All language subtitles for BBQ.USA.S01E05.Double.Trouble.720p.WEBRip.X264-KOMPOST

[Michael]
Ribs, brisket, pulled pork,
chicken, whole hog.

You name it, they're smokin'.

Competition is fierce.

It's on today, fellas.

We're gonna win
'cause the rest
of these guys suck.

[all laughing]

[Michael] But it's not just
about food or prizes.

It's about finding out
if your team has what it tak
to be a master of the craft

Each weekend, I'm travellin
across the country,

to a tough
barbecue competition

to meet some the best
pitmasters around.

Some do it for the money,
while others do it
for the title.

Yay!

But all of them are doing i
for the love of barbecue.

-Oh, we wanna win,
for sure.
-[laughing]

[Michael] I'm here to show y
some tips and tricks
about the food I love most.

Look how juicy it
still is in the middle.

This is barbecue.

This is America.

This is BBQ USA.

[rock music playing]

We are at the New Jersey
Knockout here in Blairstown,
New Jersey.

A unique two-day competitio
where teams will get
two cracks

at winning $30,000
of prize money.

Teams have travelled to her
to the Triple Brook
Camping Resort

from far and wide
to compete this weekend.

From reigning champions
to determined new comers,

the best barbecue teams
on East coast came here

to challenge themselves
with this grueling
double competition.

Now, this is really
interesting competition

because there are
two competitions
going on this weekend.

They will be cooking
four meats.

Chicken, ribs,
pulled pork and brisket.

Not once, but twice.

[Jayna] Are you ready?

Off you go.

Let's go. Let's go.

[Michael] Today's teams
will be participating
in a full competition

complete with
an award ceremony.

Then tomorrow,
they will wake up early
and do the whole thing agai

getting a second chance
of glory.

We, typically, prefer
two-day competition.

That first night,
I don't even really care
how much we score.

I'm just gauging
the flavor profile
of the judges.

And, then, come Sunday,
I get to do it all over again

and now I got a chance
to really kill it.

All right,
we're almost there,
turn ins.

All right,
chicken's gonna be first.

[Michael] We've arrived
30 minutes before the chicke
needs to be turned in.

And the teams
are all business.

[man]
You're gonna have to hustle
on this one.

[Michael] Including
husband and wife due,
A Mazie Q

who are really bringing
the heat to this competition

Come on, I wanna see a flame
as tall as me.

-I'm Jayna.
-And I am Pete.

-And we are...
-[both] A Mazie Q.

I'm encouraging the fire.
I'm adding some fat to it.

Oh, there we go. Let's go.

Let's go.

I cook a lot with fats
and high fires.

And a lot of teams don't.

Matter of fact,
they probably
would discourage that.

I'm okay
if my chicken's on fire.
I really am.

I like the flavor it gives,
so, I'm gonna do it.

I singed my beard
a little bit today
on it, too. [chuckles]

Yeah, I've lost
some eyelashes
a couple of times, too. So.

Good food, though.

Take it out, Pete.
Turn this side.

I need you to come
walk around.
Put it down.

-What?
-Walk around, put it down.

-What?
-Put the chicken
on the smoker.

Thank you.

I'm the pitmaster
and I'm in charge.

And, you know,
Pete's kind of my wing guy.

Don't touch it.
I'm sorry, Pete.

I'm sorry. You always
help me, and I'm always
like, a vegetable.

[Jayna] Come on. Come on.

What's up, guys?
Oh, that chicken's
looking good.

[Jayna]
Cutting board over there.

-Oh, God.
-[Michael]
Oh, don't mess with her.

-Jayna, you in charge?
-I am.

-[laughing]
-[Jayna] It's me.

I'm a very competitive person.

My first cooking contest,
I was 16.

You gotta have a really
competitive streak
to keep doing it that long

without giving out
my age, yes, you do.
[chuckles]

-Where you from?
-I'm from New Hampshire.

Oh, New Hampshire?

-[laughing]
-What? I'm originally
from the Boston area.

I grew up in Boston.

I never had barbecue
until I got older

and when I did,
I was totally hooked.

Do yo wanna try a piece?

That's gonna be hot
if you check it.

You okay? Well, he's a cook,

-So probably...
he's used to it.
-[all laughing]

Hmm.

There, you could see
the steam kind of
pouring off there.

Great flavor, super moist,
incredibly tender,
skin's melted.

I mean, that's--
It's a good bite right there.

Just about turn in time.

I'm Nikki
from Darling Nikki's Barbecue,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

My chicken tomorrow
is gonna be better.

I have no idea
why I compete
in Competition Barbecue.

This is the most butchering,
murdering, soul-crushing
sport, but I'm addicted.

[Michael]
So, how many times
have you done this event?

This is my second time.

This is actually
my anniversary
of Competition Barbecue.

-Really?
-[Nikki] Yes.

This is the end
of year one for me.

So beginning
of year two is today.

This is a big day.

I got into barbecue
because my husband
was very into barbecue.

I was into welding
at that time.

So, I took it
as a challenge to build him
the best smoker that existed.

Anything special
about the rub or the sauce?

They're all my sauces.

I'm a spice head.
I make hot sauces.
I don't love sweet.

