SILVER SPRING, Md., May 3, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — The high-stakes world of competitive barbecuing is back! Destination America is serving up a mouth-watering helping of pulled-pork perfection and beautifully braised beef with six new episodes of the smokin’ series, BBQ PITMASTERS. Formerly on TLC, the new season is taking fans back to the basics of true barbecue competitions where the steaks are red hot and the sauce is all on the line. Traveling to the best barbecue festivals in the country, this new season showcases 15 of America’s best hard-core barbecue grillers all competing for one of five spots in a final cook-off in which the winner boasts the ultimate barbecue bragging rights and a $50,000 cash prize from Kingsford Charcoal, and entry into the inaugural Kingsford Invitational. An all-star panel of judges, including series veteran Myron Mixon, decides the competitors’ fate by blind tasting the grilled creations to determine whose barbecue is worth the sauce and whose should be dropped to the side of the grill. Alongside Mixon is former season one competitor Tuffy Stone and newcomer Aaron Franklin. As the first original premiere on Destination America, the new season of BBQ PITMASTERS premieres with a sneak peek episode airing Wednesday, May 30 at 10 PM (E/P), with regular premieres beginning Sunday, June 3 at 9 PM (E/P).

 ”As we enter the summer grilling season, what better series to anchor our launch week than an all-new edition of BBQ PITMASTERS, where barbecue battles reign and the true spirit of American competition shines?” said Marc Etkind, SVP of content strategy for Destination America. “Throughout the summer and fall, we’ll roll out a ‘recipe’ of distinctive genres – food, travel, adventure, natural history, home – designed to celebrate all things uniquely American.”

Each episode of BBQ PITMASTERS transports viewers in the competitive barbecue subculture, proving that barbecue is much more than just delicious food, it’s a full-blown competitive sport. In a cutthroat world of high-”steaks” competitions and prize money, reputation and respect ride on the virtue of one perfectly glazed rib or one lip-smacking bite of brisket. Each of the first five episodes will feature three new competitors tasked with cooking two different meats for the judges, one short-cook and one slow-cook. A winner is crowned each week, and the five finalists will fire off in a winner-take-all finale where the ultimate champion takes home $50,000, a ticket to the first annual Kingsford Invitational this Veterans Day weekend, and the coveted title of Kingsford BBQ Pitmasters Grand Champion.

From beef showcases such as brisket and ribs, to slow-cooked swine in pork butt and pulled pork, each episode offers insider barbecue tips and techniques that viewers can try at home to make their own melt-in-your-mouth creations. Additional barbecue recipes, secrets, and tips are posted online at http://destinationamerica.com .

ABOUT THE JUDGES:

Myron Mixon: As a three-time world barbecue champion, Myron Mixon is the winningest man in all of barbecue. He is the chief cook of the Jack’s Old South Bar-B-Que Team and a New York Times bestselling cookbook author. Since his first competition in 1996, Myron has won more than 180 grand championships and has built a barbecue brand with his own line of sauces, seasons, and custom-built smokers.

Tuffy Stone: Classically trained French chef and former Marine, Tuffy Stone, aka “The Professor,” began researching slow cooking barbecue methods and in 2004, the Cool Smoke Team was born. Since then, Cool Smoke has won 30 grand championships in large part due to Tuffy’s unique obsession with the physics and science of wood, smoke, spices, and molecular composition of meat to the point at which he creates barbecue perfection.

Aaron Franklin: At the encouragement of friends, Aaron Franklin began barbecuing his brisket out of a trailer on an East Austin parking lot in late 2009. He and his wife debuted Franklin BBQ to rave reviews from patrons and press alike, with Bon Appetit even hailing their barbecue as the best in America. The Franklins have since outgrown their trailer, but Franklin BBQ’s line is as long as ever, and the restaurant has sold out of brisket every day of its existence.

BBQ PITMASTERS is produced for Destination America by Original Media. For Original Media, Jay Peterson, Charlie Corwin, and John Markus are executive producers. For Destination America, Ron Simon and Fay Yu are executive producers, Sara Kozak is SVP of production, Marc Etkind is SVP of content strategy, and Henry Schleiff is president and general manager.

ABOUT DESTINATION AMERICA

Destination America is the first network to celebrate the people, places, and stories of the United States. The inclusive network targeting Adults 25-54 will be available in 59.5 million homes, emblazoning television screens with the grit and tenacity, honesty and work ethic, humor and adventurousness that characterize our nation. Destination America will feature travel, food, adventure, home, and natural history, with original series covering such diverse subjects as American food favorites, mysteries like Jesse James’ lost fortune and Area 51, American heroes and innovators, as well as iconic landmarks and wonders like Yellowstone National Park and the Everglades. Destination America is part of Discovery Communications, the world’s #1 nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.5 billion cumulative subscribers in 200 countries and territories.

