The rain came down in buckets leading up to the days of the first annual Clarksville Cookoff. This was our first event of 2008 and even the weather couldn't dampen our spirits. After 6 months of practice since Lenoir City we had high expectations for 2008 since adding another FE 100.We arrived around 10 on Friday morning and after moving the trailer four times to our final location we had our meat inspected and began our prep work.
It was great seeing our friends Ulika, High on the Hog, Do Rag Q, Smoky Mountain Smokers and so many more than I can list.
Friday night was capped off with a low country boil consisting of shrimp, corn, and potatoes. After that a pretty good local band played for a few hours and we went to sleep.
Saturday started off pretty good. Number one, it was great getting a good nights sleep due to the FE's chugging along all night virtually unattended. When I went to wrap the pork and briskets they had great color so I thought we were in good shape.
The water in the fairgrounds had risen over night and they ended up gettin a little closer than I had liked but nothing to worry about.
After the turn ins we felt so-so about our product and were hoping for the best.
We ended up getting a 10th place call in chicken and 2nd place call in brisket. Our ribs and pork finished 12th and 16th respectively giving us an over all finish of 6th place. We are ecstatic about this finish because we never start the year off good at all. It usually doesn't start going good until September and October when the season is winding down. Hope this is a good sign for the year.
**Since the contest a F1 tornado hit the area of Clarksville we were in and destroyed the pavilion we were beside. They hope to rebuild and we hope to return next year.