My family's from Argentina.
I believe in a lot of salt,
a lot of pepper,

a lot of paprika
and then, like, dousing it
in Chimichurri.

[Michael]
On a restaurant or home,

serving spicy barbecue
would be fine,

but the world of Competitio
Barbecue is different.

It's not gonna go well today.

So the judges
are gonna be looking

for their classic
sweet little bit of heat.

I learned very early on

that they like
the flavor profiles
that they like.

That is a true statement.

If you give them something
that they don't know,
they're very upset.

So, I really, again,
don't expect to do super well.

But we are trying
not to just put
the whole lot of sweet.

We are goin' hard.

We believe in our sauces,
we believe in our profile.
We are sticking to our brand.

-[clapping]
Come on, chop, chop.
-Ready?

[speaking Spanish, kisses]

-Go.
-That means run fast.

[all laughing]

[man] All right,
comin' through, mom.

-[speaking indistinctly]
-Oh...

[Kim] There we go.

[Michael]
The teams have
a ten-minute window

to get through meats in
to be judged.

And this camp ground
is pretty big.

[host shouting]
Thirty seconds!

[Pete] Long walk, folks.

[Michael]
I catch Nikki's neighbor,
Kim, from Old Virginia Smok

heading back
from turning in chicken.

Chicken turnin' just happened.

He's probably prepin'
ribs right now.

-I'm Luke.
-I'm Kim.

[both]
And we're Old Virginia Smoke.

[Luke]
Oh, those are lookin' good.

When they're this thick,
we call 'em book.

[Kim laughing]

[Luke]
Looks like a library
over here.

We've been competing
in Barbecue since 2013.

How many times
have you done this event?

This is our fourth.

And how you done
here in the past?

-One day's usually good,
one day's usually bad. Yeah.
-Okay.

[Luke] I compete
because I am
a competitive person.

We both played sports
our whole lives.

Our second date actually
ended in a little bit of a...
competitive nature.

I beat her in air hockey
and she stormed off
for 30 minutes.

So, this really fills
a void in our lives, I think

And we get to cook food
and do it together.

So, anybody that you like
have it out for,

that you wanna like
get this weekend?

-I always want a piece
of Wolf's Revenge...
-Yes.

Here you go. Wolf's Revenge.
We're comin' to get you.
[both laughing]

He's generally considered
the best cook
on the East coast right now.

Oh, all right.
Hey, Wolf,
we're comin' to get ya.

We're comin' to get ya.

-[Kim howling]
-[Michael chuckles and howls]

[Chiles] Uh, normally,
we don't have time for this.

To the freaking good cook, sir

-Here we go.
-Yeah, it's early.

Wolf's Revenge,
we've been number one

on mid Atlantic
for the last
five years running.

All right. Ribs.

[Chiles] We always know
that we had to stay

one step ahead
to maintain that position.

It's a Hollywood cut
if I have to do that one.

Sometimes, it means
we have to work extra hard,
we're willin' to do it.

A Hollywood cut
is where we cut out

every other bun
to make the buns beside it

have more meat.
So, the judges
get a better bite.

Great ribs.

Ooh, those look good.

-[Chiles] So they might
even be good.
-[Michael laughing]

The Hollywood cut's
a great idea.
That's a delicious rib.

It pulls off the bone,
it's tender, but it didn't--

I mean, I sucked
all the meat off.
So all the meat's gone off.

It's really balanced,
really delicious.

[Jayna] Ugh!

It was the most
beautiful rack
until I messed it up.

[Michael] Unfortunately,
A Mazie Q are having some
doubts about their ribs toda

It's not a good-rib day.
I'll just say that.

These are very over.
I'm not happy.
I just feel it.

[Michael] Will they be able
to find any ribs
to turn in?

[Jayna] I can't serve this.

[Jayna grunts]

[Michael] I'm here
at the New Jersey Knockout
barbecue competition

where over 50 teams
are competing in an unique

and challenging
two-day contest.

The first day,
teams are smoking
and serving four meats.

And then the second day,
they do it all over again.

The contest
requires fortitude,

but for the right team,
it could lead to up to $30,0
in prize money.

[Jayna] Hurry up, Pete.
Bite it.

Hurry up.

-[Jayna] Good?
-Good.

[Pete] Not great good.

The thing
about Competition Barbecue

is you just need to move on
if somethin' isn't good.

Here, hurry up.
Let's box, let's box.

When Jayna's cooking,
she is laser focused.

[Jayna] Let's go, quick.

-It's always "get done".
-Yes, yesterday. Yesterday.

Hurry up.

I know I'm a little intense
when I cook.

[both laughing]
She's a passionate.

Who doesn't it
when they care about somethi
and they're passionate.

They gotta get it done
and that's my job.

-There you go. Thank you.
-[lady] Thank you very much.

[Nikki]
First place pork,
you go!

[Michael] Now, teams
must immediately begin prep

for the next turn in,
in 30 minutes from now,
pulled pork.

Pulled pork
comes from the butt
of the pig.

Which despite its name,
it's actually the upper par
of the pig's shoulder.

It has a high fat content
making it extra flavorful.

Cooking it slow
transforms the meat
from fatty and tough

into a tender
and juicy pulled pork.

