This article is from page 18 of the 2007-10-23 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 18 JPG
CRATLOE man Eamon Dillon is hoping that his goose will be cooked on Saturday October 27.
But far from that being a peculiar anticipation of his downfall, Eamon and his fellow members the Wild Geese Barbecue Team will be cook- ing a goose as they represent Ireland at the World Barbecue Champion- ship in Tennessee.
Lynchburg, a sleepy backwater and home of the famous whiskey, will provide the backdrop for the Jack Daniels World Barbecue Competi- tion where over 10,000 spectators will flock to watch 65 international teams pit their culinary skills against each other. Team entry is by invita- tion only and competitors are re- quired to have won a recognised state or national championship. The Irish team comprises of Tara Harti- gan, Gerry Dillon, Patrick O’ Sulli- van (Capt.) and Eamon Dillon.
The Wild Geese Barbecue Team was formed in Limerick in 1999. From the outset the team has com- peted at the highest levels in Ger- many, Switzerland and the United States. Following their success at the World Barbecue competition in 2001, and again in 2003, the Irish BBQ Association was established to promote best cooking practice and from this, the genesis of Limerick’s highly successful annual Riverfeast International BBQ event.
Each team is required to cook a
whole pork shoulder, two racks of ribs, a chicken and a whole beef bris- ket. The meats chosen are specifi- cally designed to test the skills and expertise of the most avid BBQ en- thusiast and can take between 5 and 10 hours to cook and prepare.
Every cook knows how difficult it 1s to cook a goose even in a convention- al oven as the bird spits gallons of fat under heat making it a very volatile choice for the barbie.
“IT have roasted 20Ib turkeys in the past but a goose 1s different” said Ea- mon. “Unless you are very careful, the fat will drip on to the hot coals and the whole thing will spontane-
ously combust, transforming the goose into a phoenix.”
The Irish goose will be stuffed with traditional Irish garden vegetables, walnuts and berries which have been soaked overnight in local Bunratty mead. The team of experienced bar- becue chefs has been in training for several months to cook their goose just right.