Month: May 2011

BBQ Fest Day 1: Thursday

Scary moment this morning… plugged the camera into the computer and it found 0 pics. I rebooted the camera and the pics were there. Whew. Yesterday was a good day, would’ve hated to lose these.

 

After a few warm-up beers at the Saucer, we went to the bus stop at Second and Beale, where the shuttle arrived to take us to BBQ Fest.
On the shuttle, we made new friends from Holland who had stayed in town an extra day for BBQ Fest. They didn’t know any teams, so we pulled out Ques Brothers wristbands and invited them by. Our cooks gave them a tour of the BBQ equipment.
Journalist Skipford M. “Christopher” Blank interviews our cook Efrain for an upcoming article.
Believe it or not, I actually ate a green vegetable yesterday, thanks to Squeal Street BBQ’s amazing cook Gloria Jean.
Rebekah and friend at the Havana Mix cigar booth. Rebekah is appropriately attired for BBQ Fest in a tube top.
Ms. Piggie. The Ques Brothers transformed Motley Crüe’s hit “Girls, Girls, Girls” into the BBQ-themed “Grills, Grills Grills.”
Ever wondered who Kooky Canuck’s “Wobbly Mountie” cocktail is named for? Now you know.
Our friends at Voo Doo Q doing the “Rocky Horror Piggie Show.”
Look at the beautiful color of this Ques Brothers pork shoulder. We’re in it to win it this year.
Embarrassing moment: I was up on the second floor of our booth doing PervertCam, and I zoomed in on a green tube top far in the distance. After I took the pic I realized I had just used PervertCam on one of my BBQ teammates.
Pink tube top helps cornhole players find the hole.
The tube top is the fashion statement of 2011, as shown by fashion-conscious Esther and Amy.
My saliva, pictured above center. Ladies, two weeks from today I have to select a title pic for Tube Top Month 2011. Right now this photo of Suzy is in the lead.
After Suzy got her own pic taken, she went next door to The Hogfather and recruited more tube tops for pics.
Brooke, Suzy and Bloom. Brooke better hold on tight to that PBR koozie. I WILL steal it if given the chance.
The shuttle the Ques Brothers hired to take us home. It was supposed to leave at 15 after the hour, but instead it sat there and sat there and sat there and sat there and sat there and finally left at 12:35.

Complete photo album (188 photos) here. What a great night. And we’re about to do it again.

Andy Childs rocks the Peabody rooftop tonight

For those not going to BBQ Fest, you can get BBQ Downtown. The food buffet, included with the price of admission, will feature BBQ pork sliders, BBQ baked beans, and Elvis’ favorite peanut butter and banana sandwiches. If you’re in VIP you’ll get ribs, cole slaw, and potato skins. This is the one week when everyone has a decent chance to get something to eat, because the Nuh-Uh Girl will be at BBQ Fest.

Andy Childs will rock the stage. Get there early for Budweiser’s Grab Some Buds Sampling (first 100 guests). $10 cover includes first drink, ladies free before 7. After-party in the Corner Bar 10-12 featuring DJ Twinkie.

BBQ Fest Day 0: Friends & Family Night

I didn’t have to ride the shuttle to BBQ Fest either way yesterday. Caught a ride out there with Otto and our sponsors WordPress; rode back with Lauren and friends. I heard the shuttle ran very well though. It’s the little casino mini-buses. Here are some pics from yesterday.

 

This was B.S. With people riding shuttles and catching rides, no one could exactly time their arrival at the park. You’d think Memphis in May would be understanding and would let Friends & Family ticket holders in a few minutes before the 5:30 start time. But no, they made us wait, and not just til 5:30, but they opened late at 5:40. MiM has generally done a great job moving BBQ Fest but on this I have to give them a thumbs down.
Esther wins the Best Dressed Award
Dinner is served!
We miss you buddy.
Our friends at Squeal Street BBQ cooked a 20-pound suckling pig. Her name was Donna and she was delicious.
View from the second story of our BBQ rig. Doesn’t look that different from any other BBQ Fest.
Assembling the faux stained-glass windows for our team booth
Mikey, me and Bones
The exterior of our booth, still under construction with stained glass windows installed.
The booth across the sidewalk was a popular place. They had two TVs tuned into the Grizzlies game.
It took Lauren, an interior designer, nearly 30 minutes to hang one piece of fabric.
Afterward at the Silly Goose. I gave Katie Mac, pictured here, a hard time because she wanted to find someplace to sing karaoke. Katie: “I just wanted an excuse to stay out and drink.” There are much better excuses than karaoke.
Rough night for Mardoqueo at the Goose. Hola to all my Mexican readers, by the way.
At the Goose: Brick, me, Kalista, blond chick whose name I forgot

Complete photo album (about 110 photos) here. Charging the phone and camera, then back at it today. Will pre-game at the Saucer at 11, then hop a shuttle down there.

