Summer Fun BBQ Giveaway - Gear and GC - Enter by 7/10/2011

The 4th of July has come and gone, but the good times still roll with my Barbecue Master Summer Fun BBQ giveaway. I'm really excited about this contest and all the great prizes.

Prize Bundle List - WOW! - Great Stuff You Can Win

* Guy’s new cookbook- Guy Fieri Food: Cookin’ It, Livin’ It, Lovin’ It

* Four (4) big, bold BBQ sauces featured in Guy's BBQ Sampler Set

* The ultimate grilling tool set

* Digital thermometer

* $25 American Express gift card to purchase pork or what you want at a local retailer

Food: Cookin' It, Livin' It, Lovin' It by Guy Fieri

You'll find lots of inspiration in Guy Fieri's new cookbook. This is a big hardback cookbook packed full of yummy recipes and great photos.

Inside Guy Fieri's New Cookbook

Doesn't this Red Rocker Margarite Chicken look delicious? It's just one of many recipes in the cookbook ranging from poultry and seafood to pizza/pasta and dishes especially for kids.

Guy Fieri's New Line of Barbecue Sauces

In addition to the Fieri cookbook, you'll also get the sampler of his barbecue sauces. Readers may recall that I reviewed his North Carolina #6 which is a really nice sauce reflective of my area of the country.

Get Your Grill on with a Nice Barbecue Tool Set

When you're out at the grill saucing up some pork chops or chicken, you need tools. The gift bundle also includes this heavy duty BBQ tool collection.

Add a Digital Thermometer to that Prize Pack

To make sure that all your grilled foods come out perfect, you also get a ditial grill thermometer.

Hungry Yet?

Now, I'll bet you're hungry. You're in luck again, because this prize pack also includes a $25 gift card, so you can pick up some pork to fire up on the grill.

Holy cow (or perhaps I should say pig), that are some great prizes. And one lucky reader will get the whole package.

How to Enter the Barbecue Master Summer Fun Barbecue Giveaway

I'm a hobby barbecue blogger and like to keep these contests simple and low tech.

To enter, all you need to do is go to comments and give other readers a tip for grilling pork or if you don't have any tips, then just tell me why you'd like to win this giveaway prize pack. I do moderate the comments, so you don't get stuck reading spam or seeing naughty links. So, you won't see your comment immediatly. I have to get on and approve each one, but I do that often.

Yes. Simple as that. Just leave a comment, and you are entered. Be sure to leave some way to get in touch though, because I'll need to get a mailing address from the winner. That's the only data I gather or give out - just the winner and just so the prize can be mailed.

I know some readers like extra entry options, so if you Tweet, Facebook, or blog about the contest, you get extra slips in the hat. Just leave a comment letting me know that you added an extra entry. And, yes, you can do all three if you like.

The contest will run through July 10, 2011 EST 11:59 pm. The winner will be pulled on the 11th to start the week off really nice for a lucky Barbecue Master winner.

Winners will need to be from the U.S. due to shipping. I do appreciate my wonderful international readers and wish it were easier to ship out.

Note: The National Pork Board will be providing the gifts; however, I serve as the sponsor for the contest. I'm not connected with the Pork Council or any of the prize companies. I did get the same prize as being offered to a reader (those photos you see that I put up).

THANKS to everyone who entered and for the great pork grilling tips. My son drew the name, and Tom won this gift package. Congratulations Tom.

I don't keep contact lists, but there is an automatic email update over to the right side. Keep an eye out. I host giveaways now and then and enjoy having the chance to see someone win a nice gift like this package provided by the National Pork Board.

Food Vendors - Don't Turn Down Free Advertising

Grilled Turkey Legs - Weren't Selling Very Well Yesterday Morning

I was at a local food festival recently and noticed the beautiful grilled turkey legs one man was cooking at his food vendor tent. I snapped a couple of pictures, introduced myself and gave the food vendor my business card. I told him that I do some online food and cooking writing.

"You don't know my name or my business, so you can't really write anything," he said. "You need a notebook and a pen and need to ask some questions."

In fact, I had a notebook and four pens (always good to have back ups) in my backpack. Since I had a camera in one hand and an umbrella in the other, it was a tad difficult to get everything juggled around.

Generally food vendors are friendly and have business cards. I can get details as needed by going online or by emailing or calling. I often mention various vendors here on the blog. One funnel cake guy emailed and asked to use my blog post on his web site. Sure. He even linked back which was terrific. I didn't ask though. I just blog and link things that I think readers would enjoy.

Perhaps the Jerky Turkey guy thought that I'm getting rich writing about food. I do know one online foodie who makes a living writing about cooking online. Actually, he sells e-cookbooks and hard copy cookbooks, so that's where he turns his profit. The rest of the online foodies I know do it, because they enjoy it. They are not earning much (if anything) with online food writing. I can't fill up with one tank of gas during the month with online earnings. That's across a food blog and two websites. A decent day would be 30 cents on income. I'm not complaining. I'm just stating facts there.

I go to various festivals and write about the food (and crafts and other things), because I enjoy doing it. It's my hobby. I have a day job. This is what I do for fun. I grill and share recipes and tips and also check out what others are doing as far as outdoor cooking.

The festival was a day out with my family. I carried my camera along as I usually do. I spoke with several vendors at the festival and blogged with the event still taking place. People headed to the festival later in the day were reading and likely checked out some of the vendors I mentioned. The turkey leg guy might have sold some turkey legs to people who were reading and then attending. This would have been free advertising pure and simple.

I didn't need or want anything from the Jerky Turkey guy. I just thought his turkey legs looked good. He was off the main drag at the festival. He didn't have any customers at the stand. A blog mention might have helped him out. Certainly, it wouldn't have hurt his business that day or in the future.

I was thinking all this, but life is too short to worry about turkey legs. I thanked the guy and started to move along. If he didn't want advertising, that was fine by me.

"Hey," he said. "You ought to get a leg. Then you can write a better story."

"It's 10:45 in the morning," I said. "We haven't decided what we're having for lunch yet."

Actually I'm not a big fan of turkey legs. They are OK, but they are not my favorite. My son does, however, love grilled turkey legs. He also lets me sample his food, so I can share more about what we see and do when we're out and about.

Seriously now, did Mr. Turkey Jerk think that I'd want to do business with him after he'd been rude? Sure. I do some professional writing. It's not writing about turkey legs though. And, it's not on my free time out with the family.

The turkey leg vendor lost a sale, and he lost free advertising.

If you are a food vendor, maybe this post will help. It only takes a second to hand a food writer a card. If you don't have business cards, most food writers would be glad to write down your information or even let you write it down on the back of our own business cards. I know I've done that before. Everyone starts somewhere, and some vendors are new. They are usually very glad to get noticed and mentioned.

I'm not saying the turkey leg guy owed me anything. It's his business. He can run it however he likes. But when someone is not asking for anything (and I never do) and when it could help sales, it really doesn't make much sense to be a jerk.

Fortunately, this is the only food vendor I've ever spoken to who has been rude. Most food vendors are glad to meet and talk to people and are interested in getting some media attention (even when it's informal). There are several vendors that I look for every year and mention in my blog and on my websites. One guy that I always mention asked me this year if I sell grills or something. I smiled and told him no and that I'm JUST a writer. I really hate to put it that way - just a writer - but that's the reality. I don't have a stash of grills, sauces, rubs, cookbooks or anything else. I have a camera and a notebook, and I have fun talking to people and spreading the word about good eats. Well, I usually do anyway. I didn't much enjoy talking to the turkey guy.