Howling Hog BBQ (at Howling Wolf Farm)

I have been on vacation since the beginning of August, a well deserved one after the events of July! During the past few days my son and I were at our family cottage off the coast of Maine. For the past year, while traveling to our cottage, I have seen what looked like a Barbecue joint located on old route 1 in Freeport.

Because I'm still vacationing, I don't have my usual cramped timetable, which gave us the opportunity to stop and check the place out even though it was late in the evening.

The joint is called "Bucks Naked BBQ", and it is located in Freeport, Maine. It's a small place, with your typical BBQ joint ambiance. The reason I even noticed the place was there was because the Lang Smoker parked behind it next I-295.

My boy and I stopped in, sat outside in the setting sun and had us some darned fine barbecue! I ordered us a sampler of their pork ribs, and for myself I got a pulled pork sandwich with beans and cornbread. The boy can't resist a corn dog, so he went with the corn dog and the cornbread.

The food was excellent! I particularly liked the pulled pork. The ribs were good, but I had better ribs from Team Lunch Meat at the Harpoon contest. Prices at Bucks were reasonable. I also got a couple of their sauces, although they are packed in deli containers not sealed bottles like you'd get from the store. Their house sauce tastes a lot like it has a spice rub similar to my Hog Eatin' Rub in it. I should be able to copy it pretty easily I think. They also offered a Maine Blueberry sauce that was pretty good too.

If you find yourself on I-295 near Freeport, and you're looking for some good food, I suggest you give them a try!

I was just reading a thread on the Kansas City Barbecue Society's (KCBS) forum. The initial question was titled "Help! It's my first competition!", which caught my eye. The writer asked for suggestions on preparations and lists of stuff to bring.

A good suggestion was made by "meatcutter". He said:

"I would say the biggest thing that helps me is doing a practice cook! I still do one every year 2 or 3 weeks before my first comp. Set up in your backyard just as if you were doing a contest. Have everything you need outside, no running inside to get stuff. If you have to go get it write it down, becasue you'll need it when you do it for real. Cook everything in real time. Pull an all-nighter. Start everything just like you would plan on to hit regular turn in times. A bonus is the nice meal you can have afterwards."

I think this is a very good idea. I think my team could benefit from setting up the equipment, doing the late night prep, and dealing with any curve balls the weather throws at us. I think I'll try to make this part of my summer prep regimen! Thanks to "meatcutter" for the suggestion!

Chris