We’re getting down to the wire!  All our rubs are made, all our sauces are done.  We have very little left to get ready.

Tonight, I pick up, hopefully, an EZup that I’m swapping a friend for, and a tent to sleep in.  I’m actually kind of glad our smoker isn’t ready for us, as I’d have that to deal with this week, too.  We know the Chargrillers, and even though their cheap, they do work, and we’ll manage with them.

I’ll also start packing tonight… I’m kind of rambling, partly for my benefit, but also to show people what it’s like to get ready for a comp.

My shirts are clean, and I have shorts and jeans ready to go.  As I’m typing, I remembered that I need to get an air mattress, too.

I’ll check out the coolers tonight.  We like to have several:  1 for briskets, boston butts and ribs, 1 for chicken, 1 for non-competition food and 1 for drinks.  The coolers will be the last thing packed, on Friday morning; everything else will be ready to go on Thursday night… maybe!

It looks like Thursday may bring thunderstorms, and Friday will be clear; if that’s the case, I’d rather wait until early Friday to pack and get there a bit later than to have everything wet before we even leave and get soaked doing it.  We’ll see how things go tomorrow.

One thing on rubs before signing off this morning…  Your final product is not better than the ingredients that make it up.  Get fresh spices, grind them just before use when possible, keep them out of the light, and you’ll notice a difference.

Oh, and I got a new item to put into my ‘arsenal’ yesterday… a Shun knife roll!  All my knives, my thermapen, my sharpening steel and a pair of tongs are all in there; I should be able to get my maverick thermo in there, too.

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