FOOD- THE DISH- Premier pit crew: Putting our town on BBQ map

 Thanks to Dave Mcnair. He has a great column!
 

From left to right:  David Hanson, John Atkins, Richard Middleton, and Bryant Atkins cooked and cleaned up at the National BBQ Championships. ?PHOTO COURTESY JOHN ATKINS
 
Published October 19, 2006 in issue 0542 of the HooK.
By DAVE MCNAIR DAVE@READTHEHOOK.COM

 
In June, Barbeque Connection owner John Atkins said, "When you think of Charlottesville, you don't think of barbeque. We want to change that."
 
Atkins had just done a lot to change that, taking the Grand Prize and placing no lower than third in all four major categories at the 2006 Chesapeake Jubilee Barbecue Cook-off, the BBQ State Championship of Virginia, on May 19 and 20 in Chesapeake. Under his competition name, Pigs on the Run, the Lake Monticello-based caterer put himself in the running for the BBQ Nationals in Kansas City on October 6. Well, guess what?
 
"We finished fifth in the world in the pork category out of 500 teams from around the country," Atkins reports.
 
After the 20-hour drive to Missouri, Atkins and his partners, David Hansen and Richard Middleton, cooked for two nights, serving up their BBQ chicken, ribs, pork and brisket. "Everything could be cooked only with wood, charcoal, or pellets," he says, "no gas or electricity."
 
Atkins reports that the judges looked at taste, tenderness, and appearance-- but mostly taste. Although competition was intense (they finished 213th overall), Atkins says their fifth-place finish in the pork category was a real thrill.
 
"We had a great time," says Atkins, who can't believe his little crew from the Lake did so well.
 
Atkins' son Bryant, who appears to be a chip off the old BBQ cooking block, was especially thrilled. "It's been my life-long dream to win at the Nationals," says the excited 10-year-old.
 
What's even more remarkable is that running the Barbeque Connection is only a part-time gig for Atkins, who works full-time as a UVA hospital surgical technologist. ("So I'm not afraid to cut up meat," he quipped to Dish in June.) But Atkins remains humble, saying there's no real secret to cooking great barbeque, just being focused and patient over the fire and cooking it "low and slow."
 
That may be true, but the little BBQ outfit that could is moving high and fast in the smoky-pit world. In fact, when Dish last wrote about Atkins, we suggested that Charlottesville might have to be renamed a "World-class BBQ City" if he won at the Nationals.
 
Well, he didn't win. But fifth in the world in pork barbeque? What do you say, Mr. Mayor?
 

FOOD- DISH- BBQ and hookahs: Smoky treats waft into town
 
Published June 8, 2006 in issue 0523 of the HooK.
 
By Dave McNair DAVE@READTHEHOOK.COM
 
"When you think of barbeque," says barbequeist John Atkins, "you don't think of Charlottesville. We want to change that."
 
Atkins, who runs a catering business called the The Barbeque Connection, took a big step in that direction at the 2006 Chesapeake Jubilee Barbecue Cook-off, the BBQ State Championship of Virginia, on May 19 and 20 in Chesapeake. Under their competition name, Pigs on the Run, the crew from the Lake took home the Grand Prize, placing no lower than third in all four major categories: ribs, chicken, pork and brisket. The big win also puts them in the running for the BBQ Nationals in Kansas City on October 6, where they'll be competing with over 400 teams from across the country.
 
So what's Atkins' secret?
 
"No secrets. Just low and slow," he says. "We keep our cookers at about 250 degrees, burning only wood, and our ribs take about seven and half hours to cook. Even the wind can affect a cooker at those temperatures, so it's all about being focused and patient."
 
Dish thinks he's being humble. Atkins brought home the bacon in his spare time. In addition to running his catering business and competing, he works full-time at UVA hospital as a surgical technologist. ("So I'm not afraid to cut up meat," he jokes.)
 
 "Our main goal is simply to promote barbeque in the area," he says, describing the cooking as a labor of love. Atkins also offers barbeque cooking classes and demonstrations. Atkins says he's planning an open house at the Mountain Cove Winery (Al Weed's place) in Nelson County at the end of August.
 
In the meantime, Pigs on the Run will compete in a few more regional cook-offs in preparation for the national championship. Just imagine if they win: will we have to change Charlottesville's slogan to "a world-class BBQ city"?
 

