 Pork Belly Throwdown @ Catalan
& Houston Chowhounds Battle Beans Potluck
FULL WRITE-UP of the event & winners posted here.
Houston Chronicle write-up: The lowdown on the Pork Belly Throwdown
Houston Press write-up: The Belly of the Beast
Monday August 17, 2009, 5 - 9 PM
Catalan Food & Wine 5555 Washington Ave, Houston 77007
Event Schedule 4 PM Doors open: Contestants arrive & Bar opens 5 PM PBTD commences 6 PM Beans Potluck Judging 7 PM Pork Belly Judging
9 PM Event ends
Event Information
The objective of this event is:
Be a part of the another exciting food event!
Local star chefs will be competing against each other to win the title of Pork Belly Throwdown Champion. The Fried Chicken Throwdown Champions, Randy Evans and Cody Vasek, will be present to defend their titles Whose pig product will reign supreme? Houston Chowhounds will also be putting their best frijoles forward in a Beans Potluck Throwdown. The Battle Beans competition will be judged by competing chefs in the PBTD.
Meet our Judges. The panel of six judges will be announced at a later date. However, the sixth judge will be a wild card.
The wild card judge will be chosen by whoever submits the best response to the question, “Why should I be a PBTD judge?” There is no word limit. Please send your entry to imneverfull@gmail.com by Friday, 7/17 at 5 pm. The winner will be announced on 7/20. No one leaves hungry. Chris Shepherd, our gracious event host, will be providing enough pork belly for all attendees to sample along with a couple sides. All pork belly competitors are expected to help feed the patrons too. Specific requirements are listed under “Guidelines for Pork Belly Contestants.”
In addition, after the Bean Potluck Judging is completed, leftovers will be put out buffet-style for the patrons. Several Houchies will also be bringing large side dishes and desserts to be enjoyed by everyone at the event. If you would like to bring a side dish or dessert, please email imneverfull@gmail.com.
No one leaves thirsty. The bar at Catalan will be operating with a limited drink menu during the event. Catalan’s staff will be slinging drinks on their day off work, so please tip them well. Tickets. A limited number of tickets will be available for sale online via Paypal on July 20th. Tickets will be $25 each with the remainer of proceeds benefitting the Charles V. Blanton Community Garden in the 1st Ward. Ticket information will be posted on the Houston Chowhounds Yahoo! Group.
Guidelines for Pork Belly Contestants
Rules of engagement. There will only be one category for contestants to compete in. Contestants can submit one dish only into competition which should contain some form of pork belly as the main ingredient. Additionally, only one chef/team per restaurant will be allowed in the competition.
Entries for judging. Contestants are required to prepare six individual plates or portions for each member of the judging panel. Contestants should also prepare a written description of their entry which will be read to the judging panel when the dish is presented. Contestants are also encouraged to bring their own dishware as presentation will be a factored into final scores.
Food for patrons. In addition, contestants will be expected to bring a pork dish for the patron buffet. The dish does not have to be made from pork belly per se, but it should be derived mainly from pork (i.e. ribs, sausage, pork tenderloin, etc.). Please bring enough for 40 portions. If your budget allows for it, we invite you to bring more or include a side dish. This food must be prepared off-site and brought to the event in serving dishes ready for consumption.
Kitchen priviledges. All contestants will have access to Catalan's fryers, stove top and ovens, however all ingredients needed must be brought to the event. Prep and cooking space is limited. Although contestants may arrive at the event with the final product, it is recommend that all finishing touches such as searing, broiling, and frying are done onsite. Please email cshepherd13@sbcglobal.net with any other questions regarding kitchen or cooking logistics.
Expenses. Each contestant will be given a $50 stipend toward food expenses. Contestants will receive this stipend in cash on the day of the event. Each contestant will also receive two free tickets to the event for team members, family, or friends. Please email imneverfull@gmail.com with the full names of your guests so they may be added to the guest list at the door.
Pork Belly Judging: The judging panel will be made up of six judges. Judging will begin at 7pm and all entries must be ready when judging commences.
Judging will be blind and a presenter will be presenting each dish to the panel of judges based on written descriptions prepared by each chef.
Judging criteria: Pork belly will be judged on the following:
How contestants will be selected: The champions and host of the previous throwdown will have automatic entries in the throwdown. The host of the throwdown is also guaranteed entry into the competition. The remaining contestants will be chosen by lottery. In addition, only one chef or chef team from each restaurant will be allowed to compete in each throwdown. Contestants will be announced on Mon, July 20th.
To register as a Pork Belly contestant, please email the following information to Jenny Wang at imneverfull@gmail.com by Fri, July 17th @ 5 pm.
Guidelines for Battle Beans contestants:
Battle Beans potluck contestants will be comprised of Houston Chowhound amateur chefs. Contestants must prepare their items off-site and may have access to Catalan’s kitchen for reheating purposes only. Entries must be ready at the time of judging which will be as early as 6pm.
Rules of engagement. All entries must contain beans as the main ingredient. Entries may be brought in pots, slow cookers, chafing dishes, or other serving dishes but if an electrical outlet is need, please bring an extension cord. Contestants should also bring their own serving utensils needed.
Expenses. Each contestant will receive a free ticket to the event and should not expect any other compensation for expenses.
Battle Beans Judging. Judging of beans will begin at 6pm. The judging panel will be comprised of all Pork Belly Throwdown contestants. Each contestant may prepare an index card already inscribed with their entry's name and description. This is optional.
Judging Criteria: All entries will be scored by the panel of judges on the following criteria:
To register as a Battle Beans contestant, please email the following information to Jenny Wang at imneverfull@gmail.com by 7/19.
To all contestants:
A book of Contestants’ recipes will be compiled, printed, and sold at the event with proceeds benefiting Recipe for Success. Please make every effort to email your recipe to Jenny Wang by Mon, Aug 10th.
Remember this contest is for fun, bragging rights and moreover to bring the food community together. Excellent food for excellent people.
Event Announcements:
Keep up with event announcements which will be posted to the bottom of this webpage.  To keep up with event news and discussions, follow Jenny Wang aka @imneverfull on Twitter.
Special thanks to Chris Shepherd & Catalan’s staff for hosting this event!
For more information about Catalan:
For more information about the Houston Chowhounds or to become a member:
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Pork Belly ThrowdownChefs and Judges Announcement
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