snortinbull: BBQ For Our Troops

BBQ For Our Troops – Helping the country through the community

I believe in giving back to the communities and regions in which we work. Recently I had the opportunity to do that, and give back to those who serve my country as well.

BBQ for Our Troops (http://www.bbqforourtroops.com/) is a non-profit, volunteer initiative “To honor those who protect our freedoms, and their loved ones, with the hospitality of the uniquely American meal of BBQ.” Why does this mean so much to me? I get the honor of cooking and serving your typical backyard BBQ picnic of meat and sides, for large numbers of active duty American soldiers, and wounded warriors.

This is the fourth time I’ve helped with the project, this time my daughter and youngest son volunteering to help. We arranged to take our custom Stump's Smoker to meet up with two other BBQ teams at Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, TX. Adding significance to the event was that this was also a celebration of the U.S. Army’s 237^thanniversary.

The menu? Approximately 640 pounds of beef brisket; and 300 pounds of sausage, along with bread, baked beans, potato salad, coleslaw, and beverages. Since the brisket takes up to 12 -14 hours to cook, we immediately set up our impromptu cooking site on base, seasoned the brisket and put it into the smoker to cook overnight. The next day we cooked the beans and sausage and served them with the sliced brisket to approximately 1,200 soldiers. The army even arranged for food trays to be taken to those in the Wounded Warrior wing at the base hospital.

Many of the soldiers said they had never eaten Texas-style BBQ but loved it and hoped to have it again. . Several came by the smokers as we cleaned up, asking for cooking and smoking pointers.

I was particularly proud that my children had the opportunity to thank these service men and women. Hopefully this experience instilled in them a sense of the duty and an understanding of the sacrifice these soldiers make. This was my children’s second time to get to help and they loved it. “Asking when can we help cook for our soldiers again?”