Darn, I mean...woohoo

The truck is back! The insurance company of the other driver actually paid $9,350.00 for the truck to be repaired rather than total it. So, as you can tell, I'm thrilled :)

Now the big decision. Keep it, or trade it on on a bigger truck? Decisions, decisions......

RIP Mike Grudzinskas

I saw some terrible news today. Mike from I Smell Smoke passed away Saturday in his sleep following the Arizona Contest. Although I didn't know Mike well, I shared some laughs with him and saw him at many a contest. My thoughts are with him, his family and ISS.

Thanks to WooDoggies for the pic of Mike at the 2009 Jack.

Fairway BBQ - New Retailer

So new in fact, that the rub is still on its way. Keep an eye out for this site as he is just getting cranking with a new store. Please check in periodically - link on the right and here:

www.fairwaybbq.com

Happy Thanksgiving!

Some hidden press

Tracy ran accross this today. If your reading Scott Wykoff, thanks for following the team!

http://scottwykoff.wbal.com/2009/10/bbq-dreams.html

ByeBye Blue Pickemup Truck

hmmm. any coincidence Dan's "beloved bbq truck" sported my team trailer hitch cover? Or was it really my beloved blue pickemup truck?? :(

A sad, sad day

My beloved BBQ truck. It survived countless BBQ competitions. Mud, rain, heat, cold, no problem. Hauling countless pounds of gear to local comps and out to KC. It stood up to everything. It even carried the Titans (Tracy is a fan) hitch cover without complaint. But today, a Goliath (actually a Tacoma, but a Goliath sounds better), fell victim to an automobile accident. Is it terminal? dunno, but the axle is smashed, the front bumper disintegrated, wheels busted and tires shreaded. We are awaiting the official diagnosis.

For me? Why a brand spanking new tattoo the shape of a seatbelt! And it hurts, really hurts, but I'll live I think. But I do want to say thank you to the inventor of seatbelts, saved my hide today.

Another New Retailer!

3Eyz Rub will be available very soon at Tarheel Fireplace and Grill. Please check them out!

http://tarheelfireplaceandgrill.com/

Thinking Back

So, last March we started the season in Little Rock, AR. Prior to that we had a catering gig in St. Louis, so we had to buy our comp meats in St. Louis rather than bring our own from Maryland. The weather was looking to be cold and rainy, so we decided to do our prep the night before. The problem? We were staying in a hotel! Dan Mc asked the hotel manager if we could use the kitchen and the answer was NO. So, we decided to improvise.......

The moral of the story. Well, do what you need to do. OR, next time your at a hotel, wash your hands when you hit that light switch :)

P.S. We did clean up well, but there still was a giant sack of trimmings in the trash!

5-0 BBQ - New Retailer

3EyzBBQ is pleased to announce another new retailer!

5-0 BBQ

You can visit them via the link on the side of the page, or here:
http://5-0bbq.com/

Say WHAT?

Yep, Tracy is putting up the Christmas tree. Just checked the calendar and it is in fact November 5th.

Really? Yes, really.......

New Retailer!

3EyzBBQ is pleased to announce a new retailer:

Central Meats in Chesapeake, VA

You can visit them via the link on the side of the page, or here:

http://www.centralmeats.com/

Finished

All done for the season. Damn I'm tired.

Finished 7th in ribs and 7th overall in the Mud-A-Que in Talladega, AL. Great experience, but 3 in a row with 2 travel comps and I'm pretty beat up.

BIG thanks to Chris from Big Ugly BBQ for doing the comp with me and driving the entire way. Some pics to follow soon.

Talladega

Friday at Talladega. 108 teams is the official word. Weather is holding up ok, just breezy and about 66. Visited briefly with Chix Swine and Bovine BBQ and walked around some of the track vendors. This is certainlt one cool event. There is even a F-16 here sitting on the ground. Pretty neat.

Many teams here already. Track is a zoo. Never seen so many RV's, very impressive. Planning on heading back to site at 11am tommorrow. Will post some updates..

