Team 58: Astoria Oregon 2010

Astoria was our first competition for 2010. We picked up the game a bit this year, more organization and a couple more cookers. Nothing fancy but not as ugly as the past! Although the truck was like a bloddy puzzle to pack.......

Check out our new team sign, now we're pimped out!

Our season started out with John and myself...fittingly we were cooking at the Rogue brewery.

The trek started late Friday as I drove from Ucluelet to Seattle to pick up Johnny from the airport. We made out way to Astoria and the oddest motel of all time, once you open the front you quickly realize you are standing in the bathroom.....

On Saturday we decided to compete in the appetizer competition, chowder competition and most importantly the Oregon State Chili Championships. But to start we needed some breakfast.....We cured a beautiful ham and smoked it the week before, added it to home made english muffins and scrambled eggs with jarlsberg cheese.

For the appies we made pork belly sandwiches with nice cripsy skin and topped with baby arugula, baked apples and a mustard sauce on naan bread. We thought they were super good but they only finished middle of the road. Unfortunately no picture of the turn in just the beautiful belly.....

The chowder was filled with scallops, clams, and calamari. Another middle of the road finish. Not the best start to the season!

This was our first time cooking chili in a competition. We made a sauce with a pound of dried red chile's and loads on onions and garlic. It was hot, we thought we were doomed because most of the other teams were fairly mild with a strong chicken broth and cumin flavor. Much to our surprise........We would have been invited to the Amercian Championships in Texas but we're Canadian......

This is where the day gets ugly.....it was cold, damn cold, real cold, you get it. Sitting on the ocean in April and trying to get some sleep, not such a great plan......We ended up leaving the cookers and falling asleep in the car waiting for Burger King too open with the the heat cranked at 4am for two hours in the Burger King parking lot, amazing the food still turned out! Possibly more amazing we didn't get arrested for stalking the Burger King staff.

And the turn ins.......out of 27 teams.....

Pork - 6th place call!