Win a Masterbuilt Barbecue Smoker - Giveaway Labor Day 2010

WIN! WIN! WIN!

Masterbuilt Barbecue Smoker Giveaway

Been thinking about making the leap to barbecue smoking? Well, here's your chance with a free Masterbuilt electric bbq smoker.


This 30 inch electric smoker has a window and an inside light, so you can see how the meat is doing without peeking. You get a push button temperature and time control and an easy load wood smoker box to the side.




I've not used this Masterbuilt smoker (and - no - I don't get one or anything else for hosting the giveaway), but I have a Masterbuilt Butterball turkey fryer that I wrote about last year. The fryer is well made and easy to use, and we've enjoyed frying turkeys and boiling Frogmore Stew. So, I'd expect that this would be a solid smoker and loads of fun. If you win, you can let me know!

What's the Catch?

My contests don't come with a catch. I just list several ways to enter and hopefully something for all readers (United States) to get a slip in the bucket. I do need some way to contact you if you win (only). That can be an email or your web site or blog contact or a twitter name that I can look up. I don't collect your information, and the company just asks for the winners address to send the prize. That's it. You really can get something for nothing - easy as that.

Required Entry

To enter, just check out the Masterbuilt outdoor products store and check out the recipes. This gives you a chance to see all the neat stuff they offer including the new smoker and also will get your taste buds cranking with the collection of barbecue recipes. Then, just let me know what recipe you would like to try out if you win the smoker. There is a comment section at the bottom. Fill that in, and you're set.

Contest Newbies - Better Directions

If you've not entered contests before, don't run off. I've had three emails asking exactly how to enter.

1. Click to the Masterbuilt page and find a recipe linked off the front page that catches your eye.

2. Come back here to Barbecue Master, because the contest is actually here and not off the company page.

3. Click on "comments" at the bottom of the post. You will see a colored link with x number of comments. That is the correct link, and the number changes with more entries. When you click that, go to the bottom of the comments pop up box, and you will see the little comment box to type in.

Or, if you came direct (and see the post plus other comments), go all the way to the bottom of the post below the last comment, and you will see a link called "submit a comment." Click that, and you will see the space to leave the message.

4. Fill out the little box with the name of the recipe and also some way to get in touch.

5. Fill out the little combo of numbers and letters that pop up. That just ensures that entries are real people and not robots putting up spam.

6. I check the comments before they go live so that the blog does not have dirty links and so on. So, you won't see your entry at first. I have to be on the computer and press publish, but I do that often.

7. The extra entries below are optional. They just get you more slips in the hat. Just repeat the above if you do any of the extra entries and let me know.

Extra Entries

Once you enter with the Masterbuilt recipe in comments (just the name of your top pick), then here are some additional entries if you like to increase your odds. Again, just let me know in comments about any add on entries to the giveaway.

1. Visit my web site Yes You Can Grill and then let me know what you'd like to see there that I've not posted yet. It's my "baby" and a work in progress.

2. Follow me on twitter - @cyndiallison If you look through my buddy list, you will find a lot of terrific grill folks and barbecue people including national champions. If you already follow me THANKS and let me know. I'll count that. Old friends are great friends!

3. Look over to the right and sign up for email updates here for Barbecue Master. Those are auto through Google, and all you'll get by email will be blog post updates. You'll get other contests, recipes, and reviews about grilling and barbecue that I post from time to time.

4. Share your favorite smoker recipe. I always enjoy doing new dishes on our smoker, and I'm sure other readers do too. You can just put the recpie in the comment section.

5. Tell us about your favorite Masterbuilt moment. It can be any product that you've used before. Mine, as I mentioned, would be with the turkey fryer. I also got to interview John MeLemore (the CEO of Masterbuilt), and that was a blast talking with him and getting to know the faces behind the product.

OK. That gives you 6 possible chances to enter and win a Masterbuilt Barbecue Smoker. So, what are you waiting for? This is an easy contest, and it's a great prize. I'd be excited to win a Masterbuilt smoker myself!

When Will The Winner Be Drawn?

I'll take Masterbuilt Smoker entries through 9 pm EST of Labor Day 9-6-2010 and then have the drawing. I think I'll have my son draw this time. He is an Eagle Scout and won a Carnegie medal for heroism. He's a good kid, and he's easy to find on a Monday night.

