Anyone who has ever wandered around at a barbecue competition sees big, customized barbecues closer in size to a Hummer than the typical backyard grill.

But home grillers can learn from the contestants at events such as the Canadian Festival of Chili and BBQ.

91原创 just hosted the 30th annual competition on May 6 and 7. It鈥檚 moved around to different Lower Mainland locations, but has been here for the past few years.

No matter where it鈥檚 moved, Jim Erickson of Eatonville, Wash., has trailered his barbecue to the locale.

鈥淭his is the 30th one and I鈥檝e been to every one,鈥� Erickson said.

He likes the camaraderie of the grilling community.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e wonderful people to be around,鈥� he added.

But the head of the Beaver Casters BBQ team also takes his cooking seriously.

On Saturday, he was preparing his entries for Sunday鈥檚 barbecue contests.

It starts with the wood used to smoke the meats.

鈥淚 have cooked with every wood you can find from all over the world,鈥� he noted.

Erickson said hickory鈥檚 smoke is overpowering as is many of the commonly used smoking woods.

He鈥檚 used domesticated fruit woods, but what he鈥檚 come to prefer is wild cherry.

He said wild cherry wood doesn鈥檛 impart any bitterness and makes a sweet smoke.

As he prepped a 15-pound piece of brisket, he spoke about seasonings.

Erickson explained that a dry rub serves to do more than flavour the meat.

Rubs are typically mixtures of sugar, salt, and dried spices.

鈥淭he rub acts to seal the meat,鈥� he explained.

That鈥檚 important considering how long meats are cooked.

The brisket was barbecued for about 16 hours. His pork butt was about 12 hours.

Chicken breasts cook for more than two hours.

At competitions, it鈥檚 all about low and slow.

In other words, the cooking temperatures are about 250 degrees. Home grillers may want to turn down the heat.

Another expert move from Erickson鈥檚 playbook 鈥� moisture.

His set up has a water reservoir so the meats are enveloped in moist heat.

鈥淢oist smoke penetrates. Dry smoke doesn鈥檛,鈥� he summed up.

People may be tempted to add other fluids in their grills. Erickson said he鈥檚 tried many items, such as fruit juice, and found they made no difference to the end product.

He added that if the juice container dries out, the sugars burn, which can ruin the meat.