Category Archives: Texas Tuesdays

10th Annual Texas Steak Cookoff

For the past few years, I have been finding myself in the same place on the third Saturday in May – Hico, Texas. The Texas Steak Cookoff and Wine Festival has to be one of the best events that I’ve had the chance of attending and definitely one of my favorites. This year was no exception and it may have been my favorite yet! It’s affordable, family friendly and an all day affair that won’t be leaving you hungry (at any point during the day).

For the Steak Cookoff:
For $25, you will receive a bracelet which will allow you to enjoy appetizers and the steak dinner in the afternoon (ribeye steak, beans, baked potato, dessert and a drink) cooked to your perfection by the team of your choice. You’re belly will thank you for this day!

Now for the details!
The day started out with an opening ceremony. Yes, that’s Nolan Ryan himself. The Steak Cookoff is co-sponsored by Nolan Ryan Beef and Kroger. Mr. Nolan Ryan took the opportunity to come down to Hico that morning to kick off the event. If there’s a soul in Texas who doesn’t like this man, they’ve probably been kicked out by now. It was great having him at the event!

The Cookoff doesn’t mess around and the grills are hot bright and early. Rolling into town, you can smell the grills. It’s amazing. 11am kicks off the hors d’oeuvres competition. The backyard chefs submit a recipe of their own to the judges. I had the opporunity to judge at last years event and some of the items are absolutely mind blowing and belly filling. I only wish that I had the recipes to some of these items. Don’t be mistaken, these hors d’oeuvres are not just for the judges, the chefs are cooking all day for folks. Walk around, sample some food and spend time with friends (and make some new ones). Here’s a few of the hor d’oeuvres that we checked out this year.

I will say – the ritz crackers I had seen at the previous cookoffs and they are so delicious and have a bit of a kick (for this Yankee, jalepeno’s sure are growing on me). Ritz crackers with peanut butter, honey and a slice of jalapeno – killer!

Hors d’oeuvres Competition Winners:
1st Place: Steak Your Claim
2nd Place: J, L & M Cooker
3rd Place: Heavy Smokers

The shrimp (above) was cooked by the backyard chefs (below). I think these fellas were my favorite group of the day and I’m not quite sure how they sported their attire all day in the heat. Regardless, their food sure was good. They even left the recipe out for the shrimp (which I should’ve grabbed). Tasty, Tasty.

There’s entertainment throughout the day for the entire family. Local businesses are open, vendors are set up within town and four bands played throughout the day. There were even two wine tents.

If that’s not enough, just walk around and visit with some of the backyard chefs. They have grills of all shapes and sizes. Check them out, see what they’re cooking and just enjoy the day! Even their team names are pretty interesting. It’s serious business y’all!

This was homemade bourbon or moonshine. I’m not sure. I didn’t try any… I was headed to the wine tent.

These chefs – I’m naming them the party chefs. This is where it was all happening. Music, TV, dancing and cooking. Keeping busy all day long! They also ended up winning an award for being the best in show. They earned it!

The judging for the steaks begins around 1pm and the top 30 chefs are announced around 4pm. Shortly thereafter, be prepared. To receive your steak, pick one tent and get in line as they will cook it to your liking!

The cookoff had a different set up this year and I felt that it made all the difference. I really think that this is why I enjoyed this year the best compared to the past few years. With over 100 teams participating, the chefs were situated along a few separate streets and seemed to have a little more room. The temperature in May isn’t cool and breezy, it’s warm if not hot. With the new arrangement, it was incredibly easy to maneuver but the fact that they were a little more spread out definitely helped with how hot and crowded it felt in the area.

Time for the steak! I chose to have my steak cooked at the Beef Bro chefs. I usually go by luck of the draw and this year, I didn’t go wrong. My steak was cooked to my perfection and it was pretty darn delicious!

After you’ve received and indulged in your steak dinner, it’s not over. It’s time to announce the winners. Something I haven’t mentioned is with your ticket to the cookoff, you also receive a raffle entry which is drawn at the end of the day. This year, the raffle prizes included signed Nolan Ryan memorabelia and multiple $500 gift certificates to use within Hico (if you’ve seen some of the stores in town – it’s good shopping)!

Here are this years Top 10 Hands:
(The top 5 hands received prizes between $500 and $2,500.)

1st Place: Daddy Brad’s Meat Shack
2nd Place: Pirates of the Prime Ribean
3rd Place: J, L & M
4th Place: Smokin’ Down in Texas
5th Place: J & J Cookers
6th Place: North Dallas Grill Billies
7th Place: Carne Knowledge
8th Place: Smokin’ Natives
9th Place: Wild Hanlon BBQ
10th Place: Beast Feast

Congratulations to the winners and thank you to the town of Hico for allowing me to check out this years event! If you had a chance to attend this year, I’d love to hear your feedback and I’m sure I will see you there again next year!

If you haven’t been to the Texas Steak Cookoff and Wine Festival – be sure to check it out next year (3rd Saturday in May).

Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this post, however I did receive free admission to the event in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are 100% my own.