Fluvanna's Award Winning BBQ:  The BBQ Connection
Article Courtesy of http://www.therealestateweekly.com
There's nothing quite like Virginia barbecue, and Old Dominion barbecue masters are rightfully proud of the state's take on this southern favorite -light and tangy, with the emphasis on quality meat: chops and ribs, hams and steaks, chicken and pulled pork loin.  There's a "Governor's Cup" for barbecue, just like there is for wine, and the BBQ connection, a Palmyra-based catering company, won honors recently at a cooking contest held in the Southside border town of Danville.  "Pigs on the Run," the BBQ Connection's traveling competition barbecue team smoked 16 Virginia teams and a number of teams from other states to win the award.  Danville, right on the edge of the Virginia-North Carolina border was a fitting host for the event, since it's inundated with influences from both sides, each with a distinctive style of balancing the interaction of meat, spices and fire..
 
 
The Governor's Cup delighted the family team, who hauled the mobile smoker over the hills and through the tabacco fields of rural Virginia to compete.  For official competitions like the Danville gathering, it's not a simple matter of lighting the gas grill.  Serious barbecue cook-offs, like this one sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbecue Society, specify that the sweating cooks use only charcoal, wood, or pellets.  The championship traditionally goes to the team showing versatility by claiming victory in several events.  Since the Danville event, "Pigs on the Run" have scored points in Asheville for their treatment of a Boston Butt.  John Atkins, owner of the BBQ Connection with wife Teresa, said the winning butt got several treatments:  injection with apple juice and brown sugar, a dry rub with spices, and a good dousing with barbecue sauce.  Atkins likes the "Eastern North Carolina" barbecue, a style that's less sweet than the barbecue produced on the other side of the state.  And, he says, if you go to Kansas City, you'll get only dry-rubbedbarbecue; if you go to Texas, the ribs will be beef rather than pork.  Despite the regional differences, good barbecue is appreciated by all, Atkins says, and the chefs love to learn from one another at these events.
 
Atkins, his wife, father-in-law, brother-in-law, and son are generally the "pigs" and they arrive at the competitions the night before the judging, prepared to cook all night.  The first stop is the judges' stand, where the meat is inspected to make sure that it hasn't been pre-treated in any way.  At midnight or so, the team begins cooking and there are a lot of informal competitions all through the night, like "Anything but," a test of the team's familiarity with its grill.  The idea is to prepare food that's not in the typical barbecue contest (anything but chicken, pork ribs, pork butt or shoulder or beef brisket).  Atkins prepared oysters for the crowd in Asheville, pairing them with bacon, asiago cheese and a spicy sauce.  Atkins is so familiar with his portable cooker - which is really a wood-fired oven when the lid is closed - that he makes pies and cookies as well as meat.  Atkins has been fascinated with barbecue for years, but the transforming moment came when he was providing a critique of someone else's barbecue while out with his wife, Teresa.  Her response was essentially that it was time for him to stop talking and start basting.  They compete several times a year and are next on the line in Lynchburg in the fall.
 
The team doesn't just compete.  They're also available for hire, but don't expect to visit them in Palmyra and come away with cartons of shredded pork and barbecue sauce.  They cook in your yard so everything is fresh, and Atkins will come up with a menu or follow your instructions.  Although he prefers the vinegar-based East Carolina barbecue, he'll cook to your taste on your own lawn, and cook any kind of meat or fish.  He'll also produce the sides - potato salad, dessert, anything you're hungry for.  The "pigs" will be on hand at the Daylilly Festival in Fishersville July 17, so stop by and have a taste.  To reach the team for your next big gathering: 434-286 3575
 
There's a lot of mysticism and superstition surrounding barbecue.  If you ask 10 different barbecue cooks what their recipe is, you'll get one answer, "It's a secret."  So learning how to make your own barbecue might seem difficult at first.  For those who want to invest the time and money, and risk the occasional stomach ache, your best bet is to turn to the Internet for advice.  There is a site filled with all kinds of information on Barbecue, from equipment to recipes to essays on spices.  It's not the prettiest site on the web, but it has tons of information.  There is another site to give you a good start on barbecue.  It's much prettier than Barbecue'n but not quite as thick with information.  It does have a good selection of recipes and even some classified ads, in case yuou want to buy a branding iron with your initials for custom-made steaks or perhaps a barbecue pit that you can attach to a trailer hitch.
 

Local Barbequer Competes
Elizabeth Donatelli
Article courtesy of Charlottesville NewsPlex

 
May 11, 2006
 
    
 
These competitors are professionals and they don't use ordinary grills.  Instead they use smokers that indirectly heat the meat.
 
"The heat actually cooks the meat. So we're looking at 200 to 255--in competitions we like to stay in the middle at 225," said Pitmaster John Atkins.
 
