Alissa and her crew couldn’t believe how many people had shown up for the barbecue contest. There had to be close to a hundred or more.

“I never thought, that there would be this many person here for the competition.”

Alexander just smiles as they pass certain teams and individuals to the spot they had been assigned to set-up shop at. He spots a few people he knew when he and Pemton use to compete. Some members of the teams he knew. While the others he saw were new people. Some of them he could see the family resemblance to people he used to know.

“There’s our spot, right next to the Dancing Pig and across from Devil’s Pit Barbecue.” Gregory had been navigating from the map they had been given when they pulled in and registered.

“We’re competing against these people?”

“Yep, and I'm not worried about it. Alissa is a really good cook and I’m sure she can compete and win.” Jessie knew Alissa had a few secrets of her own that would allow her to beat these people.

“Careful backing up Gregory.” Alissa didn’t want anything to happen to her uncle’s smoker/cooker.

Once Gregory has the smoker/cooker in place. Alexander gets out with Alissa and unhooks it. They maneuver the smoker/cooker to where they want it. Afterward, Bobby and Alissa set-up the canopy and the rest of the work area. Gregory, Alexander, and Jessie get the rest of the equipment and water hose connected.

“Alissa, you might want to start preparing the brisket for cooking. That’s the first item we must turn in tomorrow morning and will take all night to cook.” Alexander was making sure they got everything set right with the smoker/cooker.

“Okay, Alex.” Alissa takes the brisket out that they had bought. She thought she knew meat but was surprised by how Alexander knew the right ratio of meat to fat that the meat should have. That was one of the secrets to the meat.

“Bobby, wash your hands and give me a hand please preparing these meats.” Alissa bought five briskets for the contest.

“Okay.” Bobby washes her hands in the portable sink

“Here’s the mixture I am going to use. I need the whole brisket covered, please.” Alissa hands her the container she had filled up with her uncle’s mixture. She made a fresh batch and had Alexander taste it to make sure it was right.

The next thirty minutes, Alissa and Bobby work preparing five briskets and three pork butts. Alissa was trimming the fat that they didn’t need off it.

“Hey Alexander, you got a minute?”

Alexander looks over towards Alissa. He was showing the guys how to stack the wood in the smoker and cooker part. How to make sure everything had the proper heat settings. Where to put the water pans and drip pans.

“Coming. Do you guys think you have this?” Alexander looks towards Gregory and Jessie.

“Yes sir, we have it.” The guys watch as Alexander walk over towards the makeshift kitchen.

Alexander looks at the meats that Alissa had trimmed the fat off of.

“You did good kid.” Alexander was impressed with the fat that Alissa had cut off. She didn’t take any meat off.

“Thanks.” Alissa goes back to work on the other meats and trims the fat off.

While Alissa was trimming the meat off, Bobby was covering the whole brisket in the spices Alissa had put together. She made sure every aspect of the meat was covered. Once the briskets were covered, she places them on wax paper on a tray.

“Okay, they are ready to be moved into the smoker,” Bobby calls out to her cousin.

Jessie walks over towards Bobby and get the tray and carry it back over to the smoker. Gregory under Alexanders guidance places the meat on the racks in the smoker. He explains why they were doing it that way.

Bobby and Alissa prepare the chicken and ribs for cooking tomorrow. Alissa was going to make a special sauce to cover the ribs and to put on the pulled pork. While the guys watched the meats, her and Bobby start working on the sauce. She was using a smaller barbecue grill to grill Mexican Chile’s and peppers on.

She uses the blender to mix them when they are finished being grilled and skinned. She works on the sauce and when she thinks she has it.

“Hey guys, can you come over and taste this, please?” Alissa gives each of them a small cup of sauce.

Alexander tries it first “Wow, that’s some strong sauce.”

Jessie and Gregory try the sauce “man this stuff is hot and sweet.”

Bobby sticks her pinky in her cup and tries it. She wasn’t much for hot sauce. She tastes it and wasn’t taken back with it. She loved the smoky flavor it had.

“You have a winner here. I would put this on my barbecue sandwiches.” Bobby cleans her pinky finger.

“Hell, I would put this on the sandwiches I get from Arby’s. this is a good sauce.” Gregory and Jessie liked it.

“What do you think Alexander? Should I enter this in along with our meats?” Alissa looks at Alexander since he was more familiar with how the judges, judge.

“I think you should. I would also add that sauce to your ribs as well.”

“Sounds like a plan. Since we're going to be up all night. Why don’t I go ahead and start making us some burgers for dinner?”

“I’ll help you, Alissa.” Bobby stands up and grabs a Pepsi from the cooler.

“While you are cooking dinner, I think I’m going to see who is still around that I know.” Alexander leaves their area and starts walking around. He was looking around for people he once knew and visiting some of the competitors he once knew.

“So, what else are we having to go along with the burgers?” Gregory walks over to where Alissa was working on making the patties.

