To Grill Or Not To Grill

As is usually the case, this weekend's contest at New Paltz, NY will be both a BBQ contest and a grilling contest. While grilling can be fun, it adds additional layers of planning and expense with small prize pools that sometimes make me think they are not worth cooking.

But I keep coming back.

I've done pretty well in grilling contests in the past, but it is safe to say I am in a bit of a grilling slump. The last two grilling contests I cooked I didn't do very well. In fact, we would have come in dead last at the last one in Oyster Bay, NY if one of the teams had not missed a turn in time.

But I am grilling at New Paltz. What I am grilling at this moment remains up in the air.

The categories are fish, sausage, pork chop and beef steak. These are nearly the same categories as last year's event at New Paltz, where we took 2nd place in both fish and sausage and finished fourth overall. If I had not tanked the steak entry we would have had a shot at grand or reserve. So while I always like to change things up from event to event, I am inclined to keep things pretty similar to last year.

If I had only written everything down....

I can guarantee that the steak entry will be completely changed. Last year, I turned in a single strip steak with some kind of Gorgonzola cream sauce i whipped up. That is not happening again. The rest are starting to come together in my head, I'll finalize in the next couple of days.