BBQ Life: 7 days to go

7 days to go until the Hudson Valley Ribfest and I'm feeling a bit apprehensive about the event today. Last night I met up with two of the members of the team and discovered a few things that bothered me.

1. One of the team members is going to the event to "get drunk and have fun. I don't give a shit how we do." I want to have fun, and I'll probably drink a beer or two, but I do care how we perform. We can "get drunk and have fun" any time without the expense or pressure of a contest.
   
2. There will be a lot of folks coming up from Brooklyn to check out the event. While that in it self doesn't bother me at all, I don't think we're going to be prepared for the amount of folks showing up. At last count it will be around 40. I hope they bring drinks, coolers, ice and chairs as they'll be in short supply at our site. We'll have plenty of food.
   
3. One guy who plans on showing up, along with his bratty kids, is hated by one team member, despised by another, tolerated by the third and actually liked by the forth. I'm not saying which member I am, but I really hope this interloper doesn't interfere with the cooking. If he does, I could easily see one member of the team dismembering him. Or walking out.
   
4. We still have no idea of who's doing what on the team. We're supposed to meet next week and finalize all of that, but damn, I'd be a lot more comfortable if we did it already. I'm a but uneasy telling the guys what to do, as they've cooked together before, but if they're not willing or able to make a decision, I will.
   
5. I'm still trying to figure out what we're cooking for the grilling contest. The BBQ contest is a no brainer, but the grilling event is wide open.
   

Even with all that on my mind, I'm really excited about the contest. We've had some great things come our way, which will be revealed in time, and its a great bunch of guys I'm cooking with. It's a very well run contest in a beautiful location. I'll be cooking BBQ again. I like judging, but the real fun is in the competition.