“Well, if you want. We can have french fries or homemade onion rings.” Alissa brought both with them. She also brought the ingredients for the side dishes they needed to turn in.

“Onion rings sound good.”

“Okay, can you get the deep fryer and heat some oil up please?” Alissa goes over to the cooler and pulls out everything she needs to make the onion rings.

“What type of burgers are we having?” Gregory had seen Alissa adding, green peppers, red peppers, onions and yellow peppers to the hamburger meat.

“A pepper burger. I thought I would add the sauce I just made on top with lettuce and tomatoes.”

“Sounds good.” Gregory sets the deep fryer up and gets the hot right.

Alissa was cutting up a large yellow onion and separating the rings. She dredges the onion rings through the beer flavor batter. Once she has a large amount did. She takes the cookie tray she was cooking the burgers on and put it in the smoker/cooker to cook the burgers in there.

While the burgers are cooking. Alissa cooks the onion rings. She spotted Bobby checking on the burgers and flipping them.

“If you want too, you can put the buns in there and toast them.” Alissa takes a package of buns out to Bobby to toast.

By the time food was ready, everyone was back and sitting around out by the smoker/cooker. Gregory, Alexander, and Jessie were drinking beer, while Bobby and Alissa were drinking soda.

“Did you run into any people you know Alexander?” Alissa looks over towards him.

“Yes, I ran into four people I knew. They were surprised to see me, and it was nice seeing them again.” As Alexander takes a bite of his burger.

“Well, I hope your willing to help out. I don’t know if I can cook the barbeque and run the burger truck.” Alissa was thinking about letting Alexander be her pitmaster.

Alexander looks at Alissa and thinks about what she was suggesting. He loved the smell of the smoke and always liked cooking.

“Let me think about it, Alissa.” He’ll have to give it some thought.

“Okay.” Alissa finishes her burgers and onion rings.

Alissa watches as everyone starts to fall asleep. She was going to stay awake making sure all the meat she was cooking got cooked properly.
She watches as Alexander slowly dozed off. She walks over to her catering van and pulls out a blanket she had brought with them. She covers him up and starts a fresh pot of coffee.

“Are you planning to stay awake all night?” Joe had spotted a newcomer and watched as she and her friends worked on their meat. He also remembered Alexander from when he uses to come to the cookoffs.

Alissa nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard a deep southern sound voice come from behind her. She turns around to see who it was.

“Someone has too. If you don’t mind me asking, who are you?”

“I’m Joe Berkley, I’m the owner of The Pork Shack.”

Alissa looked at the man. He had to be 6’5” or so and very muscular. He reminded her of the signed picture her uncle had of the footballer
player William Perry. He looked like he could be related to him.

“It’s nice meeting you, Mr. Berkley. I’m Alissa Spencer the owner of Skyvue Catering Service.” Alissa shakes Joe’s hand.

“So, what got you interested in competition barbecuing?”

“Would you like to sit down?” Motions to one of the folding chairs they had brought.

“Thank you.” Joe sits in the nearest empty chair.

“Would you like some coffee?” Alissa was pouring herself a cup.

“Please.” Joe was wondering if she was stalling.

“To answer your question. I’m going to operate a food truck that will sell burgers and I wanted to sell one that was a barbecue burger. My grandfather uses to do competition barbecuing before he died and I wanted to have his style of barbecue in the burger.” She carries the cup of coffee over to him.

“Thank you.” Joe accepts the coffee. He inhales the scent of it and notices it was a dark roast blend.

“You’re welcome.” Alissa takes her coffee and sits down in her lawn chair.

“So, you figure you would enter a barbecue contest?”

“Well, my uncle’s partner felt I would learn better if I did.” Alissa points towards Alexander who was sound asleep in the van.

“Your uncle was Alexander’s partner?”

“Yes sir.”

A smile appears on his face. He remembers meeting Pemton when he was just twelve years old. He gave him a lunch box filled with barbeque.

“I met your uncle once. He was a nice guy. How is he, now a day?”

“He died a year ago. He did a lot for me.” Alissa tries to hold back the tears as she thinks about her uncle.

“Sorry to hear that. That burger you were talking about sounded interesting. What other burgers were you thinking about serving?”

“A Hawaiian, Hot Wing, Vegan, Macburger, Bison and a few others.” Alissa still had a few more burgers she was thinking about.

“You have an interesting selection of burgers.”

“I know, but I figure people will like them. How busy does your place get?”

“We stay steady. My barbecue draws a lot of customers. Are you entering into all the categories?”

“Yes, sir. Alexander thought we might win a few.”

“Well, I hope you do.”

“Thanks, me too.”

Alissa and Joe talk for a while. Joe leaves to tend to his cooker. Alissa checks hers. She takes the briskets and wrap them in foil and add some apple juice with beef broth added to it. She pokes holes in the foil to let it steam while it cooked. The pork butt, she spreads her sauce on it.
She hopes it penetrates the meat and soaks in.