Yesterday at 6AM, my friend Rob and I got into my overloaded Chevy Avalanche. The temperature was barely 30. Why were we doing this, you might ask? We were on our way to Brooklyn.We competed in Grilling By The Bay, in Brooklyn, NY.

 I love to grill, and of course BBQ, but cooking in that cold, with light but steady winds, is not most peoples idea of fun. Even us diehards. But 27 teams mananged the conditions with the chance to turn in Fish, Chicken, Ribs, and Chefs Choice. While we practiced for the event , variables such as conditions and missing team members often play a role in the performance and outcome. You can see pictures of  our food and the contest at  http://www.flickr.com/photos/offthebroiler/sets/72157623716244804/show/with/4467802003/

So how did we do? Not to badly. 27 teams – 6th place fish, 7th place chicken, 17th ribs, 8th place Chef’s choice and 5th overall. I’ll post my pictures sometime soon.

Pretty good day considering my wife, Laura, had to stay home with our youndest son who was sick. She is the organization and presentation queen. In order to replace her, a bunch of people contributed. Wendy (Horowitz) stepped up to do presentation, with help from Diane (Mullaney) and Rachel (Perlow), who also did the baking and cornbread carving respectively. Rob (Wheaton) helped with the cooking and did the carving and  Jay (Mullaney) helped by being the the go to go wherever needed. It was really cold but fun.

Today I am recovering still recovering, It takes alot out of you to cook all day in the cold, but we enjoyed our first outing of the year. Aches and pains aside, we are on our way…

Now our focus turns to BBQ,  real BBQ in Salibury, MD April 16-18.

Keep checking for posted practice sessions…

Happy Q to You.