Grillin' on the Bay - Overall results.

It's early in the morning, or late at night depending on how you want to look at it, so I'll post the entire list tomorrow, but here's the overall rankings for Grillin' on the Bay - NYC's first sanctioned BBQ contest.

10. Beer Belly Porkers
9. Smokin Dave's Tailgate Party
8. Smokey Mikes Brooklyn BBQ
7. Cockeye BBQ
6. Righteous Urban BBQ - Paul Kirk's RUB restaurant
5. South Shore Smokers
4. BS BBQ
3. Front Street Smoke House
2. Water Front Ale House
1. Purple Turtle Catering

I was really pleased to see Greg and Nancee from Purple Turtle take GC. Besides being a great team and folks, it turns out Greg went to school at St. Mark back in the 60's. What a trip it must have been for him to be wondering the old hallways and schoolyard.

We had four last minute cancelations, but from what I hear, everyone who showed had a great time. A big thanks to Steve and Nancy and the guy with the broken truck for repping. Their performance was flawless and made it a well run event. We kept draining that truck of all it's agave nectar all afternoon.

A big thank you too to all our sponsors, especially Righteous Urban BBQ -- Paul Kirk's RUB Restaurant and Esposito Sausage Company. I'll give you an entire run down later in the week, when I'm not so sleepy and can thank them properly, but let's just say all our sponsors were incredibly generous to us.

And congratulations to South Shore Smokers - Steve. 5th overall at his first event, at which he cooked solo with only some help from his son. Excellent job Steve.

I'l give you guys a more detailed report on the day and organizing the event later. Thanks to everyone who participated or sent good wishes our way which kept the snow and rain away.

Grillin' on the Bay - The Press

We're in today's NY Daily News (page 71) thanks to our favorite journalist, Rachel M. Wharton.

"What better way to welcome spring than with NYC's first real barbecue contest, sponsored by Manhattan's RUB restaurant and Sanctioned by the New England Barbecue Society? Tomorrow, fanatical teams will compete for points based on their chicken wings, fish and pork, working toward state championships and maybe a chance at the international Jack Daniels contest in Tennessee. Teams from around the Northeast, including Brooklyn's Fuhgeddaboutit, are expected to gather at the parking lot of the St. Mark Parochial School at 18th and Avenue Z in Sheepshead Bay. Cooks arrive at 6 a.m., but if you want to see the results and maybe get a taste, winners will be announced at 4 p.m. Vendors will also be selling barbecue all day, with some proceeds going to the St. Mark Sports Association. For more, www.stmarksports.org or (718) 769-5374."

I hope that I'll be able to reprint more news articles after the event, but this is a great start. I hope to see you all there!

Grillin' on the Bay - The directions

Grillin on the Bay - NYC's first sanctioned BBQ contest.
Saturday March 25, 2006
Corner of Avenue Z and East 18th Steet
Gates open at 6:00 AM
Food turn-in begins at 12:00 Noon with Chicken Wings. Fish, Pork, Chef's Choice and Dessert in 45 minutes intervals after that.
Awards Ceremony at 4:00pm.

BBQ, food and drink will be available for sale by the St. Mark Sports Association. The BBQ competitors are not allowed by NYC code to sell food at this event.

How do I get there?

By Subway -
Take the "Q" train to the Sheepshead Bay Station. Use the Sheepshead Bay Road exit, turn left and walk 4 blocks to East 18th Street.

By Bus -
Take the B4, B-49 or B-36 to the intersection of Avenue Z and East 19th Street.


By Car or Truck -

From NJ

Take 440 to Staten Island. (I hear that the Goethal’s Bridge will be closed early in the morning so take either the Bayone Bridge or Outerbridge Crossing to the West Shore Expressway to the Staten Island Expressway)
On Staten Island, take the Staten Island Expressway East to the Verazano Bridge
Take the Verazano Bridge to Brooklyn.

For commercial traffic or cars with trailers….
At the end of the Bridge, go straight to the Gowanus Expressway – I don’t know if it’s labeled as such, but the only other option is to go on the Belt Parkway, which you don’t want.
Take the Gowanus Expressway to the 86th Street Exit.
At the light coming off the expressway, make a right onto 86th Street going east.
You will be on 86th Street for about 8 miles.
(You will be driving through Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bath Beach and Bensonhurst – stop at any of the Italian bakeries you pass – you’ll be glad you did!)
86th Street will end at McDonald Avenue
Bear a slight left on to Avenue X. (You are basically going straight)
Take 86th Street to Coney Island Ave. (Paradise Florist on corner)
Make a right onto Coney Island Ave South.
Take Coney Island Ave to Ave Z.
Make a left onto Ave Z East.
The contest will be at the corner of East 18th Street and Avenue Z.

