Snowshoe Open Date Changed

The Snowshoe Open Grilling Challenge has been moved from March 10th to March 24. Maybe it'll be warmer...

Team Party Update

Just a reminder: the Team Party is Saturday January 3rd at Jaime, Alli, & Mary's house. Bring something good to eat, something cold to drink, and a $10 Yankee Swap gift (R-rated or less, please). Let us know via the comments section what kind of side you're bringing. Main dish will consist of either pork or beef. Not sure what exactly yet, but the front runner at this point in time is porchetta.

See you guys soon!

Winter Update!!

OK, Gang, we've got a lot of info to drop on you, so pay attention!!

1. Holiday Party 2006; to be held at Jaime & Mary's house in Hudson MA on January 13th @ 3pm. Bring a side dish to go with the main, and whatever you want to drink. Also, we're doing a Yankee swap, so bring a $10 gift to exchange. We'll be discussing team issues for the 2007 season. Be there or be...well, you know what you'll be. Call us @ 978.562.3414 for directions or send us an email and we will email you our address with directions.

2. Memphis in May: Jed and the rest of the team have been invited to join the Bastey Boys/Lunch Meat delegation to Memphis in May. All team members are welcome: here's the details: May 13-20. Hotel: Clarion Hotel Airport 1471 East Brooks Rd Memphis TN 38116 ph 901.332.3500 choicehotels.com. Rate: $65/night via Orbitz.com or $75/night via Clarion directly
2a. Drivers leave early Sat morning, arrive Sunday afternoon. Flyers arrive Wed morning.
2b. Potential trip to Graceland Wed afternoon.
2c. Thursday day - contest, Thursday night - Gus's fried Chicken and Beale Street
2d. Friday day - contest, Friday night - we are hosting dinner for several teams
2e. Sat - contest
2f. Sun - depart
2g. Cost - Uncle's Jed's owes $400.00. Each individual will pay another fee for food (amount to be determined later).
2h. Plan on renting a car for transportation while we are there.

3. Team apparel: prices are on the way

4. White Water rafting - is anyone interested

5. Sausage making in Templeton: Road trip to Templeton MA in February for Sausage making. Call Jed for details (508-930-6046)

6. Team list: We are updating the list. If you are interested in being on the team, we need name, address, phone number, cell phone number, significant other, and kids. Please email them to unclejedsbbq@verizon.net. Please include the birthday (month and day, not year) of each person.

Stylish UJ's Attire!

Jed has brought up the idea of getting a run of sweatshirts & caps made up, and wants to gauge interest. Sweatshirts would come in at around $30, baseball hats around $15. Please let us know if you want either. It's been around 10 years since sweatshirts were available, so I'm guessing there's some ratty ones out there that need to be retired...

The Schiers would be down for 3 of them...

Also, the Bastey Boys have extended an invitation for any team members who are interested to travel down to Memphis In May with them next year. It would be a good opportunity to see the event and learn something about a different style of competition for anyone who's up for it. Hotel rooms and travel arrangements need to be figured out soon, so contact Jed ASAP if you think you want to go.

cya!

Rib & Brews Pics & Recap

Ok, so we had some highlights and some lowlights this weekend, what else is new, right? Here's what happened:

• Saturday was a disaster at the start, with our fearless leader oversleeping and arriving at 10:45 am for a contest whose first turn-ins were scheduled for 12:00 pm. We're now "The Fastest BBQ Team In New England (& possibly the world)", because somehow the oysters made it in. Thank God people are used to eating 'em raw!
• Good time management, as well as tempers, saved the day: after that first turn-in the rest of Saturday went well. I think the fact that both Chris & Alli were always within earshot helped keep the language on a civil level.
• We finished up 9th overall, and did well (as usual) with the pork tenderloin entry.
• Consensus is we need to work on something for flank steak, and possibly sausage.

Sunday also was a mixed bag. The good:

• We won the rib competition, which Jed thinks is a first.
• We liked all of our entries, more or less.
• The day went smoothly: we actually had the chicken ready to turn in too early.
• Everything ran smoothly and calmly, which has got to be good for something.