Pork is really tough turn in

because pork has
so many layers.

Uh, the other meats
are pretty straight forward.

You're gonna slice ribs,
you're gonna plate chicken.

Pork is doing like
full on surgery.

Pullin' out the bacon
and that's that sweet,
little layer of meat

right in between
the two caps of fat.

[man] It is so tender.

[Michael] After the bacon
is extracted and pulled,

it is drizzled
with flavorful sauce.

And sometime,
it's a team effort.

Jonah, come here, please.
You ready?

I'm gonna pour
and you're gonna dab
with sauce.

Ready, buddy?
Guy's my lucky charm.

He gives me first place,
so I always do pork with him.

Good job, Jonah,
that's excellent.

[kisses]

[Nikki]
Okay, moment of truth,
money muscle.

Don't fail me.

[Michael] In addition
to the delicious bacon,

most teams try to get
the heavily strided
money muscle in their box.

[Chiles]
This is what they call
the money muscle.

Part of the pork butt
that has absolute
superior marbelling.

If you don't overcook it,
it makes really nice
medallion slices.

And the judges
tend to like this.

What's up, guys?

I stop by last years winner
Top Gun to taste
some of their money muscle.

You could see
there's a ring there,
good bark all the way around.

[man] Good smoke.

It's crazy juicy
and still very tender.

You know what we go for,
we go for silky.

-[Michael] So, you don't
want it to break.
-Unctuous.

He just said unctuous.

-He's been watching
too much Food Network.
-He's said confit before.

[Michael] A Mazie Q also ha
a fancy word to describe
their desired pork tendernes

[Jayna] When I think of pork
I always think
of the word supple,

like it should be supple.

Supple. And I say it
in my head over and over
sometimes, supple.

Here, it's the fat part,
see you can eat it.

Hmm, it's nice and tender.

[Michael]
Besides appearance
and tenderness,

meats are also judged
on flavor.

[Luke] A nice smoke ring
around the outside.

We really try and amp up
the garlic flavor
on our pork.

You know, the garlic
mixed with the sweet sauce

and with the pepper
from the rub.

It really gives it
a umami flavor

that a lot of people
kind of shy away from.

So we wanna
kind of accentuate that
and bring a little--

somethin' a little
bit different

to try and set ourselves apart
from the competition.

[man] Twelve thirty six.

I'm goin'. I'm goin'.

I'm happy about my pork today.

I'm actually really,
really happy with it.

If that doesn't come
on the top ten,

I would absolutely
be surprised.

-but...
-[Pete] A lot of good pork.

[Jayna] There's a lot
of good pork cooks
here, too.

Uh, we got about four minutes.

Everyone's pourin' in now.

Gettin' close to the time now.

-How'd you feel
about the pork butt?
-[Kim] Loved it.

Good? Oh, Pete,
right behind.
How you feelin'?

Nice and tender.

[Michael] The judge will ran
all the meats
in three categories.

Appearance, tenderness
and taste.

With $30,000 on the table,

let's see if the teams
can keep the momentum goin'
in brisket.

Let's see what we got here.

[Luke]
The reason I cook barbecue
is brisket.

It's the hardest thing
to cook,

it's the hardest challenge
and I love doin' it.

Oh, my.

Every time I put
the knife to it...

and it goes through,
I can tell it is right
just the way it slices.

I still get emotional
every time I do it. Sorry.

And I cry every time
I slice a brisket
when it's cooked perfect.

[sniffles]
'Cause this is reason
that I do this.

I thought it would stop
after like a year three,
but it hasn't.

Oh, my God. Kim, it's perfect.

It gives me goosebumps.
[laughing]

So, now I'm gonna do
the taste test.

Hmm, it's nice and juicy.

-That's on time, baby.
-Yeah, nice beefy flavor.

-[Kim] We are at 01:29.
-[Luke] Oh, shoot.

-We gotta get goin'.
-[Kim] Yeah, we gotta go.

I have a nick name on the team

and it is the Little General.

It's because
I'm the task master.

I have to make sure
to keep this big guy

-in line and on time.
-[chuckles]

-All right.
-Let's go make
some good choices.

[Luke] Let's go make
some good choices.

[Nikki] Don't trip.

They're done cookin' today.

This is the last thing
they gotta turn in, so,
everybody has a sigh relief.

Good job.

[Michael]
The judges score the brisket

And then we'll find out
who smoked
the competition today.

[host] All right,
who's ready
for awards?

[all cheering]
Chicken, 12th place...

A Mazie Q.

[Michael] The first award
goes to Jayna and Pete's
fiery chicken.

Pete's not only the runner,
he gets the cash.

Old Virginia Smoke
gets eighth in chicken.

And Wolfs Revenge
gets fourth place.

[chuckles] Here's your cut.

[Michael] In ribs,
the Little General
pulls it off.

[host] Ninth place!

Old Virginia Smoke!
[all cheering]

All right, Old Virginia Smoke
is winning two categories now.

Wolf beat him
in the first one though.
A little rivalry there.

I heard all of that.

-[Michael laughing]
-[Kim laughing]

[host]
All right, pork category.

[Michael]
Pork butt's comin' up next.

Pulled pork, this is what
we came here for this weekend,

so let's see
how everybody did.

