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As we celebrate 20 years of sending out smoke signals all across the barbecue world, we’d like to take a moment and reflect on from where we have come over the past two decades. Each month during 2010, we will feature the reprint of an article originally published during our first years. This month’s article is reprinted for our very first National Barbecue News dated February 26, 1990. We hope you enjoy this blast for the barbecue past...
Spotlight: On the team we know best...
Note: The “News” will have the feature each month in which we “spotlight” some cooking team that we find interesting. It may not be a team that is “cooking”?regularly and is winning a lot of contests or considered to be a “big rig” team. It may only be a local team somewhere that is entering only area contests. This month we are featuring our own team for the purpose of better acquainting you with the ones engaged in the tasks of producing this paper each month.
The “SMOKEHOUSE”
Douglas, GA
Chief Cook: Donald Gillis
 Late in 1987, we began to hear about something called a “pig jig” that was going to be held in Douglas, GA in November. At that time, all we knew about it was that it had something to do with cooking barbecue in competition with other people. Well, I?had been “barbecuing”?for many years and, just like most “backyard”?cookers, knew that my barbeque was “the best.” But, did I?dare test it against someone else’s barbecue? Let some stranger tell me how good or bad my meat was, (not just my family and friends for whom I?had been cooking)? No! I?decided just to go visit and observe the event to see what went on. But, as the time drew nearer, my family and I?decided to “go for it.”
Even though it was a relatively small contest, it was with “fear and trembling,” as well as awe and envy, that I?watched some of the rigs pull in for the cook-off and began to set up. But we met some great people and had a lot of fun that weekend. Of course, winning a 1st and 3rd place didn’t hurt either. Our barbecue had done O.K. Our team for this first event consisted of my Mother, myself, my wife Frances, our four children and their families (including two grandchildren), and a brother-in-law (who had the motor home) and his family.
 This win provided us with a paid entry to the “Big Pig Jig” cook-off held at Vienna, GA the following October. No way! We had had a good time, won something, but felt we didn’t need to press our luck. But, once again, as entry deadline drew near we decided “why not”, sent in our entry, welcomed a “sponsor” and was on our way once again.
Our sponsor was Joe and Carlene Phelps of The Douglas Shopper. They had been in the printing and publishing business here in Douglas for some ten years. They were a big help in this contest, and have since then become an integral part of our team, as well as close personal friends.
 Before the contest we decided to visit the Vienna, GA site to look at our assigned “spot”. The place was, even then, a beehive of activity. Boy, was this a frightening scene to a novice team such as ours! There were many permanent structures already built, and there were people pouring concrete, sawing and hammering. We knew we would definitely be out of place here! But it was too late to back out, so we went back home and designed a portable building that we could carry over to Vienna and set up. Then the big weekend arrived...some 75+ cooking teams and thousands of people! Once again, we had a great time and a third place win in the “Rib” category made the trip home much easier.
 Now the “bug had bitten us” and we continued to enter contests and have a good time, traveling from Daytona Beach, FL, to Memphis, TN, always carrying along our little portable “cabin porch”?which had served us so well in Vienna, Ga.
In our third competition, we were joined by another sponsor, Indi-Heat Cookers of Sylvester, Ga., who was the manufacturer of the smoker we were using. Mike and Karen Barnard of Indi-Heat have been a part of the “Smokehouse”?since then.
Since November of 1987, we have competed in eleven contests. These were in Douglas, GA; Daytona Beach, FL; Columbus, GA; Memphis, TN; Winchester, TN; Nashville, TN; and Middleburg, FL. In the competitions, our team has won two “Grand Champion” awards as well as seven 1st places, four 2nd places, three 3rd places, and one 6th place in Memphis.
We plan to continue to compete on a limited basis but our main efforts now will be directed toward publishing a paper that will be of interest and help to everyone involved in these competitions.
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