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Linda's Corner
If all contests were as pleasant as The Silver Lake Sand Dunes BBQ Cook-off it would be hard for The BBQ Guy not to head to a BBQ contest every weekend. Honestly, it was not only a wonderful location and organization, but it was smooth in our planning. Smooth is the only way I can describe it (yes after what 4 years we have it down!!) Of course I had butterflies for fear that I had forgotten something but other than that it was almost like we were sedated. Of course I forgot something, but it the Qu’er did not deem it an essential item and let it slide.
We loaded up on Wednesday night with the plans to drive up Thursday after work, but Brian needed a night of studying so at the last minute we decided to leave early Friday a.m. With everything organized in the BBQ trailer what do I decide to do? Have a Yard Sale with my neighbor. Early on Thursday I pull a ton of junk (yes it was definitely junk) out of the basement and sit out for about 6 hours making a whopping $9 not the gas money I had hoped to add to the budget ( it did pay for our Taco Bell that night). Okay looking back I know that there was probably more efficient use of my time. But a garage sale to me is like a BBQ Cook-off to The BBQ Guy. Both are excellent times to study our fellow human beings.
Back to the BBQ Weekend. I have been given a title Vice-President in charge of ice allocation. Before I get into how I got this title let me say to all the Health Department inspectors that I know that it is important to keep raw meat cold. Now as you all wait patiently while I ramble, let’s get to the story.
The BBQ Guy obsesses about ice, stemming from a contest in Minneola, Florida four years ago were it was about 200 degrees outside and a meat inspector lectured him on not being stingy with ice in the coolers. So, he began packing our two extra large coolers with so much ice that at times I can’t help pick it up and then once you get the meat out to be inspected, you can’t get it back in deep enough to cover it completely. So what does The BBQ Guy do then? He goes and buys more ice. Next you take the meat out again to prep, and again you can’t get the meat deep enough in the ice so what do you do?? Yes, you get the idea--you buy more ice.
Last year I made a recommendation about packing the meat and ice. Being that I always make him get up before me on those early mornings he would buy the ice and load the meat never doing it the way I had suggested, saying he forgot. Resulting in me rolling my eyes and grumbling.
You say, Linda why does this bother you ice is not a big deal. Let me count the ways.
1. We spend about $40 on ice
2. Of that $40 we dump about $35 out on the grass at some contest because he needs the cooler to become a warmer.
3. While he is dumping that cooler of ice on the ground at 3:00am he is waking me up from my BBQ slumber. Which all my BBQ neighbors now is important to me.
4. My back hurts from lifting 2 coolers that have to way 150 + pounds. Brian forgets I am a girl.
5. The fact that he would never took my suggestion even to prove me wrong.
For this contest I decided to forgo my extra morning sleep to arise before him and take charge of packing the meat. The details of which you do not want to hear, but let me just say that my way worked and would have saved us about $100 throughout the year if my dear sweet stubborn husband would have just listened to my solution. He even finally admitted that he had just ignored my suggestion on purpose. Can you believe that?
Poor Jim with “All Day Smoke” did witness The BBQ Guy in a slight ice breakdown at the contest and he ran away!!! Congratulations to his team for winning their first Grand Champion. We want some of your secrets. All those contests where we were parked so close and I didn’t spy once.
This was a first year contest, but it was one of the best organized. The volunteers were friendly and seemed genuinely glad that the teams were in there town. They had a great bluegrass band called the Oat Bran Boys who I swear serenaded me with “Rocky Top”. I even did a little faux clogging to entertain (heck remember I am in the north they don’t know what real clogging looks like). You could walk to the lake and see the Sand Dunes, do a little craft shopping, or stroll through a car show. I missed the craft festival but did get to see the lake and the cars.
The BBQ Guy ended his season on a GREAT note with a fourth overall finish. I really expected that he would suggest a contest in October because this one was so pleasant. This wife would have said yes!! But don’t tell!!!
As I sign off to go watch “Dancing with the Stars” (GO SARA) I wonder if we should have a “BBQing with the Stars”. I want Matthew McConaughey to be on my team and if you can believe it Brian chose Pamela Anderson!!! He thought she would distract the competition. That’s my man!!
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