My Camera Smells Like BBQ

Bill and I have been a tad under the weather but on Saturday we loaded up with some allergy medication and spent close to 10 hours at the 2012 Houston Live Stock Show & Rodeo World’s Annual Championship Bar-B-Que Contest. (You can read more about the cookoff from last year’s post.) A total of 431 barbecue entries from 263 teams across the state and the nation competed. More than 255,000 people showed up this year and boy was it packed!

The More or Less Cookers Team 2012

My dad has been part of the More or Less Cookers team for years and we have enjoyed their delicious food each year. This year a bunch of our close friends all ended up going on the same day. It was like family reunion with bar-b-que and beer topped off with cowboy hats and boots. The cookoff is everything Texas and I love it.

The Crowds - This Pic Doesn't Even Do It Justice

And the More or Less Cookers must be making a name for themselves because the booth was PACKED. They started serving food at 5pm and the line continued until closing time at 9pm. The line trailed far outside the booth and down the walkway. I even saw a post on craigslist recently where someone was trying to buy tickets for the More or Less Cookers booth. For those who aren’t familiar with the Cook off, you can only get into the booths if you know someone or are a sponsor, and each booth is a party fully stocked with delicious BBQ, a bar (or two or three) and a DJ.

It’s like the Mardi Gras of Houston (there’s even beads). The food is outstanding; shrimp diablo (shrimp with a jalapeno stuffed with cream cheese and cilantro and wrapped in bacon and then tossed on the grill), bacon wrapped stuffed quail, fried ribs, bar-b-que beans, potato salad, and every kind of meat you could imagine. (I’m sorry we didn’t get more pictures of the food, we were hungry and it was delicious, it didn’t stay on our plates long.)

Sherrie ROCKIN' My Hat

My Dad - He's THE BEST

My favorite part about the cook off is that we get to hang out for hours with close friends and family. There’s nothing better than sitting outside with your friends on a cool Texas night. Nothing.

The Annual Crazy Rodeo Pic of Bill and I

My Dad is Awarded His Team Jacket

This year by Dad was awarded his very own More or Less Cookers Team Jacket. It’s a pretty big deal and after he got it he was glowing!

We stayed until closing time which was a little bit crazy. I texted a cop friend of mind who was working the Rodeo and thanked him for his service and told him I did not envy him that evening. When there is a ton of free beer people tend to over indulge a bit. We skipped out as fast as we could to avoid crazy drivers and headed off to House of Pies with our friends Bradley and Thea for a late night snack and coffee. If you’re ever in Houston go to House of Pies, it’s a Houston icon, eat the Bayou Goo Pie, you won’t be disappointed. (and their red neon lights make it impossible to take a decent picture). And if you’re going to visit Houston, try to come the last weekend in February for the Cook Off, it’s definitely a worth wile experience.

Bayou Goo Pie - House of Pies

Have you ever been to the Houston Live Stock Show & Rodeo World’s Annual Championship Bar-B-Que Contest? What do you love about it?