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DALLAS, April 27, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — Elite Appliance is adding some sizzle to one lucky person’s summer with the “Coyote Barbecue Grill Giveaway.” The winner will take home a stainless steel 34″ gas grill (retail value $1299) from Coyote Outdoor, a brand new player in the barbecue grill market. The sweepstakes runs from April 27 – May 31, with the winning entry being announced on June 1, 2012.

“Coyote is an impressive new brand of barbecue grills, and they have created a premium outdoor product at a very reasonable price point,” said Brian Bates, Vice President of Marketing at Elite Appliance. “We are excited to be adding Coyote to our online catalog, and we expect that the giveaway winner will be the envy of the neighborhood when they fire up this grill.”

EliteAppliance.com, the sweepstakes’ sponsor, is one of the nation’s largest online luxury appliance retailers. Their retail website offers a wide variety of high-end outdoor cooking brands, and Coyote will be joining the site alongside big names like Viking Outdoor grills, Lynx Professional grills, and Big Green Egg ceramic cookers.

“Outdoor cooking is a way of life here at Elite Appliance,” continued Bates. “We’ve tested all of our brands in real-life cookout settings, and these new Coyote grills compare well with the more established manufacturers.”

Coyote Outdoor has combined premium barbecue grill features and heavy-duty stainless steel construction to create these new outdoor grills. Their high-performance burners reach up to 20,000 BTUs, allowing for intense grilling heat. The grill exterior features polished seamless-weld edges and a double-walled hood canopy for maximum heat retention.

Elite Appliance’s Coyote Grill giveaway is open for entry from April 27 – May 31, 2012. Go to Elite Appliance for full details.

I had a vision, you might even call it a dream, to have the biggest BBQ/Grilling/Outdoor Cooking Father’s Day Contest ever.  Not the largest in terms of dollar value of prize(s), no I want to have the biggest Father’s Day contest prize package based on the number of prizes awarded.  Thanks to the generosity of many great companies I think I’m on my way to realizing my dream.

Take a look at the amazing prize package donated for this contest.  (Check out the visual representation  on my Pinterest Board.)  And unlike most contests with multiple prizes this is a “Winner-Take-All” contest.  I’d like to thank each and every one of the companies and individuals for their contribution.  Please take a moment on each visit and visit one or two of these great companies.  The best way to thank them for their donation would be to “Like” them on Facebook and “Follow” them on Twitter.

You can find the Entry form here. Ia nutshell here’s how this contest is going to work.  From right now until 11:59pm on May 13th you can nominate any individual to win this contest.  You can nominate yourself or someone else…it doesn’t matter who.  As a matter of fact you can nominate a male or a female.  That’s why we call this the MOTHER of all FATHER’s Day Contests. If you know of someone who has exemplified what a mother or father…mom or dad is then you can nominate them.  As long as they are 18 years old, as of today, they can win. You may nominate one person, per day.

You’ve got 250 words to describe why your nomination should win. Make the nomination good, but please don’t make it over the top.  On May 14th, 5 randomly selected nominations will be posted on The BBQ Grail.  From May 14th through May 30th readers will be allowed to vote for the nomination they like the most.  Whoever has the most votes at the end of the contest will win the prize package.

Please read the official rules for all the finer points and details.

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(Congratulations to Gaye M. for winning a $30.00 gift certificate, good towards the purchase of her Easter Ham.  And a big thank-you to the National Pork Board for sponsoring this contest.)

There’s only one thing better than a great ham dinner for Easter and that’s a free ham dinner for Easter.  And thanks to the National Pork Board for donating a $30.00 gift certificate that one lucky reader of the BBQ Grail blog.

Entering the contest is easy.  All you have to do is go to recipe section of Pork Be Inspired,  and leave a comment on this blog post with your favorite ham recipe from Pork Be Inspired. (Originally, the plan was to count the number of ham recipes found on the website.  However, I blew that one because there are way to many recipes to do that. So just leave your favorite and you’ll be entered.)

You may enter the contest once a day through Midnight (Pacific) on March 27th.  On March 28th the winner will be chosen randomly from those entries with the correct number of ham recipes found on Pork Be Inspired.  The winner will be notified via email.  In order to get your gift certificate in time for Easter the winner needs to reply the same day they are notified with their name and address.  The certificate will be mailed by the National Pork Board to the winner.

Please Tweet and Share on Facebook!

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I had a vision, you might even call it a dream, to have the biggest BBQ/Grilling/Outdoor Cooking Father’s Day Contest ever.  Not the largest in terms of dollar value of prize(s), no I want to have the biggest Father’s Day contest prize package based on the number of prizes awarded.  Thanks to the generosity of many great companies I think I’m on my way to realizing my dream.

Take a look at the amazing prize package donated so far.  I’d like to thank each and every one of the companies and individuals for their contribution.  Please take a moment on each visit and visit one or two of these great companies.  The best way to thank them for their donation would be to “Like” them on Facebook and “Follow” them on Twitter.

The contest with complete rules will be announced on April 1st, 2012.  In the mean time please check back frequently to check for additions to the prize package.  And if the list of prizes doesn’t entice you enough…this is going to be a winner-takes-all contest.

