First Annual Grillin Fools Backyard BBQ Bash October 9th at Sylvan Springs Park
…Putting the Backyard back into BBQ
Competition BBQ is all the rage these days and people spend thousands, if not tens of thousands, to compete in them. But where does that leave you and I who make great stuff on a grill we bought at Lowe’s/Home Depot/Amazon/etc.? Even the Grillin Fools feel intimidated by those with the means to buy custom rigs and apply cool paint jobs to them, not to mention that some of these people are professional chefs. The only culinary school I went to was the Culinary School of Hard Knocks where I learned how to burn and under cook meat for years before I figured out how to do it properly.
Well, now Joe Backyard BBQer has a place to compete. The Grillin Fools are having a BBQ Competition in which all the cooking has to be done on mass market grills purchased for less than $500. If some of the pros want to compete in this competition they can, as I don’t personally know every professional chef in town, but I would prefer they not even enter, but if they do enter the pros have to use the same grills as us joes. The highest end grill we will allow is a large Big Green Egg because the grill alone, with no accessories, can be found for $500.
The date is Saturday, October 9th at Sylvan Springs Park across the street from Jefferson Barracks.
We have the very retro Ordnance Pavilion:
I chose this one because of this last picture showing the concrete area out front which should accommodate 20 teams nicely, particularly if we have any inclement weather. Better to be on concrete than dirt or a grassy slope if it rains. Also, since I expect quite a few teams from Illinois as well as Missouri I thought this was a good spot right in the middle.
There will be three categories with a trophy for each as well as one for Best in Smoke, which will go to the team with the most points in all three categories which are: Appetizer (please get as creative as you like), Pork Steak, and Ribs. Best in Smoke will also win a grill donated by Char-Broil’s website SizzleOnTheGrill.com. We are working to have more prizes along with the trophies and the grill. I will let you know about that as soon as I hear back from a few people. You may compete in one, two or all three of the categories.
So far our celebrity judges include George Mahe from St. Louis Magazine. We met George last year at a BBQ contest he was judging. George is a great guy and you can follow his antics here. We also have Joe Bonwich, Food Critic and Editor for the St. Louis Post Dispatch, and his lovely wife Jennie. You can read Joe in the paper and on his blog. We also have KMOX radio personality John Carney as a judge. Here is a link to his show which airs weeknights at 8:00 PM.
Check in is slated at 8:00 a.m. with judging for the three categories being one hour apart with Appetizers at 3:00 pm, Pork Steaks at 4:00 pm and Ribs at 5:00 pm. Those of you that do not need that long to do ribs or pork steaks can arrive later than 8:00. The early check in is for those that like to take the longest with their ribs.
As for the $500 cap on grills, we realize that this competition will likely require more than one grill. The $500 cap does not apply to the cumulative cost of all your grills. If you bring five grills that cost $499 each you are fine. The rule is that all grilling has to be done on a sub $500 grill not how many grills it is done on. We will allow a Large Big Green Egg, as the grill alone with no accessories can be purchased for $500.
Buy in is only $50/team with half the proceeds going to Wounded Warrior Project or the Fisher House. Since we will be across the street from Jefferson Barracks, as well as the fact that we are currently fighting two wars and my dad and cousin are both vets we thought these two worthy causes would be great.
We are limiting this to only 20 teams for our first Backyard BBQ Bash so get your entry fees in early. Email Greg@GrillinFools.com to find out where you should send your check along with team name and names of your team members. As of 8/26/2010 we still have a couple spots open.
Sylvan Springs Park is off Sheridan road East of Telegraph just north of 255 at:
300 Halsey St
St Louis, MO 63125
Here is a link to the location that you can type in your address to get directions.
Here is a map. X marks the pavilion:
And here is an aerial view of the park with the Ordnance pavilion being the gray box in the upper right. There is a second parking lot to the north of the pavilion just outside this picture to accommodate extra cars should we need it:
With only 20 slots, this event will fill fast. Get your entry in soon if you want to compete. And of course, you don’t have to compete to come down and check it out.
Also, you can get updates and follow us on our Grillin Fools Facebook page.
We will be sending out rules and guidelines in the next couple of weeks for those that have already entered.
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