Extreme Grilling: Win Mario Batali's grilling contest

by Emily Matchar, Posted Jul 11th 2008 @ 1:00PM

Do you make amazing grilled lamb chops with gremolada? Out-of-this-world ribs with tamarind-Jack Daniels sauce? Burgers so good your friends say you should open a concession at the football stadium? Submit your grilling recipe with a short video demonstration (three minutes max) to Mario Batali's Ultimate Grilling Challenge for a chance to win a ton of great (and some just plain weird) prizes.

Submissions are due July 30 and the contest winner will be announced in October on The Rachel Ray Show. The grand prize winner will receive a VIP weekend at Texas Motor Speedway including a pre-race tailgate party with Mario Batali and Rachael Ray at the Dickies 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. Semi-finalists will console themselves with $500 worth of Mario Batali The Italian Kitchen products and a year's supply of VIVA paper towels (though apparently two rolls a month is a lifetime supply). Quarter-finalists receive a bunch more Mario swag, including - get this - His n' Hers Mario Crocs (AKA, the only thing more embarrassing than riding a tandem bike).
$1.00 will be donated to The Food Bank For New York City for every entry received.

The contest is intended to promote the portly redhead's new Italian Grill cookbook. The book goes universes beyond burgers and hot dogs, with recipes for grilled flatbreads, vegetables and pizzas as well as meat. Think grilled Guinea hen breasts with rosemary and pesto, grilled baby octopus with olive-orange vinaigrette. Italian grilling, as Mario explains, never involves thick, sweet barbecue sauces or salty, soy- or Tabasco-based marinades. It rarely involves more than olive oil, wine, citrus juice and herbs and spices. Though, as he admits, the recipes in the book are not pure Italian, they are somewhat influenced by America's grand grilling culture. We are, after all, the country that invented the backyard barbecue.

Source

Filed Under: Celebrities, Methods
Tags: america, barbecuing, contests, grill, grilling, mario batali, meat, summer

Chew on This

Royal Wedding Cake Details Revealed! - YumSugar

Make Your Own Pop Tarts - CHOW
Denny's Introduces a Maple Bacon Sundae - Eater
Whole Foods Opening Bars in Stores - USA Today
Rules Of Bar Etiquette -- For The Bartender - HuffPost Food

Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

7-11-2008 @1:13PM doodoolemonque said... I'm currently reading the book "Heat," a loving tribute to Mario Batali. It's a good thing the author really likes and respects Mario, otherwise the descriptions of his personality and behavior just might be considered breathtakingly unflattering.
Reply

Vote upVote downReport

7-11-2008 @5:42PM Ariel said... hah, i'm also currently reading "heat"

... rachel ray's presence in this contest is enough to make me not want to enter
Reply

Vote upVote downReport

7-16-2008 @2:30AM Tammy said... WHY are all of the Food Network personalities hooking up with NASCAR??? First it was Mario, then it was Guy (he was the grand marshal at the Sprint Cup race at Sonoma last month) ... Now it's RR ... Why RR?!?!?

I take it the prize trip must be made in November ... or April of 09 ...
Reply