Want to get a reminder when the contest opens or when prizes have been added?  Sign up for the newsletter by filling in the form directly to the right of this post.

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I have to admit my inner “Tool Man” wants me to have anything that runs on electricity, but so far I’ve avoided buying that one.  When it comes to pulling pork I’m pretty much a two forks and lots of arm action kind of guy.  I’ve always found my technique to be adequate.  So why try anything else.

I found a good reason to try something else recently when I got an email from the gang at Meatrake offering me a couple sets of Meatrakes.  One for me to try and and another to give away.  I replied and told them sure, go right ahead and send them out.  I mean trying something out for free beats the heck out of buying something and discovering it’s not the product you thought it was going to be.  I have to admit, though, I already knew I wasn’t going to like this “tool” at all and I felt a little guilty accepting their offer.

But, I was wrong…

The Meatrake actually did make pulling the pork a lot easier.  I ripped through two 8 pound butts in around five minutes.  This is pretty fast for me.  I thought it was a great tool and now I’m glad I got them.  I’ll probably use them every time I shred me some meat.

The handles are made from polypropylene and fit nicely into my hands.  I wish the handles were a little bigger around than they are, but it’s not really much of a problem.  The tines are make from professional grade stainless steel and tear through meat with ease.  I was even able to separate the pork fat from the pork using the Meatrakes with very little difficulty.

I suppose I could pad this review with lots of hyperbole and big words of praise. Instead I’m just going to tell you these things work and they work good.  In my opinion they are work $19.95 if you are pulling lots of meat.  You can purchase from Meatrake.com.

Now for the giveaway details.  The rules are quite simple.  Leave a comment on this post with why you want a set of Meatrakes.  Then tell all your friends about it.  Have them come here and leave a reply to your comment.  The person who gets the most replies to their comment wins.  Drawing will be held at Noon (Pacific time) on January 2nd.  Winner will notified via email, so make sure you leave your email.  In the case of a tie, I’m just going to pick someone…

Simple enough?  Ready…set…comment!

(And if you don’t mind would you please retweet for me)

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Grail Note: The Winner of the MrBarBQ.com contest is Mary M. from Wantagh, New York.  I’d like to thank the folks at MrBarBQ.Com for sponsoring this great contest.  If you’re looking for great BBQ Accessories please check them out.

Do you have a father or know of a father who deserves a nice BBQ/Grilling present for Father’s Day? Here’s your chance to win that super-duper Father (or father figure) a great present from MrBarBQ.com. The winner of this prize package will receive the new Hydro Grill Blaster pictured above along with an 18 piece stainless steel grilling tool set with aluminum case.

Here’s how we’re going to do it…

From now until 6:00pm (pacific time) on June 12th, 2011 you can leave a comment here on why your nominee deserves a chance to win these great prizes. The more nominations a person has, the better chance they have to win. Also, if you are on the list of people who have “Liked” MrBarBQ on Facebook your nomination will be doubled. You can nominate anyone you want to win this great Father’s Day gift. You can nominate multiple people, just make sure you nominate on different days.

I will notify the winner, via email, shortly after 6:00pm on June 12th. Winner MUST respond to email within 24 hours with shipping information or the prize will be given to someone else. The goal is to get this prize shipped in time for Father’s Day. There will be NO EXCEPTIONS to this rule.

(NOTE: All comments are moderated on my blog. If it doesn’t show up right away, just it will soon. Once I approve one of your comments the others will appear immediately. And rules are subject to change)

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Here’s how we’re going to do it!

Rules:

1. Receive an entry for Retweeting or Tweeting about the contest using the hashtag #GRAILgrate (1 per day)
2. Receive an entry for leaving a comment below on what you’d like to cook with your Grill Grates (1 per day)
3. Receive an entry for “Sharing” the link from my Facebook page on your Facebook page (1 per day)
4. Receive one entry for “Favoriting” this post on StumbleUpon.  (Only once, please)
5. That’s a max of three entries per day + StumbleUpon entry
6. Winner will be drawn at 6:00pm on Sunday, May 15th.
7. And as much as I hate to do it…U.S. Winner Only.  Shipping is prohibitive.  Sorry.

(NOTE: Comments have to be moderated on my blog.  If it doesn’t show up right away, just be patient it will soon.  Once I approve one of your comments the others will appear immediately.  Also shoot me a message on Facebook that you’ve posted the link on your Wall so I can make sure I get your entry.  And rules are subject to change)

Congratulations to John L. on winning a set of GrillGrates for Memorial day

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Here’s how to enter:

Stop by the Masterbuilt Recipe site and pick out your favorite recipe.

Once you’ve picked out your recipe come back to this post and leave a comment on which is your favorite recipe and why you’d like to win the smoker. (Comments are held in moderation for appropriateness before release)

You may enter one per day until September 15th.  The winner will announced on September 16th.

Here’s a little information from Masterbuilt on this great little unit: