Brothers ready to represent Bermuda in Puerto Rico cook-off

FRIDAY, JUNE 29: The reining Father’s Day BBQ Competition winners are preparing to represent Bermuda at an international grilling competition in Puerto Rico.

Brothers Kurt and Kent Ming flew to the Caribbean yesterday with their winning ingredients and a few other surprises for good measure. They are to compete in the Cattleman’s fifth annual BBQ Competition on July 1.

Judges of the Bermuda competition advised the brothers not to change their recipes too much as their food already had the winning edge. Judges said their food was above the rest in terms of taste, texture and presentation.

Kurt said he would keep his winning beef brisket recipe the same.

He told the Bermuda Sun, which sponsored the Fresh TV Father’s Day competition this month: “Beer was one of the ingredients in my beef marinade — it tenderises the meat and gives it flavour too — beer always goes good with beef.”

Asked about the rest of the ingredients he joked: “If I tell you much more I might have to shoot you!” But he divulged: “There is always garlic, onion salt or powder and some Asian spices.

“After I soak it overnight in that, I pat it dry and I put the dry rub on the meat, put it on the grill and then start basting it with the same stuff I marinated it in.

“The dry rub has coarse salt, paprika and more garlic and brown sugar and red pepper flakes — there’s all kinds of stuff in the dry rub. In the end you have all kinds of flavours coming through.”

The brothers will also be cooking up a course of chicken with a coffee baste and a pork butt with Goslings Black Rum and apple juice marinade.

“Pork butt is one thing we didn’t do at the (Father’s Day) BBQ. It’s another big piece of meat that takes time and my brother and I experimented with one on Sunday. I think we have a good marinade down for pork — we’ll do it the same as the beef but with different ingredients — put it in the marinade, dry rub it and then baste it in the same marinade.

“My brother concocted a good sauce for the chicken — we did some boneless thighs with coffee in the basting sauce. There are all sorts of ingredients in it but not one flavour overpowers the others — it gave a nice glaze to the chicken and it was quite flavourful actually.”

Asked where he and his brother get their ideas for their recipes from, Kurt said: “We just learned it over the years — we cook all year round — we like grilling so it’s just better what you learn over time.”

Kurt’s talents go further than the grill — in 2010 he was named the Swizzle King in a competition organized by Island Events Group. He intends to wow the crowds with his secret concoction when he’s in Puerto Rico — but he has ulterior motives.

“You know what’s on my mind — I might try to bribe the judges with it.”