Lakeside

NEBS Helps Feed 600

2009-07-11T21:01:00.002-04:00

Pork for Saturday

2009-07-11T06:54:00.002-04:00

Tyler Ride

2009-07-10T07:24:00.002-04:00

This weekend The NEBS BOD will be cooking up some BBQ for a charity event called the Tyler Ride. This will be held on Saturday July 11th at the VFW in Westford, MA. If you're in the area stop by and say hi. You can read about Tyler here. I'll try to post some updates through out the weekend.

(Summer) Italian Wedding Soup

2009-07-06T13:53:00.005-04:00

After 2 weeks of rain and unseasonable cold weather here in New England, Kris and I both had a craving for a nice hot bowl of soup. Kris makes a real nice Italian Wedding soup, and this time was no different. But what was a little out of the norm for this soup was the use of chicken meatballs instead of the more traditional beef meatballs. She bought some fresh chicken sausage, made by a local butchers shop, removed the casings, and mixed it up with some ground chicken. She cooked the meatballs in the oven until they were nicely browned. She added them to the soup, that was simmering on the stove, and then tossed in some fresh, tender spinach. It was awesome! It was hearty enough for a cold night, but somehow light enough for a hot summer day. That makes this soup perfect for New England. It also made a perfect lunch today.

Midnight Grilling at Lake Placid

2009-07-04T09:14:00.002-04:00

Quau Takes a first place in Chicken, a first place in strip steak, and obviously top overall in the two category Midnight Grilling Bash at Lake Placid last night.

Future Boxes

2009-07-01T13:02:00.002-04:00

The weather here in New England has got a lot of people down lately. It seems like it has rained almost everyday for a month. Torrential at times, but mostly a light drizzle and some on and off light rain. Hopefully July will be better. Despite the dreary weather, I was outside weeding my garden this week, and noticed that our parsley looks awesome. The rain might suck for outdoor activity's, but it is doing wonders in our garden.

Boston, NY

2009-06-27T18:29:00.001-04:00

GC: Smoke on Wheels
RGC: Transformer BBQ

NH Awards

2009-06-24T14:58:00.002-04:00

Thanks to Gary Taft from Lunchmeat for capturing the awards at Merrimack last weekend.

Pictures From Ribfest and Rib Wars

2009-06-24T14:52:00.002-04:00

I've uploaded pics from the weekend and Monday nights Rib Wars. Check em out!
Click here.

Really?!

2009-06-22T09:22:00.003-04:00

As most of you know I usually don’t write a full recap of many competitions. It’s most likely a few pictures and a list of the winners. This will probably not be a full recap, but there were some highlights this weekend that I would like to share with you. Kris and I are entering our fourth year of competing. Over these past years we have strung together some decent runs, good finishes, and a few Reserve Champion trophies. But the Grand has always eluded us…until yesterday. Surrounded by family and friends, we took that ultimate walk to the stage. It truly felt amazing. In the blur of excitement after walking back from that stage, something that I will never forget is how everyone seemed genuinely excited and extremely happy for us. I have never hugged more people in my life. They say you never forget your first, and now I know why.

What also made this comp great was hanging out with all our friends on the Circuit, and also meeting some new ones. We were set up next to Q-Haven which gave us a great area to hang out in. This spot became the scene for an impromptu party on Friday night. We cooked some burgers, dogs, pastrami sandwiches, and the Mighty Swine Dining team brought over a giant pan of paella that was incredible! After diner Brendan brought over his new projector and we watched Best in Show. Next thing I knew it was 3:30AM. Saturday the rain held off, we sucked at grilling, and we had many, many visitors. Chaotic at times, but looking back it's nice to have so many people who take an interest in our insane hobby. Saturday night I crashed hard and actually got a few hours of sleep. Sunday...well Sunday was a good day.

NH

2009-06-21T16:06:00.000-04:00

GC: Lakeside Smokers
RGC: I Smell Smoke!!!

Happy Fathers Day

2009-06-21T05:47:00.000-04:00

Damn Dip!