@Talladega. Dropped trailer, got dinner and checked in the hotel. Mmmmm Patron nightcap! Chris passed out already-drove the whole way, wow...

Dan - 3eyzbbq

I'm back from the Jack. Now I'm going to check all the forums, unpack, repack, catch up on work and get ready for Tallegega in a couple days. Wow, busy, busy!

-- Jason 3 Eyz

TP?

Best text ever. Sitting at the airport waiting to board flight. Dan sends me text: "pick up real TP". Apparently spot a pot provided tp ain't gonna cut it. Lynchburg here I come!!


-- Jason 3 Eyz

On the road!

Almost time

To head to the Jack that is. Trying to wrap up work and then will be leaving town this evening. Dan Mc will be the primary driver and will be undoubtedly powered by Monster, caffeine and 5 hour energy drinks. Dan H will attempt to stay awake.

I have to be honest. Nervous as hell. This is the big one, the one you hope to get into. I hear lots of stuff like "just enjoy it", "take it all in", "your a winner just being there". etc. I have trouble with stuff like that. I'm very competative, and I ain't going to sight see. All I can do is cook our best food and hope for the best.

Thank you all for the well wishes, they mean a lot!!

Rain for the Jack!

Yes, I do believe its true. I think we'll be bringing the rain for the Jack to keep our streak alive. Timing is uncertain but looks like Hurrican Rick will be providing the moisture.

Crazy Weather!

As if yesterday's soggy mess wasn't enough... I woke up this morning around 6am... and this is what I found! It's October 18th! Why is there SNOW on my deck???? This has gotta be the most bizarre weather year ever! (Sorry the pic quality sucks.. taken with my blackberry in the dark..lol) I had to take the pic, in case it melted before Dan gets up... so I can prove it really did SNOW!

Random BBQ pics from this year!

Dr Tom prepping for Front Royal!

My sister Wendy, my Mom, and Dan's dad at Front Royal

Me, my Mom and Sister at Front Royal ( Their first Comp!)

Will, Dan and X at Pickin in the Panhandle

GAB Rub Trophy.... Finally came in the mail!

Reserve Grand Trophy Dover 2009

Dover 2009!!!

SO aside from being a soggy freezing mess, I had a good time at Dover with the "Dan's". Me, my Dan, and Dan Mc competed in the beautiful Dover Delaware comp this weekend, and amidst the TLC filming crews and some of the big dogs of BBQ we made out very well! We took reserve Grand Champion! The trophy is about as big as I am, I will attach a pic later. First place went to Ocean City Pig Assassins! I must say my beautiful boxes have got to be the driving force beind our wins....LOL!

May I mention, I really need to see some sunshine? Me and Snoop are about to go postal if we can't get some Vitamin S soon!!

So this was my last comp of the season, Dan has the Jack next weekend and Talladega the following weekend... which means I am about 3 weeks away from getting my living room back!!!!

Wooohooooo!

Owings Mills Times Article

http://www.explorebaltimorecounty.com/community/102238/grill-seekers/

Surprise!

Dover forecast. RAIN and COLD. Thats 3Eyz weather right there!

Pic From Seaside Heights, NJ

Chris, Casey and Dan H
Congrats go to Big Ugly on their RGC!

A nasty surprise

OK, you competition guys will understand this. For everybody else, I apologize.

So I open the fridge and there before me is one of my "Jack" briskets turning brown from a blown cryovac. WTF! I bust out the brisket, grab the vac sealer and get to work. But it ain't trimmed and my bags barely fit around it, resulting in a monumental struggle. Then what? I cut the damn bag too short. So, I have to try again. This time I get it right, the brisket is now triple wrapped and sealed once. The final fix? I mark it as a "Dover" brisket and pour myself a drink.

Big news? Probably not, but damn aggravating to say the least. That why I'm sharing :)

Random Thoughts...

