety first, re-hydrate often.

I can’t believe that it has been several years and we haven’t seen an all ladies BBQ Team in the competitions.  We have so many good women in the BBQ association that I believe we should be having some representation at the next BBQ contest from the ladies.  Hey you have attended the Judges training camp and the Smoking Camp so what are you waiting on? Is anyone willing to take that challenge ladies?

If you want to put a BBQ Team together and have never done it, and want any help or instructions just call on your Caribbean BBQ Association.  We are ready, willing, and able to tutor you free of charge, if you don’t count food and beverage as a charge.  We will assign a person or persons to help you develop your team, recipes, and anything you may need to get off to a great competitive start.

Why wait in the background never stepping up to the plate in life?  Life is too short. What are you waiting for?  Another year will pass you by when you could be in the big game instead of on the sidelines?

Contact me today and lets get the party started on your BBQ team. Mike@bbqpr.com

Chefs of the Round Table

With the introduction of the Chefs of the Round Table, the CBBQA is really putting on some cool BBQ Parties every month.  This new group within the BBQ Assoc., headed up by Chef Victor Merced, Gil Pinero & Hector Rivera, is designed to help train and assist the Party Masters each month so we are assured of a great party every time.  There will be a limited number of our members invited to join this very special group.  If you are invited to join know that it is an honor reserved for a few and something very worthwhile.  If you are interested in becoming a part of this elite BBQ group, or you and your friends want to sign up to be Party Masters at a future party contact Victor Merced cafealfresco_rms@yahoo.com

The Chefs of the Round Table (CRT) also has jurisdiction over the Judging process of the side dishes each month. Thanks to some excellent constructive observations and comments from our members over the past two months the CRT has some new plans going into effect starting in March.

Be aware that there will be a time window for getting your side dish entries in to the judges for judging, from 7pm to7: 45pm, just like the BBQ  competitions, it is necessary to have this time window so the Judges can have ample time to judge the dishes and get the results ready for presentation by 8:15pm.

All dishes turned in after 7:45 pm, or any dishes that are not homemade will be graciously accepted, eaten by our hungry members, but do not qualify to be judged.

The CRT will also be using an official judging form similar to the forms used in the BBQ competitions with scores for taste, appearance, and fitting in within the theme of that month’s BBQ party.

The Judging process will be further improved by having more judges and judges for each category, dessert, appetizer, salad, and side dish.   Through this change the judges will be able to concentrate on the one type of dish being sampled and really be able to focus on judging it better.

The evening’s winners of the side dish competition will have a special table set for them, a free drink courtesy of Soleil Beach Club and they get moved to the front of the line to be served first.  In addition they will receive a certificate suitable for framing.

We thank you for your comments and suggestions and through your ideas we are striving to improve our association.

F.Y.I.  Important notice!

The Board of Directors has an opening for Secretary.  This is a very important position and requires one Board meeting a month on the second Tuesday at 7pm.  The person filling that position will be responsible for attending the Board meeting and keeping the minutes of those meetings, getting copies of the minutes to the Board of Directors (BoD) and assisting the membership department at monthly meetings.

If you are interested in serving on the BOD please contact Mike Compton Mike@bbqpr.com

RSVP for meetings

Congratulations to all our members and guests. I gotta hand it to you gang you are getting much better at RSVP’ing for the monthly meeting / party and it is a tremendous help to the BBQ Association. Just imagine if you were having a big party and nobody told you if they were coming or not. How would you plan for your party? How much food would you prepare?
Please keep it in mind.  It is very important to RSVP, whether you are coming or not!

We realize that attendance for the monthly party / meeting is always higher when we call our members and remind you of the meeting.  I want to say thank you to our member Collette Pollock who has accepted the responsibility of heading up our new telephone committee.  Collette will be assisted by a few friends & members from time to time Valerie Braddock and Anna Lindstedt, me and Colin Bengall our Membership Director. If you have some time that you can volunteer to help us make phone calls the last week before our monthly meetings please contact Collette Pollock cbjp46@aol.com and volunteer today. You don’t even have to do it every month but you should volunteer once in a while, after all it is your BBQ Association too.

Something else you will find a little different starting in March.  We will be issuing a meal ticket with each paid entry to the Party / Meetings.  It will be necessary to present the Party Masters with your meal ticket in order to receive your plate and silverware. This will give us better control and an improved way to check the attendance against revenue. Thank you for your cooperation while we break in some new ways of doing things.

If you have recently joined us as a new member or recently won a certificate for a side dish be sure to check with the reception committee when paying for your dinner.  We have quite a few certificates that need to be picked up by the winners and members at the next meeting.

Important notice / Polo Shirts

Mike Thomas and Paul Gundry have the polo shirts that were ordered in December.  They will have them at the March Party / meeting, please come and pick up your shirts.  There are about 6 extra shirts available for sale too so bring your $30.00 bucks and get an official CBBQA shirt.  Wear it with BBQ pride.

New BBQ Joint Open in San Juan

Smokey’s Rib Joint recently opened in San Juan. We haven’t had a chance to give it a try yet, but here is a copy of their menu. From the menu it looks like they have some authentic barbecue. If any members get a chance, go by and try it out and write us up a review to post on the website. If you go, don’t forget to take some pictures. 

Thank you all, be safe, grill out often and we will be seeing you March 27th for another great party.

Michael Compton
aka "BigMAC"
President  / Caribbean BBQ Association.