On June 4, 2011, we won our third Grand Championship for 2011 and 6th bung for Jack 2011 at the Smokin in the Oaks BBQ in Penn Valley, CA, amid 25 teams with 1st Brisket, 2nd Chicken, 7th Pork, and 11th Ribs. This was our second GC for Penn Valley and a two-peat.
Penn Valley is a small rustic town, and the event was held in a beautiful oak-lined rodeo facility. Teams were treated to a chuck wagon dinner of tri tip, chicken, beans, and cobbler compliments of Leonard Sanders of Chuck Wagon Cookin.
By Saturday, it was wet and muddy due to the rains, and we tried our best to stay dry and keep the WSMs temps constant.
On the drive home on I-5, we were shadowed by a beautiful rainbow for about 15 minutes. The full rainbow was a good omen and it felt good to be one GC away from our goal to win 7 Grand Championships to qualify for an automatic invitation to the Jack in Lynchburg in October.
Many thanks to Scott for organizing this event, Leonard and crew for the chuck wagon dinner, Kelly and Kathleen for officiating, and all the judges, helpers, and volunteers! We had a great time even with the rain. Congrats to all who walked.
