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Barbecue Secrets


Grand prize winners of the BBQ Tweets Contest!

Jun 24, 2009

Hey, barbecue fans.

First, let me apologize for being late in announcing the winners for the last three weeks of my BBQ tweets contest. I had a death in my family earlier this month and was completely preoccupied with that, as well as other work and barbecue responsibilities.

It's been a fun contest. Although the number of entries I received was pretty small, those who entered showed a lot of imagination and good humor and shared some interesting and useful tips.

WEEK FIVE

In week five (the week of June 1), I got some excellent recipes. Steve Hagemoen shared his technique for "No mess roast garlic. 1 head peeled. 1pc parch. paper wrapped alu foil. olive oil. Salt pepper. 425F 45 mins. No burnt fingers."

That week I also got a couple of good hobo pack recipes. From Sandra Post in Vernon, B.C. came this recipe with an icy twist: "On the BBQ put foil packet of potatoes, onions, & carrots drizzled with butter and an ice cube. Provides just enough moisture to help steam veggies and speed up cooking."

Week five's winner, from Barb and Gord Parker, only slightly tops Sandra's with the addition of some extra flavor: "On foil slice 1 pepper/2C mush/1C broc/add 2T butter/2T oyster sauce/fold foil shut/10m or tender/top 1T parm." Congrats, Barb and Gord!

WEEK 6

Deciding on the week six winner was a no-brainer for several reasons: it's a nice, simple recipe, it names me -- and it was the only submission I got that week! "Place boneless chicken breasts in a Ziploc bag along with one of Ronnie's excellent dry rubs.  Pound to flatten with mallet - grill until done.  Neat and delicious!" Lucky it wasn't a dud! Thanks and congrats, Harold Watson of Calgary!

Finally, last week's entries were among the best of the bunch. My friend Angie Quaale (@AngieQuaale) shared some barbecue wisdom: "Give a man a bbq feed him for a day,teach a man to bbq ,feed him for the summer-Jesus You don't make friends with salad." Ha!

Award-winning BBQ Chef Bubba-Q (@BBQTalk) sent in a some hot tips: "Boil rice, not ribs! Never ever boil your ribs! Also, never take a laxative and a sleeping pill in the same night!" I have to say I like the laxative tip more than the rib one (I like to simmer ribs but I do agree you shouldn't boil the heck out of them.) and "Hot Tip #2: 1 beer for every 20 minutes on the grill!" Thanks, Bubba-Q! I can't think of many better ways to mark time.

WEEK SEVEN

Those are great tweets, but the best of the bunch from the final week of the contest comes from @cachesk from Montreal, who calls herself a "nature loving gadget queen." It's a superb barbecue tip featuring an unusual ingredient to put in the smoker. "Meat done, still got smoke? Open can black beans, rinse, put can in smoker. Smoke 1hr., Store for use in salads, salsas."

GRAND PRIZE WINNERS!

And now, a drum roll please!

The Grand Champion, and winner of a Weber Q120 portable gas grill from Johnstone's Barbecues, a Bottle of Ravenswood Zin, a Ravenswood set of barbecue tools with matching straw cowboy hat, a complete set of all three of my cookbooks, a set of Ronnie & Denzel's NATURAL CHAMPIONS BBQ Sauces and a package of cedar cooking planks from Westcoast Lifestyles is:

@YVRBcbudz: "I had real BBQ from a southern grandma the day the LA riots started and it was a coming together of races over pulled pork."

Second place (or Reserve Grand Champion, as we say in the world of competitive barbecue), and a Cobb portable charcoal grill from Johnstone's Barbecues, a bottle of Ravenswood Zin, a Ravenswood set of barbecue tools with matching straw cowboy hat, a complete set of all three of my cookbooks, a wet of Ronnie & Denzel's NATURAL CHAMPIONS BBQ Sauces and a package of cedar cooking planks from Westcoast Lifestyles goes to:

@8chocolate: "When cooking fish on barbq, wrap seasoned fillets in cabbage leaves. Protects fish, keeps juices in and can eat the cabbage 2."

Tied for third, fourth and fifth prizes, which are a copy of Barbecue Secrets DELUXE!, a bottle of Ravenswood Zin and a set of Ravenswood BBQ tools are:

@dougflet:  "Dad bbq'd a turkey when I was a kid. While resting, dog got at it. When served, no one asked where the leg went! Good stuff!"

@DivaQBBQ: "32rawshrimp 8orangesliced 32skewers shrimponorange piercewithskewer sprinklewithvegeta grill indirect glazemandarinBBQsauce"

@cachesk: "Meat done, still got smoke? Open can black beans, rinse, put can in smoker. Smoke 1hr., Store for use in salads, salsas."

Congrats to the winners, who I'll be contacting directly to arrange to get you your prizes, and thanks to everyone who participated in and followed this contest!