Family hosts barbecue cook-off.
By: Mary Ellen Zangara
While many residents were inside waiting for Sunday’s Super Bowl football game with chips and dips, Jeff and Jennifer Sanders offered their guests a bit more.
The Sanders invited their friends to participate in a grill-off, and their contestants lined the driveway on North Fifth Avenue with grills smoking in hopes of claiming the top prize a trophy Mr. Sanders made and called the Flaming Weiner.
"Basically, the idea came from trying to avoid another boring Super Bowl party," he said. "Just trying to do something different, considering the people I associate myself with, I figured this would be a big hit."
And it was he noted at one point, about 30 people were at his home and he expected another 10 or so.
"Nobody’s team is in the Super Bowl, so we could fall back on the food," Mr. Sanders said as the grills sizzled. "I think the food is going to be great." Some of the rules for the grill-off were copied from other competitions: Participants were able to bring any type of grill whether it was charcoal, gas, propane, or open fire.
Any marinating and prep work may be done prior to the actual grilling but all grilling had to be done on site.
The food grilled must be enough for six to eight people and entries must consist of an entrée and a side dish, all of which must be prepared on the grill.
Entrees could be any meat. All the participants provided all the ingredients, food and tools necessary for grilling.
The entrees could have been started ahead of time but the side dish needed to be prepared at the grill-off.
At 2 p.m., contestants Joe Green (not the football Hall of Famer), Mark Gregor, Mike Mascola, Bill Forke and the duo of Kathy Lukens and Lea Sura (sisters of Mrs. Sanders), along with Mr. Sanders, all began cooking outside in the below-freezing temperatures grilling their specialties.
Mr. Sanders was grilling up beef tenderloin with a Merlot sauce reduction and a shrimp pesto cilantro pizza with lemon zest; Mr. Green made stuffed tenderloin with chipolte sauce and Mr. Gregor cooked lamb with an almond crust, and shrimp with eight spices wrapped in bacon shish kabobs.
Mr. Mascola grilled teriyaki beef tenderloin with portabella mushrooms and mozzarella and garlic shrimp.
Mr. Forke made Cornish hens soaked in brines overnight stuffed with whole cloves of garlic and lemon and whole sweet onions with a bouillon cube, pat of butter and some hot sauce roasted over a grill.
Ms. Lukens and Ms. Sura teamed up for raspberry chicken breast with peaches and raspberry sauce.
"We are hoping to at least to pull in an honorable mention," said Ms. Lukens.
When the two-hour time limit was up, all the entrees were presented in aluminum roasting pans and it was off to the judges, three for each category.
The best side dish was awarded to sisters Ms. Lukens and Ms. Sura, and Mark Gregor won the best entrée.
The Flaming Weiner was also awarded to Ms. Lukens and Ms. Sura for the best overall dish.
"We are hoping that this will be an annual event in which we can all share in the tradition of a Super Bowl party without the typical chips and salsa," said Mr. Sanders.
As for the winners, Mr. Sanders said they claimed something more than the trophy.
"It’s more than come on over and cook’ it’s bragging rights," he said.