[host] Ninth place.

A Mazie Q...

[all applauding]

All right, she said
she felt good
about pork butt so.

It was nice and tender,
had the right color.

Yes, good day. Good pork day.

[Michael] A Mazie Q
was the only team
we are following

to have a good pork day.

Our final category, brisket.

Tenth place, brisket category,
Wolf's Revenge!

[Michael] Every team accept
Wolf's Revenge
get shut out in brisket

including the brisket lovin
Old Virginia Smoke.

[Luke] Today we got
a couple of good calls.

We got an eight in chicken,
we got a ninth in ribs.

Then the wheels
kind of fell off.

The brisket,
it was magnificent,
we thought today.

And the judges told us
that it was one of the wors
appearance we've ever had.

There might be something
that they're seeing or tasting

that we think it's fine,
they don't think it's fine.

[host] Third place.

For todays New Jersey
Knockout champion, day one.

Come on, down. Wolf's Revenge.

[Michael] Wow, Wolf's Revenge
is third overall for day one.

It shows you they were very
consistent in all four smokes.

It's says a lot.

You gotta be feeling better
than anybody right now, right?

But how's everybody
feelin' in general?

I feel great now.
I feel ready to do it
all again.

I'm ready for tomorrow,
I'm ready for tomorrow.

How'd you feel?

I'm gonna be honest,
I'm a touch disappointed.

[Michael]
Tomorrow's another day.

-We'll look back after it.
-Yeah.

You better come in pissed off.

I wanna see you
slightly angry.

-Our team came here
to kick ass, plain and simple.
-[Luke chuckles]

Here we are Blairstown,
New Jersey, chilly morning.

I could smell the smoke goin'.

It's day two of the New Jers
Knockout barbecue competitio

And the teams are gearing u
for a big day of smoke
and redemption.

The slate has been wiped cle
and anybody could win today

The teams have been up
since before dawn

because the big meat,
pork and brisket

need to get on early
and cook low and slow

to achieve the tenders
that brings awards.

[Jayna]
I'll get up around like 4:30

I'm ready to put it on,
my meat.

I'll start thinking
about other teams

what they could be
goin' through.

And I'll start
with sending them well wishe

And they're no longer
somebody you're beating.

Now you're fighting against
somebody who lost their job
and is havin' a bad time,

maybe they got
an illness or something.

And they become
more of a person to you.

And then you're like,
"You know what,

"if they do well,
good for them."

Except him.
I always wanna beat him.
That's all I care about.

[laughing]

[Nikki] See if we can have
a better day in pork today.

Some teams struggled
in the day one.

So, it's gonna be fun
to see how they rebound today.

Are you tired
or are you just
a little down right now?

So, I'm like
a little disappointed
with the scores yesterday

So, I'm gonna like
hone myself in,

and I'm gonna be a little bit
better behaved today.

[chuckles] And, uh,
I have a better cook.
[both chuckle]

[Michael] New bee Nikki
is finding out that
she still has a lot to learn

We came in 40th
overall out of...

48 teams.

So, not great.

I definitely know that I cu
my brisket too thick

and my boxes
need to be cleaner

'cause I did not get
perfect appearance scores.

That's a great thing
about the double

is you can really take
the feedback

and hone in on the judges
and have a chance
to do it all over again.

So, I've been reviewing
my scores all morning

and, like couple of people
were offended by the flavors.

-And I used
a little bit more of vinegar.
-[Luke] Right.

So somebody really liked
that vinegar

and somebody didn't like
that vinegar.

But, see,
that's a polarizing flavor.

People either love it
or hate it.

It's like mustard
or peach preserves.

So I gotta back off
the vinegar today.

Yesterday, you did
what you felt
were beautiful cooks

and you didn't place
how you wanted to place,

so, maybe, today,
you play the game
and cook to the profile

that you know
the judges wanna taste today
and see what happens.

That's what I'm gonna do,
wanna give it a try.

I didn't get the numbers
that I wanted yesterday.

So, I'm trying to go
for something less offensiv

and please everyone
in the middle.

[Michael] Old Virginia Smok
got two calls yesterday
in chicken and ribs,

but they want to do
better today.

Particularly, in Luke's
favorite category, brisket.

[Luke]
It is a bit disappointing

'cause I think we had
a really good cook.

We were really happy
with our food.

We did well
in the first two yesterday,

but if you have a bad one,
they can't sink you

and take you out of
the running for winning
the grand championship

which is why everybody's here.

So, we're gonna try and get
the pork and brisket
on the board today.

Keep our ribs
and chicken consistent
and just move forward.

Have a good average,
that's what you want.

You want a good average,
cross the board.

You know, it's business,
so these things that we do,
you have to hit the reset.

[Kim] We're gonna, maybe,
add a little bit of honey,
less spice, more sweet.

So hopefully,
the judges like that more.

-Chicken looks good, babe.
-[Kim] Mmm-hmm.

I love cooking the double

because we've already had
an idea of what
the judges really want.

So, for us,
we tend to do better
on a double.

You probably just jinxed it.

Probably, where's some wood?

I need to knock,
where's that box of wood?
I need to knock on it.

So, how do you guys
feel about yesterday?

