Kevin's BBQ Joints

I was honored to be one of three judges for Gnarly Head Wine’s Rippin’ Ribs Tour which took place at The Comcast Bite of Seattle. From the venue, to the weather (OK. I admit I love rain), to the hospitality, it was all top notch. I can’t thank Gnarly Head enough for making my first judging experience so fantastic. Here are the pics:

The view of the Space Needle from the booth the first night:

These were the first, second, and third place trophies they handed out. Very clever don’t you think?

Here’s the view of the event from above the booth. The stage you can see in the distance had a constant flow of ‘unique’ bands that performed throughout the day.

Here’s a shot of the overall winner Frances Benthin showing her ribs on the smoker (note she rides a Harley, seriously, she does).

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We had a great time last Wednesday in Sherman Oaks for the Smoke City Market / Gnarly Head Wine #MeatUp. Here are the first batch of photos:

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I was honored to be one of three judges last weekend for Gnarly Head Wine’s Rippin’ Ribs Tour which took place at The Comcast Bite of Seattle. I am going to be putting together a complete post with the winning recipe and much more details, but here’s a first look at the location, event, contestants, and judges.

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Gnarly Head Wine’s Rippin’ Ribs Tour made it’s fourth stop this past weekend at Safeway National Capital BBQ Battle XIX. Here’s the scoop and some photos:

“Things were really smokin’ in our nation’s capital as four contestants competed for BBQ rib glory. We had four very cool contestants in DC: Josh Ives (Indian-Spiced Ribs with Peach-Chardonnay Glaze), Patterson Watkins (Bulgogi Ribs with Kimchi Mop), Tamie Joeckel (Chipotle Fig Baby Backs) and Danielle D’Ambrosio (Cabbay Ole Tex-Mex Pork Ribs).

Each of the recipes submitted were delicious yet at the end, it was Danielle D’Ambrosio’s Cabbay Ole Tex-Mex Pork Ribs that took the prize. Danielle came all the way down from New York to compete in Washington.

Here’s the winning recipe:
Cabbay Ole Tex-Mex Pork Ribs

Combine 1/2 cup brown sugar, 4 teaspoons each salt and pepper, 2 tablespoon cayenne, 2 teaspoon cinnamon, 2 tablespoon cumin, and 4 teaspoons paprika. Rub into 6 pounds of pork ribs; let sit one hour. Preheat the smoker. Grind 3 cloves of garlic and 1/4 cup diced red onion, and 2 tablespoons of cilantro into a paste. Combine with a cup of Gnarly Head Cabernet Sauvignon, 1/4 cup Worcestershire Sauce and 1 teaspoon liquid smoke. Cook ribs 1-1 1/2 hours until 160 degrees F basting often with Cabernet mixture. Serve and garnish with a little fresh cilantro.

Wine Pairing: Gnarly Head Wine – Cabernet Sauvignon

Radio personality Tommy McFly from 94.7 Fresh FM was our official emcee. Tommy did a fabulous job and was a ton of fun to boot. The next stop is the Comcast Bite of Seattle.

Here are some additional photos taken by Mike Allen (Mike Allen Photography) from June’s Meatup at Smoke City Market to eat massive amounts of BBQ and pair that with wine from Gnarly Head Wine.

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Gnarly Head Wine’s Rippin’ Ribs Tour headed to it’s third stop this past weekend at Ribfest Chicago. The next stop is Safeway National Capital BBQ Battle XIX this weekend (see info below).

The winner was Amy Kent with her ‘Zinfully Amazing Ribs’

Here’s her recipe:
2 racks of ribs
1 bottle Gnarly Head Zinfandel
½ cup brown sugar
2 TBSP salt, Hungarian paprika
1 tsp pepper
½ tsp nutmeg, allspice, ground mustard, garlic powder & smoked paprika
¼ tsp sage, dry mustard, thyme, cinnamon
1 can chipotles in adobo
1 can chicken broth

Temperature at 260°F-275°F and smoke ribs 3 hours.

In the water pan add chicken broth, chipotles and ½ bottle Zinfandel. Combine the spices in zippered bag. On sheet pan place ribs cover with brown sugar, spice rub. Pour ½ cup Zinfandel over ribs. Let ribs sit for 30 minutes, place in smoker.

Wine pairing: Gnarly Head Zinfandel

Here is info on their 4th Stop in Washington DC. Please stop by if you are going.
Safeway National Capital BBQ Battle XIX
June 25 – 26, 2011
Pennsylvania Avenue – between 9th & 14th

Gnarly Head Rippin’ Ribs Cook-off
Saturday, June 25th
Time: 2:30pm – 3:30pm (cooking starts at 9am)
Location: Pennsylvania Avenue between 11th & 12th

Radio personality Tommy McFly of 94.7 FRESH FM will be on hand to announce the winners.

Here are some additional photos from last week’s Meatup last night at Smoke City Market to eat copious amounts of BBQ and pair that with wine from Gnarly Head Wine. Food and wine was incredible. Pairing notes to follow.

Photo courtesy of Chris Voss

Photo courtesy of Chris Voss

Photo courtesy of Chris Voss

Photo courtesy of Chris Voss
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We had a great showing (and a great time) at the Meatup last night at Smoke City Market to eat copious amounts of BBQ and pair that with wine from Gnarly Head Wine. I want to thank Calvin Lee, Chris Voss, Marla Schulman, Matthew Meeker, Rebecca Quinn, Jim TechFrog Alden, Eva Crawford, Gary May, and Mike Allen.

I will be doing a complete post with wine pairing pics and favorite BBQ items chosen by the group, but here are a few pictures:

Gnarly Head Wine’s Rippin’ Ribs Tour headed to it’s second stop this past weekend at the Food Lion Speedstreet in Charlotte NC.

Here are the contestants along with their competing rib recipe: Janice Elder – Maple Miso Pork Ribs, Scott Adams – Gnarly Peach BBQ Ribs, Bernard Murphy – Sauceror’s Ring of Ribs, and Derick Thurman – Far East Peanut Butter & Honey Hot Ribs

This weekends winner was Derick Thurman and his spicy “Far East Peanut Butter & Honey Hot Ribs”. Second place went to Scott Adams and his “Gnarly Peach BBQ Ribs” and third went to Bernard Murphy and the “Sauceror’s Ring of Ribs” which as a very interesting presentation.

If you’re interested in trying one of these recipes out yourself, they will be posted on www.gnarlyheadwines.com

Here are photos from the event:

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Gnarly Head Wine’s Rippin’ Ribs Tour heads to it’s second stop this weekend at the Food Lion Speedstreet in Charlotte NC.

If you want to see their rib competition and samples some incredible wine head over to their location on the corner of Martin Luther King Blvd & College St next to the Home Depot tent. I’ll be post pics from the event over the weekend as I get them.

Here’s a map:

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