Our First Catering Job!

Right after we all returned from a fabulous vacation, we were hired for our first catering job.  A sweet couple contacted us to cater their rehearsal dinner.  Hunter has known this family for a very long time, and we were all very excited to cook for them!!  Here we are, less than a year of cooking together, and we have our first job!  The venue for the rehearsal dinner was perfect.  The couple held both the wedding and rehearsal dinner on their family's land.  It was so nice for us to meet new people, who were all very excited to eat our barbecue.

All four of us were amazed, watching all of the guests line up to get our food.  The whole situation just didn't seem real.  We were actually at our first catering job...and everyone LOVED the dinner we worked so hard to prepare.  We served both chopped and pulled barbecue, green beans, boiled potatoes, homemade banana pudding and pig pickin' cake.  

We were so busy the whole time, making sure everything was perfect...I didn't get many pictures!  Catering is no joke...it takes a lot of hard work and impeccable timing to ensure everything runs smoothly. We had the time of our lives, pulling pork off the grill and filling the guests' cups with sweet tea and lemonade.  All four of us have visions of what we would like to happen with "Two Guys and A Pig Barbecue," and it was amazing for us to accomplish one of our major goals.  

The rehearsal dinner was definitely a success and we couldn't be happier with the memories we have of this event!  We definitely express our gratitude to the bride and groom, and their families for hiring us to cook for such a special event.  We wish the couple a lifetime of happiness!

Two Guys & Their Wives on Vacation!!

At the end of September, we went on vacation for a week.  Thankfully, no pigs were involved...but that doesn't mean there weren't discussions about it!!  I guess that is what happens when the two guys share a similar love :)

We started the party at McKinley's in Clayton to celebrate my birthday!

Hunter and Ashley stayed at our house so we could get up early and hit the road.  We drove all day and stayed in Ft. Lauderdale for the evening.  It was late and we didn't get to the beach.  So we hit the bed early to makes sure we got to the port on time.  We were going to Mexico!!

Our cruise lasted for five days and stopped in Cozumel for the day.  We had lots of sun, sand and relaxation during that time.  We rented a Jeep in Cozumel and took a tour of the island.  Afterwards, we had an authentic Mexican lunch at Pancho's Backyard.  The food was fabulous and puts Mexican here in the US to shame.  We started to shop, but got distracted by Fat Tuesday's.  We ended up hanging out and dancing there for a few hours.  It was definitely an unforgettable afternoon!

We got all dressed up for formal night, sat by the pool and enjoyed the scenery and ate lots of wonderful food!

We definitely had a blast on the ship!  It was the perfect vacation, and I wouldn't change one thing!! 

On our way home, we split the drive up by stopping in Savannah for the evening.  We enjoyed great food on the water and the amazing sunset.  Savannah is one of my favorite cities, so I was thrilled to have the opportunity to visit...even if it was for a few hours! 

I can't say enough wonderful things about this vacation.  We had never taken a vacation with another couple, but I would say it was definitely a success!  The boys went and played during the day while Ashley and I hung out at the pool.  We took naps in the afternoons and stayed out late dancing in the evenings.  

We had the time of our lives!!

We had lots of pig events in October and November, so it was perfect timing for a vacation!  Our first catering job was coming up and two more competitions to go until our "season" was over.  So glad we rested up!

The best thing about cooking....

The best thing about cooking, is watching people lined up to eat and enjoy the hard work and time you put into preparing such a fabulous meal.  A few weeks ago, Hunter's mom had a 4th of July party at her house.  Of course, there was a pig, but even better was the pool.  There is nothing more refreshing than jumping in the pool to cool down from the summer heat.  So between the pig, pool and a crowd...it was a perfect scenario for a July 4th party!

Hunter's mother cooked many of the sides.  I tried out a new recipe for baked beans....and from the looks at how quickly they were eaten, I think they were a hit!

For this event, we cooked a little pig weighing in at only 75 pounds.  I really think the more pigs we cook, each one tastes better than the last.

Where have we been?!?

So I slacked off in writing on our blog...I guess a new job will do that to you!  Lately, we have been just hanging out and trying to stay cool.  A few weekends ago we cooked a shoulder and enjoyed an evening together.  The shoulder was cooked perfectly!  Here are some pictures to prove it.

We had a blast just hanging out and eating a delicious dinner.  Hunter's coworker joined us for the festivities.  You never know what is going to happen when all four of us get together.  The evening started with a water balloon fight-the girls ambushing the boys.  They had no idea what was coming...but yet they didn't run from us like we wanted them to.  They just stood there, testing out our lack of aim and laughed at Ashley and I.  They did try to retaliate later on in the evening, but we out smarted them again...the rest of the balloons were safely tucked away in Hunter's bathroom drawer.  DJ and Hunter were never able to find them!

DJ and Hunter set up the tent to get more practice taking it up and down.  A thunderstorm came through and everyone stayed dry while the pig cooked.  The ferocious wind almost got the tent, but thankfully Hunter and DJ saved the day!!  Once the weather cleared up, we resumed our game of cornhole and the guys started enjoying the PJ (party juice) that they had made that morning.

The night ended with Slip-N-Slide in the backyard.  The neighbors must have been entertained,  I am sure you could hear the screams and laughter around the block.  Who would have thought five adults could have the best time on a toy for a 7 year old.  We had no bathing suits...we were just sliding down in our regular clothes, thanks to Dawn detergent!  We all had the time of our lives.  Unfortunately, there are no pictures of this event, I attempted but not one of them turned out.  Next time we will just have to do it during the daylight hours, so everyone can see how much better Slip-N-Slide is as an adult.  That is until someone looses their wedding ring in the grass.  We did have a brief pause in the party, when Hunter's ring flew off his finger.  But no worries, he found it the next morning and it is safely back in place!!