For non-commercial vehicles...
From the bridge, take the exit to the Belt Parkway East.
Take the Belt Parkway East to the Ocean Parkway Exit.
From the service road of the Belt, at the 1st light, make a left onto Ocean Parkway North.
Take Ocean Parkway North to Ave Z.
Make a right onto Ave Z east.
The contest will be on the corner of East 18th Street and Avenue Z.

From Long Island

For commercial vehicles or cars with trailers...
(Check the maps on this one, I don’t think it’s the best route)
Take the Long Island Expressway West
Exit, Brooklyn Queens Expressway West (South)
Exit at Tillary Street West (Flatbush Avenue)
Turn left (South) on to Flatbush Avenue Ext.
Flatbush Avenue Ext. becomes Flatbush Avenue.
After about 5 miles, Go thru the Grand Army Plaza.
Bear right to continue south on Flatbush Avenue.
Take Flatbush Avenue to Ditmas Avenue (Avenue D)
Make right onto Ditmas Avenue West
Take Ditmas to Ocean AVENUE.
Make a left onto Ocean AVENUE south.
Take Ocean AVENUE south to Ave Z. (St. Mark Church on corner)
Make right on to Ave Z.
Contest is on corner or Avenue Z and East 18th Street.

For non-commercial vehicles...
Take the Belt Parkway West.
Exit at Knapp Street.
Stay on the service road (Shore Parkway) going West through 4 lights.
At the 4th light - Ocean AVENUE, make a right onto Ocean AVENUE north. (Waldbaum’s shopping center will be across Ocean AVENUE)
Take Ocean Avenue North to Ave Z. (St. Mark Church on corner)
Make a left onto Avenue Z.
The contest is in the schoolyard of St. Mark School, corner of East 18th Street.


From Points North

For commercial vehicles or cars with trailers….
Take the Major Deegan Expressway South to I-278 – Brooklyn Queens Expressway West.
Exit at Tillary Street West(Flatbush Avenue)
Turn left (South) on to Flatbush Avenue Ext.
Flatbush Avenue Ext. becomes Flatbush Avenue.
After about 5 miles, Go through the Grand Army Plaza.
Bear right to continue south on Flatbush Avenue.
Take Flatbush Avenue to Ditmas Avenue(Avenue D)
Make right onto Ditmas Avenue West
Take Ditmas to Ocean AVENUE.
Make a left onto Ocean AVENUE south.
Take Ocean AVENUE south to Ave Z. (St. Mark Church on corner)
Make right on to Ave Z.
Contest is on corner or Avenue Z and East 18th Street.

For non-commercial vehicles...
Take the Whitestone Bridge South to Queens.
Follow the Whitestone Expressway West to the Van Wyck Expressway South
Take the Van Wyck Expressway South to the Belt Parkway West.
Exit at Knapp Street.
Stay on the service road (Shore Parkway) going West through 4 lights.
At the 4th light - Ocean AVENUE, make a right onto Ocean AVENUE north. (Waldbaum’s shopping center will be across Ocean AVENUE)
Take Ocean Avenue North to Ave Z. (St. Mark Church on corner)
Make a left onto Avenue Z.
The contest is in the schoolyard of St. Mark School, corner of East 18th Street


See you there!

Grillin' On The Bay - The Teams

Well folks, three more days until Grillin' on the Bay - NYC's first sanctioned BBQ contest sponsored by RUB restaurant and Esposito Sausage to benefit St. Mark Sports Association. We now have 14 teams competing in a first year event! This is outstanding. We only conceived of this contest during the first week of February and now not only is Grillin'’ on the Bay sanctioned by the New England BBQ Society, but has been proclaimed NYC's official BBQ contest by Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz.

