In less than twenty four hours the Tour de France bicycle race will begin. This years race promises to be grand with 21 stages:
6 flat stages
7 hilly stages
6 mountain stages with 5 summit finishes (La super Planche des Belles Filles, Col du Granon, Alpe d’Huez, Peyragudes, Hautacam)
2 individual time trial stages
2 rest days
1 transfer day
So hold on to the couch and be prepared. Mad Meat Genius will proudly present 21 days of "Racing & Snacks"
This is a rub from the Meat Church company which I really like. The original hook to draw me in was bacon. After using this rub I realized the star in this rub is Honey. A listed ingredient of this rub is honey powder. This ingredient is brilliant on a slow cook. The honey powder actually caramelizes to form a sort of meat candy. I cannot stress enough how great this tastes on a smoked pork shoulder. Get some.
We are back at an old friend of a contest; "King of The County BBQ Challenge". It is almost in our backyard, the venue is so close. We are not judges today, but we did hang out with the bbq competition team ‘Big Shot BBQ”. The last several years this Martinez, California competition was not held because of Covid concerns. We are happy to be back in any capacity. Gina and Jack was our host and we only observed these two pittmasters at work. They turned in chicken, ribs and a chefs choice entries. We took notes and learned a lot.
The weather was nice and moderate with the temperature hovering in the mid 70’s. This drew a decent crowd to enjoy bbq and music. There were vendors selling everything from food, tie dye clothes and even funeral plots. (I question the choice of venues to sell such morbid goods.) This event is held at the Marina park right on the water front. You could even play bocce ball if you so desired.
What a fun day. I hope you enjoyed a brief glimpse of our day. Next week I will announce a special feature for the month of July at Mad Meat Genius. I will give you a hint. There will be 21 days of fast and furious fun.
I do like pie. When I see a sign advertising Fresh Hand Made Pies, it is a like Greek Siren luring me into the shore. We were returning from our latest bbq competition and a roadside produce stand has this table of pies beckoning me for purchases. I now had to make a decision of flavor and that was Fuji Apple. These pies were all ready baked and read for a scoop of ice cream. Life does not get any better.
It was a great day for bbq. We loaded up the car and took an hour drive to the E2 Family Winery for a rib cook-off and Cornhole tournament. Twenty nine teams competed today. Possibly the large purse of 3000 dollars for the winner enticed these bbq warriors. The cornhole crowd made this event well attended and fun was had by all.
These two brightly colored competitors always had a crowd around them. I was informed they were influencers. (?). Once again I had to ask what that meant. Apparently they have a very large social media presence and are famous in that venue. This old fart is still searching for a pay phone.
Our good friend Derrick Galiste of "Son of Smoke" bbq team took first place and a check for 3000 dollars. Congratulations and WoW.