|
The traditional El Grado Tequila good-luck toast |
Becky wins 3rd Place in Beans |
May 7th kept the team cooking close to home
at the City of George West
Cinco de Mayo Celebration and Steak Cook-Off. Brent cooked ribeye
steaks for the competition while Becky was asked to run the judging.
Thanks to Louis Salinas of Big Lou's Cookin' Crew, there was a great panel
of judges from Falls City. 15 cooks competed and Brent took 2nd Place.
|
No need for a big pit to cook
just two ribeyes! |
Becky had the privilege of presenting Brent with 2nd Place |
May 14 the team traveled to Victoria to
Colet Inn for the VASA POD
Spring Fling Chili Cook-Off. There were lots of categories, not just
chili, and of course, Brent & Becky participated in almost all of them.
Brent was going to enter the dessert competition, but he ate all of
his before he could get it there! Here are the results for the day:
1st Place Dessert - Becky, 1st Place Salsa - Becky, 2nd Place Salsa - Brent,
1st Place Beans - Brent, 6th Place Beans - Becky, 5th Place Chili - Brent,
9th Place Chili - Becky, 1st Place Hot Wings - Becky, 2nd Place Hot Wings -
Brent.
It was quite a day for The Buzzard Bar Cooking Team!
|
1st Place Dessert! |
Chili! |
|
Frying the hot wings |
Our pastime that night was
getting moths drunk! Who knew? |
The team went to Jourdanton, TX on May
20-21 for the Jourdanton
Volunteer Fire Dept. IBCA BBQ. Friday night was dessert and Chef's
Choice, in which BBCT took 2nd place in both categories. Saturday
brought
the BBQ; Pork Butt, Beans, Chicken, Ribs and Brisket. Brent took 1st
Place
in Pork Butt and 9th Place in Brisket!
|
2nd Place Chef's Choice
Jalapeno's stuffed with shrimp/chicken, wrapped in bacon |
2nd Place Dessert
Banana Pudding |
|
1st Place Pork Butt
(pulled pork) |
9th Place Brisket |
BBCT had the most amazing team for the
annual Crawfish Festival
Gumbo Cook-Off in Fredericksburg on May 28! Kim & Eldon, Cindy
& Randy, Heather & Heath joined the team for the day. Everyone
pitched in and did their part to make it a great cook-off. It showed
when
the team brought home the People's Choice Award! Congrats to our good
friends
with Wantsumeaux Gumbeaux who won best decorated booth!
|
Kim, Becky & Heather cooking |
Eldon was our chief dishwasher |
Best Decorated Booth! |
|
Randy & Heath taking a break |
The gumbo-hungry crowd |
Our Team! |
After the success of the gumbo cook-off,
Brent & Becky stopped in San Antonio
to help out some of the gumbo team members with the Return of the Chili
Queens
Chili Cook-Off. It was a great day downtown in El Mercado with 25
cooks competing
to be the next San Antonio Chili Queen. In the end, Clyde Rogers won
the title, taking
it from last years' winner, Charmaine Rogers - his wife!
|
A banner greeted the cooks |
Final table judging |
|
Kim Hiley, organizer of the cook-off, won 4th Place |
1st Place Clyde Rogers |
The first weekend in June took the team to
Stafford, TX for the
Space City POD annual chili cook-off. It was the first cook-off for
the new Great Pepper, Susan Armand. She and her team did an
outstanding
job, and it was the first year for a new location, the Elks Lodge 151.
Becky
took first place in beans and Brent was third in show. Neither placed
with chili.
Brent did get third place with an omelet on Sunday in the omelet-off.
|
Our good friend Cindy cooking her chili |
Becky cooked chili also |
|
Darrell celebrated National Cheese Day
|
Seems that the girls just couldn't resist Darrelletta's "girls" |
|
It was a hot one and Darrelletta stripped down and jumped in the
pool |
But then, "she" hung "her" undergarments on the fence to dry! |
June 11-12 brought the annual SOT POD chili
cook-off in Jonestown.