You know, we're gonna give it
another spin today.

You wanna put some brisket
on one of those?

Ah, sure, yeah, let's do it.

We'd like to take our brisket,
throw it up here

on what we call
the microwave stove.

-Ah, that's it.
-[Michael] There you go.

The reason that they call
this the microwave

is it's the hottest shelf
in the smoker

and the reason it is,
is the box over there.

The heat's comin' all the way
across from the flues here.

-[Michael]
So this is the hotspot.
-[Luke] Yeah.

[Luke] We checked it
yesterday, so that brisket
will expand.

-Okay, it's gonna pop.
-The... side
will pop it.

And give me a nice,
pretty slice later.

All right,
so is it one category

you guys are feelin' strong
as well today, or...

All of 'em.

Today is what we call
the revenge cook.

Today is where
you drop the hammer.

You wanna slay the Wolf.
[all laughing]

Today is hammer day.

[Michael]
Well, beating
Wolf's Revenge

ranked the best team
in the Mid-Atlantic
isn't gonna be easy.

Luke talks a lot of smack.

And he deserves everything
that I can throw at him.
everything I can throw at him.

We beat him yesterday,
we were third overall.

But we saved our
best meats for today.

-What's going on guys?
-Welcome.

So, we've got a lot of meat in
here that needs to be wrapped.

It went on at three o'clock
in the morning.

Oh, you started early.

There is a cool surprise

inside Wolf's Revenge's
smoker.

Oh, look at that!

We've got a super
insulated smoker

that I built myself.

Three months' worth of nights
and weekends

to make the smallest
rotisserie cooker

that I could possibly make,

and still get all the meats on
it, for a competition.

[Michael] Wolf's Revenge, i
using a custom professional

rotisserie smoker.

These smokers are
similar to the

vertical reverse flow smoker

but with several
rotating racks.

You could fit more meat
at one time

while maintaining a
consistent cook throughout.

Below the rotating racks,
sits a water pan.

And below that,
is the fire box,

at the bottom of the smoker

The water pan forces
the heat and smoke

out to the sides of the
smoking chamber.

Rising up, and spilling
over the top

into the cooking chamber,
where the heat and smoke

pass through the
rotating food,

which assist in pushing the
smoke and heat

down where it vents out,
either side.

These rotisserie smokers ar
known for their

even consistent temperature

which makes them perfect
for competition.

[Chiles] And what I'm doing
right now is I'm

removing the money muscle.

What you're doing is different
than what a lot of

other people do in
the competition.

You're cooking with a
butt whole,

then you're doing up
what you want.

It's the way I was taught.

And I think it's the better
way to cook it.

There's more moisture,

all that fat's
melting down there.

Wolf's Revenge is smoking
their pork butt whole,

then taking off the money
muscle so it doesn't overcook.

The remaining butt is
slathered with sauce,

spice and butter,

then wrapped in foil.

It then goes back in
the smoker to braze,

which tenderizes the meat and
maximizes flavor in every bite

What do you got? You got
meatballs in there?

What's in there?

-Scotch eggs.
-Get out!

Are you gonna be attending the
9:22 a.m. toast?

-Yes.
-We will be...

bringing the scotch eggs.

Aw, I like that.

Little scotch egg in the
morning to get your day going.

[Michael] A scotch egg is a
traditional British dish.

You take a hard-boiled egg a
coat it in crumbled sausage

and bread crumbs.

Scotch eggs are open.

Those look good.

Ooh.

Oh, that's delicious.

The Mid Atlantic Barbecue
Association has a tradition.

A 9:22 a.m. toast.

Here's to everybody having a
good cook today.

May you name be called
right before mine.

-Cheers.
-[Everyone] Cheers.

[Michael] Some teams are jus
too busy

to attend the morning shot.

Step out, step out, step out.
Lift up.

Let's go.

So far, everything is
going great. Actually

I think it's better
than yesterday.

They got two calls yesterda
in chicken and pulled pork.

I'm a hardcore competitor.
I know that.

And I know that a lot of teams
can't go there.

We need to get this a little
hotter quicker.

I love doubles. I love love
doubles. They're tiring,

they're tiring, and they will
mentally tax you to the end.

But, they're so worth it,

because you have an
immediate chance

to rectify your mistakes.

We're gonna do a little more
savory today.

I mean, to me when I do
sweet, it conflicts with meat.

I think savory, you let the
meat do the talking.

It can shine more. So that's
what I'm gonna do.

Everything's gonna be more
bare boned.

Little more old school.

So hopefully we'll get
some more calls, and we'll...

Get a little higher.

Get some money.
"Dolla dolla bill yall"

[Michael] We're here at
day two of the New Jersey
Knockout Barbecue Festival.

As teams try to beat their
scores from yesterday,

and vie for the remaining
prize money of $6,000.

Let's go, let's go.

Great day for Barbecue.

And everybody is really
bringing the heat.

All right.

-Let's check it.
-I'm just gonna temp my pork.

[Michael] Pull pork turned i
isn't until 1 o'clock.

Most teams are taking their
pork butts out of the smoke

hours earlier, to
let them rest.

So, I hate to take this butt
all the way up to 204.

For it to start
feeling tender.

