With a win of the pork ribs division, second place showings in brisket and showmanship, fifth place finish in chicken and 19th place finish in pork, the Gone Fish'n team, led by Haymish Moxey, took home the whole hog in the second Bahamas Smokin' Hot BBQ competition. After a hot day of grilling, the team walked away with a $2,500 purse and the opportunity to compete at the Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue in October.
Moxey, proprietor at the family business known as Gone Fish'n on the Western Esplanade, described the win as "redemption", especially after his team's sixth place showing in the inaugural event. That competition was won by Kwivan Miller's Bahama Bar B King team, which finished in the reserve champion spot this year. This year, Miller's team won the chicken division, took fourth place in pork, placed sixth in brisket and made a seventh place showing in pork ribs. Bahama Bar B King also competed in dessert. They placed 10th.
"After last year's competition we realized where we fell down -- plating, presentation and the meticulousness of what the judges wanted as far as how the food should be laid out," said Moxey. "We saw that we lost a lot of points in those areas and that was how we lost the competition. We won a lot of medals, but it wasn't enough to capture the title."
This year the Gone Fish'n team paid attention to the rules and took advice from a BBQ competition veteran on plating their meats and how things should be done professionally. The diligence paid off in a big way for them at the Kansas City Barbeque Society sanctioned event. Moxey now has that coveted plaque in his front room in what he says is his favorite spot -- right across from his favorite couch so that he can see it while he relaxes in the evenings, watching cooking shows on television.
"Not being boastful or bragging, but we entered the competition at the last minute last year and I knew we had taste, but we paid no attention to plating and so forth. This year we paid attention," he said. "It was a glorious feeling -- great redemption - especially when we realized we were close to winning last year. Overall, all of the competitors were competitive and with great food, but it was a good feeling to win," said Moxey.
Moxey led the family-oriented team that included his brother, Sterling Moxey, and his nephews, James Ingraham and Brian Austin -- who all work at the restaurant.
Bahamas Waste Haulers hauled off a third place performance overall after topping the field in brisket, a second place showing in pork ribs, a 23rd place showing in pork and a sixth place showing in chicken. They also entered dessert where they finished third. Twenty-four teams rounded out the field.
Moxey, who runs Gone Fish'n, is a boat captain by trade; he described grilling as something he did as a hobby before he got serious about it. The sauce he serves at his beachside restaurant is one that he's been making for the last 25 years, which he said he perfected about 15 years ago.
"Being a boat captain and traveling doing yacht deliveries, I always had the opportunity to be with the chefs on the yachts, who were always cooking. So I started twisting [their sauces] up and playing around with it. I think about 15 years ago it was perfected to what it is today," he said.
He swears by his sauce, which he said has merited encouragement, over the last three years, from diners for him to bottle it. After his Smokin' Hot BBQ competition win he says there's an offer on the table he's thinking about taking, but will have to mull over within the next few months just to be certain.
It's been one week since the Gone Fish'n crew threw out their line in the competition and came up with the biggest catch -- one that he says he gives God the glory for.
They've celebrated their BBQ win and will be closed this weekend to get themselves geared up for the busy summer season, during which he says his team puts in 12-hour shifts. The Gone Fish'n restaurant will reopen on Wednesday, and Moxey is planning something special for his customers that will encompass discounts and complimentary items.

OVERALL RANKING (24 teams)
Gone Fish'n
Bahama Bar B King
Bahamas Waste Haulers
Da Pit Boyz
Guardian Grillers
Smoke Eaters
Charlie and 'Da Boys
Da Meat Police
Sun Pigs
Vitamin Water
Bootleggers
Radio House Smokers
Beat Our Meat
Mudda Sic Grillers
Pirates Pub Bar and Grill
Flamin' Hot Boys
Gardi's Smokehouse and Grill
Grill Swill and Chill
Hot Star Grillers
Downtown Charlie Brown
Serial Grillers
Taste of Perfection -- Exuma
Island Smokehouse
Unique Grillers

BRISKET -- TOP 5
Bahamas Waste Haulers
Gone Fish-n
Radio House Smokers
Mudda Sic Grillers
Da Meat Police

PORK -- TOP 5
Smoke Eaters
Da Pit Boyz
Taste of Perfection -- Exuma
Bahama Bar B King
Sun Pigs

CHICKEN -- TOP 5
Bahama Bar B King
Da Pit Boyz
Flamin' Hot Boys
Vitamin Water
Gone Fish'n

PORK RIBS -- TOP 5
Gone Fish'n
Bahamas Waster Haulers
Charlie and 'Da Boys
Guardian Grillers
Da Meat Police

DESSERT -- TOP 5 (12 teams)
Mudda Sic Grillers
Radio House Smokers
Bahamas Waste Haulers
Flamin' Hot Boys
Hot Star Grillers

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