American Royal

As we went through our cameras looking for pictures and videos we realized to our dismay that we really didn't have any! As a team of two cooking twice in two nights we were so preoccupied with everything related to competing that we did not take any pictures. The only footage we have is a small walk that we took on Friday afternoon before the crowds arrived for the big party, as well as a few minutes of the fire works on Saturday night. Keep in mind the party is on Friday and not Saturday as all the teams are cooking on Saturday night. What you get to see is a general idea of what a very, very small part of the grounds is like without the crowds. The American Royal BBQ happens on a space the size of the PNE and is packed with teams, people, parties, smoke and music. The saloons that you see are the parties that are put on by the teams. When we go to a typical competition we are assigned a 20x20 space to cook on. At the Royal you pay for the size you want, and then truck in all the necessary supplies needed to build your nightclub.



Here is a picture of a custom made smoker, and yes it works!



Trailers like this one loading in on the Wednesday were everywhere.



Next stop St. Louis, Missiouri.