Best Of: July 10-17

As you get ready to watch the Women’s World Cup final, take a few minutes and check out these interesting articles:

• Check out how our neighbors to the north of us do KCBS competitions, courtesy of this in-depth blog by Wilfred Reinke.
• We should all follow in the footsteps of the BBQ Grail and just say no to Subway’s BBQ pulled pork sub.
• Check out this post by Robyn Medlin Lindars (also known as Grill Grrrl — yes, that’s with 3 r’s) about how to do it cave man style… grilling steaks, that is.
• Wiener Schnitzel?  Yes, please!  This recipe is a guest post on The Dutchess Cooks courtesy of Doug and Biggi Francis of Hogs Gone Wild BBQ.
• What has the mad scientist/wizard of sauce Tom Porter of Big Butz BBQ Sauce been up to lately?  Check out his latest escapades here.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Giveaways and Contests and Prizes Galore!

Summer is in full swing, and so are all the great BBQ and grilling prize giveaways! So as a favor to you, here is a comprehensive list of BBQ and grilling prize contests and giveaways that I know of so far.

• As I’ve recently posted, Kevin’s BBQ Joints is collaborating with LocalPages.com to give one lucky winner a gift certificate of up to $100 to any BBQ joint in the United States!  Link to the contest is here and is running until July 1st at noon PST.
• Kevin is also collaborating with Black’s Barbecue in Lockhart, TX for a giveaway.  Prizes include brisket, beef ribs, and an assortment of sauces and rubs.  This contest runs through June 30th, and more info can be found here.
• Canadian BBQ blogger Wilfred Reinke (aka the Oshawa Ogre) has teamed up with Grill Charms to give away a set of Grill Charms — the Spicy Collection, to be precise.  The contest rules are on his blog.  This one ends on June 27th at midnight EST.
• Interested in winning $50 worth of BBQ sauce, seasonings, and rubs from Iguana Isle?  Check out this contest courtesy of Man Up: Tales of Texas BBQ.  It ends at midnight on July 4th.
• Grilling with Rich is celebrating his one year anniversary of being on the Internets with a nice package giveaway.  Details for entering this contest can be found here.  Contest ends on July 4th at 5:00pm (I assume EST).
• Huck’s Hut is looking for a good slogan for their site, and the best entry gets the winner an 18-piece BBQ tool set and Hydro Blaster Grill Brush.  Think you can come up with a good entry?  You can submit entries here untilJune 29th at midnight.

Know of a contest that I forgot to mention above?  Please leave me a comment below, and I will add your contest!  

Best Of: May 22-29

Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!  While you are all out firing up your grills, smokers, or outdoor cookers, check out these few links that made this week’s “Best Of” cut:

• I know many of you watched the Ultimate BBQ Showdown yesterday on CBS.  Even so, check out this great piece by Danielle Dimovsky of DivaQ about the show.  In my opinion, best post I’ve seen about the show so far.
• Plank grilling — it’s not just for fish anymore.  Larry Gaian (The BBQ Grail) has a series of topics covering the many different things you can cook using plank grilling.  From chicken to mashed potatoes and even brie cheese with watermelon rind chutney, he shows that there are really no limits!  To view the entire series, check out his site at http://www.thebbqgrail.com.
• Did someone say rotisserie roast beef?  Check out this tasty sounding recipe from Grilling Companion.
• If you are in Ontario and have a craving for ribs, then you need to check out Wilfred Reinke’s post regarding the schedule for various RibFests in Ontario for 2011.
• And finally…  watch out, world!  Tom Porter is on the loose!  The mad scientist behind Big Butz BBQ Sauce is getting ready for his first KCBS competition.  I wish him the best of luck!  He has blogged about his first three days in preparation so far here, here, and here.  Continue to follow his blog at http://www.bigbutzbbqsauce.net for more updates.