Home Stretch

I've been writing down entries and making sure I have all the multi ones in so that everyone gets all the chances possible. Whew! This one has taken more time than I expected, but I sure appreciate all the entries. Thanks so much for visiting and making this, by far, the biggest contest I've had on my blog. And, thanks again to Masterbuilt for sponsoring.



DRUM ROLL

I allowed an extra half hour past time to make sure all entries came in on my slow boat computer, and I went and got my kid who was doing his homework (good him) to draw the name . . .

The winner is: Oshawa Ogre

Well, blow me away! He won a Dean's Dip when my Mom drew several months back. He is one lucky duck. I mean, really, what are the odds that the first to enter would win the draw especially when those slips were jumbled and tossed more times than I can count?

Lord give me the luck of Oshawa Ogre. Amen!

Enter to Win at BBQ Grail Too

Larry is giving away a smoker on Barbecue Grail. So, be sure to enter there too. His contest runs through the 15th of September 2010, so you have a little extra time there.

A Great Six Foot Table for Outdoor Barbecues or Inside Too

When we have big barbecue parties here at the house, table space is always an issue. We have a small outdoor table, a little camp table, and then the grills have side spaces to work. But, all the spaces are small. It's not like you can put a full spread out on any of those.

Our workaround has been to borrow a table from the church and then return it (of course). You'll see a church table at my son's graduation luau above. Now, that's a good sturdy table and something I have been needing.

The issue has been space though. Like many folks, I do not live in a mansion. Finding space for a 6 foot table is a problem.

Fortunately I won a contest at Solutions. This was back when Mug Root Beer gave me some prizes for readers for Father's Day. I was googling up "contest" and "giveaway" and looking for my Mug contest. Forgive me. I just can't help myself. I get excited about my blog and was excited to have the contest and prizes for folks who stop by Barbecue Master. It was while googling that I saw that Solutions had a Father's Day contest too.

Hum. I thought, "Well, I'm having fun with the contest on my bbq blog. I'm sure Solutions will enjoy more stories." I'm generally not lucky at all. But, I thought I'd enter for the fun of it and to support another site hosting an online reader contest.

Well, what do you know?

I WON!

I had not been familiar with Solutions but had looked around when I entered. I knew they had some cool stuff (including grill accessories), so I was all pumped up about $200 in shopping.

I am not a fast shopper at all, so I spent several hours looking at the items at Solutions. One of the first things that went on my list was a six foot table that folded to 3 foot. Oh yes. That sounded perfect for my outdoor parties. It would take a few weeks longer, and it was $5 extra on shipping. I pressed the button and hoped that it would be as great as I thought it would be.



Here's the folding table from the Solutions web site. I do need to snap a photo the next time we are set up in the yard.

First off, I would note that it is a very sturdy table and heavy. I can handle it (and it does have a carry handle when it's folded too), but it's not flimsy. That's good, because a table used outdoors gets pretty rough handling sometimes.

The table looks more white in the photo, but it's actually a gray color. It does not show dirt like I thought it might. Also it's some type of resin I think, so it wipes off better than the old church tables which seem to be some type of fake wood on top and do stain if you're not careful.

The best part, of course, is that that table folds in half. So, it's just three feet wide for storing. I find it fits behind a chair in the game room which is kind of a square type chair. It could go a number of places in my house with it only being 3 feet when folded, but it just really fits perfect behind the chair.

I was really excited with the table and the other items I got when I won the contest at Solutions.com. The other things I got were one of the garden hoses that curls so does not get kinked (and we have not kinked it yet), a long handled grill brush (nice quality and bristles do not fall out like some barbecue brushes), and a measuring cup thing where you pour in the pot licker like when you cook down a chicken and then the grease goes up and you can pour out broth that is healthier.

The one item that I wanted and why it took so long to decide was the brownie pan. It was made kind of like a maze so that the brownie pieces were all basically edge pieces. Now, you will only understand that if you are a brownie fan who loves the edges and especially the corner pieces. The pan was pretty expensive, and I had the other things on my list too. So, I had to decide what I most wanted. I know my homemade brownies would be super in this pan, but they are great in a regular pan as well.

That was my super fun splurge at Solutions.com. I'm sure glad I saw the contest and entered. Everything I got on the prize shopping trip was great and especially the barbecue table which will also be perfect for the Christmas morning brunch I host every year. We were getting really crowded on that as well, so a table will be just the thing for that as well as our outdoor fun.