Author Topic: Cookoff next Friday  (Read 233439 times)

Offline Darren

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Cookoff next Friday
« on: May 13, 2011, 11:15:15 pm »
Hey everyone! Silas here - and I have another Dutch Oven Cookoff at work coming up on May 20th. I'm pretty excited about it, but I am hoping to get some ideas on what to cook to have a chance to win.

Right now, I'm thinking about this: http://http://papadutch.home.comcast.net/~papadutch/dutch-oven-recipe-bbqbrisket.htm
and this: http://http://papadutch.home.comcast.net/~papadutch/dutch-oven-recipe-verasbeans.htm

...for the Main Course.

And here's what I'm considering for dessert: http://http://www.justgetoffyourbuttandbake.com/?p=2726

Of course, the third recipe will have to be changed to fit a 12 inch dutch oven, but it looks good.

A little more background - we are having two categories, Main Dish and Dessert, and all judging will be People's Choice - that is, if the people like your food, they vote for it. Each person sampling will have two tickets, one for main course, and one for dessert.

Anyway - thoughts? Good recipes? Anything guaranteed to win?
There are two rules of Dutch Oven Cooking:
1) If you cook too much food, share.
2) Cook too much food.

Offline DeShawn

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Re: Cookoff next Friday
« Reply #1 on: May 19, 2011, 03:01:11 pm »
My thought right now is that you had better have an awning of some sort.

I like your ideas.  Brisket, beans, AND dessert?  That should garner quite a few votes!

Offline Darren

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Re: Cookoff next Friday
« Reply #2 on: May 19, 2011, 08:18:33 pm »
So...update!

Tomorrow is going to be not only rainy, but possibly THUNDERSTORMY. But even with the rain, if you think about the "business reason" for such an event is to get the employees (ALL employees, not just chefs) to go out and mingle, hang out together, and that won't happen in the rain.

So it's been postponed until Thursday, May 26th. I'm so stoked!

I'm hoping that a Sous Chef will come help me out...I won't announce until he does.

So for the moment, I'm re-thinking my recipes, my strategy, and trying to work out exactly what we're going to do. Other than kick some major rear-end...

 :D

-darren
There are two rules of Dutch Oven Cooking:
1) If you cook too much food, share.
2) Cook too much food.

Offline DeShawn

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Re: Cookoff next Friday
« Reply #3 on: May 19, 2011, 09:19:03 pm »
So iffen' you haven't guessed, I'm the Sous Chef.

I used to work at the same company as Darren, so it's going to be a mix of "Hi! Welcome back!" and "What are you doing here, traitor?"  However, they're not going to complain about eating my food.  :lol:

So the two of us, together, should probably do very VERY well.

This is, of course, pending approval of my family. I haven't talked with them about it yet and it's my oldest son's Birthday that day.  He'll be in school while I'm playing Sous Chef, but still...I don't want to interrupt his day at all.

Offline Darren

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Re: Cookoff next Friday
« Reply #4 on: May 19, 2011, 09:31:05 pm »
Family first, as always.
There are two rules of Dutch Oven Cooking:
1) If you cook too much food, share.
2) Cook too much food.

Offline Darren

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Re: Cookoff next Friday
« Reply #5 on: May 20, 2011, 02:54:24 pm »
OK...so the official word did come down, it is on for Thursday! When we talked about this as a committee (I'm one of the guys helping to plan it...), we said that this was going to be our ONE postponement. So next Thursday, rain or shine, (or the aftermath of the Rapture?) we are moving forward!

The menu has been in flux - some SERIOUS flux over the past 24 hours. I still don't know what we should make, but I do know that it is going to be AWESOME.

Good times, good times!
There are two rules of Dutch Oven Cooking:
1) If you cook too much food, share.
2) Cook too much food.

Offline DeShawn

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The Menu
« Reply #6 on: May 24, 2011, 08:45:03 pm »
Here's the menu we just finalized:

1) Dutch Oven Brisket
2) Vera's Baked Beans
3) General Tso's Chicken
4) Caramel-Peach Cobbler
5) Upside-Down Strawberry Shortcake

Where "finalized" is defined as "what we think right now, but may still change by Thursday."  :lol:

Offline Darren

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Re: Cookoff next Friday
« Reply #7 on: May 24, 2011, 08:48:22 pm »
It is going to be an ambitious menu for two people...but I'm excited for it. Cook on, bro!
There are two rules of Dutch Oven Cooking:
1) If you cook too much food, share.
2) Cook too much food.

Offline Darren

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Re: Cookoff next Friday
« Reply #8 on: May 27, 2011, 12:32:44 am »
DeShawn - COULD that have gone any better?

Thanks, bro, you rock.
There are two rules of Dutch Oven Cooking:
1) If you cook too much food, share.
2) Cook too much food.

Offline Eggman

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Re: Cookoff next Friday
« Reply #9 on: May 28, 2011, 09:53:59 pm »
You guys did great.

Offline DeShawn

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Re: Cookoff next Friday
« Reply #10 on: May 30, 2011, 03:09:45 am »
The two things I made (General Tso's Chicken and Upside-Down Strawberry Shortcake) were SO good that I made them for my family today.  I had time to take pictures (with some help from my son) and have posted the recipes.  

My family thinks that the shortcake is the best dessert I have made in my ovens--which is REALLY saying something!

Thanks for a wonderful day of cooking, eating, and generally having a great time.

Offline Darren

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Re: Cookoff next Friday
« Reply #11 on: June 03, 2011, 05:40:46 pm »
eggman - thank you! It was a blast. I wish that I could have made it over to your table. I did hear some incredible things about your cobblers, especially the one that came off the coals later on in the afternoon...

Bro - the pics are AWESOME. Haven't had that much fun cooking in a long time. Here's to doing it again sometime!

-Darren
There are two rules of Dutch Oven Cooking:
1) If you cook too much food, share.
2) Cook too much food.

Offline Darren

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Re: Cookoff next Friday
« Reply #12 on: June 07, 2011, 05:51:30 pm »
Nice...I have a good arm-peel going on from the sunburn that I got at the cookoff.

Totally worth it.

-Darren
There are two rules of Dutch Oven Cooking:
1) If you cook too much food, share.
2) Cook too much food.

Offline DeShawn

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Re: Cookoff next Friday
« Reply #13 on: June 07, 2011, 06:48:41 pm »
My forehead peel is all done.  8)

Yes, also totally worth it.