2009-06-20T23:36:00.001-04:00

2009-06-20T15:47:00.001-04:00

NH Grilling:
I Smell Smoke GC
Transformer BBQ RGC

Happy Birthday Julie!!

2009-06-20T13:53:00.000-04:00

Paella

2009-06-19T19:15:00.000-04:00

Oh Boy...

2009-06-19T12:24:00.000-04:00

We're Here

2009-06-19T10:49:00.000-04:00

Rock'N Ribfest

2009-06-18T06:53:00.003-04:00

This weekend Kris and I will be competing at The 7th annual Rock'N Ribfest at the Anheuser-Busch brewery in Merrimack, NH. This was the first competition that we ever competed in and we have returned every year since. This comp often gets some bad press from other competition teams. The prize money was never that great, it's a little difficult to get in and out of, and sometimes you felt like they just didn't need or want us there. But some of the positives are great power and water, 20' X 40' spots, and a Jack Daniels automatic for the Grand Champion. Also for this year is increased prize money for both the NEBS grilling on Saturday and the KCBS comp on Sunday. The venue is 20 minutes from our house, so it's a no-brainer for us.

As I pack up, trim meat, and talk with other competitors, there seems to be one thing that we all are thinking about: rain! It is absolutely going to rain from Thursday night until Monday. Heavy at times, showers, overcast, cloudy, and damp. But, this is nothing new for any of us. Some of my non-BBQ friends have been asking me "are you still going?" They clearly don't understand the addiction. If we canceled going to BBQ comps because of the rain, we would need to find a different hobby. We don't even need to pack anything extra. We have a bin dedicated for rain gear and Kris and I both have some kick ass waterproof boots. So, let it rain.

Mud Bowl 2006, Merrimack, NH

Check back this weekend for updates, grilling results, and pictures of mud. And if you're in the area please stop by and say hi.

Try This Beer

2009-06-11T15:48:00.004-04:00

Unibroue La Terrible

I have said it thousands of times: I don’t have a favorite beer. It is impossible for me to choose just one. When summer is here it’s all about the IPA’s, around the holidays it’s Celebration Ale, and I just can’t get enough Allagash Double when fall settles in. When I’m drinking a beer that I love I’ll always say something like “this one is in my top three right now.” Or, “this one is in my top five of all time.” But, every time I put together these imaginary lists, Unibroue La Terrible is always on them. Over the past three years or so, this beer never falls off the list. It is always in my beer geek subconscious. So, it got me thinking…is this my favorite beer? I think I have to say yes...yes, it is. Unibroue La Terrible is the best beer ever.

This beer produces a thick, dark tan head that defies gravity. The mellow carbonation keeps the foam floating like a cloud atop this dark, almost black ale. Holding this beer up to the light you can see a spectrum of dark red and deep mahogany. A nose of fruit, yeast, and alcohol take their turns as the predominate aroma. The first sip hits me with subtle sweetness and dark fruit; the next reveals baked bread; and another sip has warming alcohol and raisins. It's a big, unique, and very complex beer that takes you on a new adventure with every sip. La Terrible weighs in at 10.5% alcohol but has a smoothness not often found in a big, bold beer like this one. It will creep up on you if you're not careful. This beer is best enjoyed from a cracked plastic cup, during a torrential rainstorm, while sitting in a dilapidated, abandoned horse track in New Jersey...it's just that good.

Pictures From NJ

2009-06-09T16:02:00.003-04:00

I've uploaded the pics from The Art of BBQ competition in Mays Landing, NJ.
Click here.

2009-06-06T17:35:00.002-04:00

Art of BBQ:
GC: Low and Slow BBQ
RGC: 3 Eyz BBQ
3rd: SMB Productions

Poolside at The Hotel

2009-06-05T08:03:00.001-04:00

The forcast today calls for 1-2 inches of rain with flood warnings. The good news is it will clear up later tonight.

AC

2009-06-05T00:12:00.000-04:00

We're off!

2009-06-04T12:01:00.000-04:00