The winners of the rib division, Michael Guerrero and his son, with Marianas Variety President Amier C. Younis and Sales and Marketing Supervisor Hazel Sadian.
The winners of the steak division: Juan Ogarto, left, Jojo Ulloa, 2nd right, with Marianas Variety President Amier C. Younis and Sales and Marketing Supervisor Hazel Sadian.
TWO teams on Saturday proved they had the skills to thrill the grills, walking away as champions of the Budweiser King of the Grill barbecue competition on the fairgrounds of the Taste of the Marianas International Food Festival and Beer Garden at Garapan Fishing Base.
Juan Ogarto and his barbecue buddy Jojo Ulloa used “Mama Lyn’s Secret Recipe” dry rub en route to a victory in the steak portion of the competition. The rub was passed to Ogarto from a beloved family member, so he could not divulge its mystic qualities to the Variety.
“We’re Team ‘Turn It, Don’t Burn It,’ ” Ulloa said, of the pair’s cooking philosophy.
Ogarto and Ulloa used the power of “T” to grill their steaks atop a 55-gallon tångki using tangantangan as a fuel source.
The champion grillers said they’ve been grilling meats most of their lives.
“The manamko’ [used to] sit down, relax, open their beer and tell us to start the grill and cook the barbecue,” Ogarto said, reminiscing about the methods it took to produce his culinary skills.
The 1st runner-up prize for steak division went to Alex Standish and his father-in-law Donald Mendiola, with 2nd runner-up prizes going to brothers Byron and Brankief Castro.
In the ribs division, it was an early happy Father’s Day for Michael Guerrero and his 14-year-old son, as they whipped up an applewood-smoked, traditional American South rib recipe.
“My boy did a good job,” the older Guerrero said. “He helped me this morning and last night. He’s my griller at home.”
Suaad San Nicolas and Greg Esteves were the 1st runners-up for the ribs category while Standish and Mendiola proved their spice was so nice it should win twice, as they finished 2nd runner-up in the ribs division.
In total, eight teams went grill-to-grill for the bragging rights that come with being the Budweiser King (or Queen) of the Grill.
The other participants were Samson Tan of Chagi Norf Kitchen, who was a one-man-wrecking machine, operating a full-sized offset smoker, smaller portable grill, multiple cast iron skillets, and a gas burner.
Also competing were Sally Ramos and her grilling wingman Boy Barros.
Variety reporter Emmanuel “Arnold” Erediano likewise put his recipe on the line at the competition, managing to pull away from “grilling” legislators with questions on Capital Hill to grilling meat on an open flame with his daughter and wife in Garapan.
The steaks came courtesy of Joeten Wholesale. Competitors were given about two hours to grill Joeten’s top seller — New Zealand shoulder steak — and impress the crowd.
As a condition of the Budweiser King of the Grills steak category, competitors could only win after a popular vote. Attendees at the Taste of the Marianas paid for ballots that enabled them to sample all eight steaks. After tasting the best the competitors had to offer, attendees marked their ballots and handed them into organizers.
At the overall festival grounds, thousands of people were in attendance at various parts of the day, with the grilling competition starting at around 4 p.m. and ending around 7 p.m.
As for the baby back ribs, they were provided to the competitors by Triple J SuperFresh and Truckload Store. For the ribs division, three judges were on hand with the extremely difficult job of sampling the delicious entries.
“Everyone came out here and did their best,” said Cole Prichard, one of the ribs judges. “They showed the diversity of the Marianas. It’s very exciting. You get to taste all these styles of barbecue that came from everyone.”
Ken Tanzawa, who is a chef at Garapan Restaurant, said the competitors were “grill masters.”
“They all threw it down today,” Tanzawa said. “It was awesome. Great execution, great presentation, great flavors.”
For both divisions, cash and sponsor prizes were of equal amounts. Champions walked away with $300, 1st runners-up took home $200, and 2nd runners-up were awarded $100. Champion Michael Guerrero and his son also took home the special prize of a full-sized offset smoker for winning the ribs division, courtesy of Triple J.
The Budweiser King of the Grill competition was a collaboration brought to the public through Payless Superfresh & Truckload Store, the Marianas Visitors Authority, Marianas Variety, and Joeten Wholesale.
Michael Guerrero and son’s winning entry.
Michael Guerrero in grill action.
Juan Ogarto mans the grill.
