Super Bowl-B-Q

Ahhhh. Superbowl XL. Steelers v. Seahawks. What better way to enjoy this spectacular event than with a BBQ at my folks' house.



The day before the game Frosty and I headed to Costco to pick up on the essentials, which included ribs, portobello mushrooms, bell peppers, chicken fillets, hot dogs, charcoal and drinks to name a few. The two bags of chicken wings Frosty's holding were not among the essentials, but rather, were what Frosty ate for dinner that night.



The following day, Frosty brought over his beloved smoker so that we could enjoy some of his world famous ribs. For those of you who don't know, Frosty is a self-proclaimed "master of the grill" and his ribs are amazingly good. He prepares the ribs by marinating them overnight in a secret sauce together with some vegetables in little aluminum foil packets. He then places the packets in the smoker and cooks them for hours. At some point during the smoking process, he adds hickory chips into the mix to give the ribs more flavor. Frosty really knows his food. No joke.



BBQ Tip #1: Smoke your hickory chips in water so they don't burn too quickly.



Frosty and I started early with the Q'ing and waited for the others to arrive. I wore my special "I Love My Girlfriend" shirt for the occasion (which can be turned inside-out to say "I hate my girlfriend," if necessary). The shirt was a gift from Ingrid and although I can recall a few times where I've been close to wearing it inside-out, it has yet to happen. I must love her.



Of course my mom did her part to prepare for the event, which included a massive sushi plate, chips, cilantro dip, cake, cookies, tortilla dip and Darren and Frosty's favorite: taco salad. Looking at what my mom has here and what Frosty has planned for the grill, you'd think we were expecting 20 people over that day. Well not quite. More like 9.



With so much food, we had to get started early, so Frosty grilled us some dogs and peppers. Plus, it wasn't like Frosty was about to wait several hours for the ribs to be done. Take it easy, Mr. Peppers... Don't burn your face. I'll get you a plate.



Two tasty hot dogs apiece later, Frosty and I tuned into the pregame show as we sipped some cocktails. Superbowl Sunday rocks!






ATTENTION!!

HEAR YE, HEAR YE!

DIRTY DARREN IS NO LONGER SINGLE!

ANNABELLE HAS BEEN DECLARED THE
MOST UNLUCKY GIRL IN THE WORLD!





That's right ladies (and gentlemen), Darren now has a girlfriend and Annabelle has been selected as the unlucky soul. Instead of drinking that "sodapop," Annabelle, why don't you have an alcoholic beverage to drown your sorrows... it's far more effective.



As you can see, after the dogs were done, Frosty put his special lemon pepper marinated chicken fillets on the grill. We couldn't wait to dig in.



BBQ Tip #2: When it's done, stick a fork in it!



My brother and Amy showed up later in the night, but both of them were lameasses and didn't want their pictures taken. Shawn may not see you eyeing the food over there, Annabelle, but I do! Do like Frosty and Eat! Eat! Eat!



Before the game, we organized some friendly betting based on this grid. The way it worked was that you got 12 squares for $20. If the last digits of the scores for both teams aligned with your numbers on the grid, you'd win. The winners for each of the first three quarters got $20 and $100 went to the person with the square matching the final score.

The winners were as follows:
First Quarter (Steelers 0; Seahawks 3) - Dad +$20
Second Quarter (Steelers 7; Seahawks 3) - Mom +$20
Third Quarter (Steelers 14; Seahawks 10) - Kevin +$20

And guess who won the grand prize for the final score (Steelers: 21; Seahawks: 10)?...



... none other than Ingrid, of couse, who showed up just in time to claim her prize.



During the final minutes of the game, my dad and I placed some side bets. I think we all know who won...



In the meantime, Frosty declared the ribs to be done. Look at those thick, juicy, savory ribs (the pork ribs, not Frosty's ribs). The ribs were so tender that the meat just fell off the bone.



Lil' Kev also joined us later in the night and helped put a dent in all the tasty food being served.



It was an amazingly enjoyable way to spend Superbowl Sunday afternoon, although next year, I think I'm going to starve myself until the ribs are done. Great work on the grill, Frosty. Thanks for having us all over and preparing food, mom (Darren and Frosty loved the taco salad). And thanks for the money, dad.