BBQ Cook-Off...Californiaized

This weekend was a more fun one than usual. My friend, Steven, hosted a BBQ ribs cook-off. Now I'm a big fan of some good BBQ, so I was pretty excited to take part! I think I've come to like BBQ more since I've moved to California, because there's really not much of it around. So when I run into some good BBQ sauce it's really tantalizing to my taste buds. I chose to use the crock pot with my ribs in order to make them more tender and since it'd take less hassle. I chose beef ribs, knowing that they wouldn't be as tender as pork, but I just couldn't get myself to buy pork over beef :) I used a recipe that my sister gave me from one of her Southern Missoura friends (yes I replaced the "i" with the an "a")...so it's authentic BBQ. I also made my mom's famous corn casserole as a side (between White House Thanksgiving and house dinners, I'm sure most of you have tried it at some point!)

There were 4 judges who judged about 7 different rib dishes. We all were tasting eachother's ribs while the judging was going on...and people were really liking my ribs. I was tasting other people's too and they were pretty good. One thing that concerned me was that mine were the only beef ribs...I began to second guess my snub of the pig. Other people had definitely "Californiaized" their BBQ sauces. "Californiaize" is a phenomenon I've noticed here...people take normal simple food and add California twists to it...for example adding cilantro, citrus flavor, jalepeno, etc. to the BBQ sauce. Even classic dishes like potato salad, coleslaw, and baked beans in restaurants around here have different herbs and spices added to them. Not that it's bad...it's just different!

Well, I didn't end up winning :( But my ribs and corn casserole were very popular! I think if I'd have used pork, and done some Californiazing I may have had a better shot. But I'm gonna stick to my Midwestern roots and stay simple...all you need for good BBQ is KC Masterpiece and liquid smoke! There's no place for cilantro and citrus in my sauce! Either way it was a beautiful sunny afternoon and Steven's parents' house has a nice backyard and pool. Friends, pool, sun, a keg of home brewed ESB, and BBQ...Saturday's don't get much better!