This is compared to the 300 to 400 degrees that grills use, so you can imagine it takes a lot longer.
 
"10 to 12 hours for a pork butt, maybe 12 to 14. Some people do briskets at 24 hours," said Atkins.
 
There are over 400 competitions nationally and at least five in Virginia this year, which all judge on the same things.
 
"Taste is number one and then tenderness and then appearance," said Atkins.
 
The judged meats are chicken, ribs, pork, and brisket, but you can barbeque anything from pineapples, to pizzas, to pies and cakes. But the Pitmaster says he doesn't do it just for the taste.
 
"I have a passion. I just love it. I think about it 24-7. It's almost, I'm just over the top sometimes," said Atkins.
 
The next Virginia competition is all day this Saturday at the Richmond Raceway Complex. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door.

Grilling Unusual Treats
Elizabeth Donatelli
Article courtesy of Charlottesville NewsPlex

 
May 29, 2006
 

 
Competitive barbecues nationwide cook ribs, pork, chicken and brisket, but there are other unusual dishes you can grill and smoke.
 
"You can do pineapple, peaches, I do zucchini--stuff it with a little cheese, bread crumbs, all that good stuff and it's unbelievable," said John Atkins of The BBQ Connection.
 
He cooks all meats like this catfish and even his specialty--jalapenos stuffed with cream cheese, pork and wrapped with bacon.
 
"Unbelievable. It burns going in and it's wonderful," said Atkins.
 
The secret to smoking is cooking them low and slow. Smokers cost anywhere from $200 to $20,000. The good news is all of these treats can be cooked on a normal grill as well. Just make sure to keep a fire extinguisher near by if needed.
 
"Cook stuff to at least 140 degrees. Keep stuff cold to below 40 degrees," said Atkins.
 
Despite all the fancy treats you can try for Memorial Day, sometimes the traditional foods are the best.
 
"I like rib eyes. I mean smoked rib eyes are unbelievable," said Atkins.






BBQ CONNECTION LLC
Top Five in Pork in The American Royal World Championship BBQ contest 2006!



Southerner Passionate About His Barbecue!
 
Article Courtesy of Fluvanna Review
 
Released 05/11/06
 
By Sally Browning   ??You could call John Atkins of the BBQ Connection a connoisseur of smoked meat, but the word is far too pretentious for this laid-back country boy. To put it in plain English: he loves cooking the stuff.??“It’s not a job, it’s a passion,” he said. “I desire to cook and provide a good meal.”??The Lake Monticello resident stumbled upon the idea to start a barbecue catering business when he went to Old Farm Day five years ago. He remembers he didn’t care much for the barbecue served there and told his wife.??“She told me to shut up or put up. I can’t shut up, so I put up,” he said. ??His philosophy about providing a good meal comes from his experience as a boy. He has fond memories of his grandfather cooking up barbecue and Brunswick stew every Labor Day. ??“There’s something special about sitting and chatting, sharing ideas and enjoying good food.”??The next Old Farm Day, John had his own barbecue stand. He admits he was “clueless,” but he served 500-600 that day and sold out. ??Barbecue to John means anything cooked “low and slow with smoke.” He cooks with wood, never gas or charcoal. He describes his barbecue as a Kansas City style for that reason. North Carolina style uses charcoal or gas and emphasizes the sauce.??“Some think sauce is the boss, but I disagree. Barbecue is like ballroom dancing. You have to have the dancing, music and choreography to make it a good performance.”??smokerJohn has a smoker where he smokes the meat for 10-12 hours. He uses a rub of salt, pepper, paprika and sometimes brown sugar and keeps it on the meat with yellow mustard. ??John prefers a vinegar-based sauce, but he can do all kinds. People can get pretty testy about what kind of sauce to put on the pulled pork.??“I’ve seen people get in fights at picnics over the sauce,” he said. ??He explained that in North Carolina barbecue, you can have a vinegar-based sauce, one with a tomato base or sweet tomato.??John is a certified barbecue judge and gives lectures and cooking classes on how to make good barbecue. He is truly an expert.??He explained that barbecue started in Jamestown. The hungry settlers killed some wild pigs whose ancestors were brought to the New World by Ponce De Leon. They used what they had to make the pork shoulder (not the best cut on a pig) taste good: apples, vinegar, maybe a little oyster juice. So in reality, North Carolina barbecue is a misnomer since the practice started in Virginia.??“I try to tell Tarheels that, but they get mad,” he laughed. ??He cooks pork, chicken or brisket. At the Foxfield steeplechase races two weeks ago he catered a party for over 800 people. ??He caters about 24 parties and will do four or five concessions stands a year. At last year’s Old Farm Day, people waited as long as an hour for his product. ??“It’s humbling,” he said.??On May 19 and 20, the BBQ Connection’s team Pigs on the Run will be competing in the Chesapeake Jubilee in Chesapeake. If the team wins there, they will travel to Kansas City for the Kansas City Royal and compete against 450 other barbecue teams. From there, John and his team could make it to the prestigious Jack Daniels competition in Lynchburg, Tenn.??BBQ Connection?John and Teresa Atkins?434-286 3575?www.bbqconnectionllc.com

 
 
BBQ Connection Brings Home the Bacon
 
Article Courtesy of Fluvanna Review
 
Released 06/01/06
By Sally Browning  

In early May, the Fluvanna Review featured a story about local caterer, the BBQ Connection. The business’ competition barbecue team, Pigs on the Run, competed in the Chesapeake Jubilee the weekend of May 19 and 20.

The team was awarded the contest’s grand champion and took home a 4-foot trophy for its effort.

“It was a great contest,” said owner and barbecue-meister John Atkins.

KansasThe team now travels to Kansas City to compete in the Kansas City Royal against 450 other teams.

From there, Pigs on the Run could make it to the prestigious Jack Daniels competition in Lynchburg, Tenn
A battle for barbecue bragging rights
 

By JOHN WARREN, The Virginian-Pilot ?May 21, 2006 ?
 
CHESAPEAKE - Cook it low and slow.
 

 Hang around barbecue connoisseurs long enough, and you'll hear that expression enough to get tired of it.
 
 
There was plenty of low and slow, mixed with some competitive fire, at the Chesapeake Jubilee Barbecue Cook-Off on Saturday. Eighteen participants dropped $250 apiece to vie for $10,000 in prizes.
 
It's the first barbecue competition the Jubilee has hosted, and organizers were determined to do it right.
 
"We wanted to pull it off well so it will be an annual event," said Cindy Jones, chairwoman of the barbecue event. "The hope is it will continue and grow each year."
 
The winner can go to American Royal National Championship - "The Royal" - the granddaddy of cook-offs held annually in Kansas City, Mo. To make sure everything was kosher by the Kansas City Barbeque Society - the Supreme Court of barbecue - two society officials were on hand.
 
The 18 entrants came from all over in terms of geography and barbecue resumes.
 
At one end of the spectrum was Craig Dixon of Knotts Island, N.C. He'd never been in a competition before, but he heard about the cook-off on the radio and showed up with his pull-along grill. "You can buy it at Wal-Mart," he said.
 
He thought more amateurs like himself would show up, so he was feeling like a David among Goliaths.
 
On the other end was Lee Ann Whippen, who has won Virginia and North Carolina championships, and first place in the pork competition at The Royal.
 
She operates two Chesapeake barbecue restaurants under the "Wood Chicks Barbecue" banner, and has a trailer equipped with an 8- by-8-foot cooker and fire box, which she stocks with hickory, applewood and, today, chinaberry her father hauled from North Carolina.
 
When the judging starts, entrants are on a level playing field. They submit their food in identical containers to officials outside the tent where judges are seated.
 
There were 18 judges weighing the merits of barbecue chicken, pork ribs, pulled pork and beef brisquet. Some were local, some traveled from as far as Florida. Most were "certified" judges, trained to discern the good from the bad.
 
For the winners, it's about more than money.
 
"Displaying a trophy you won somewhere is quite a status within the barbecue community," said Debby Frerichs, a Kansas City Barbeque Society official.
 
Late Saturday, the $2,000 first-place winner was announced: Pigs on the Run of Palmyra, near Charlottesville. At least one contestant who left without a trophy or cash wasn't disappointed.
 
"I hope to be able to leave here saying I gave it my best shot," Dixon said . "If all I get is an 'attaboy,' that's fine."
 
He got his attaboy: three ribbons, including a sixth place for chicken.
 
The Chesapeake Jubilee continues today at Chesapeake City Park from noon to 7 p.m. Go to www.chesapeakejubilee.com for more information.

FOOD- DISH- BBQ and hookahs: Smoky treats waft into town
 
Published June 8, 2006 in issue 0523 of the HooK.
 
By Dave McNair DAVE@READTHEHOOK.COM
 
"When you think of barbeque," says barbequeist John Atkins, "you don't think of Charlottesville. We want to change that."
 
Atkins, who runs a catering business called the Barbeque Connection LLC out of his Lake Monticello home, took a big step in that direction at the 2006 Chesapeake Jubilee Barbecue Cook-off, the BBQ State Championship of Virginia, on May 19 and 20 in Chesapeake. Under their competition name, Pigs on the Run, the crew from the Lake took home the Grand Prize, placing no lower than third in all four major categories: ribs, chicken, pork and brisket. The big win also puts them in the running for the BBQ Nationals in Kansas City on October 6, where they'll be competing with over 400 teams from across the country.
 
So what's Atkins' secret?
 
"No secrets. Just low and slow," he says. "We keep our cookers at about 250 degrees, burning only wood, and our ribs take about seven and half hours to cook. Even the wind can affect a cooker at those temperatures, so it's all about being focused and patient."
 
Dish thinks he's being humble. Atkins brought home the bacon in his spare time. In addition to running his catering business and competing, he works full-time at UVA hospital as a surgical technologist. ("So I'm not afraid to cut up meat," he jokes.)
 
 "Our main goal is simply to promote barbeque in the area," he says, describing the cooking as a labor of love. Atkins also offers barbeque cooking classes and demonstrations. Atkins says he's planning an open house at the Mountain Cove Winery (Al Weed's place) in Nelson County at the end of August.
 
In the meantime, Pigs on the Run will compete in a few more regional cook-offs in preparation for the national championship. Just imagine if they win: will we have to change Charlottesville's slogan to "a world-class BBQ city"?
 
Ben,?It has been a pleasure using your product. Since March 2003 we have?done 4 concessions, 2 contests and many private parties. In that time we paid?the smoker and had our first win in a contest in Lynchburg , Va. We have no?problems with the health Dept requirements. It is easy to manage. I am?looking for a concession BBQ trailer next.??Thanks,?John Atkins?The BBQ Connection

INWOOD, W.VA. - The "pigs" were the overall winners of the first professional barbecue competition at the inaugural West Virginia State BBQ & Bluegrass Festival held Saturday in Back Creek Valley.

"It's better to be lucky than good," said John Atkins, pit master of the Pigs on the Run competition team, which is an outgrowth of his Charlottesville, Va., area catering business, The BBQ Connection.

Atkins' team was one of 24 that participated in the West Virginia BBQ Masters competition held at the daylong festival, which Martinsburg-Berkeley County Convention & Visitors Bureau organizers promoted as "Pickin' in the Panhandle." More than a dozen amateurs also competed, CVB board member Larry Hines said.

Berkeley County Commissioner William L. "Bill" Stubblefield served as one of several "celebrity" judges for the barbecue competition involving pork, chicken and the chef's choice.

"Absolutely superb with a capital 'S,'" Stubblefield said of the barbecue selections that graced his palate.

Though not a "big chicken fan," Stubblefield said one entry was "heavenly" ... "spicy, but not overdone with a subtle, yet distinctive taste."

"Some of the pork was the best I think I ever had," Stubblefield said.

As for judging the entries, Stubblefield said each category had a standout, but as a judge in the blind tasting, he didn't know who prepared it.

Atkins said his competition team received $1,800 in prize money and two trophies for their winning entries, and now will prepare for the national barbecue championship next month in Kansas City, Mo.

Though Saturday's competition was not a sanctioned event, CVB officials have said they hope to have a sanctioned contest for next year's festival.

"We love supporting contests, especially new contests," Atkins said. "The people were wonderful. We love West Virginia."

Aside from the barbecue, the festival also featured a band competition. The overall winner, By & By of Washington D.C., will be invited back next year as a professional act, according to organizers.

"I'm overly pleased with the turnout," Andrea Ball, executive director of the CVB, said of the more than 3,000 people who traveled to the Lazy A Campground off Back Creek Valley Road for the festival and music.

Dean and Karen Ullery of Cumberland, Md., decided to make the trip on the weekend of their 22nd wedding anniversary.

"We decided to sing a couple songs since we're here," said Dean Ullery before the couple got on stage as part of the amateur competition.

"It's new for the Panhandle," said Steve Warner of The Rolling Coyotes, which performed Saturday morning. "And I think it's a real winner. Barbecue and bluegrass. It fits Berkeley County and West Virginia. It's a perfect fit."

Warner said the campground, formerly part of the Ashton farm off Kathy's Lane, was a particularly pleasant venue.

"Back Creek Valley is like a hidden treasure here in Berkeley County," Warner said. "It's off the beaten path, but easy to get to."