Brent flew solo on this cook-off while Becky was off on a girls
weekend of shopping! He had a great time, in spite of the heat,
no water in the river and not placing with his chili.
|
Kim, aka, Smurfette, along with husband Eldon, let Brent cook under
their awning |
Thanks to Renee and Mayo for
letting Brent crash on their couch! |
|
Our buddy, Ted, performing during show |
Several of our friends showed up for the cook-off |
June 17 & 18 the team braved the Satan-like heat and cooked
just south
of home base at The Country Store IBCA BBQ Cook-Off. Thermometer
showed 106 and Internet said it was a feel-like temp of 130°.
Despite the
heat, the team came away with not bad results: 1st & 4th Place
Margaritas,
2nd Place Fajitas, 3rd Place Chicken, 6th Place Ribs and 5th Place Brisket.
The highlight of the weekend was the "after-party" at the air-conditioned
Buzzard Bar with several of our groupies!
|
3rd Place Chicken |
6th Place Ribs |
5th Place Brisket |
Independence Day weekend took the team to
the Hill Country and Kingsland
for the Aqua Boom Festival IBCA BBQ. Another hot weekend, but
surrounded
by good friends made it bearable. Another good weekend for the team as
we
brought home 1st Place Appetizers, 2nd Place Beans, 4th Place Steak,
5th Place ribs and Final Table in Chicken.
|
A bit of excitement when AirLife had to pick up a toddler.
Didn't appear to be too serious though. |
4th Place Steak would barely fit into the box! |
|
5th Place Ribs |
1st Place Appetizers! |
The weekend of July 8-10 found the team in
Corpus Christi, TX. Not
cooking, but still winning awards! We were attending the
Texas Festivals & Events Association annual
conference. The team
was surprised and honored when we won a 1st Place Marketing
Award for our team t-shirt and Becky was awarded the Hall of Honor
Award - the highest recognition by the Association!
|
Becky with her award and Richard Wolf of Rental World, sponsor of
the Professional Awards Luncheon. |
Brent & Becky with the marketing award for Best T-Shirt! |
The Quail Creek Volunteer Fire Dept. IBCA
BBQ Cook-Off was held in
Victoria, TX on July 15 & 16. This is a great cook-off, for a worthy
organization. We braved the heat to go cook, and thankfully the
weather was
somewhat cooperative. It remained overcast until mid-afternoon,
staving off some
of the unbearable heat. The team brought home 1st Place Margaritas,
2nd Place Beans and 8th Place Ribs. Thanks to Bottom Line Services
for sponsoring us in this cook-off!
|
Plaque & Prize Basket for Margaritas |
Our set-up for the weekend and
the head cook |
Hard to know which chicken to choose. We chose the one on the
right - but the judges didn't choose that one |
July 24 the team ventured to Austin, TX for
the Lone Star RV Park
annual CASI Chili cook-off. A great place for a cook-off in the middle
of the summer with it's full RV hookups and cool pool. Only thing we
had to cook this weekend was one small pot of chili each. Neither
Brent or Becky placed in chili, but a huge Congrats! to Melodie Smith
for her first place win, qualifying her for Terlingua! It was a great
weekend anyway, partying with good friends!
|
Great cook's party on Fri night |
Chili judges hard at work |
The place to be to cool off! |
The 1st weekend of August brought the
annual ACES POD Chili cook-off
and more unbearable heat. Brent is the only one of the team brave
(or dumb) enough to cook this one! He placed 9th in chili, but did
nothing
in beans or jalapenos. Not sure the judges appreciated his jalapeno
entry...jalapeno margarita pudding shots! A whirlwind came through
his camp and made a mess of our friends Kim & Eldon's stoves.
|
Jalapeno Margarita Pudding Cups - actually really good! |
That whirlwind really made a mess! |
The team traveled to Cabela's in Buda, TX the 2nd weekend
in
August for the US National Open Chili Championship. Brent was
looking to defend his title from 2010, but luck was not on his side.