And until next time....meet our babies that had a blast this day, running and playing in the back yard!!

Kaine

Samantha

Mollie

Next post will be about all about catering and our new ideas!!  

The 2nd Competition: Kinston: Saturday

Saturday morning was filled with the usual nervous jitters of how our pig turned out.  The day was not filled with last minute running around like the last competition, but we were all way more nervous time around.  Our pig was just sooo big!  At the first competition, DJ and Ashley both cut their fingers.  I cut my finger on the way to Kinston.  So Hunter was warned, your turn is next so just be prepared for something to happen to your finger and be extra careful!!  Sure enough, when the pig was flipped, Hunter burned his finger and wound up with a huge blister.  Hopefully, now that we have all had injuries we are in the clear for a while.

As the judges were making their way around the tents, we knew our pig was not the best one we had ever cooked.  We had little hope that we placed, but you never know...there is always that chance.  The judges were pleasant, and our favorite judge was there this time too.  We had the cake waiting since he loved it so much in Newport.  I am sure he remembered us once we saw our cake!  One of the things that was different about this competition, was you could not wear or display anything with your logo.  So Hunter and DJ changed shirts before the judges arrived.  Once the judging was over, we were able to try our pig.  Hunter then cut his finger (what did I say about the curse!) on the skin of the pig.  This was not a good sign at all, that the skin was that hard.  The meat was delicious and moist but the skin was far from perfect.  We were all so frustrated with the way that it turned out and the fact that even the judges noticed our pig was huge and fat.  

We knew from the beginning, those two factors would come into play when the pig was finished.  Beyond that frustration, we knew that it was something that couldn't be controlled or changed.  So in the end, we just looked at this competition as a learning experience and sucked up our pride.  DJ and Hunter chopped barbecue like crazy until the there was nothing left to chop.  My family arrived in time for the competition and it was great to have people supporting us there.  We enjoyed the company while we waited for the awards ceremony.  The awards ceremony came and went with no awards being given to our team.  It was more of a blow to the ego than anything, after doing so well in Newport.  But we did have a feeling that we would not recieve a trophy...so at least we weren't completely devastated.  There were only four places given out per category of pig cooker. There were two categories, back yard and professional.  Two Guys & A Pig were ranked professional since we have placed at another competition.  We ended up placing 20th out of 62 teams.

So we all agreed that Kinston was definitely a learning experience for all of us.  We had a great time which is most important.  We also learn something new after every pig we cook, so we learned a few more things that we are going to try for the next competition.  We now have a packing checklist for the competitions so we don't forget all the things necessary for the weekend.  We sure have accumlated alot of things in the past two competitions, but I think we are set for the next one! 

The 2nd Competition: Kinston: Friday Night

So here we go, the Kinston Competition.  There is so much to say about this past weekend.  DJ and Hunter arrived in Kinston on Friday afternoon and set everything up.  Then the rain started, our tent leaked and the boys were soaking wet.  Not a good way to start out the weekend.  DJ ran to Goldsboro to get a new tent (one that they wanted anyway).  The new tent is definitely the "Cadillac" of tents.  When I asked DJ and Hunter why they didn't just sit in the car until the rain passed so they didn't have to get so wet, they both looked at me with this innocent look and you could tell what they were thinking.  They hadn't thought of that...but it was a great reason to get a new tent now instead of waiting until the next event to get one!!  The other cooks around us helped put up our new tent.  At that moment, cooks helping cooks, we knew that Kinston would be so different than Newport.  In Newport, everyone kept to themselves for the most part.  We did meet a few of the other teams, but not many. Kinston was a whole different story.  Everyone was friendly and going from tent to tent chatting with everyone.  It was definitely one big party on Friday night!  There was a huge fireworks display and the Embers played beach music.  Despite the rough start and the muddy mess around us, we were having a great time meeting new people! Unfortunately, that was the best thing I have to write about Kinston….meeting people and having a great time.  The pig was a TOTALLY different story.

 Our Pig, Ricky Bobby, was one HUGE pig, weighing in at a whopping 142 pounds. For those who know little about pig cooking, the “perfect” pig is between 100 and 125 pounds.  When Ashley and I walked up to the tent Friday night, the boys were not happy to say the least.  But they made the best of it.  Hunter’s dad was there throughout the whole competition and he helped Hunter and DJ get the pig ready to go on the grill.  There was no waiting around this time.  We had to get that pig on the grill fast, so it would have enough time to cook.  I don’t know everything that is involved in getting the pig ready….all I know is Ricky Bobby got one big slap on the butt before the cooker was closed.  We would not see our pig again until the next morning.  No Peeking!!

The night was filled with lots of laughter and storytelling.  As usual, we had the time of our lives just sitting and enjoying each others company.  There was a “local celebrity” cook team at this competition.  They have a TV show on the Discovery Channel called Swamp Loggers and man was their cooker nice!  It was neat to walk around to the different tents to see people’s cookers and their décor.  As always, we got lots of ideas for the next competition. 

We all got about the same amount of sleep….three hours or less…which has become normal for all of us on a competition weekend.   Check back tomorrow to read about the rest of the competition and how we did!!