World's Championship Bar-B-Que Contest at Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

Just as the rodeo competitors hone their riding skills and shine their buckles, several hundred hopefuls are polishing their culinary tools and preparing to heat up their own winning run at glory. The World's Championship Bar-B-Que Contest is three days of cooking, competition, eating and dancing. The sweet aroma drifts over the Houston metropolis, drawing crowds like bees to honey, with a record 244,184 guests joining the feast in 2011. Live musical entertainment is provided at The Miller Lite Stage at The Garden with room for dancing.

For more information, click here.

Schedule of Events

Feb. 23 - 25, 2012

Thursday, February 23, 2012
5 p.m.	World' s Championship Bar-B-Que Contest (Closes at 11 p.m.)
6 p.m.	Carnival (Closes at 11 p.m.)
7:15 p.m.	Miller Stage at the Garden: Bright Light Social Hour
7:30 p.m.	Rockin' BBQ Saloon: The Black Matches
9:15 p.m.	Miller Stage at the Garden: Shiny Toy Guns
Friday, February 24, 2012
Noon	World's Championship Bar-B-Que Contest (Closes at 11 p.m.)
3 p.m.	Miller Stage at the Garden: Gary P. Nunn
4 p.m.	Carnival (Closes at 11 p.m.)
5 p.m.	Miller Stage at the Garden: Bart Crow Band
7:15 p.m.	Miller Stage at the Garden: Aaron Watson
7:30 p.m.	Rockin' BBQ Saloon: Max Stalling
9:15 p.m.	Miller Stage at the Garden: Josh Abbot
Saturday, February 25, 2012
9 a.m.	World's Championship Bar-B-Que Contest (Closes at 11 p.m.)
Noon	Carnival (Closes at 11 p.m.)
12:30 p.m.	Miller Stage at the Garden: Max Stalling
2 p.m.	Reliant Stadium: PBR Built Ford Tough Series (Rodeo ticket required)
2:30 p.m.	Miller Stage at the Garden: Mickey & the Motorcars
2:30 p.m.	Rockin' BBQ Saloon: Kimberly Kelly
4:30 p.m.	Miller Stage at the Garden: Charlie Robison
6:00 p.m.	Rockin' BBQ Saloon: Texas Renegade
6:30 p.m.	Miller Stage at the Garden: World's Championship Bar-B-Que Contest Results & Awards Ceremony
7:45 p.m.	Miller Stage at the Garden: Cory Morrow
9:30 p.m.	Miller Stage at the Garden: Roger Creager

Pork Rib Tips: Asian Pork Tip BBQ

While I was at Wal-Mart, I picked up some pork rib tips for $1.07 per pound. You ask what are "Pork Rib Tips"? Well, rib tips are actually the very end (underside) of a rack of ribs. When a rack is trimmed to make St. Louis style ribs there is a thin strip of rib ends (or tips) left behind. It is a very cheap cut of meat, but it can be very useful when feeding a lot of people inexpensively. In the past, the rib tips are often got thrown out. Now you can buy them in many stores and they are becoming much more popular. They are typically meaty and flavorful so they make a great dish, no matter the occasion.

One of my favorite ways of preparing them is to use a Chinese barbecue recipe. Here it is. I hope you enjoy it.

Ingredients
6 pounds pork rib tips
1/2 cup sake (or light wine like Pinot Blanc)
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh grated ginger
2 tablespoons Chinese 5 spice
2 tablespoons Kosher salt
1 batch Hoisin barbecue sauce

Hoisin Barbecue Sauce
8 ounces orange marmalade
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
4 ounces Hoisin sauce (soy bean sauce used for Peking duck and Mu-Shu pork)
1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce (spicy chili sauce)
Salt and pepper to taste


Oven Directions
Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Cut the rib tips into about 6 inch long strips (they don’t have to be exact).
Place the tips in a bowl and cover with all of the ingredients but the barbecue sauce.
Roll the pork over in the ingredients to get them to spread evenly.
Refrigerate this mixture for about 30 minutes.
Spread the pork out on a lightly greased sheet pan, only one layer deep. Roast at 400 degrees, turning occasionally until fork tender (about 45 minutes).
Remove the ribs from the oven and place them on some paper towels to absorb some of the grease.
Place the rib portions in a bowl and toss with warm sauce.

Grill Directions
Heat grill or pit to 400.
Do not cut up the ribs.
Marinade the ribs in the above ingredients in a glass container or roasting pan.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes or more.
Place the pork on the grill for about 5 minutes per side to sear in the juices and give it a smokey taste.
Back down the temperature of the grill to about 225-250 degrees. NO HIGHER!
Cook for about 90 minutes. Check temperature after about an hour. When you start to get to 160 degrees, you are almost there.
Once you are close to complete, reserve half of the sauce for the table and use the other to baste on to the ribs. Bring up the grill temperature to 400 degrees to allow the marinade to caramelize on the ribs.

For the barbecue sauce, put all of the ingredients in a non-reactive pot and slowly bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Taste to adjust seasoning and it is ready to use.

You can toss some sesame seeds and sprinkle them on top along with thinly sliced green onions.

Serves 8

Din Ho Chinese Bar-BQ: Yummy!

Today, I joined three of my best friends from work at Din Ho Chinese Bar-BQ. I had eaten there a long time and enjoyed it very much. Due to the distance from my old place of employment, I wasn't able to go there.

Since I'm unemployed, I had no excuse not to eat there. Plus, one of my friends, Scott, loves Din Ho and said that we had to go. He invited Robert, a guy who doesn't really like Chinese, and Ken, another one who would not chose Chinese as his first choice for dining.

We got there about 12:30PM and we had order a big bowl of Hot and Sour soup, 2 orders of the Bar-BQ pork, General Tzo's Chicken and Beef with Snow Peas. The soup was very hot (temperature hot) and very good once it cooled down a bit. Needless to say, I really enjoyed it a lot. The guys who normal aren't fans of Chinese enjoyed the soup. One of the things I enjoy about the soup is the spicy nature of it. I have noticed that most Chinese restaurants will not make the soup very spicy which is a disappointment to me. Well, Din Ho hit the mark in balancing spice and taste perfectly.

The rest of our meal came out quickly. The pork was absolutely great and had the classic Chinese Bar-BQ taste. Perfectly glazed with the sauce that you would die for. The General's Tsu's chicken was a little disappointing. Most of the time is served a little spicy, but this time it was off a bit. Good, but not great like it usually is. The beef and snow peas was absolutely delicious. Robert and Ken fought over the dish and they loved it.

The place has changed a bit since I have been there. It is bigger and looks great. We were seated near the seafood tanks and the kitchen. Not a great location, but still fairly comfortable. When you enter the restaurant, you see the ducks having in the window. This reminded me a lot of family-owned Chinese restaurants that I have eaten many a meal in New York.

The wait staff was on their toes today. They made sure that we were fully taken care of. My tea glass did not run empty and I didn't have to ask for anything. So, the wait staff gets an A for their hard work. Thanks, guys!

Well, I will definitely be back to enjoy another meal. I need a fix of duck and pork. With the enormous menu, I am sure you will find something wonderful to enjoy.

The address is
8557 Research Blvd # 116
Austin, TX 78758
(512) 832-8788