Congrats to Pat Krenik, the newest US Nat'l Champion! And, even
more exciting, our dear friend Cindy Nohavitza placed 3rd, auto-
qualifying her to cook in Terlingua for her very first time!
|
Cindy, unsuspecting her upcoming win, waiting for her chili to cook |
Cindy, when she received her 3rd place, auto-qualifier! |
|
2010 US National Champion and the 2010 International Champion
chillin' in the pool |
A girl's good-luck toast . Seems it only worked for Cindy! |
A few weeks off from the relentless heat
and the team was excited to
help out at the CASI Great Pepper's Meeting in Kerrville. For those
that don't
know, Great Peppers are the equivalent to presidents of the PODS (chili clubs).
The Buzzard Bar had a great time tending bar and providing liquor and mixers
for the hospitality suite. Their annual meeting was so much fun and
very informative.
|
Tending bar |
Socializing in the hospitality room |
|
Ed Blair, the newly elected CASI president and Jim Ezell, newly
elected CASI board member |
Group discussion of the meetings |
BBCT was back on the BBQ trail the weekend
of Sept. 17 at the
1st Shot IBCA BBQ and CASI Chili cook-off. No chili for this team,
as too many chili friends are still trying to qualify for the championship
in Terlingua. It was a great event, with lots of teams (73!) and 56
chili cooks. There was also a tractor pull and even a tractor parade!
The team came home with 4th place beans, 6th place chicken and
11th place brisket. There was also a great after-party at the
Buzzard Bar camp!
|
Meat cooking on the pit |
Our chili buddy Matt helps Brent get the brisket ready for judging |
|
The tractor parade |
Note the clouds in the sky that did actually drop a little rain! |
A great time was had at the Shertzfest IBCA
BBQ on Sept 24.
Met, for the first time, many of our BBQ Facebook friends and it
was great to have Kenny & Susie spend both Fri evening and all
day Sat. with us. Then, to add to the party, Kim & Eldon, Cindy &
Randy
and Christine & Chris came out to celebrate the success of the day.
BBCT placed in every category entered- 2nd in beans, 9th in chicken,
10th in ribs and 10th in brisket. There were 43 teams entered.
|
The Head cook hard at work |
Becky accepting 2nd place in beans |
We were right next to the carnival |
|
Some of our neighbors |
New BBQ friends |
Looks like Kenny was wearing out by the end of the night |
October 1 brings a new chili year and
everyone starts with a fresh slate
of -0- points, striving to get to 12 to qualify to cook in Terlingua the
next
year. So, even before the 2011 Championship happens in Terlingua, all
chili
cooks are chasing points to qualify for 2012. The 1st of the new year
took this
team to Helotes, TX for a chili cook-off. Not a bad way to start the
new year
with Becky taking 1st in both Beans & Show, and 7th place Chili.
|
New show debuted at Helotes |
Mary Ellen was a bit crooked |
Next the team cooked chili at Traders
Village in San Antonio for the
SAP CASI Fall Fest Chili Cook-Off. A two-day cook-off with Brent
placing
7th on Sat., while Becky took 5th. The Sunday cook-off saw Brent move
up a place to 6th and Becky bringing home 1st Place!
|
A good luck toast to all the cooks |
This judge looks serious |
|
Maybe Randy's afraid someone will steal his recipe? |
Susie keeps all the judges in line |
Riverside RV Resort at Canyon Lake was the
setting for the next chili
cook-off. This would also be the last cook-off for the team before
heading out to Terlingua, and the cook-offs on the trail to there.