Harrah’s is providing shuttles from Downtown to BBQ Fest. What’s in it for them?

Harrah’s is providing the shuttles that will take people to and from BBQ Fest at the fairgrounds. Shuttles will run every 15 minutes, making five stops on Second Street between Exchange and Beale, and then heading directly to the festival.

You may wonder, what is Harrah’s getting out of it? Yeah, the casinos are closed so their buses aren’t being used, but they still cost money to run.

Here’s the deal: It’s an incredible opportunity for Harrah’s to promote a regional BBQ championship that happens on the grounds of their hotel and casino: The Smokin’ Aces BBQ Championship, which will happen September 16-17 in Tunica.

The Ques Brothers didn’t participate in Smokin’ Aces last year, but our friends at Squeal Street did. They told us that Harrah’s was a VERY generous host. “Each morning, they’d come by with a gallon of coffee and two dozen donuts,” Squeal Street captain Bicycle Bobby told me. “We’d go, ‘What’s this for? We didn’t order this,’ and they’d say, ‘It’s free! Let us know if you want more.’

“And then around 2 PM they showed up with four large pizzas. We said, ‘What’s this for?’ and they told us, ‘We thought you might be tired of BBQ. Let us know if you want more pizzas!'”

Smokin’ Aces is a small BBQ championship with a lot of room to grow. Only about 500 people attended last year. However, those in the region should take note – the grand champion team receives a whopping $12,500 in prize money, and total prize money is over $40,000. Unlike BBQ Fest, the public does not have to pay to attend. It’s free. Booth sizes are bigger too – 40 x 40 for regular teams, and 20 x 20 for patio porker teams.

If one barbecue fest a year is not enough for you, Smokin’ Aces is your option to have a second one.

Chili cheeseburger and tater tots @ Westy’s

Yesterday about 3:00, my friend Clay and I were sitting in our usual spots at the Saucer, trying to figure out where to eat lunch. “Majestic? Kooky Canuck? Happy Mexican? Blues City?” Those are the spots our group visits frequently when we’re hungry. We wanted something different.

Then Clay had a capital idea. “Let’s get on the trolley and ride to Westy’s.” So we did. I got the chili cheeseburger. This is probably not the healthiest item on the menu, but it sure was good. It was served open-faced and smothered in chili, with a choice of fries or tater tots on the side. I went with the tots. I wolfed down most of the cheeseburger, but was too full for the restaurant’s legendary hot fudge pie.

Westy’s has such a huge menu that you can eat there every day for a month and still not get bored with the food. They also deliver to Downtown. I need to spend more time going through Westy’s menu.

Pre-BBQ Fest cookout

Yesterday a few of us were hanging out at the Saucer as usual on Tuesday. We thought about heading north to trivia at Ferraro’s, but I pointed out, “I want to hang out with the out-of-town members of the BBQ team. They have arrived in town, and they don’t know to go to Ferraro’s.” We texted around, and an impromptu cookout on the rooftop of Barton Flats happened. Here are a few pics.

River view from the rooftop
Susan, Mikey and Uncle Paul discuss Mikey’s dog and her 10 puppies.
Nikki, Chad, team cook Willie, and team captain Chuck. Nikki told me, “I was first attracted to Chad when he ordered PBR.” I think that relationship is going to work.
Chad tells Clay, “You’ve got to try this curry with a bit of this hot lime pickle sauce.”
I had a bite of curry too and agree, it was pretty amazing. Here’s a pic of the lime pickle sauce in case anyone wants to try it at home.
A chicken in every pot
Willie Jr. throwing darts

The fun officially kicks off today at Friends & Family Night. I’ll start the afternoon at the Saucer as usual, then about 5 I’ll hop aboard one of Harrah’s shuttles and head to the fairgrounds.

Up early and nothing to do today except wash my team shirt and Grizzlies growl towel, so there will probably be more posts.