ROARING CAMP C00K-OFF

 

This holiday weekend we judged two bbq contests at Roaring Camp in Felton California. Saturday was a four meat KCBS sanctioned contest. Sunday was a two meat contest of ribs & chicken. Roaring Camp is a wonderful venue. It is a family fun narrow gauge railroad with a beautiful redwood forest setting. It is located adjacent to Henry Cowell State Park which showcases a growth of old growth coast Redwoods. All I can say; it is breathtaking

It is always great to connect with our bbq family. It seems that KCBS sanctioned contests have not rebounded with vigor since the pandemic. It was fantastic to be in our judges posture to sample & score chicken, ribs, pork and brisket on Saturday. It is just like riding a bike. We had some fantastic bbq.

We returned Sunday for round two. The prize money was big and the competition was fierce. A few of the pro teams stayed the extra day and the entries reflected their expertise. What a great way to spend the weekend.

MOO OINK CLUCK

 

This Saturday we were at a very small contest at a private ranch. This ranch was right smack in the middle of a walnut farm. The event was called "Moo, Oink and Cluck. I believe there were some conflicting events and schedules that kept the bbq cooks to a bare minimum. In fact there were only three competitors today.

Four meats; chicken, tri-tip, ribs and pork belly were the categories we judged. In between entries we swam, ate home made pizza and drank home made micro-beers. This was more a private party than an actual sanctioned bbq event. It still  made for a very pleasant afternoon.

I was told this event had been bigger in previous years but this was still a fun and great afternoon of friends & bbq. I did mention this was in the middle of a walnut orchard. Our host gave us some of the most delicious flavored walnuts as a parting gift. Good times!!!!!!!!!!!

B.G.E. PIZZA

The Chilebrown household has never been the same since Christmas. The Big Green Egg bbq was finally under the tree this holiday season. Since then it has been a learning curve to learn how to use this cooker. It also has been a hit on the pocket book buying the multiple B.G.E. accessories that one must acquire. The latest acquisition has been a pizza stone. It was time to make pizza pie. The dough was home made and the ingredients prepared. The pizza turned out great. What a lot of fun.

This no-bake cheesecake was not made on the B.G.E. Thankyou Ms. Goofy.

 

LATE STRAWBERRIES

We had a very wet & record breaking winter. California welcomes the deluge of water because of previous drought years. Somebody forgot to tell the farm crops about our crazy weather. It seems that all the crops are a month late this year. We should almost be finishing up our spring cycle of vegetables. Instead strawberries just hit my Farmers Market. We are glad they are back. It should be interesting to see how the stone fruits turn out this year. 

 

MISHIMA RESERVE ULTRA WAGYU PICANHA

You only live once and life is too short to worry about the price of beef. At least that is my mantra. Do not enlarge the second image and look at the price of the Mishima Reserve Ultra Wagyu Picanha if you are squeamish in the pocket book. Ms. Goofy picked up this chunk of gold at the butcher; R & R meats of Redding California. I asked her to get a Tri-Tip of this Wagyu beef. We knew of the price but this is Wagyu beef and should be a treat. We were not disappointed.
 

Ms. Goofy brought home a Picanha roast instead of a tri-tip. To be honest I was not real familiar with this cut. The beef was a deep red color and there was not a lot of intra-muscular fat usually associated with the Wagyu beef. I seasoned the 3 pound roast and brought it to room temperatue. I cooked it in two stages. I seared it over a smoking hot fire and finished it with indirect heat. The roast was pulled at 125 degrees internal temperature. I let the roast rest for a very long 15 minutes. It was time to eat.

Wow, double Wow, was this beef ultra fantastic. It was fork tender like a filet. This meat had a deep rich beef flavor like a sirloin. Each bite you craved the next. I may be in beef heaven. This was just what the doctor ordered. I am so happy with this cut of beef. What was an added bonus was the sandwiches the next day. We do not eat this beef everyday; but I could.

GEORGE & VIOLETS

Google was my concierge to find George & Violets in Springfield Oregon. I was attending the Oregon Knife Show and wanted to have a steak for dinner. A quick search and George & Violets seemed the best fit to my liking. I was not disappointed. The steak was decent, but what really was memorable was the salad. Yes, you read correctly. This salad consisted of tubes of romaine dressed with a creamy, chunky blue cheese salad. It had crispy bacon, tomato and water melon radishes as garnish. It arrived at the table as a magazine photo shoot candidate. This salad was rich with creamy blue cheese dressing. Bacon was the added bonus. I still am a little perplexed on my excitement from a salad.

 

HEALTHY PECAN PIE

 

This weekend I was at the Eugene Farmers Market. This vendor claimed her pecan pie was healthy. I never did find out why it was healthy because I ate it in a couple of bites.