I love BBQ competitions.  So much so that I try to make it to every Florida Bar-B-Que Association event I can.  Though I don’t compete myself, I am a world class professional spectator and BBQ eater.   While attending BBQ competitions, I talk to as many teams as I can, trying to catch them during down time rather than interrupting them during turn ins and such.  I’ve had to learn some of the lingo they use, the schedules they keep, and other particulars by going through the motions first hand.  As such, I’m sure that I have stepped on a few toes or inconvenienced a few teams in the process. This is where a book like Startin’ the Fire by George Hensler comes in so very handy.  George sent me a copy to read the other day, and I feel that I am now a better BBQ spectator for having done so.

See, like professional football, it really helps to know the whys and wherefores when it comes to truly enjoying what happens at a professional barbecue competition. What schedule do the cook teams have to follow? How much time do they get to prep and cook their meats?  What’s the turn in order, and when is the best time to talk with them and not get in their way?  Startin’ the Fire has all of these answers as more!

George’s book also does something that I think deserves special mention here.  It gives us a window into the somewhat obsessive mind of a professional competitive BBQ cook.  In particular, I am speaking to George’s chapter dealing with his battle with “Chikenholism.”  Like it’s somewhat better known cousin, alcoholism, chickenholism is the insatiable addiction to buying, prepping, cooking, tasting, revamping, and repeating the entire BBQ chicken cooking process.  Another of my BBQ blogger colleagues did not like the chicken chapter nearly as much as I did.  You can see that review here.

I have to say that I have never been a huge BBQ chicken fan, but I can relate to the desire to develop patterns and routines that result in predictable outcomes.  For me, being a bit OCD anyway, it’s just best that I stick to visiting and appreciating – from a far – the adventures of the rest of you chickenholics, brisketholics, ribaholics, and porkaholics.  I’d be a mess otherwise.

I appreciate Startin’ the Fire for the concentrated and yet easy going manner in which it relays what it takes to get a BBQ team up and running. George has written a nice primer on the subject, and if you have any inclination of starting up a competitive BBQ team – or if you just want to become a better BBQ competition spectator – then buy this book.

I give it two tongs up!

If you’d like to purchase a copy of this book, please visit the Startin’ the Fire website.  The Startin’ the Fire Facebook Page is worthy of checking out as well. You should also read up on the exploits of the Street, MD based  Who Are Those Guys? BBQ Team and visit them on the  Who Are Those Guys BBQ Team Facebook Page.