Texas Tuesday link up with Amanda from Princess of the Panhandle and Crystal from Masons Mama. This is a chance for any blogger to participate in a post on the greatness of Texas! There’s so much to explore!

Bill’s 30th in Austin

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Over the weekend of May 11th, I headed down to Austin to catch up with some friend’s and celebrate Bill’s 30th Birthday. Bill is a friend who I use to work with in Vermont, who moved to New Jersey after I moved to Texas. His friends from New Jersey moved to Austin last year and well here we all were reuniting! Seriously, some of the best people to hang out with!

In honor of Bill’s 30th, we enjoyed some of the best things to do in Texas!

This time in Texas is phenomenal. I’ve mentioned the wild flowers but photos do no justice. They lined highway 35 from Fort Worth to Austin. Also along the way, well everytime I travel down that way, I see this old farmstead off the highway. I actually took the access road this trip to make sure I got a picture. It reminds me of the farm in Second Hand Lions. (One of the best movies of all time!)

Stop Number 1: We floated tubes down the Guadalupe River, just south of New Braunfels and Gruene. Obviously, I didn’t take my camera. I wasn’t taking a chance with my clumsiness. The camera would’ve made it in the water before I would have. I will tell you, that it was one of the MOST scenic and beautiful places I have ever seen. As soon as our trip down the river was done, I was ready to do it again just for the view! Old, large trees were coming out of the water banks, beautiful homes lined the river and at one point there was a huge rock scale that went hundreds of feet up along the river bank.

Stop Number 2: Just down the road from the river is the small town of Gruene. One of my favorites and another place that I can check off the list for visiting twice (because once wasn’t enough). We had dinner at Cantina del Rio which is pretty much tucked away next to Gruene Hall. Fish tacos and a sangria margarita (voted best in the county) are the way to go! (And the prices were very reasonable!)

We then walked around town and checked out some local shops.

Donkey’s – they’re so cute!

I was beyond excited about these chairs. Dad – we’re going to make some!

Stop Number 3: It’s amazing we still had energy for this. Saturday night was spent out on 6th Street in Austin. Rooftop bars, closed off streets and we even got the birthday boy to ride a mechanical bull!

Adventures always carry into the next day, right?!

The Salt Lick

Good BBQ, live entertainment, a vineyard in the backyard and most importantly, good company.

You can’t go wrong!

By the way, the musician sounded just like Willie Nelson. I was a little excited!

Happy 30th Birthday Bill! I hope you were able to enjoy every moment and have memories that will last a lifetime… you old man!

The Enchanted Rock

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One of the items on my Texas Bucket List is to hike the Enchanted Rock. When I was in Fredericksburg last month, it was the perfect opportunity! There’s a lot of history and beauty in this area and the landmark itself is really something to see in person. I mean just look at it, it’s massive!

The Enchanted Rock is a 425 foot high, pink granite exfoliation dome rock. The natural area covers 1,643.5 acres just north of Fredericksburg but the rock itself covers 640 acres. It’s an easy, scenic drive (20-30 minutes). You will drive thru the hill country and it’s just astounding. In 1970, the rock was designated a National Nature Landmark and in 1984 was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

History tells the tale that this rock has been visited by humans for over 11,000 years. Long time, eh?!

Tonkawan Indians believed the rock was in fact enchanted. They claimed that they saw “ghost fires” at the top and often heard “cracking and groaning” noises coming from the rock. Only in 1723, when the Spanish began colonizing Texas, did one of the first documented explorations of the area begin.

Here is an excerpt from the Enchanted Rock State Natural Area website regarding the history of the rock:

“A conquistador captured by the Tonkawa described how he escaped by losing himself in the rock area, giving rise to an Indian legend of a “pale man swallowed by a rock and reborn as one of their own.” The Indians believed he wove enchantments on the area, but he explained that the rock wove the spells. “When I was swallowed by the rock, I joined the many spirits who enchant this place.”

There are three different trails to hike up the Enchanted Rock. I did the direct route, the Summit Hike which was about .75 miles straight up. I’m not going to lie, it’s a little steep so brace yourself if you happen to sit down on a rock on the way up and turn around but definitely do-able. More importantly, entirely worth the view at the top. It’s absolutely amazing. (I’m scared of heights and I’m telling you that so don’t hold back!)

Hailing from the Green Mountain State, I can’t really say that we have landscape quite like this and it was extraordinary to sit at the summit and just try to soak it all in. There’s no view obstruction on this hike.

If you have a chance to check out the park, definitely do so. Take a day trip (there were generations of families hiking the mountain) or stay for the weekend and camp out. I would suggest going first thing in the morning as I arrived around 9:30am by the time I was leaving, the parking lot was full and there was a line to get in.

For more information, please check out the Enchanted Rock State Natural Park website.

Texas Tuesday link up with Amanda from Princess of the Panhandle and Crystal from Masons Mama. This is a chance for any blogger to participate in a post on the greatness of Texas and for you to see what Texas has to offer! There’s so much to explore!