In no particular order except the pile of papers on my desk, the teams as of this writing are:

• Sir Sauce A Lot (2nd place Ribs - NJ State Championship)
  
• Purple Turtle Catering (2nd place Steak - NY State Championship)
  
• Cockeye BBQ (Grand Champion - NY State Championship)
• Smokey Mike's Brooklyn BBQ
• Beer Belly Porkers
• Smokin' Dave's Tailgate Party
• Big Island BBQ
• BBQ Brethren/Brothers in Smoke (1st place pork - NY State Championship)
  
• Righteous Urban BBQ (New York Magazine's Best BBQ in New York City)
  
• Front Street Smoke House (Grand Champion - NJ State BBQ Championship)
  
• Water Front Ale House (FUHGEDDABOUTIT Competition BBQ Team - 2nd place NJ State Championship)
  
• South Shore Smokers
• BS BBQ
• Josh Ozersky
  

Come out to Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn and see some of the top teams in America compete for the New York City Barbecue Crown. The event takes place on the corner of East 18th Street and Avenue Z in Sheepshead Bay. Gates open at 6:00 AM and the first food turn in will be at Noon. The awards ceremony will take place at 4:00 PM. There is no admission charge. See you there!

Livin' the Dream - Front Street Smoke House

I am exhausted. I have a lot to write about this week, but first I wanted to start you all off with a new restaurant recommendation. The Front Street Smoke House.

My friends Bruce and Nelly Kain have just opened their new restaurant, The Front Street Smoke House at 1 South Front Street in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Bruce and Nelly have won many many top honors, including the 2005 New Jersey State Championship in the world of barbecue. If you are in within 50 miles of this restaurant, it's is worth a trip. Tell him I sent you and he'll pay any tolls coming from New York.

In other news, on which I'll expand on later in the week, Smoker, Militant Squatter and I set out on a road trip in my new car to judge the New England Barbecue Society's annual Snow Shoe Challenge in Abington Massachusetts and wound up experiencing our own mini-bash (read that as a hell of a party) at The Cookhouse restaurant with our host Fat Tommy in Darien Connecticut. It was a hell of a weekend. A better time could not have been had.

And don't forget - this Saturday, March 25, 2006, New York City is hosting its first sanctioned BBQ contest - Grillin' on the Bay. Come on out and see some of the top teams in the North East, including my friends Bruce and Nelly Kain, compete for the crown!

Road Trip

Early tomorrow morning, WhiteTrash BBQ will be meeting up with Militant Squatter of Bad Bones BBQ Crew and Smoker of the BBQ-Brethren/Brothers in Smoke BBQ teams and heading out to The New England BBQ Society's Annual Snowshoe Challenge in Abington, MA. Unfortunately, none of us are cooking, only judging but a splendid time is guaranteed for all. See you when I get back!

Grillin on the Bay

Damn. I missed the train yesterday. The Smoking Car rolled right by me. We'll catch up next week with a ride with Curt McAdams from Bucky McOinkum's Barbecue. Sorry for the screw up Curt.

In case you missed it, I've been extremely busy working side by side with Matt of The Hampton Smoker setting up NYC's first sanctioned barbeque contest - Grillin' on the Bay. It's a one day grilling contest to be held on March 25, 2006 in Sheepshead Bay Brooklyn. We're just about maxed out on teams, but if you want to compete, send an email to grillin@stmarksports.org.

If you want to come check it out, please do. We'll be in the schoolyard of St. Mark School on the corner of East 18th Street and Avenue Z. Some of the top teams in the North East United States have signed on.

I'll put up a complete listing of the teams next week but here's a tease. Come see Righteous Urban BBQ of New York City, The BBQ-Brethren/Brothers In Smoke of Nesconsett New York, Big Island BBQ of Ozone Park New York, Purple Turtle Catering of Norwalk Connecticut, FUHGEDDABOUTIT BBQ of Brooklyn New York, Cockeye BBQ of Newton Falls Ohio, and many many others compete for the crown as New York City's first Grill Master!

Sleazy car dealers

For a blog that's supposed to be dedicated to the art of barbecue, I haven't seen much of the Q or the smoke lately. That's got to change.

I had fully intended to cook some ribs this weekend; Saturday as a matter of fact. But no, life got in the way. If you remember about two weeks ago we totaled our car. So we spent Saturday being jerked around by one particularly snarky car salesman -- Eli at Kings Plaza Automall in Brooklyn.

We went to him in response to an ad for a 2005 $9,900 PT cruiser. That car has a manual transmission and my wife doesn't know how to drive a stick, but Eli told her on the phone that he had "tons" of other PT cruisers with automatic transmissions in that price range.