I think sometimes people get
so locked up

into the temperature.

but at the end of the day,
you have to feel the meat,

and it's gonna tell you
when it's ready.

It took forever to start
trusting my sense of touch,

versus just, this gets me
in the ballpark.

Yup.

This, sliding it in, tells me
when it's ready.

That just comes with
experience.

You've learned that
over time and...

-The hard way.
-Yeah. The hard way.

A lot of bad scores before
I figured that out.

And, I want to get
this fat cap up

so that it starts
cooling first.

Because there's a thin layer
of bacon up underneath there

-Yup.
-Okay.

We're gonna call that
bacon ice cream,

and I want that to cool first,
because if it doesn't,

it'll overcook and
it'll be mush.

Great lesson for people that
are getting into Barbecue is

that the carry-over
cook is real.

So, if he was to pull
this out at

204 205 degrees,
keep it wrapped.

It would probably get up to
210 212, you know, just gonna

keep climbing, and by that
point, it's overcooked.

So, when meat comes out
of the smoker,

have to kinda let it come
down to that 190,

or a little bit lower temp.

Then you could wrap
and go back in.

Or else, you're gonna end up
with overcooked Barbecue.

[Michael] And overcooked
Barbecue

is not gonna win any prizes

I decided

to put the pork on at
literally an hour and a half

later today,

just to see if I could
get it done

closer to the turn in window.

Because I think that it sat
too long yesterday

in the hot box.

I'm really nervous going into
pulled pork today.

It was a problem category
yesterday.

We thought we had a
really good turn in,

and the judges told us
that it was

one of the worst pulled pork
turn ins we've ever had.

But you can't dwell
on yesterday.

You always gotta move forward.

Oh ho ho. There she is.

There's no resistance there.

Like it's going into a
stick of butter.

All right. So, we'll see how
this spins it today, right?

[Michael] While the
pork butts rest,

the teams turn their attention
to the rabidly approaching

chicken turn in.

-Hi.
-You just keep working.

Please sir.

[Michael] Let's see how
Nikki's attempt

to turn down her
flavors is going.

-Flavor's great. No.
-It's spicy?

It's got a lot of cumin
and paprika,

chili powder.

So, hopefully we got some
spicy judges today.

Earlier today we talked about
conforming a little bit.

But you're not. [giggles]

I know, I said I was going to
and I'm just not doing it.

But you know what, it's fine.

You keep doing what
you're doing,

and let them catch up to you.

I understand why you stick to
your guns so much.

Cause it's tasty.

It tastes good. I think it's
important to

not 100 per cent conform.

I had an iron chef eat my food

and he loved my
flavor profile.

I got to give him all the
spice and all the heat

that they don't really like
so much here

but, he certainly did.

[Michael] Earlier today we
talked to Nikki about

playing the game.

And she's not. And I'm
happy that she's not.

Because this is the
kind of Barbecue

that they should be
embracing here.

Something that has it's
own attitude.

Something that has it's
own flavor.

And that's what she is
doing right now.

I'm a lover of Barbecue, a
cooker of Barbecue,

and people should do what

they feel is
right with flavors.

Not worrying about
offending a single judge!

[Michael] While Nikki blaze
her own trail,

next door, Old Virginia Smok
are willing to play the game

And this is the Kansas City
Barbecue Society,

so we want to cook Kansas City
style Barbecue,

and that's what the judges
are looking for.

Maybe something just a little
bit unique and different,

but not too far
out of the profile,

or else they're gonna ding ya.

It's really good today.

-What's up chef?
-What's going on?

[Michael] Those
look beautiful.

See, one of the key things
we do Michael,

we put all this chicken
back into the cooker

-and set the sauce right.
-Right.

So instead of taking the sauce
out of the pan,

that hasn't got any of that
smoked flavor,

we use the sauce on one of the

extra pieces of the chicken
to touch up.

That way, it all matches.

That's very smart.

Now see, that's one trick
I haven't heard yet.

[Luke] Can I have the master
take a bite?

[Kimberly] Yeah.

[Luke] Oh, man.

[Kimberly] That's the
bite we want. Every time.

Wow, and they're really nice.

-The honey really lifts it.
-[Both] Yeah.

Our chicken was a little bit
better than yesterday.

We added some honey to the end

and I think it really brought
all of the flavors together.

That was Kim's idea.

She generally comes up
with the good ideas

that makes our flavors pop
a little bit more.

[Michael] Now that chicken i
turned in, next up are ribs

What's going on Nik?

So, guess I'm really just
working with

-my appearance on these.
-Okay.

See if I can get in a perfect
appearance score here.

-That's free points.
-Right.

People eat with their
eyes right?

[Michael] Yup.

So these are actually a little
dark in the skin.

I'm hoping that they have
a nice light...

in the turn-in tent.

-Let me show you a good trick.
-Please sir.

So you keep the damp towel
next in your off hand.

-Okay.
-And then you just pick

-and...
-and...

Okay. Heard that.

-It's easier.
-Thank you. It is easier.

I don't like, like,
tapping it on the base.

Yeah, no, it's just easier,
you know.

This has nothing to do
with Barbecue.

It just has everything to do
with working for crazy

French chefs when I was young.

Wow, this is a
five minute wrap.