Well this week at work has been rough and I have slacked off on packing and organizing for the next 3 weekends, but that is what tomorrow morning is for. Hard to believe that Dover, DE is next week (81 teams I hear) and that the "Jack" is right after that. Oh and after those 2, I have Talledega. So, no more 36 team contests for me this year, it gets even harder from here on out.

I have also been very surprised and pleased to see that our KCBS rank is up to 5th in ribs and 20th overall. Of course that will fluctuate and who knows where we will finish, but it is amazing we ever even got on that list. There are some pretty elite teams on that top 25!

With the season ending soon the nerves are coming back and that is a good thing. Keeps me on my toes. I'll keep you all updated with results.

Front Royal, VA

Dan H and Chris from Big Ugly's BBQ accepting the GC trophy yesterday. (Thanks to Tom Adams for the pic)

Front Royal, VA

Gearing up for Front Royal, VA this weekend. I'll have Chris from Big Ugly helping me this time and Tracy will also be there Friday. I'm told Mutha Chicken will be around for Dover in 2 weeks, we'll see if he's still in competition shape!

Yep, the forecast calls for rain again, but we'll be prepared as always. We are also entering a peoples choice category which I'm pretty sure is a first for us. It'll be pork blind tasting and the butt is supplied, so why not right? And $500 for first place is pretty decent.

So, no American Royal this weekend, instead Front Royal will have to do!

Comfort

Comfort and Competitions don't exactly mix for the 3 Eyz team. While others are chilling in big RV's or pull in with a trailer full of goodies, we usually have a pickup truck of supplies to get the job done. Next season, that may change. So far, its the little things that make a difference.

This past weekend at Seaside Heights, NJ I experienced a first. Now I've done quite a few competitions in the 4 years I've been competing and never have I seen a flushable port-a-potty. Yea, you got it, I'm blogging about a crapper. Well before you laugh, this crapper had an LED solar powered light for when its dark, flowers in it for your feminine side, a sink, air freshener, copious TP and a floor lever to release the stuff to the abyss. Pretty friggin cool if you ask me.

The achilles heel? Well it leaks when raining. Oh well, it seemed perfect!

I'll even give them a free plug;
http://www.johnnyonthespot.com/celebrity_restrooms.php

And the result is......

Big Ugly Reserve Grand Champs out of a 28 team field. Wow!

And in case your wondering, yes, we got about 2 inches of rain. Sound like a broken record?

NJ Weather

The streak continues! Or is forecasted to at least. Here is the weekend forecast for Seaside Heights, NJ.

Saturday Night: Rain likely, mainly after 11pm. Cloudy, with a low around 61. Southeast wind around 16 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Sunday: Showers likely, mainly before noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 74. East wind 10 to 16 mph becoming west. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible

Yay, another inch of rain. Its been good luck so far......

Seaside Heights NJ

I am in the midst of prepping for one heck of a contest weekend. I'll be heading to Seaside Heights, NJ to give Big Ugly's BBQ a hand at the Saturday/Sunday KCBS contest. But the prep is outright ridiculous. Instead of bringing all my comp supplies, worrying about prepping all the meat and finding garnish and help for the weekend, I am going to have to pack the truck with one cooler, drinks and some rub to sell. I'm thinking the zero gravity chair is also a must.

Ahhhhh, no worries for a change. Maybe I'll actually bring a camera and take some pictures, that would be different!

And in other news, gearing up for October. 4 contests, yikes. My basement already looks like a convenience store stocked with paper towels, sauces, charcoal, etc. The first October contest will be Front Royal, VA. Much closer than the American Royal that same weekend and looking forward to it.

Restaurant Depot

I now have a card for Restaurant Depot. Wow, I can do some serious damage at that place. And next time, I'm bringing a jacket, so I can properly peruse the walk in without freezing. Can't wait to find a reason to go back. I'm sure I'll think of something :)

Wedding Day

Just wanted to send a congratulations to my cousin Donnie and his bride to be Pam. They are getting married this Friday. I'll be in the wedding as well as my little guy as one of the ring bearers. Donnie has always been a big supporter of the team, coming out to several competitions (some as far as several hours away). So much, so they are giving out bottles of our rub as wedding favors!!! Congrats to both of them and here's to a healthy and happy life together!

