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Soldiers Compete for Barbecue Bragging Rights
American Forces Press Service ^
| 1st Lt. Juan Torres Jr, USA
Posted on 11/16/2009 3:28:44 PM PST by SandRat
CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE HUNTER, Iraq, Nov. 16, 2009 A little bit of home made its way to this remote base in Iraqs Maysan province recently, as soldiers tested their skills in a barbecue competition.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Aric Quitugua tends to hamburgers and sausages during a barbecue cook-off at Contingency Operating Site Hunter, Iraq, Nov. 1, 2009. U.S. Army photo by 1st Lt. Juan Torres Jr. (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. |
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Despite unexpected downpours, violent wind gusts and hail Nov. 1, an afternoon that might otherwise have been lost to inclement weather served instead as a cloudy backdrop for a delicious contest at Task Force Saber.
If it aint raining, we aint training, Army Capt. Rick Cook said with a laugh. Cook is attached to Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 2nd Squadron, 13th Cavalry Regiment.
But seriously, the captain added, the competitors really came through and cooked up some scrumptious dishes under less-than-favorable conditions. The rain was just a challenge they needed to overcome to win. Once they got on a cooking glide path, everything really fell into place.
Soldiers used closely guarded spice and sauce combinations from their hometowns, some getting their secret ingredients from as far as Washington and Georgia. They hovered over charcoal and flames as they turned otherwise average ribs, steaks and chicken into personalized, mouth-watering, culinary creations.
The competitions judges, spearheaded by Army Sgt. Maj. Steve Lewis, squadron operations sergeant major, based their appraisals on factors including taste, texture and presentation.
The seasonings used by [B Troop] were probably the best, Lewis said. They werent planning on sharing their secret recipe, though.
Teams spent the final minutes of the competition perfecting their presentations, using each second to make memorable first impressions. Leading the way in overall presentation, B Troop pulled out all the stops: silver plates with matching cutlery created a sight no judge could ignore.
We certainly took presentation into account while assessing the entries, Lewis said.
Border Transition Team Tribal, led by Army Master Sgt. Michael Grimes, used just the right blend of seasoning, mixed with a little personal touch and a dash of experience, to push its dishes into victory lane.
By the end of the competition, a broad representation of other victors emerged, including B Troop for the best chicken, and B Company, 4th Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment for the best steak.
(Army 1st Lt. Juan Torres Jr. serves with the 1st Armored Divisions 4th Brigade Combat Team.)
TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: barbecue; bbq; food; frwn; iraq
1
posted on
11/16/2009 3:28:45 PM PST
by
SandRat
To: MozartLover; Old Sarge; Jemian; repubmom; 91B; HiJinx; MJY1288; xzins; Calpernia; clintonh8r; ...
FR WAR NEWS!
If you would like to be added to / removed from FRWN,
please FReepmail Sandrat.
WARNING: FRWN can be an EXTREMELY HIGH-VOLUME PING LIST!!
2
posted on
11/16/2009 3:29:46 PM PST
by
SandRat
(Duty, Honor, Country! What else needs said?)
To: SandRat
3
posted on
11/16/2009 3:35:07 PM PST
by
DBCJR
(What would you expect?)
To: DBCJR
4
posted on
11/16/2009 3:36:37 PM PST
by
DBCJR
(What would you expect?)
To: SandRat
Just as long as they are cooking pork.
To: stainlessbanner
6
posted on
11/16/2009 4:46:06 PM PST
by
Sender
(It's never too late to be who you could have been.)
To: SandRat
My BBQ activity for today was to take frozen Poche's Bridge boudin, thaw it and boil it in pale ale, then smoke it over apple wood and eat it.
It was gooooooooooooooood.
7
posted on
11/16/2009 4:48:04 PM PST
by
Sender
(It's never too late to be who you could have been.)
To: Sender; doodad; LesbianThespianGymnasticMidget; FrogHawk; kalee; chesley; A knight without armor; ..
Thanks for the ping Sender!
BBQ Ping...fire up your smokers
To: stainlessbanner
Serious problem, there’s no pork reported in the article.
We should have weaponized it for this war long ago.
9
posted on
11/16/2009 5:49:03 PM PST
by
Rebelbase
(This is the time of year when ACORNS fall.)
To: Rebelbase
10
posted on
11/16/2009 5:49:53 PM PST
by
Rebelbase
(End Jihad: Weaponize Pork.)
To: Rebelbase
You're on a roll tonight Rebelbase!
Activate Weapons of Mass BBQ
To: Rebelbase
12
posted on
11/16/2009 8:01:34 PM PST
by
Sender
(It's never too late to be who you could have been.)
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