Green Mountain Coffee and Brew Over Ice are BBQ’ing in DC
Posted by Roger on 20 Jun 2011 at 3:21 pm | Tagged as: Events
You all know we have brewing down cold, but did you know the same can be said for barbequing?
A few months ago, as the Green Mountain Coffee and the Brew Over Ice teams were ironing out a schedule for our current sampling tour, it was decided that we couldn’t pass up the opportunity for Brew Over Ice to sponsor the Safeway Barbeque Battle in Washington, D.C.. This is one of the top barbeque events of the summer, shutting down Pennsylvania Avenue with games, music, and lots and lots of barbeque. Perfect for iced coffee and iced tea, right? As excited discussion around the event ensued, it surfaced that Derek, Green Mountain Coffee brand manager, is a certified Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) competition judge. It turns out that not only is he a judge, but at the time Derek was finalizing plans to enter a team in various BBQ competitions around New England. We put two and two together, and decided to enter our own team for the D.C. event, and compete alongside some of the most decorated teams on the competitive BBQ circuit.
Now it’s time to put our BBQ where our mouth is.
So, at the end of this very week, members of the Brew Over Ice and Green Mountain Coffee teams are traveling to our nation’s capitol to take part in this exciting contest on June 25th and 26th. Derek, who moved to Vermont from Rhode Island by way of Massachusetts several years ago, lovingly dubbed his team “Flatlander BBQ”, playing off the word that Vermonters tend to call folks from outside of the Green Mountain state.
Technically, the Flatlander team consists of Derek and his wife Meghan, but for this weekend’s event, the team will temporarily expand to Extra Bold levels to include Kristen from Public Relations, Chris from Brew Over Ice, and Tyler and Roger from the Green Mountain Coffee team. Together we’re competing in all four competition categories – chicken, beef, pork ribs, and pork shoulder (for pulled pork). We are also entering the “America’s Best Sauce Contest” to really put it over the top.
We hope to add to Flatlander’s recent success (Derek and Meghan took second place for pork and fifth place for chicken at the recent Cape Cod BBQ contest) by utilizing the special rubs and recipes that Derek concocted … oh, and did I mention that all of our entries will feature our bagged coffee and/or tea from Brew Over Ice K-Cup® portion packs? For additional authenticity, we will even be going so far as to use green coffee beans in the smokers, hopefully imparting the winning essence for all our entries.
So, as you’re doing your own backyard grilling this weekend, think of us as we attempt to smoke the competition (bad pun intended) at this national showdown! Or if thinking seems like too little, follow our progress on Twitter (search for the #BBQBattle hashtag) and Facebook – or even come down to cheer us on (and try free Brew Over Ice samples in the Sampling Pavilion, too)! Just remember, low and slow is the way to go, so let’s hear it for Flatlander BBQ!!!
On behalf of our team, I personally wanted to thank you for the excellent coffees and teas. They were the spark that started our day and they continued to provide that burst of energy to move us forward during the day. Your coffees and teas were all excellent and believe me when I say, “I tried to sample everyone of them!’
Plus, we are happy to know that we also made some new friends on the BBQ trail and look forward to our paths crossing at another event in the future. Our best wishes for continued success for your team.
I hope you’ll be posting the recipes later…
Hi Cate,
We just did – and we’re still drooling! http://bit.ly/llCpjw
-Kristen