Sharing a nice email

"Hey Guys,

I just wanted to thank you for taking the time to talk to my daughter and I at the Pickin in the Panhandle. It made all the difference. We took 3rd in Chicken and 3rd in Ribs for 2nd Overall. We really had a great weekend thanks in large part to meeting you guys and your generosity with your time. Hope to see you again. Take care.

Brian and Kelly
Hoos Smokin"

**Brian and Kelly - CONGRATS! We hope to see you at a KCBS contest soon, Great Pic!! - Dan H

Our first international visitor!

From Ho Chi Minh City, China. Greetings and welcome to 3 Eyz BBQ!

I know that because of the neat little thing on the bottom right hand side of the page......

Hedgesville, WV

If you have ever seen me heading to a competition, the truck kind of looks like the pic above (thanks to the BBQ Brethren forum for the pic). And this past weekend, the truck was loaded up in the rain (again!), almost getting used to it to be honest. The 2 hour commute went great and it stopped raining about 2 miles from the competition, whew! Cloudy and 70's, what great weather for some BBQ.

At the site, met up with Rick from CatSass BBQ who already had a canopy up, chairs, tables and was ready to help me unload. Well, that was the plan going in. Instead Rick spent a much needed 20-30 minutes dislodging a chunk of duct tape preventing the canopy leg from moving up or down. We did successfully free the leg and finish setup (thanks to Rick from Hambones by the fire for the WD-40!). We knocked out prep and had a chance to visit with many of the other teams. Met with Scottie from cancersuckschicago.com who was completing in WV for the first time, nice guy. Also got to see the gigantic, massive, ridiculous RV that Chix Swine and Bovine just picked up. Is that even fair to have at a comp?

Anyway, the cooking overnight went well, and once the cavalry arrived on Saturday morning (Tracy, Michelle, Will, Xavier and Jason), we got down to business and ended up a very respectable 4th place out of 49 teams. Our results can be found on www.3eyzbbq.com.

I'm already thinking about the next comp in Front Royal. But before then, I have some brisket cooking to do..........

Transition

OK, so we now know we are in Jack this year. Up until this point, that has been my goal. So, when you reach a goal, you have to set another. Thats where I am at this week. After celebrating for a day (ok, maybe 2 or 3) I now have to get back in the game and get ready for business this weekend at Pickin in the Panhandle. The winner of this contest gets a Jack auto for 2010 (unless WV has another contest next year).

The team will be me and Rick on Friday to get going. On Saturday expecting Will, Michelle, Tracy and Jason to arrive as well, so we should have plenty of help.

After that, I'll have sveral weeks off before the season grand finale. October will consist of Front Royal, VA, Dover, DE, Lynchburg, TN and Talledega, AL. Of course, I'm already working on getting Dan Mc to commit to a December contest :) We'll see.......

Tracy's B-Day

Today is my wife's birthday. How old? You ask her, I ain't. Just getting ready for a party while she's still at work. Its an off weekend since Bridegton, NJ got canceled. So, what am I cooking? Pulled pork of course. Also going with some Turkey Meatballs in a General tso's sauce that everyone seems to love. Add some corn on the cob, beer, Gentleman Jack and instant party!

If you want to wish her a Happy Birthday, send an email to Tracy at 3eyzbbq dot com.

We are IN!

We are officially in the Jack as the MD State rep. Man, it feels great for a young team like us. Now, after celebrating with a couple shots it hit me. I have to COMPETE against all those other teams. Damn! That's quite a list. Time to start practicing again!

Jack Draw

It should now be underway. I'll post as soon as we "hear" results. Fingers crossed :)

Twas the night...

Twas the night before the jack draw and all through the house, every creature was nervous, even Declan's stuffed Mickey Mouse.