We sat down and he needed to see the ad from the paper to familiarize himself with the car we were seeking. He made a few feeble jokes about how my wife should learn to drive a shift, but then remembered that he had a "demo" available that we could check out. We kept stressing the price point and Eli kept assuring us that this "demo" was "do-able."

So he shows us a "top of the line" 2005 or 6, he couldn't remember. And we take it for a test drive. It was a beautiful car and according to Eli we could drive it home that day. We get back into the showroom and sit down to work out a deal. Eli's figuring, writing something on a pad which he kept hidden like a schoolboy afraid that someone's going to cheat off his test. While he's doing that, I peruse the PT cruiser catalog and one line catches my attention "Best car value under $15,000."

Eli finally emerges from his scribbling and announces that he's taking a beating, but he can let us have the car for $24,000! WTF?!?!?!?! I was literally dumbfounded. $24,000? I told him he was out of his mind and pointed at the page in the catalog that states best car for under $15,000. He makes all sorts of comments that the car is "top of the line" and that it's tricked out with every amenity possible. Not true, it was a limited edition model, which is the mid-range version of the PT cruiser.

I ask how can he have the balls to ask for 24K for a used car? Didn't he recall our conversation that we didn't want to spend more than $10K? He does a little sleazy salesman raindance and keeps talking about nothing. After awhile he asks again how much cash do we have and to make an offer on the car. So I say we'll give him $11,000 for it. He says fine and tells my wife to make out a check for the $10K we have and he'll take it to his manager.

He comes back and says everything is fine and we're sitting there when another guy comes over and hands Eli a piece of paper saying that the manager won't let the car go for under $22K and suggests we buy a Dodge Neon.

We walked out. I felt like I needed a shower after that whole experience. Stay away from Eli and Kings Plaza Automall.

But back to the barbecue, because remember, this is a blog about barbeque. We didn't get to cook the ribs outside, but we did cook them in the oven on Sunday rubbed only with John Henry's Wild Cherry Chipotle rub. I prepped and rubbed the ribs but I had to work while the ribs cooked so my wife cooked them and left them dry. I did miss the smoke, but damn they were tasty with just the rub. Sometimes the simple things are best.

Woke up this morning.....

Tonight baby. Tony takes back the streets.

The Smoking Car #5 - WhiteTrash BBQ

Welcome back to the Smoking Car. Tonight the train's empty as it rolls across the country. It's just you, me and my thoughts. To be honest, I'm glad the train's empty tonight. I can use a quiet night and I've got a lot on my mind.

As my faithful readers know, Matt from The Hampton Smoker and I are putting together "NYC's first sanctioned BBQ contest, Grillin' on the Bay to benefit the St. Mark Sports Association." If you're interested you can find more information about it on their website at St. Mark Sports.

While this is for a great cause, and I'm enjoying the work, putting this thing together is like working 3 full time jobs. Sponsors, cooks, judges, volunteers, advertising etc etc etc. It just never ends. Working with the sponsors has turned out to be the most frustrating and rewarding part of this whole experience. I just wish that if a sponsor can't or won't contribute that they'd have the decency to just say no, so that we can all move on. I have no hard feelings to a company that says no.

I promise you Grillin' on the Bay will be a great event. Some of the top teams of the North East are going to be there and it will give me a chance to renew old friendships and create some new ones. We've got some great bands coming for entertainment and hopefully a few surprises along the way.

On the home front, I ran into an old friend last night and while catching up we went over all the drama that has been my life the past two years. Wow. I'm glad all of that is over and thankful whenever a week goes by without a life changing event.

My son and daughter are growing fast. Too fast now. The teenage years go by so much faster then the years from 1 to 12. Once they're a teen, it's over. They're ready to fly. I know that we have a good relationship with our kids, but it would be nice to spend more time together. Yeah, we still do the "quality" time together, but there's no substitute for the "quantity" time. You know what I mean just spending time watching TV together, shopping, doing the lawn, whatever. Any activity that keeps you close is important. I am really thankful for these two kids. They're great kids. I'm really lucky.

I'm really feeling the need for the smoke. I can't remember the last time I fired up a cooker. I'm also beginning to feel the need to get back to the woods. I need to get back and touch the earth for a while. I guess I'm still a caveman at heart.

