The Battle for the Rubber Chicken

There were eight contestants in the Best BBQ Chicken Wings in the Northern Hemisphere Competition (also called the Ving Off and the Battle for the Rubber Chicken), held yesterday near Pinckney, MI. The contest brought people from as far away as Idaho to sample a broad mix of homemade recipes. Like these Burning Ring of Fire wings prepared by Wendy and Jen. True to their name, they were scorching hot last night and this morning.








Cheeseburger (yes, that's his name) concocts a batter made from Cheeze It crackers and mustard before immersing his wings into a deep fryer.










Chris won the coveted Rubber Chicken trophy with his wok-cooked recipe called Velvet Heat.













Since we sat on the judging panel, we were officially banned from the competition. However, nothing precluded us from delighting our friends' palates with five pounds of swinging sirloin from Fairbury Steaks in Nebraska.




Rocky mountian oysters deep frying in oil, seasoned with Old Bay and a dash of cajun spices.
Sam dips a golden-brown huevo de toro in seafood cocktail mixed with horseradish and hot sauce. Yummy yummy for the tummy.