The application was filled out and submitted with care, in hopes that an invite soon would be there.

Only a day left to wait. Wish us luck!!

Good luck to fellow teams, including our friends at the BBQ Guru!!



-- Jason 3 Eyz

Award Pics from New Holland

2nd Place Chicken (Dan H & Dave)

RGC (Dan H & Dave)

Thanks for the pics Andy!!

Let us know!!

What is your favorite thing to use 3 Eyz rub on? Anything unique? We are always looking for suggestions for friends, family, and customers. Leave a comment. Thanks!!


-- Jason 3 Eyz

Picking in the Panhandle

Hedgesville, WV is next on the list for us and I have just received the up-to-date list of teams signed up. They are still looking for one more team btw. So without further delay, here they are:


Backyard Burners
Hambones by the Fire
The Redneck Pit Krew
Gooney Creek BBQ
Blue Highway BBQ
Just Smokin' Around
Cruzen 2 Q
Bovine & Swine
Smokin' It Up
Sweet Saviour-y BBQ
Rutz's Backyard BBQ
Serial Griller
The Grateful Pig
Dizzy Pig
JD's Smokin' Misfits
Crazy Lil's BBQ Division
Suzy's Q
3 Eyz BBQ
Good to the Bone BBQ
Stan's Famous Raspberry Falls Pig Pick'n
Smokin' Eddy's
Pandora's Pit
Texas Ribs
Flying Possum BBQ
Barry Q
Old Dominion Smokehouse
cancersuckschicago.com
Mr. Brown Can Q
ACME Brothers BBQ
Pig-N-Paradise
Russ' Ribs Team
Buckshot BBQ
Hidden Fire
Smokin' Somethin' BBQ
Hog It Up
P&D's BBQ
Tarheel Smokers
Saucy Butt's BBQ
Cat Sass
Checkered Pig
My Side of the Mountain Barbecue
The Pig's Ear
Chesapeake Dockside BBQ
Big Daddy's BBQ
Byrd's BBQ
Pigs, Wings and other-things
Hempen Hill BBQ
Chix, Swine & Bovine BBQ
Big John's BBQ

An impressive list of teams. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and we won't get another tropical storm like last year. It was fun though :)

First KCBS contest

Check out a great write up from Dave who helped me out at New Holland this past weekend. His first contest experience:

http://coalcrackerbbq.blogspot.com/2009/08/epiphany-my-bbq-sucks.html?showComment=1251665689583#c5321070977034955640

Don't let him fool you. He did a bang up job and never complained. Watch out for him once he gets his team cranking.

Mom's Christmas Cookies

OK, so a couple months back I told my Mom I should enter her Christmas Cookies in an anything but turn in so she can say she has award winning cookies. Thought the perfect opportunity would have been the on site judging at Louisa, VA in July so I could do a Christmas in July type theme. Well, had to cancel the aux categories then as we had a film crew following us and thought it would be too much trouble. SO, I decided to enter them this week at New Holland.

The pic above is the box. Those are her cookies, baked in a Backwoods Smoker by me of course.

And that is also a pic of my first ever Dead Ass Last (DAL) in a contest category. 40th out of 40. You've got to be kidding me, the worst possible scenario.

The best part? When I broke the news to her on the way home, she reacted the way any of us cooks would be proud of. SHE BLAMED THE JUDGES. LOL, that was awesome........

For those following along at home, don't role the dice like this. Just leave well enough alone and submit your own recipes! Stupid, stupid, stupid.

RGC!

Moving along

Butts are at 160 and moving along. A little extra fuel and a stir and back to bed. Thinking of my friends at New Holland and hoping it's going well for all.

Dan - you awake???!!


-- Jason 3 Eyz

Wow the rain.Its really coming down. We managed to acquire hay and mulch to help with the ponding water.Having fun though and the cooker is on point so no prob.

New Holland-Friday Evening

Its wet. Prep is done, Anything butt is cooked for tomorrow and just chillin in the car taking a break. Pretty peaceful actually..

How wet?