Becky
had another good weekend, with 7th place chili and 1st place in beans!
 |
Congrats to our good friend Cindy on her 3rd place chili |
On the road to Terligua (TICC), the team
made their first stop
in Del Rio, at Lorina's Cantina, for a chili cook-off. Lorina and her
family were so welcoming and made the cook-off so much fun. In
spite of the cold northern that blew in and the gusty winds, everyone
had a great time! Not bad results either, as Brent was 7th place
in chili, while Becky was 6th (they tied!) and Becky took 1st place in Show.
Here are more pics from Lorina's:
https://picasaweb.google.com/107121737310337884729/LorinaSCantinaCCOOct2011
|
Ken Rodd - 1st Place Chili
Becky Allen - 1st Place Show |
The team missed their next opportunity to
cook chili, due to a
stomach "bug" that ran through the camp, but was back up to
par for the SOTOL POD chili cook-off on Tuesday. 163 cooks
and Becky takes 7th place!
Scholarship Day on Friday, Nov. 4 and that
brings the beans,
salsa and buffalo wing competitions. First came the good news
that both Becky & Brent were moving on to the finals in buffalo
wings! Another batch cooked by each and turned in. And the
results are that they tied! Brent and Becky take 2nd and 3rd
Place in the World Championship Buffalo Wing competition!
|
Not sure who's wings these are,
but they look award winning! |
Becky accepting her 3rd place win |
|
Brent accepting his 2nd place win |
Becky, Brent, and 1st place winner
Chuck Spishock with Sy Brown, from Bruce Foods, home of Louisiana
Hot Sauce! |
Saturday, November 5 brought the big
International Chili
Championship cook-off. 313 cooks competed to see who is
the very best! While Brent & Becky gave it their best shot,
it was not in the cards for them this year. Brent made it through
two judging rounds, while Becky went through three before being
kicked off. A disappointment for sure, but a great time
and experience nonetheless. And the countdown is on until TICC 2012!
Click here to see an on-line album of some of our pics!
https://picasaweb.google.com/107121737310337884729/TICC2011Frame
https://picasaweb.google.com/107121737310337884729/2011KrazyFlatsFrame
November 19 -20 took BBCT to McQueeney, TX
for the Classic CASI
Fall Festival Chili Cook-Off. It was an easy weekend, with chili
being the only item on the competition menu. Becky came in 4th on Sat.
while Brent made final table. They neither one placed on Sunday.
There
were some great parties this weekend, so it's probably a good thing that
the cooking was on the light side!
Thanksgiving weekend was the 30th annual
VASA POD 3-day cook-off.
A pot-luck Thanksgiving dinner was held on Thursday to get the weekend
kicked off
right. Friday was competition in beans, dip, green chili and red
chili. Becky was 4th
in dip while Brent took 2nd in green chili. That's all they could
muster up that day.
Saturday brought competition for beans, chili and margaritas. There
was to be both
a chicken and beef fajita competition, but it was cancelled due to lack of
entries.
Becky took 2nd in beans and 1st in both show and margaritas, with Brent
coming in 2nd
in margaritas. Again, they couldn't place with chili, but if you drink
enough of the
margs, you can forget about not placing in chili!
Here is a link for the pics from Becky's 1st place Show:
https://picasaweb.google.com/107121737310337884729/FramedAtVASAPOD
The team had a great time for their first
trip to Waring, in spite of the
cold, wet weather. Not the best of results, but there'll be another
chance.
Brent was 3rd in green chili, Becky made final table in red chili. The
soup-off
was loads of fun, lots of great eating and Becky got 2nd place with her
Italian Wedding Soup!
It was a great way to end 2011 at the annual New Year's
weekend
chili cook-off in Kingsland, TX. Becky came in with 1st Place on
Friday
night, giving her enough points to qualify to cook Terlingua in 2012!
Brent
took 2nd place on Saturday, New Year's Eve. Partying with friends to
ring
in the new year capped off a near perfect weekend!
|
Friday night winners |
Saturday winners |
|
Toasting the New Year |
Welcoming the New Year |
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