"Jev Vandegrift" > wrote in message
om...

snipped stuff

> Thanks for the welcome Jack, glad to be here. A little more history, my
> grandfather started Van's In 1930. My dad got in the business in the
> 60's and inherited it in 1974. I started washing dishes in 1987 and got
> my 1st managers gig in 1994 when we opened the Norman store. I now run
> the original location in Shawnee and Dad is retired.
>
> One thing I have noticed about bbqing since I started to socialize a bit
> with the competition types is that competitive cooking is quite
> different from restaurant cooking. In a copetition a guy might look
> through 12 cases of ribs to find the perfect 12 to cook then only use a
> few of them for judging. He watches them carefully as he goes treating
> each one as if it were the last side of ribs on the planet. In my
> restaurant, I have to cook 60-100 sides at a time and take drive by
> orders, manage the crew, cook hamburgers and countless other tasks at
> the same time.
>
> Anyway, I love the food and I love to eat other peoples food (it's just
> more enjoyable to me when I don't have to cook it.) I look forward to
> any tips I might get or give on here. Have a great weekend and
> remember: "Smoke is our Friend!"
>
> Jev Vandegrift
> Van's Pig Stand (http://www.pigstands.com)
> Shawnee, OK

You'll find that there are a few competition cookers here (Ricky is one) but
most of us just like to barbecue. Several posters are real masters of the
art and one of our number, Dave Bugg just built and now operates his own Q
joint in Wenatchee, WA, so while it may sound damn near stupid to imply that
a guy with your background might learn something here, it could happen.

My bet is you'll have plenty to share with us.

If you haven't read the faq, you really ought to. There's lots of great
info, including stuff by Danny Gaulden, who owns a well-known Q joint in
Carslbad, New Mexico. http://www.eaglequest.com/~bbq/faq2/

Jack Curry