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Showing posts with label Lynnwood Ranch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lynnwood Ranch. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Two Cowboys: Smoking Prime Rib and Learning to Line Dance at Lynnwood Ranch Feast and Frolic, Aldersyde, Alberta

Ten Times Better


Some things get better with time. For others, you come back time and again because they cannot get any better. One good example is the succulent, flavourful, smokey, savoury, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth, prime rib that Gus Leduc of Lynnwood Ranch perfected over the many years that we've known him.

It made us wonder why the BBQ people from the Canadian BBQ Society, of which we are dues paying members, go through all the effort to make brisket and pork butt palatable, while there are better cuts to cook, like Alberta Beef prime rib? 



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Don't get us wrong. There is mastery required in every cooking challenge and some like it more desperate than others. To make a piece of leather taste like bone marrow takes talent and decades of dedication to perfect the method. We are reminded by the BBQ fraternity, every time we call them out on choosing the tougher meats for their well-seasoned smokers, that there is no challenge in using the more exceptional cuts.

We beg to differ.

A well-respected butcher in New Zealand once deboned a well-aged lamb shoulder for us. As he handed over the cut, he asked how we planned to cook it. Without listening to our reply, he interrupted with a strong word of caution. This is what he had to say: "Son, remember God made it perfect. Don't you go f*&ck it up now."
It is sometimes harder to not mess up an excellent piece of meat than it is to make anything taste like something. Ask any red seal chef. He knows what we are on about!

Whenever I savour Gus Leduc's perfectly cooked, seasoned, and melt-in-your-mouth buttery prime rib (yes, I know this sounds lyrical), I remember the sage's advice. God made it perfect. However, I am convinced that Gus makes it better.

Observations


If you ever, ever get a chance to have a meal at Lynnwood Ranch, then jump at the opportunity. It doesn't matter if it is for Ducks Unlimited, Rebels Without a Cause, Lions Breathe, Breast Cancer, Proctologists Unite or SmokinQ. Find a reason to have Gus' prime rib dinner. It is one for the bucket list. Your maker will be pleased.

P.S. Time is running out. Gus and Wendy are not getting any younger. Grab the chance and tell them the Two Cowboys sent you.

Hendrik van Wyk
Prime Rib Cowboy

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Photos

Perfection 
A Legend



A Master

A Disciple

A Man With A Beard


Thursday, May 18, 2017

Traveling Cowboys: 2017 Feast and Frolicking and SmokinQ some BBQ at Lynnwood Ranch, Okotoks, Alberta

BBQ Feast


It's not BBQ. It is chef inspired gourmet cooking with locally sourced Alberta produce. Alberta Pork, Beef, Chicken, Alberta smoke and truly amazing Alberta BBQ talent.

Gus Leduc and his team at Lynnwood Ranch hosted the annual KCBS' Alberta Chapter, BBQ on the Bow, for the seasonal kick-off of Alberta's 2017 low and slow BBQ competitions. If this sounds like a mouthful, let me explain.

The Kansas City Barbecue Society (KCBS) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and enjoying barbecue. It is the world's largest organization of barbecue and grilling enthusiasts with over 20,000 members worldwide. KCBS sanctions over 500 barbecue contests worldwide. The annual event at Lynnwood Ranch is one of three in Alberta where a team can earn a ticket to the annual World Championships in the U.S.A.

Here is the first of two videos to showcase the events of the May 12 weekend.

Feast and Frolick and SmokinQ


Video 1 of 2: Feast and Frolic

Video 2 of 2: SmokinQ

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The Feast and Frolic precede the SmokinQ competition to give the BBQ teams a fantastic feast, a dance and a chance to be judged on the preparation of inspirational food items outside the KCBS criteria. Almost 300 people attended the event to sample from a series of starter dishes prepared by the teams. It was accompanied this year by Gus' own outstanding smoked brisket and "Alberta" salmon.

Competition day is known as SmokinQ. This year 35 teams competed with a fair number of newcomers to the "sport" of BBQ. I questioned Steve Alvarez (the KCBS representative in attendance) on why it is referred to as a "sport"? He clarified, "There is a lot of physical activity that goes into preparing good Southern Style BBQ. It can take up to 18 hours to have the food prepared perfectly and on time for judging". We here mistakenly thought that to eat BBQ was the sport!

Observations


The hospitality at Lynnwood Ranch was as usual, outstanding. There was nothing too much for Gus and Wendy when we wheeled in our Motorhome on Saturday afternoon ahead of the Feast and Frolic. They are the perfect hosts.

If there is one thing that stands out in the BBQ community other than the great food, it is the community and the friendships amongst the people involved. People from different locations, as far as Manitoba come to the event. They are from diverse backgrounds, varying levels of cooking skills and experience. All of them come together for a fabulous weekend around their love for a particular type of food. If you were ever looking for a real festival of food, then this is the single best place to experience it all first-hand.

We are glad we can be part of it all and tell the stories of the people involved.

Hendrik van Wyk
Brisket Cowboy

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Photos


We have a thousand photos. See all the event photos here.

Competition Time

Arrival

It is Called a Braai