::Saturday::

• 05:30 Woke up, got ready, got on game face, headed out for the main event
• 06:30 Arrived at the mojo dojo and fired up all 3 smokers
• 07:00 Start smoker for ribs, remove ribs from cooler and then place on smoker
• 08:00 Prepare salmon
• 10:00 chicken on grill at 250 degrees
• 10:30 remove brisket and tempt judges
• 11:00 wrap ribs in foil
• 12:30 remove chicken and let rest, take ribs out of foil
• 12:45 put 6 best wings in box for judges
• 13:00 turned in winning chicken
• 13:15 removed ribs and let rest, cut out 6 best ribs for judges
• 13:30 turned in winning ribs
• 13:45 some pro judges came by and said the ribs had pro potential
• 14:00 glazed salmon and turned on high
• 14:15 removed salmon and added a little drop of franks hot sauce
• 14:30 turned in winning salmon
• 15:00 started serving free samples of chicken, ribs, brisket, sausage and bacon
• 16:00 ran out of samples
• 17:00 got the results… 7th in overall… not too shabby.  Thinking the amateur judges were more into the sauce than the meat.  I went all Memphis-style dry.

::Friday::

• 15:30 Loaded up car and trailer and gashed my shin on the trailer
• 16:00 Got to the Green lot at Turner Field. Ended up with a pretty sweet spot in the middle. Realized just how much I had left at home.
• 17:00 Once I got power, started the brisket smoking. Left the foil under it this time. Should keep it quite juicy.
• 18:00 Family came to bring me dinner and junk I forgot.
• 19:00 competitor meeting. Going to be some great BBQ.
• 20:00 rinse chicken, drop in buttermilk, write out detailed plan for tomorrow.
• 20:30 cards with my boy
• 22:00 pour out buttermilk and rub down with mild jalapeno salt, hang out with friends
• 23:00 head home and prepare for a big day tomorrow

::Thursday::

• Bought meat in the afternoon (4 racks of ribs, 6lb brisket, 40 chicken wings, 4lb polksa kielbasa, 2lb bacon)
• Prepared brine, dunked chicken in brine and tossed in fridge
• Made more BBQ sauce
• Rubbed down ribs
• Watched Georgia Tech squeak out a win over Clemson

Sign up on Facebook, check out their site, but most of all, come out and support GrillMaster Flash on September 12… Free Admission!

So tonight, the quest for the perfect smokey snack began. Currently, there are pinto beans, black beans, black eyed peas and garbanzo beans soaking overnight to get ready for some taste trials tomorrow. That wasn’t enough. I went back to the store and got some shelled edamame beans. Tossed them in a bag with olive oil and Smoked Jalapeno Salt. Then, put them in a grilling wok on the pellet grill at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. That was a pretty intense flavor in a crispy snack. Definitely a keeper.

Tomorrow’s a new day and a new milestone in the quest for the perfect bite!

Now that’s smokalicious!

This year is going to be different. I recently sold a few Traeger Junior Grills and was impressed with them, so I got one for traveling like this. What a killer grill. It’s big enough to easily cook for 6-8 people and small enough to be portable. The legs are even detachable, so it makes for easy travels.

Here are some pics of just how easy it is to assemble this thing. It was just under 15 minutes from the time I opened the box to the time it was smoking. This thing even comes with all the tools required to assemble.

Step 1: Open box, assemble legs and wheels

Step 2: Attach control box, screw on handles and add pellets

Step 3: Turn grill on high and watch for pellets to hit the hot rod (should be glowing). If they don’t catch fire and start smoking after pellets are falling into the firepot, turn off for a minute and turn back on again. The hot rod should start to glow and catch the pellets on fire.

Step 4: Place shield over firepot, place drip pan inside and place grate on top. Let heat up to at least 350 and make sure things are all running smoothly.

Step 5: Once cooled off, clean off grates with a little vegetable oil on a paper towel. Wrap some aluminum foil over the drip pan and inside the grease bucket.  All is good and ready to go.

Today’s the day to try the art of smoked meats.  You don’t even have to have a smoker to prepare a crazy good meal with a rich, smokey flavor.  If you already have a smoker, you’re all set.  If not, take a regular gas grill and only turn on one side of the burners.  Directly above the heat, make a tray out of aluminum foil and place in it some flavored wood (like hickory or mesquite) that has soaked in water.  After about 15 minutes, you should start to see the wood smoking and the temperature creeping up.  Work the dials until you get in the smoke range of 150-180 degrees.

Just start with something simple like chicken legs.  The key with smoking is temperature control and indirect heat.  Try not to open the lid very often.  Just let it soak up the smokey flavor and check every 30 minutes. It should take about 2.5 hours for chicken legs to be done.  The meat should be firm, the skin should be crispy and the bone should want to slide right out.  Experiment with variations of rubs for the outside and wood flavors to create your own Kick Ass combination!

Who would have thought that grilled pizza could be so amazing? It started with BBQ chicken pizza, then cheeseburger pizza and then the creative juices really got flowing. I remembered the spread I use for Greek Stuffed Pork Loin and Greek Stuffed Chicken.  That could make an incredible pizza sauce.  Then, top it with some grilled chicken, artichokes, kalamata olives, pepperoncini and feta. Nothing but the best.

The Greek Pizza got me thinking that an Asian pizza could be pretty killer. So, one day I had some leftover smoked salmon from a party. I made an Asian glaze and sauteed broccoli, water chestnuts, green peppers and onions in it.  A very light sauce of ranch dressing mixed with soy sauce created a perfect base. Adding the salmon, veggies and a little mozarella cheese created a nice topping. Then, I drizzled the glaze and some toasted sesame seeds on top.  Talk about the smiles created with this one…