By NINA G. WILLS

Just a year ago, Don Osteen’s grilling expertise were the basics — hamburgers and hot dogs.

That was before Osteen’s company, East Coast Lumber, started selling grills and smokers. He decided to try them out and is now a pretty good hand at cooking pork and beef.

On Saturday, Osteen — of Sewall’s Point and Team East Coast Lumber — will compete in the inaugural Hobe Sound BBQ Festival and said he’s feeling the pressure of cooking in front of the home crowd.

The Hobe Sound Chamber of Commerce is hosting the event which is sanctioned by the Florida BBQ Association.

“We wanted to do something off-season for locals to bring them to downtown Hobe Sound. Port Salerno has the Seafood Festival and we thought downtown Hobe Sound should have something too,” said Jennifer Ferrari, executive director of the Hobe Sound Chamber of Commerce.

There are 31 professional teams participating in the festival and competing for cash prizes totaling $10,000. Most teams are traveling from at least 50 miles away, Ferrari said.

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As if traveling the world as drummer for Iron Maiden wasn’t enough to fill his plate, Nicko McBrain has added restaurateur to his set list. The Boca Raton resident, 55, is the co-owner of the newly opened Rock N Roll Ribs, with neighbor Rick “Moby” Baum. The two, who play in the band McBrain Damage, wanted their Coral Springs rock ‘n’ roll-themed spot to blend the worlds of metal and homemade barbecue. The idea was spawned a few years ago after a backyard cookout, when Baum impressed everyone — especially McBrain — with his recipes. Soon the Brit was on board with a few innovative ideas of his own and Rock N Roll Ribs was born.

This started with a backyard cookout?

“Rick Baum and I used to have the rib cook-offs all the time. Rick always made the best ribs and I always tried to find out how he made them and he wouldn’t tell me for years his secret. So he finally told me how he made them, and I prepped it with him, and added some English ingredients and they were so good our friends said you guys ought to open a restaurant. We looked at each other and thought, that ain’t a bad idea! Rock N Roll Ribs!”
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Bobby's Whiskey Chicken Cordon Grill is an interesting twist on the classic cordon bleu chicken that uses a double shot of whiskey to boost flavors. (Photo by Pam Brandon)

The divas love a grill master who plays with his food — and this cheesy version of classic chicken cordon bleu is the creation of our pal Bobby who’s king of the ’cue in his back yard. His secret ingredient: a tease of whiskey to notch up the flavors.

Serve on crusty bread with a slice of fresh tomato, lettuce and a dollop of mayo or a good ol’ Southern side of macaroni salad and a slice of dill pickle. Don’t forget the sweet tea. Or a cold brewski.

Bobby’s Whiskey Chicken Cordon Grill
4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Double shot of whiskey
4 slices provolone cheese
4 slice Swiss cheese
4 thin slices smoked ham

Rinse chicken breasts and pat dry; filet each breast to create two thin pieces (or gently pound to 1/2-inch thickness). Place chicken, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and whiskey in a resealable plastic bag and marinate in the refrigerator for 45 to 60 minutes.

Preheat grill or stovetop grill pan to high heat. Remove chicken from marinade and grill 3 to 5 minutes each side or until cooked through. As chicken finishes cooking, add slice of provolone, slice of ham, then slice of Swiss. Cover and cook until cheese melts.

For Part 1 of the BBQ, click here

Now, on to those mushrooms I mentioned in Part 1! Once again, my indecision led me to two different mushroom dishes, instead of having to choose between them.

The first was Marsala-marinated portobello mushroom slices. This recipe produced another pairing conundrum in that the marinade had Marsala wine (a fortified wine from Sicily) blended with honey, soy sauce, olive oil and hot sauce. I wasn’t sure which ingredient to consider most, but had read wine used in cooking should take some precedence when choosing wine to serve.

With my go-to wine assistant Ryan Stanford at the Boynton Beach Total Wine store helping me, we decided upon another Sicilian wine for pairing and pulled a 2007 Cusumano Nero D’Avola ($12.99). This grape was new to me, and being the adventurous type, I was eager to give it a taste. (Cool fact: this bottle is stopped with a glass cork!) Read the full story

MENU

The menu is just right — not too large and offering a variety for everyone. The mainstay is, of course, barbecue. Sandwiches and barbecue specialties include pork, beef, ribs, chicken, fish and even chicken salad. Prices range from $5.99 to $8.99 for sandwiches and from $6.49 to $17.99 for specialties.

ATMOSPHERE

The atmosphere is casual; with booths, a bar and several flat-screen TVs around the room. Read the full story

Shane’s Rib Shack and ESPN Radio 760 are gearing up for The Rib King Contest February 21!
It’s a rib eating contest in which each participant will be given about 9 lbs. of ribs and 5 minutes to eat as many as possible. The event will benefit The Autism Project of Palm Beach County.
They’re holding preliminary heats leading up to the finals, then at the finals they’ll have a celebrity heat, a business heat (where businesses are allowed to send 1 person to represent them – the winner receives a $5,000 dollar advertising campaign on ESPN Radio 760).
There’ll be prizes, games, food sampling and of course Shane’s Rib Shack ribs to enjoy!! Before the finals, they’ll be holding heats at both Palm Beach County Shane’s locations: Boynton Beach and Royal Palm Beach.
For details, click here.
For locations, see here.