May Is National BBQ Month Giveaway

UPDATE May 17, 2010: And we have a winner. I numbered the 22 eligible comments and did a random draw on Random.org. The winner was #5 - Julie of The Sporadic Cook. Congratulations Julie!

In order to celebrate National BBQ Month and their recent partnership as the official supplier of the Kansas City Barbecue Society, Sam's Club is sponsoring my May Giveaway: a $25 gift card redeemable at Sam's Club.

Rules:

1. To enter, leave a comment below and tell me about one of your favorite memories of cooking out/grilling or barbecuing.
   
2. If you use the "anonymous comment" option, be sure to leave your screen name in the comment so I can contact you if you are the winner. Something like "EggerinFL from the Egg Forum" or "swibirun from the BBQ Brethren forum" is enough.
3. One entry per person.
   
4. Drawing will be held Monday May 17th at 5:30pm Eastern. Comments will be numbered by order received and random.org will generate a random number for the winner.
5. Sam's will send the card directly to the winner.

What is the big deal about Sam's becoming the official supplier of KCBS? I think this is a major step for KCBS to pair up with such a huge corporate sponsor. It's a boost to competitive BBQ all around and I think that will help the other BBQ associations too. You can READ THE FULL DETAILS HERE but Sam's Club is ponying up some serious support in prize money and other ways. KCBS members also get a 25% discount on Club membership.

In addition to supporting the KCBS competitive events, Sam's is also going to host a series of "Club Competition and Expo" at some of their locations, which should be fun local events even for backyard cooks like myself.

Speaking of back yard grilling and barbecuing......

Holy cow, did you know you can grill okra? I had no idea! But it is quick, easy, and tastes ALMOST as good as fried okra. (Which ranks it above stewed okra & tomatoes and boiled okra.)

I know some of you will say, "Ewwwwww okra?" and that's okay, because I don't like certain veggies either but okra is a favorite of mine. Just ignore this post:)

Grilled Okra
1 lb okra, fresh, hole
1 cup of any vinaigrette

Marinade your okra in the vinaigrette for 15 minutes. It could be plain italian dressing or something you made. I did one with fig vinegar, dijon, S & P, lemon juice, and olive oil. Okra goes good with tomato so a sun dried tomato vinaigrette would be good too.

Grill over direct heat at ~400f for about 4-5 minutes per side.

Flat bbq skewers made it easy for me.

Served them up with Airline Chicken with Basil Butter (see my Fire Day Friday post over at Our Krazy Kitchen for that recipe).

Alexis and I both LOVED them. I was skeptical but the grilling brought out that rich nutty flavor you expect from okra and tenderized the pods perfectly.

I think I want to try stuffing a pod with some cream cheese and bacon or something like an ABT and try grilling them. I might even try smoking a few but not sure how that will turn out. I'm thinking high heat is the way to go.