Well we'll see. Looks like about an inch of rain. When all is said and done, that shouldn't be a big deal, we have survived FAR worse than that. But, should put a damper (get it?) on the festivities.

I am just wrapping things up at work then have to hit the store. Pretty much everything in place right now and planning on arriving around noon. Tom Adams of VA BBQ Pirates fame will be cooking the sausage category and Mom's Christmas cookies are entering the anything butt category. Other than that, business as usual.

I'll try and post an update from the field too......

Tropical Storm Danny

A direct hit on New Holland? Probably not, but it'll be wet.........

Birthdays and Sleep Studies

Well, I just got home a little while ago from getting a sleep study done. What a weird experience. They hook you up to about 20 sensors, stick an airflow sensor up your nose, hook a pulse-ox to your finger, and tell you to sleep normal. Yeah right! I felt like Neo from the Matrix when they unhook him from the machines. THey did have a nice bed, sleep number. So, the sleep wasn't terrible, just not the normal. We'll see what they have to say.

On another note, my little boy turns 2 today!!! I can't believe it's been two years already. Time flies with a little one, even though some of the moments seem to drag on forever!!! Party planning is in full effect for Saturday, including a monster truck moonbounce. Unfortunately, I won't be able to make New Holland this year, but I will be there in spirit pulling for Dan and the rest of the team. If you are in the area, stop by and say hi to the gang.

FW 190

Can't ALWAYS post BBQ pics right? This is a pic I took a couple weeks back at the Air & Space museum near Dulles airport. This is a FW 190. Nasty, nasty German WWII fighter.

Bel Air Dinner

Pic I took of the Bel Air, MD dinner. Great job organizing this by Pork & Deans!

I'm under attack.....

Carpenter ants. Big, black, ugly ants have been sighted in my kitchen. The kitchen no less! This means war. I've broken out the variety of poisons and sprays around the house, shot crevises between the house and the deck, strategically placed baits and cleaned just about everything in the kitchen. The battle plan is to deprive them of any food, while slowly killing them with the poisons. And later.....some insurance is needed too. Going to get some Boric acid and mix with some honey and place that around too. Oh, and later, going on a search and destroy mission for an outdoor colony.

Overkill? Maybe, but I have no competition this weekend, so I have to stress about something!

Just thinking

Sitting in my office on a Saturday morning trying to catch up on work, so I can chill at New Holland on Friday. Its muggy and wet outside. But the forecast......PLEASE hold the forecast, as its for 78 degrees and sun next Friday.

Please remind me of this post when I'm at New Holland next week and its 98 degrees with a thunderstorm ;) Oh well, back to what pays the bills!

more youtube

Added some more videos. Our GC and 1st place chicken call in Stevensville 2007 and a video of Dan discussing the Backwoods smoker and the WSM cooker at Louisa, VA this past July. Enjoy!!

You can find them by searching for 3eyzbbq on

http://www.youtube.com

Or go here:

http://www.youtube.com/user/3eyzbbq#grid/all

Youtube

I took a video of us getting our 1st place rib call. Well, actually I took several videos of all the chicken and ribs calls. This one just happens to be for 2nd and 1st place in ribs. Check it out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7wIhtnnYvk

I would have taken more of our pork call and reserve GC, but I was so excited about the rib call, I forgot!!!

New Holland

New Holland is the next comp for us. Figured I'd post a pic that Jason took a couple years ago of the park where its held. Notice the open areas, grass, tall trees that provide shade. Just a wonderful setting for a BBQ comp!

Of course, we won't be set up anywhere near here. Our space is still on grass but on the far eastern side of the park. Inconvenient for bathrooms, the judges area and even most of our friends. And NO sun protection other than our canopies. Disgruntled? Hardly! I can pull in easy, get out easy, park nearby. Setup my cookers on a level basketball court and have some quite time. I actually like the spot.