This weekend looks surprisingly free. I've got a couple of racks of spares in the freezer. I've got a recipe for "Martini brined Salmon" that I want to try out. And the butcher has brisket on sale. It's time to cook!

BBQ Burn Out Monday - #5: Blog Appetit

Well, I'm almost back in the blogosphere. I'll be writing my own posts again soon. But not tonight!

Tonight - welcome to another edition of Barbecue Burn Out Monday. Tonight I'd like to welcome my friend Faith from Blog Appetit. Faith has a great blog all about foods, techniques and equipment that you'll never see in the world of competitive BBQ. You will actually find recipes involving vegetables over there. What a concept. But remember, I promised to introduce you to new and unusual cooks and Faith is one of the best. Tonight we get breakfast! Take it away Faith.

When I first accepted the offer of being a guest blogger I was intimidated by the amount of meat, rubs and smoke that emanate from White Trash BBQ. I wanted to share something that would kind of fit right in, but yet be different from the usual WTBBQ post. I still wanted to be loyal to my Blog Appetit home-cooking roots as well.

Peach cobblers, hot sauces and bean-based side dish recipes all came to mind, but they somehow didn’t seem right. Then I realized what I had to blog about. A recipe I have never even shared with my own loyal readers – Custard French Toast. A breakfast dish so sweet and delicious is should be legally only be allowed to be served for dessert. A recipe that is absolutely ruined if you try to make it healthy by cutting back on the eggs or substituting whole wheat or multigrain bread.

And one my now teenage sons still promise their friends I’ll make for them if they come over. Eggs, sugar, milk, butter and white (or egg) bread. What’s not to like? Serve it with love, it really needs little else, although a drizzle of maple syrup is okay, too.

Custard French Toast

Serves 4-8 depending on age, cholesterol level and appetite

• Loaf of unsliced French, Italian or similar bread; challah, brioche or other egg bread, or thickly sliced white bread (sometimes called Texas toast).Do NOT use whole wheat or multigrain bread. Stale or day old bread works well.
• Four eggs, beaten
• One 14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk. (It’s okay to use the fat-free kind of you want.) Tip: Open with a can opener and completely remove lid. Use a small spatula to get all the sticky contents out of the can.
• 24 ounces of milk (fat free okay)
• Tsp. of vanilla extract
• Dash salt
• Grating or two of nutmeg (or about 1/8 tsp if ground)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Butter for frying
• Cinnamon sugar (mix equal parts of ground cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl)
• Powdered (confectioner’s) sugar

Preheat oven to 200 degrees

Slice bread about 3/4 to 1 inch thick. Lay sliced bread to dry out a bit.

In a large bowl, combine eggs, milks, extract, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon. Mix well so all ingredients are well combined.

In a large, flat pan (I use a glass lasagna pan), pour out about a quarter of the egg and milk mixture and swirl pan so it coats the bottom.

Put down a layer of bread slices. Do not overlap. Top with rest of the mixture. If you have more slices then space, don’t use a second pan, just pour about half of your remaining egg and milk mixture over the first layer of slices, making sure you cover the tops of the bread. Put another layer of bread slices on top and pour the rest of the mixture to cover those slices.

Allow to soak in the egg and milk mixture for five (for softer breads) to 10 minutes (for firmer ones), turning and rotating the slices to make sure the bread becomes really saturated with the custard mixture. Handle with care as the slices become very soft and soggy.

Preheat a large frying pan.

Melt about 2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon of butter in the pan as needed and carefully add the bread. Do not crowd the pan. Fry on a medium to medium hot temperature until golden brown on one side. Flip.

Sprinkle cinnamon sugar on browned top of bread being careful not to get any in the frying pan (to avoid burning.)

Cook until golden brown on other side. Remove finished slices and keep warm in a low oven while frying remaining slices, adding more butter to the pan as needed.

Sprinkle with powered sugar and serve with maple syrup.

I'm back - Wow - that sounds great; and it's adaptable to the BBQ circuit. We can cook this in a classic cast iron pan over a hot fire. We've always got a 200 degree cooker going somewhere. We'll be the envy of the cooks with Faith's French Toast for breakfast! Thanks so much for the recipe.

Well, that's it for tonight. Be sure to check out Faith's blogs: Blog Appetit, I wanna be a food writer, Blog Appetit in Vietnam, and Blog Appetit does Soup. Four Blogs. I don't know how she does it. I can't keep up with one!