Sunday, January 30, 2011

Lakeland, Florida BBQ Contest DQ Controversy January 29, 2011

This late turn in was ultimately disqualified (DQ'ed) resulting in the competitor who would probably have been the GC  (he took a 1st in ribs, 4th in chicken and a 2nd in pork and a DQ in Brisket.) coming in 64th out of 66 teams.  (see this late turnin on video starting at minute 2:55)

It initially appears that the rep for this contest accepted the box but the competitor was later informed that it was DQ'ed. 

The controversy on BBQ internet forum sites is because many believe that if there had not been video of this turn in would the well known competitor have been DQ'ed?  We'll never know.



From You Tube- Competitor Gets Disqualified For Being Late

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Chicken and Seafood Paella

Last week while browsing around some of my favorite kitchen related stores, I found a great price on a 15 inch paella pan ($14.99).  It looked like a great bargain and I happened to not have this gadget in my extensive kitchen gadget inventory.  We invited some friends over for dinner Friday and this gave me the opportunity to try out my new pan.

While looking for recipes for paellas, I found there are quite a few variations.  I chose chicken and seafood as my main protein source.  The results can be viewed in the below slide show. 



I used a recipe from Food Network by Tyler Florence as a base to make the paella with some additions and deletions based on other recipes I found on the internet..  My choice of seafood varied from the main recipe and I did not add the peas or the tomatoes.  The main thing I learned is that you should not limit your creativity in selecting your protein ingredients, there is a lot of prep work to put together the paella and you will not be disappointed in the presentation.

The Ultimate Paella


Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence


.Prep Time:30 minInactive Prep Time:1 hr 0 minCook Time:1 hr 0 minLevel:

IntermediateServes:

4 to 6 servings. Ingredients

•Spice Mix for chicken, recipe follows

•1 (3-pound) frying chicken, cut into 10 pieces

•1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

•2 Spanish chorizo sausages, thickly sliced  (bacon also added)
•Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

•1 Spanish onion, diced

•4 garlic cloves, crushed

•Bunch flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped, reserve some for garnish

•1 (15-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained and hand-crushed  (not added)

•4 cups short grain Spanish rice

•6 cups water, warm

•Generous pinch saffron threads  (tumeric, cumin powder and paprika added also)

•1 dozen littleneck clams, scrubbed (clam broth used instead)

•1 pound jumbo shrimp, peeled and de-veined  ( I also added salmon fillet slices)

•2 lobster tails (lobster claws used)

•1/2 cup sweet peas, frozen and thawed (not used)

•Lemon wedges, for serving

Special equipment:

•Large paella pan or wide shallow skillet

Directions

Rub the spice mix all over the chicken and marinate chicken for 1 hour in the refrigerator.



Heat oil in a paella pan over medium-high heat. Saute the chorizo until browned, remove and reserve. Add chicken skin-side down and brown on all sides, turning with tongs. Add salt and freshly ground pepper. Remove from pan and reserve.



In the same pan, make a sofrito by sauteing the onions, garlic, and parsley. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes on a medium heat. Then, add tomatoes and cook until the mixture caramelizes a bit and the flavors meld. Fold in the rice and stir-fry to coat the grains. Pour in water and simmer for 10 minutes, gently moving the pan around so the rice cooks evenly and absorbs the liquid. Add chicken, chorizo, and saffron. Add the clams and shrimp, tucking them into the rice. The shrimp will take about 8 minutes to cook. Give the paella a good shake and let it simmer, without stirring, until the rice is al dente, for about 15 minutes. During the last 5 minutes of cooking, when the rice is filling the pan, add the lobster tails. When the paella is cooked and the rice looks fluffy and moist, turn the heat up for 40 seconds until you can smell the rice toast at the bottom, then it's perfect.

(My note: Make sure you taste for salt.  I found I needed to add quite a bit  )

Cook's note: The ideal paella has a toasted rice bottom called socarrat.



Remove from heat and rest for 5 minutes. Garnish with peas, parsley and lemon wedges.





Spice Mix for chicken:

•1 tablespoon sweet paprika

•2 teaspoons dried oregano

•Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Combine ingredients in a small bowl. Rub the spice mixture all over the chicken; marinate for 1 hour, covered

Friday, January 07, 2011

1st Annual Wild West BBQ Showdown- New Year's Two Day Comp Wildomar

What a great way to spend the New Year's Holiday than at a two day BBQ competition.  Our results were not what we hoped for, but we sure did learn a lot about competing in the frigid cold. 


















12/31/10 Results (First Day)
Grand Champion: All Sauced Up
Reserve Champion: Slap Yo' Daddy BBQ

Overall:
1 All Sauced Up
2 Slap Yo' Daddy BBQ
3 Left Coast Q
4 Rhythm 'n Que
5 Big Creek BBQ
6 When Pigs Fly
7 4 Smokin' Butts
8 Simply Rocke'n BBQ
9 Brazen BBQ
10 Smokin Yankees BBQ
11 All Hogs go to Heaven
12 Birds Pit Crew
13 The Rub Company
14 Butcher II BBQ
15 5 J's BBQ
16 Smokin' Triggers
17 Rooftop BBQ
18 The Rib Tickler
19 The Rib Doctor
20 It Ain't Prime
21 Smokin Goatheads
22 Jerry King Midland Texas
23 Pork U BBQ
24 Papa's Smokehouse BBQ
25 Porketeers
26 Big B's Down-N-Dirty BBQ
27 Smitty's Smoke Patrol
28 Mad Dawgz BBQ
29 Route 66 Catering Crew
30 Crazy Pig BBQ
31 Bang A Drum
32 Bigmista's BBQ
33 Rolling Bones
34 Master of Disaster
35 West's Best BBQ Team
36 Meat Inc.
37 Big Jims
38 Smokin Hogs
39 T & J's Backyard BBQ
40 California BBQ Smokers
41 Montana BBQ
42 Gameover Cookers
43 Lloyds BBQ
44 Ribs A Rockin
45 Meteor Barbecueware




















1/1/2011 Results (Second Day)
Grand Champion: Rhythm 'n Que
Reserve Champion: Slap Yo' Daddy BBQ

Overall:
1 Rhythm 'n Que
2 Slap Yo' Daddy BBQ
3 Route 66 Catering Crew
4 All Hogs go to Heaven
5 Smokin' Triggers
6 All Sauced Up
7 It Ain't Prime
8 Smokin Yankees
9 Brazen BBQ
10 The Rib Doctor
11 When Pigs Fly
12 4 Smokin' Butts
13 The Rib Tickler
14 Left Coast Q
15 Crazy Pig BBQ
16 Bigmista's BBQ
17 BLQUE Cuttin Edge Q'N
18 Smitty's Smoke Patrol
19 Jerry King Midland Texas
20 Big B's Down-N-Dirty BBQ
21 Rooftop BBQ
22 Papa's Smokehouse BBQ
23 T & J's Backyard BBQ
24 Rolling Bones
25 Roaming Bird BBQ
26 Smokin Goatheads
27 Simply Rocke'n BBQ
28 Bang A Drum
29 The Rub Company
30 Left Coast Smoke
31 California BBQ Smokers
32 Meat Inc.
33 West's Best BBQ Team
34 Mad Dawgz BBQ
35 Master of Disaster
36 Trailhound Smokers BBQ
37 Gameover Cookers
38 Pork U BBQ
39 Smoke Slayers
40 Ribs A Rockin
41 Big Jims
42 Get It While It's Hot
43 Meteor Barbecueware