Five minute wrap.

[sighs]

And ribs, I'm going a little
more savory,

and I'm just gonna let meat
be natural.

That's awesome.

The ribs were a huge
improvement over yesterday.

I like the taste of them.

I love that we
did it differently.

-We didn't overcook it.
-Yeah, we didn't overcook it.

[Michael] They might be happ
with their ribs,

but moods change quickly as
pulled pork looms.

My pork isn't really
up to par.

Yeah Pete, I'm not even
kidding you.

It's like falling apart, mush.

That's mush. That's
really mush.

Pork is one of those things
that you just

don't know what you're gonna
get until you slice into it.

The morning muscle medallions
are splitting on the fat seams

when Jayna slices them.

A defect that might lose them
some significant points

in the judging.

I'm praying to God
for good poles.

Cause sometimes if you get
really really good poles,

the judges maybe will
be forgiving.

I think yesterday's pork was
actually really good.

Today though, I don't think by
any means it was

as good as yesterday.

We always strive to be better
the second day, but,

sometimes it just
doesn't happen.

This is not a good day
in pork.

[Michael] As day two wears o

the teams are getting tired

And pulled pork
is a difficult beast.

Pork is so hard.

Such an intense turn in.

I'm wondering if the raining
champs, Wolf's Revenge,

is feeling the pressure like
the other teams.

-How you doing? Welcome back.
-I'm doing good.

All right, let me see if I can
find a piece that I think is

Symon worthy.

That piece looks pretty
worthy to me.

You can see how tender it is.

Little bit of that exterior
bark on the outside.

See the touch of the smoke
grain running through there.

Mmm, it's really nice.

I love it when you could just
taste all those great spices

and the natural flavor
of the meat,

and that little kiss of smoke.

I've learned that our judges
don't like really heavy smoke.

They want to taste the meat
first and foremost.

They want some spice,
they want some sweet,

but if they don't
taste the meat,

if they taste the smoke first,

then that's automatically
a downplay for points.

Now, teams are prepping the
final turn in of the weekend.

Little nervous.

I've been doing
poorly at brisket,

cause I keep
coming in last place.

But, I had a very good
brisket cooked today,

so I'm really excited to
see how this goes.

Not gonna lose today.

Certainly not at brisket.

Nikki is not the only one
one hoping for a higher scor

on brisket today.

Old Virginia smoke is hopin
to get some redemption

from their low scoring
day one.

Yeah we got kinda
disappointed yesterday.

Judges really didn't score us
that well yesterday

in what we thought was
a really good brisket.

I just cut the fat cap
off the back.

Now it's go time.

It's a very dangerous game,

getting into a
redemption cook.

You can lose your focus.

The first cut...

Yeah, problem.

Do you see it?

We're really crumbling
on one end up here.

The end of the brisket
is crumbly.

Meaning that it's dried out,
and overcooked.

You can handle it
when it's undercooked

cause then you can always
put things back on but,

when it's overcooked...

You can't ever give up on
a piece of meat.

There's always more time.

[Michael] Here in New Jerse
knockout Barbecue competitio

teams are finishing up thei
eighth meat in two days.

Now it's go time.

[Michael] And Old Virginia
Smoke has just discovered

part of their brisket
is overcooked.

Yeah, problem.

Okay, I'm gonna hack it.

Let's square it off first,

-And then find your stuff.
-And then find my guys.

We ran into a little
crumbly edge,

and we sliced it differently
on the sides.

You know what,
I usually do this
after I've sliced it, Kim?

Maybe I'm creating
a new technique.

[Michael] Will this techniqu
get them higher scores

on the brisket today?

Oh, Daddy.

Oh, my gosh, that's
amazingly tender.

Oh, it's really
juicy today too.

Because of our
taste scores yesterday,

I think they might like it
a little sweeter.

I'm just gonna run a thin
line of sauce

on each one.

Sacrilege, but yeah,
I'm here to win.

We are at 129.

You're not gonna have much
time to grill your cuts.

Okay, run.

Last one for the weekend.

I think I'm having a
mental breakdown.

I think we had way better
food today, but

once it goes into that
judges tent,

we really have no
control over it.

Feel good?

[sighs]

Are you tired or nervous,
or angry?

Huh?

-Spent.
-You're spent?

Nervous. [chuckles]

Nervous.

-It's a lot.
-Yeah.

Absolutely the
most absurd thing

to care so much about but

but you know, just, it's a lot
of pride in what we do

and it's a lot of
emotional energy.

There's nothing worse than
when in your mind

you did something great,
and then like,

the results don't match what
you feel you did.

Cause that, like, it
messes with you.

-Right.
-Can't figure it out.

And it's not even that it was,

fact that it got scored
poorly, like, it was the

one of the lowest scores we've
ever had in that category,

and it was just

I mean, it kept me up
last night.

I get it.

But it drove me today.

[Michael] After two
grueling days,

the teams will now find out
who scored high

at the final award ceremony

starting with the chicken.

Tenth place, Insane Swine.

Come on down.

[crowd cheering]

Ninth place, Boggs Hogg.

Today they're giving out
$6000 in prize money.

and as the places get higher,
the prize money increases.

Fifth place,

-Old Virginia Smoke.
-All right.