I'll be cooking with a new competitor, a MABA cook by the name of Dave (Smokin_geek on the MABA forum) and Tom from the VA BBQ Pirates has offered to come help on Saturday. Always good to have an experienced set of hands there to help out. AND, Tom is the best damn rub salesperson I have ever seen!

I won't have Mutha Chicken around for this one, so we'll have to pull out of whole hog :(

Oh well, maybe next time.

I'm sure I'll post more before the comp!

Bel Air ReCap

Ouch. I always feel like crap after a contest, but this one was even better given it was the first hot contest of the season. Hard to complain though, since it could have been far worse.

Ever go into a port a potty at 90 degrees in the sun? Well next time I'm bringing my thermo pen since it had to be 130 degrees inside. BUT, they were clean most of the time and had to be the best smelling ones I've ever seen. So, cudos to the organizers!

Sorry, tangent there..... We set up this year in practically the same site as last year, close to both the BBQ Guru and Dizzy Pigs which really made the time fly. Its great to spend time with our friends but in hind site we really should have changed things around. You see, the BBG Guru won last year and I'm sure it had to do with their proximety to 3eyz. We proven that, by them winning the event for the second year in a row. See, isn;t that proof enough? We setup next to each other 2 years in a row and they won 2 years in a row. Clearly its a pattern :)

Seriously though, a hearty atta boy to them for pulling it out. That makes 4 GC's at Bel Air that Kenny has been a part of. Very impressive!

For maybe the first time ever, I actually correctly *well almost) guessed how good/bad my entries were. You see, at contests, usually when you say, "my ribs were good" they actually tanked and vs versa. This time I said the chicken and ribs were pretty good and I wasn't as excited with the pork and brisket. What we ended up with was 1st place ribs, 7th place pork, 11th chicken and a 16th in brisket. That was good enough for a RGC. We are very, very happy!

So, time to start planning for New Holland in 2 weeks. That contest has been a rough one for us historically so we'll certainly have to bring our A game. See you all there!

Reserve GC

3 Eyz wins reserve grand champion (2nd place overall out of 52 teams)!!!


Congrats to BBQ Guru on grand champion!!


-- Jason 3 Eyz

Turn in time


-- Jason 3 Eyz

Sat morning

Sat morning. 9:42. From his commanders chair, Dan utters the words F parsley

-- Jason 3 Eyz

Bob prepping some test ribs with 3 Eyz rub




Big Ugly's camp




Who Are Those Guys camp nice sponsor banner


Jason 3 Eyz

BBQ Bob. Last year


-- Jason 3 Eyz

-- Jason 3 Eyz

We're

Mostly finished setting up. Said hi to some of our friends and getting ready to relax a bit before the cooks meeting. Nice and warm here with some decent humidity. Pretty standard stuff for Bel Air.

mostly set up

So, we are mostly set up at BelAir, it's a nice night just hanging out with the Guru guys and Dizzy Pigs.Woodchix also just pulled up (just met Leann for the first time, seems very nice!) Hopefully this early setup will help with meat prep tomorrow, as Dan has to work tomorrow am and will be out after followed by me and Jason. Temps supposed to be in the low to mid 80's this weeeknd so hopefully the meat will be the only thing cooking...:). Hopefully I can post some pre game pics tomorrow as it's too dark to take any tonight!

The Jack

Well, for the 1st time I just received the confirmation email and application for the Jack draw. As of the time of this blog entry, we have a 50/50 chance of going as it will be between us and who wins Bel Air, MD on Saturday. If we win it, we are going. If we lose, we can only hope that somebody already in the draw wins so that will increase our chances. OR, we can just win New Holland which is also an auto. I feel the nerves already, but all we can do is cook our best food. I'll be heading down to Bel Air with Tracy in a few hours to setup!

With Bel Air coming up I just had to post the pic that Nature Boy took of me last year at this comp. I had some water pan issues and wasn't too happy at the time. Chris calls it my "game face". Is it Friday yet?

Retailers!!