The bad:

• We thought we would win the brisket competiton outright, but instead placed 15th. That was a pisser. Maybe we need to avoid the "burnt ends" we've been putting in the box?
  
• We also thought the pulled pork was OK, if not a winner, but finished up in 23rd of 25 in that one. No idea how we were so far off in our estimate. In fact, we tasted the entry of a team that scored higher than we did and hated it. Something was up with that...
  

For future competitions:

• We need to work on a brisket sauce
• We need to work on our pulled pork; we never seem to do well at this.
• We used to do well with chicken, but not as much lately-any ideas?
• We need to make ribs exactly the same way!
  

Upcoming Team activities:

• In October Jed's gonna get all fancy and go to a wine tasting. whatever.
• In early November, there will be a Team meeting at Jed's to take equipment inventory, do cleanup, and pack everything into Jed's new shed for the winter.
• Late November, NEBS.org should have the schedule for 2007. We'll post it here when it comes out.
• Saturday, January 13th: Christmas Party/2007 Team planning session at the Schiers.
  

"Try not to cut my finger off!"


Other Stuff:

• new Team email address: unclejedsbbq@verizon.net
• Send us your pictures for the blog!
• Mary has volunteered to step up & help Jed with some of the administrative responsibilities next year, which will allow Jed to focus on recipes and cooking, while hopefully getting things more organized and less chaotic. No offense, Jed.
• You can make comments by clicking the "comment" button at the end of each post: I've currently got it set up so that all you have to do is register with blogger.com.
• I'm applying for various need-based charity scholarships to blogpage design classes-maybe by the end of next season I'll have this figured out!
  

Quick update on Lowell

Alli & I will put together a proper recap tonight, but for those who're interested, here's a quick summary of our results this weekend:

Saturday (20 teams competing):

• Oysters/Clams: 7th
• Flank Steak: 10th
• Sausage: 15th
• Pork Tenderloin: 4th
• Overall: 11th

Sunday (25 Teams)

• Chicken: 9th
• Ribs: 1st :)
  
• Pulled Pork: 15th
  
• Brisket: 11th
• Overall: 9th

That's from memory, so it might be a little off. We'll correct tonight. We were surprised by the results of the pulled pork and brisket judging, as we'd thought our entries were good. In fact, we expected to win the brisket comp. outright. Oh well. More, including pics, later.

BTW, the team has an email address you can use to submit any photos you want posted: unclejedsbbq@verizon.net.

bye for now, Jaime

More instructions for Lowell

Hi guys,

Got another email from Jim McGrath overnight, with some amended driving and parking instructions for the contest. Here's the details:

I just got back from yet another meeting at Lowell. There have been some slight changes. Everyone should take the 1:00 exit from the circular drive. Judges should pass Lot B, and park in Lot C. Cooks should continue on to the rear of Tsongas, pick a site, unload, and return the same way to Lot C. Access to the rear of Tsongas will be unrestricted on Friday, so you can arrive any time. I'm not going to start laying out the sites until 10:00 am, so don't come too early unless you just want to hang out.

There will be a guard at the 1:00 exit on Saturday/Sunday. Access should be available between 8:00 am and 11:00 pm. Bring this email to ensure access.

Cooks, don't forget your hoses and a Y connector. If you want an electrical hookup, bring an outdoor electrical cord and outlet strip.

I checked out the Lowell Doubletree. In spite of what the web site says, it is really not in walking distance to Tsongas.

Jim

Rib 'N Brews Parking Pass

Lot C

September 8, 9, 10, 2006

Hey Gang,

Allison & I set up this blog for the team last night, we hope it will help communication regarding contests & other team activities, as well as giving us a chance to have a little fun along the way. Alli has volunteered to do a lot of the updating, including adding pics as we go. For now, I've added a little info on the Lowell contest this weekend. Email me at work if you have questions...

Also, we realized that we have no photos of the team or any contests, so we need you to either send us some or burn a photo cd and get it in our hands so we can jazz up the site a little.

Any suggestions for additional content welcome, just hit the comment button.

Cya!
Jaime & Alli

Details For Lowell Rib & Brews Contest...

Here are some details I've received from Jim McGrath reagarding the Lowell contest.