Yeah.

We finished fifth
place chicken.

It was a really nice call.

Had a great chicken today.

We added some honey

which really brought the
flavors together,

and I think we had a really
good product today.

Fourth place,

Shortsville Smokers.

Third place, Paddy Mcque.

[crowd cheering]

Second place, Top Gun BBQ.

And first place,

Fire At The End Of The Day.

[Michael] So Old Virginia
Smoke

was the only team
we followed who

got a top ten in
chicken today.

Even though we didn't get
a call in,

we actually did improve
on chicken.

Our score went up, so that's
what we were hoping for.

Congratulations.

Next, the awards for ribs.

And our winner of the
pork ribs category,

Paddy Mcque.

[crowd cheering]

Then we find out who will
triumph with pulled pork.

Easily the toughest
category here today.

Tenth place pork,
Fire At The End Of The Day.

Ninth place,
Blue and Gray BBQ.

Eighth place, Ack-Que.

[Michael] As the awards
keep going,

top scorers, Wolf's Revenge
are getting nervous.

They came in third
overall yesterday

but haven't heard their nam
once yet today.

Fourth place,
Redneck Smoke Club.

When it starts getting down
to three and two,

you start second guessing
yourself.

"Man, our food was good."

"But was it really that good?"

"Did we really get first
or second place?"

So I get really edgy when it
gets down to the top three.

Third place, A Mazie Q.

We placed third
in pulled pork.

That was a very
pleasant surprise.

I really did not think it
would do like that but

I was very excited about it.

Yeah, anytime you can do a
top ten anywhere,

I'm happy. Are you happy?

-I'm definitely happy.
-I'm happy. Yes.

Second place pork,

-Wolf's Revenge.
-Woah, there it is.

Wolf's coming in second.

Pulled pork went great. It was
just nice and juicy.

All in all, it was a
great pork day.

And our winner in the
pork category,

Boggs Hogg.

[crowd cheering]

-Nice job guys.
-Thank you.

Our final category, brisket,

in tenth place,
Wolf's Revenge.

Man, we were so excited
about our brisket.

Brisket took an
hour longer to cook

today, than it normally does.

But I think that extended time
at that lower temperature

really made our brisket slices
nice and juicy,

lots of natural beef flavor.

In ninth place,
Uncle Pigs Barbecue.

In eighth place, Boggs Hogg.

[Michael] As the
awards tick down,

we have not yet heard Old
Virginia Smoke's name called.

Will they get shut out in
brisket again?

Thought it was great man.

Third place, Chicken Chokers.

Second place,

Four Smoking Guys.

The judges can be really rough
in the north east.

So, I'm always hoping
for the best, but,

I'm gonna be a little cautious
this time around.

Our final category brisket,

[Michael] So far, Old Virgin
Smoke has not gotten a call

for their cherished brisket

I'm happy with what we turned
in, more importantly,

the little General is happy
with what we turned in.

So, we're just gonna see
where the chips fall.

And our winner of the
brisket category,

Old Virginia Smoke.

All right.

[Kimberly giggling]

-We won brisket.
-Yeah.

I just howled and screamed.
I couldn't believe it.

I know it was a
good brisket, but,

I wasn't sure if we were
gonna be rewarded.

So that was a really
great surprise.

And you cooked a
great brisket.

Thanks sweetie.

Oh, I'm happy for Luke.

[Michael] Good rebound day
for them.

Way to go.

I think it's gonna be tight
for grand champion today.

Tenth place overall,

Top Gun Barbecue.

Ninth place, 3 Eyes.

Eighth place, Paddy Mcque.

Seventh place,
Old Virginia Smoke.

Going from day one, where we

didn't get the
results we wanted,

we made a few changes.

We went a little
bit sweeter...

-And they liked it.
-And they liked it.

And Kim's the one that
makes the changes.

A man much wiser than me said,
"Always listen to the woman"

[Kim chuckles] Sometimes.

Sometimes.

Third place, come on up,

Uncle Pigs Barbecue.

Our reserve grand champion,

Wolf's Revenge.

Today was a great day.

We went from third place to
second place overall.

Always the bridesmaid,
never the bride.

-Good job buddy.
-Thank you very much sir.

Two top ten calls with
a second in pork

and a tenth in brisket.

And we just missed the overall

two day grand championship
by 1.1 points.

So, I've got no complaints.

You gotta be happy right?

We had a better cook than we
did the day before so

we came in second, and
that's awesome.

Yeah. How do you feel Nik?

I know it was a better cook.
I know it was a better cook.

So maybe I didn't get any
calls this weekend, but

we did huge improvement on
our scores overall.

Brisket was definitely better.
That's great.

And the pork was good.

Big improvements all round.
I'm not mad.

Being a new cook on a
competition circuit

is been wild.

That brisket score is good.

-You said you liked it a lot.
-I liked it a lot,

There's always something
that I've learned,

always something
that I've improved on,

and I'm really out here just
cooking against myself.

New Jersey knockout in
Blairstown, New Jersey,

it has come to an end.

[Michael] There's winners,
there's losers,

there are smiling faces,

but at the end of the day,

it's all about
delicious Barbecue,

and that's what we had

this weekend, on BBQ USA.