Hey gang,

Just wanted to post a note to let everyone know that 3 Eyz rub is available at a number of retailers, both physical stores and online. A list of these retailers will be kept up to date on the website, but I wanted to let everyone know of some recent retailers that have picked up the rub. In addition to the ones listed on our site, you can now purchase the award-winning rub at:

BBQ Addicts
http://www.bbqaddicts.com/

Great Lakes BBQ Supply Co.
http://www.greatlakesbbqsupply.com/

Doc's Meat Market
http://www.docsmeatmarket.com/WebSite7/
7288 Lancaster Pike
Hockessin, DE 19707

Thanks to the retailers currently carrying our rub!

Have a suggestion of a retailer than might be a good fit for carrying the rub? Let us know!

Greetings

Dan H posting here for the first time. What a treat, our very own blog. And what, it only took us about 5 years? Not bad, eh?

Planning is underway for Bel Air next Friday (8/14). No meat yet, but everything is packed and in order. Contacted Jon from Widespread to bum a canopy, planning on setting up with Tracy on our very first Thursday night. It will be terrible if I have to grab a beer with the Dizzy Pigs or BBQ Guru before heading home though :)

More to post later....

Jason checking in...

Woo hoo!! 3 Eyz has entered the world of blogging!!! Thanks Tracy for setting this up. As some of you know, updating a website can be a little time consuming, so this will hopefully serve as a way to let you know real-time (or as close as we can) what is happening with us. I am way past due for updating the website. My little 2 year old has been keeping me busy. He has decided that bedtime is no longer 7:30, but more like 9-9:30!!

Bel Air contest is coming up in a week (Aug 14th-15th)! Looking forward to the "hometown" event. Alot of people show up and there are usually some good bands there, beer garden, and plemnty of vendors. Send us a note if you are going to stop by. We'll hopefully be updating pictures and notes throughout the weekend there.

More to come soon...

action photos!

Xavier's first BBQ Event!! (above)

Dan & Jason

Me and Dan at Que and Cruz... check the shirt, another Tracy creation!!


This is a scary pic of Dan Mc..lol!

Looking to the future... 7 comps left!!!

Let the FUN Begin!!!!!

So we are now in early August, and have 7 comps left this year!!!

Bel Air is coming at us 8/14 and 8/15, I can't wait for this one as I didn't get to go last year:(

New Holland Summer Fest in New Holland, PA is next up, followed by;

King Pig at Bridgeton, NJ (conveniently scheduled on my Bday this year:( , Pickin in the Panhandle in Hedgesville (it fell on my Bday last year), Valley Smokin Festival in Front Royal, VA (close to home again:) , Diamond State BBQ Championship in Dover, DE (Dress in layers... you never know what the temps will be like...lol ), and winding down in Lumberton, NC at the Carolina Smokin Fall Fling!!!

I wouldn't be surprised if Dan sneaks another one in there..LOL :)

2009 in retrospect....

Hard to believe the year is over halfway over!!! Looking back to how we've done this year!

Started out in March 09' Dan and Dan Mc headed down to Little Rock, Arkansas to compete in Smoke on the water! They finished 10th overall!!!

Next on the agenda for April o9' was Pork in the Park in Salisbury, MD. We finished 13th overall!!This was our first comp 4 years ago!!

Dan and Dan Mc teamed up again to go to Galvinell's in May of this year! They finished 3rd overall!!!

Charter Tech's Art of BBQ in NJ, came in June 09' with a Reserve Grand finish!!!!

Beltway BBQ Showdown in Upper Marlboro, MD came later in June, with a Grand Champion Finish!!! (Gotta love how they paid in Visa Giftcards...)

I think maybe the most memorable event was the Safeway BBQ Battle in DC!! It was at the end of June 09' and the weather was better than could be expected! Had a little rain but it didn't dampen our spirits!!

Que and Cruz was a different story!!! Close to my hometown of Harrisonburg, Va in Louisa it proved to be a HOT day!!! We had a 5th place finish!! Dan's parents came to cheer us on, and we even had a film crew hanging around with us and a few other teams!!