We need to be sure to bring a long garden hose and Y-adaptor to get water to the cooking site.

Got this email one this morning, it has to do with accessing the contest area, visitors to the cooking area, and garnish for the Saturday portion of the contest.

First you need to get to Tsongas Arena http://www.paultsongasarena.com/directions.asp. As you approach the arena, you will enter a large circular driveway with counter-clockwise traffic flow. You are entering at 6:00 and the arena is at 12:00. When you get to 3:00 you will see a large parking garage. Ignore it and continue. At 1:00 you will see an access road that runs along the right side of Tsongas. Ignore it for now. At 9:00 you will see an access road. Exit there. Pass Parking lot A on your left. Slightly further on, you will see an access road on your right, running along the left side of Tsongas. Follow it to the back of Tsongas. Sites should be marked by early Friday afternoon. Please pick a site that doesn’t restrict later arrivals. Find the judge’s tent, and pick up a parking pass cook’s ID. Return to your car and put the parking pass on the dashboard. Go back to the circular and loop around to 1:00. Follow that access road to Parking Lot B and park there. If you can’t open the directions link, look up directions with http://randmcnalley.com/ or Mapquest.com.

Garnish rules for the Saturday grilling contest are quite relaxed. Anything edible is allowed. If a cook wants to wrap their pork tenderloin in bacon, that’s fine. The only inedible garnish allowed is clam and oyster shells in the Clam or Oyster category. Shells are optional garnish, and not required. Expect the cooks to be creative. Unless someone writes their name with a sauce squeeze bottle, it’s probably not marking. Look for restaurant style presentations rather than KCBS style. The appearance of the meat is what is being judged, but the Saturday cooks have a lot more flexibility to make it look good.

There is free public access to the rear of Tsongas. Invite your friends and family. Parking Lot A in the front of Tsongas is where the band, vendors and beer tent will be set up. Admission there is free with your cook’s ID, but $5.00 for all others. Parking Lot B is reserved for contest officials and cooks. Friends and family arriving is separate vehicles should park in the large parking garage located at 3:00 on the circular drive.

I’m providing 10 port-a-potties out of the cook team’s entry fees. All will be padlocked. All padlocks use the same key, and keys will be available in the judge’s tent or from one of the teams. These potties are reserved for cook teams and contest officials only. Friends and family must use the public facilities in the front of Tsongas.

I think I’ve covered everything, but feel free to email any questions.

Jim

This one came in a couple of days ago and deals with camper arrangements on-site:

You can keep your pop-up on site. Friday arrival is fine. We don’t have Lowell HS to deal with this year.

I’ve CCd the Contest Reps and BBCd the other teams so we are all on the same page about your other questions.

You can stuff or roll the flank steak. Just remember, edible garnish only, no tooth picks.

Chowder, stew, etc. is iffy. The clams or oysters must be the primary component of your submission. Instead of chowder, think of clams or oysters served with a bit of broth and vegetables. How would the judges eat this? I see a host of problems.

Jim

Hey Jim,

Just a couple of quick questions.

I was wondering if it was OK to bring my pop-up and keep it onsite. It's the same camper we had in NH. We have no problem fitting it on a 20x20. This may be the same question as below, but I want to be sure. Also is Friday arrival still OK for the new location?

The second question I'm pretty sure is OK but someone wanted me to ask. Is it OK to stuff and\or roll the flank steak?

And lastly, is soup, chowder, or a stew a legal entry for the clam or oyster category? That is, if I can find an edible way to present it.
Thanks Jim. I'll see you this weekend.

Gary
In a message dated 9/3/2006 10:40:01 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, jimmcgra@verizon.net writes:

There is no problem with having a setup like that on your site. I Smell Smoke has a similar situation. We’ve had a problem the last few years with teams leaving cars and pickup trucks is any unused space. It makes the place look messy and getting around the site difficult for late arriving teams.

I’ll try to make this clear. If you are cooking out of a vehicle, and it fits on your site there is no problem. Cars, vans, pickup trucks and U-Hauls should be parked in Lot B.

The reserved parking lot for the teams is right around the corner from the cooker’s site