Allegro Vintage Marinade, Raspberry Chipotle

I grilled some pork chops tonight using Raspberry Chipotle Marinade from Allegro. Linda picked it up at Winn Dixie earlier this summer.

It's no longer available on the manufacturer's website - perhaps it's a seasonal item - but I'd buy some more if I could. It gives pork chops a hint of heat accompanied by a hint of fruit for a wonderful combination.

I marinaded the pork chops for 4 hours and grilled them for 20 minutes to an internal temperature of 163-164 degrees.

Barbecue Brisket Weekend

Finished product. I cooked a 13 lb brisket for 8 hours with apple wood and sauced lightly with Blues Hog BBQ Sauce.

Weber Smokey Mountain cooking at 225 degrees.

Stem thermometer through the lid to monitor the temperatures.

Oregon Bounty Contest

TravelOregon.com is hosting a contest. You can check their website beginning 8/24/09 for all the details.

-Entries are open 8/24 – 9/18
-Judging will take place the week of 9/21

-Winners will be notified the week of 9/28

Best of the Butts

The town of Bell Buckle in Tennessee is hosting the Best of the Butts bbq competition on Saturday, September 5. The contest is sponsored by George Dickel Tennessee Whiskey. Awards start at 2 p.m.

What a wonderful excuse to visit Bell Buckle, a historic community a few miles north of Manchester, Tennessee and conveniently located off Interstate 24.


From the press release:

Contestants check in on Friday, September 4th from Noon until 6 PM. A mandatory cook.s meeting will follow at 6:30 PM. The Cook-off grounds will be open to the public at no charge beginning Saturday, September 5th at 9:00 a.m. We will have official judging on the BBQ determining tenderness/texture, taste, and appearance. Winners will be announced on the
stage at 2:00 PM and $600 in cash prizes will be awarded. A People.s Choice Award will be given to the contestant deemed best by taste testers that would like to try their culinary skills on the pork butt competition.

Win a Free WSM

Instructables.com is hosting a Low and Slow BBQ Contest with the chance to win a Weber Smokey Mountain cooker. Runners-up (maximum of 10) will win a signed copy of Low and Slow by Gary Wiviott.

From the contest rules on the website:

"We're looking for recipes, techniques, and even ways to build your own BBQ. Just make sure to take plenty of mouth-watering photos and provide helpful text so others can follow in your footsteps. Impress us and you'll win a Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker and a signed copy of Low & Slow BBQ to ensure that your BBQ reign continues."

Visit the website to submit your entry today.

Food Inc Movie

I've posted about it before, but Linda and I drove down to Lakewood Ranch today and watched Food Inc. at the theatre. Three things in the movie impacted us greatly:

1. Barbara Kowalcyk's story about her son Kevin and her attempts to get Kevin's Law through congress
2. The plight of soybean farmers that want to save back soybeans for seed
3. Working conditions at packing plants and the plight of the labor force that works in them

Here are some links for your further exploration:

• Genetically engineered food
• United Farm Workers
• Kevin's Law

If you make the effort to watch the movie (it's in limited release), I predict that you'll never look at America's food system the same way again.

Big Texan Steak Ranch - 72 ounce steak

We were in Amarillo in June and stopped by the Big Texan for supper. I find it hard to believe, but our waitress said 1 out every 6 people that attempt to eat the 72 ounce free steak actually succeed. The day before we were there, several people accomplished it including one from Kissimme, FL.

The steak was better than I expected. Not as good as my own personal "budget" steak restaurant favorite - Demo's in Murfreesboro, TN, but still good. They really know how to feed large numbers of people. However, I feel for the waiters and waitress that have to take care of the guests seated upstairs.

Here's a view from our grill side table.

Besides The Cadillac Ranch, this restaurant has got to be the most popular tourist attraction in the area. (Palo Duro Canyon was my favorite.)