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.

Roasted Onion Crostini

Grilling doesn’t always have to involve fatty meats.  In fact, sometimes no meat needs to be involved at all.  We’ve shown time and time again that you can make all manner of food on the grill other than meat whether grilled romaine, naked corn, or grilled peaches in a butter rum sauce, and many more.  This time the Grillin Fools show their continued love of the crostini, which is Italian for toasted bread.  We have done crostinis many different ways on this site.  Check here for other crostini recipes.  To read more about this recipe, see below as Tom gives you the step by step, picture by picture instructions…

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Mayo Magic Chicken Breasts

I have to say that when Dad mentioned that he slathered some chicken with mayonnaise and put it on the grill I was more than a bit skeptical.  He raved about it, but I was leery.  The notion of heat and mayo made me nervous.  I brought it up to a coworker, Shane, who said he has done it in the past and that it was a great way to seal in the juices.  And then I saw the pictures and think that my cynicism was unjustified.  It sounds like the mayo is pretty magical in terms of sealing in the juices of the chicken.  So maybe if you don’t have time to brine, you should consider trying Mayo Magic.  I’ll hand it off to Dad now to show you how…

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Huli Huli Chicken

It’s a hot day today. The temperatures are above triple digits and I’m outside over a hot grill. Is there something wrong here? It brings a whole new meaning to GrillinFools. Nonetheless, I am making Huli Huli chicken. For those fortunate enough to go to Hawaii, you can smell the sweet aroma of these vender treats from the roadsides of the tropical island. I would like to go there at some point in my lifetime because of the coconut braziers and the authentic Huli Huli chicken.

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Sausage Fest – Sausage Kabobs and Sausage Stuffed Squash

Arthur is back for more grillin, chillin and thrillin. This time he’s all about the sausage. Arthur’s the only guy I know that looks forward to a sausage fest after work. But after reading these two recipes, you may be up for one yourself. I’ll hand it over to him for the rest of the write up…

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Grilled Peaches in a Butter Rum Sauce Over Ice Cream

I have to warn you that I am a peach fanatic.  I love peaches, peach pie, peach blend fruit drinks, peach wood, peach, peach, peach.  I love all things peach.  I grilled peaches for the site last year, and ran through about 8 different combinations of recipes and took all the pictures, but then forgot which one was the best.  So when I decided to do them again, my good buddy and guest contributor here, Arthur Aguirre, suggested this recipe.  So instead of trying to reinvent the wheel of all the combinations I did before, I thought I would go with his first.  I’ll revisit mine at a later date.  I couldn’t resist going with this one first when he told me it had rum in it.

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Grilling Naked… Corn

Normally when I do corn I put it on the grill in the husk.  Sometimes I soak it in water, sometimes not.  When the husk is blackened all the way around it’s done.  Well, someone suggested I grill it naked – the corn not me!!  So I did.  Rather than put the corn on in the husk, I pealed it and threw it on the grill naked.  I also slathered it with a garlic, tarragon, oregano butter…

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Andria’s Style Meat Loaf in a Bacon Weave

Arthur is at it again.  This time with a bacon explosion stuffed with beef rather than the typical pork.  And he used Andria’s in the recipe, which some of you already know – meat loaf isn’t meat loaf without the Andria’s.  I’ll hand it over to him for the rest of the write up.  Oh, and this recipe is not approved by any cardiologists!?!

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Smoked Pork Tenderloin with a Sweet Burgundy Glaze

I had my dad and my Father in Law over for a guy night recently and I made four pork tenderloins.  I realize that sounds like a lot for three people, but I wanted plenty for leftovers because tenderloin makes a fantastic sammich that I will document as well.  This is a monster post, with more than 30 pictures, but I wanted to make sure I documented the process really well…

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Product Review – Spice Islands Brazilian Beef Rub

This is a product produced by Spice Islands Trading Co. which I purchased at a local grocer some months ago and noticed it languishing in my overcrowded spice cabinet — one of three cabinets containing seasonings at our house.  While I’m particular about the rubs I use and really prefer to make my own, occasionally a commercial product catches my eye and I’m compelled to give it a try.

I typically take issue with most commercial rubs because they are usually heavily salt-laden.  The first ingredient listed on the label for this one was sea salt so I was a bit skeptical but give the company credit for using sea salt instead of regular salt.  Other ingredients included garlic, paprika, red pepper, red bell pepper, turbinado sugar, parsley, vinegar, spices, and spice extracts.  The label states the rub is, “inspired by the fiery spirit of Brazil”.  I’m a bit concerned about this since I am unable to tolerate red hot ingredients and many of the family members I tried this on were also adverse to a lot of heat.

During a recent vacation trip to Michigan I decided to give it a whirl on Beef Brisket.  I had separated a 13 lb. Brisket into 2 halves and applied my traditional Texas Brisket Rub on one half and the Brazilian Beef Rub on the other:

You can find the complete write up with step by step, and picture by picture instructions on how to make this brisket by clicking here.

Once the grilling was complete and the Beef was served it was taste test time.  The Brazilian Beef Rub yielded a lot of great flavor, initially of salt but then a tingling warm glow tickled my taste buds.  I can only compare this to the experience of tasting a good Pinot Noir or Red Burgundy that keeps on finishing for lasting flavor.  Perhaps the greatest tribute was that the Brisket all but disappeared when served to the relatives and friends attending the dinner, most of which aren’t much for anything considered spicy:

I will use this product again and think it’s something Scott, The Original Grillin Fool, would like and will have him try it soon.

There is a grilling recipe on the container for Brazilian Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce—this might be suitable for a future feature on this website.  I also believe this rub could be applied to pork, chicken, or seafood easily—dusting some fresh Gulf Shrimp for kabobs or skillet grilling might be in order.  Please let me hear from you if you try this product by emailing me here.

If you would like to see other product reviews click here.

And as always, you can follow us on our Grillin Fools Facebook page where you can post your own grillin pictures.

***Editor’s Note ~ Dad gave me the bottle in that picture at the top and I have been playing with this stuff too.  Here’s my review***

The first thing I tried this on was pork tenderloin.  In this link I talk about another product I used on one of the tenderloins, but along side it I used this rub.  It was outstanding.  You can follow the recipe for the grilling sauce in that link but substitute this instead.

I have also run it through its paces on both steaks and burgers.  This was a little rib eye I did one night while participating in an online fantasy football draft:

I didn’t get a shot of the cross hatch grill marks because the draft was moving to quickly.  But a few days later I slathered it on a burger and got the proper shots:

I love this rub.  Seriously.  The salt content is high, but i’ts so good.  It’s got a good amount of heat but it also has a depth of flavor that is incredible.  It’s not hot for the sake of being hot.  It’s not habanero, in your face, over the top, the top of your head is sweating, hot and you won’t taste anything for three days because your taste buds are in the burn unit.  It’s a lot like jerk seasoning in that it is hot but incredibly flavorful at the same time.  It’s something I plan on keeping on hand at all times.  I highly recommend it.

Pecan Smoked Brisket along with Smoked Beans

Pecan-Smoked Beef Brisket has become quite the family favorite when we get together.  This year, on our annual trip to cool Michigan, I’m at it again with a couple of twists.  I also did baked beans, or in this case smoked beans, on the grill.

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