Highlighting the weekend at the C and C ranch, I BURNED some leaves and branches. It's good to smell burning leaves and since we live in an unincorporated area of the county we can burn-- within reason. Many kids grow up never smelling burning leaves. They must live in the tough streets of West University. I did catch some basketball, which included my school losing in its conference tournament. I saw the Dynamo for a while and caught bits of the Rockets game. We also watched “Manchester by the Sea.” Man, at least it was depressing. I did catch a news item that didn't include the prez, Russia, or Immigration. The HLS&R Cook Off results. I did a double take.
It seems the grand champion of the smoky venue is from Des Moines, Iowa. What? Darren Wrath put the Wrath of God into the homegrown cook teams. His group is named Smokey D's. They beat out over 200 other teams and presented another dilemma. Is Iowa cooking better than Texas? I know it's an international event, but Iowa? Even their corn is over hyped. Illinois corn is better. I miss going to the Cook Off. The challenge of trying to find your car and despite having every credential known to man you are told you "can't go in there". One year our TV Station had the Extreme Texas Cookers win best ribs. Another time Slow Cookers of Kemah won for chicken. I never thought a group from Iowa would win. Of course, they did admit their briskets came from Midland.
Bringing it back home for us was Washington County Go Texan for best chicken. The Foul Feathered Cookers won the Dutch Oven competition. For those not from Holland, that is grub cooked in a big pot. A pot they bought in Texas. Thank Goodness.