www.foodanddrink-caribbean.com
After participating in two Cattleman’s BBQ competitions in Puerto Rico, and one organized by the Caribbean BBQ Association in Antigua, I was fired up for another mega grill off. This time would be different. I would be leading the team. This year’s Cattleman’s BBQ competition was held again in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and it was a huge success for my team. Choosing young, vibrant professionals was one of the reasons for our team’s success. We were the youngest competing professional team. With 4 weeks to pull the team together and find sponsors to fund our trip I had a lot to do. Once the chefs were selected we dubbed ourselves the “Smokin’ Grillers”. We added a public relations person, a media person and a pan master/entertainer, who organized a series of TV and radio interviews to promote the team and their participation in the regional competition. The result was generous sponsorship from local businesses and the public, and we were on our way. The theme for the competition was “Caribbean Flavour”, and planning began as soon as we arrived in San Juan. Grilling day was Saturday, and Slow-Smoking day was Sunday. We worked out the seasonings, rubs and basting methods we felt would impress the judges. We had to source produce, prepare the meats, organize our tent and dress it up with Antiguan flags and promotional materials, and make room for our steel pan musician, whose sweet Caribbean sound we hoped would draw many of the 6,000 visitors to our tent. And like the “pied piper”, our pan man brought them in.
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