Cue-do or Rib Chagi (Karate and BBQ)

I once read a story about Chuck Norris that I’d like to share.

[Disclaimer- I can't remember where I read this story, and it's possible that I read it about Superfoot Wallace , or Master Hee Il Cho, not Norris]

Supposedly a young Chuck would show up at various karate tournaments with many extra uniforms in his equipment bag. As any good competitor, he would get there early, and scout the facilities, the locker room and the other competition.

But young Chuck would also go an extra step. He’d chat up the referees of the tournament. He’d find out about their background. Maybe one ref had come from a Tae Kwon Do background, or perhaps another from Shotokan (Karate) or another from Judo or Kyokushin.

Chuck smartened up- he’d figure out which ref would be judging his next match and wear the uniform from that ref’s background. ie -If the guy who had studied Judo for 10 years before studying Karate was judging, he’d wear a Judo uniform.

Supposedly this gave just the slightest edge to the young competior in his matches. And in closely matched bouts, you need any edge you could get. Ask anyone who’s been to Vegas.

Since then rules have been changed and standardized so I don’t think this is possible any more, but I like the story.

So wtf does this have to do with BBQ? Well, I’m going back to my friend’s BBQ Rib Cookoff event this weekend. Remember those videos from last year? (see below)

Well last year I went in blind, I didn’t get all the facts that I could have before the fun. I made BBQ ribs the way I like them- drier than normal- and clearly that wasn’t the way to go.

The fact of the matter is, I’m not particularly fond of baby back pork ribs. And I’m not a fan of bbq sauce. But it doesn’t matter- the judges ARE. The rest of the crowd is into sickly sweet sticky sauce. So I’ll adapt. I’ll float like a butterfly and sting like a chipotle. Cause I’m comin’ at ya!

Btw, I don’t hate pork ribs, it’s just that I’ve only liked a few different recipes in the past few years- Kev & Lisa’s Hawai’ian ribs, Kenny & Patrick’s Ribs, some ribs I had at TownHouse in Emeryville and that’s about it. And I’m sure Melissa C makes good ribs given her cooking skill and home state.

I’m just a bbq brisket lovin’ Texan who likes his sauce on the side.