Let's get grilling

YAKIMA, Wash. -- It doesn't take much to make Brad McDowell happy. Give him a grill and a big ribeye steak, and he's set to go.

"If it were just up to me, I'd cook everything on the grill," says McDowell, president of Washington Beef and AB Foods in Toppenish. "Obviously, I'm in the business, I have the advantage of knowing my steaks."

Despite working around beef all day at the office, McDowell says he'd be happy to be out grilling steaks pretty much year round.

"My kids actually complained that we were eating too much steak," he says. "I don't feed them steak anymore."

Washington Beef is partnering with the Yakima Herald-Republic to sponsor The Golden Skewer Recipe contest. (For details on entering and contest rules, see sidebar).

McDowell says the contest is a natural fit for his business, because if you have a grill and a skewer, chances are you have beef, too. Washington Beef is used in many national barbecuing events, including by many contestants at The Skewered Apple BBQ Championship held in Yakima in September, McDowell says.

"We've really worked hard to develop and participate in the reputation of extraordinary food that comes out of this region," he says. "Many of our products are served at some of the finest restaurants around the nation and around the world."

That reputation is a part of a push in the past seven years to focus on improving the quality of local beef products and improve food safety and efficiency, McDowell says, including working with producers on nutrition and genetics to develop some of the best beef in the country.

And how does McDowell recommend you use that beef? Grill it, of course.

"If I can put some protein on the grill, I'll do it," he says.

And if you are planning on using beef in your entry for The Golden Skewer recipe contest, he has some tips.

For the best flavor, use any cut from the chuck area, which tends to have more flavor than cuts from the round, McDowell says.

"The flank is delicious," he says. "If you cut that up into cubes for a skewer and marinade that, it is a great piece of meat for a skewer."

You could also cut up a ribeye steak for use on a kebab, he says, which has a lot of great flavor.

"It's my personal bias, if it's not a ribeye, I will eat something out of the chuck," he says. "I love flank steak. It's got a good flavor, a lot of natural flavor. You don't have to season it to get a good barbecue flavor."

When you're cooking with beef, McDowell says to be creative. He likes to make traditional kabobs with beef, big mushrooms, maybe a little shrimp.

"More than anything, I experiment with different types of marinades that you can put on it. ... I like to use wood chips to add a little bit more smoke flavor to it. If I could cook Stovetop stuffing on the grill, I would.

"Everything tastes better if it's cooked on the grill."

How to enter and contest rules

If the sun is shining, there is no better place to be than outside with your friends, in front of the grill, sharing laughs and a meal.

And if years of carnivals and state fairs have taught us nothing, it's that all foods are more fun if they come on a stick.

It is in this spirt that the Yakima Herald-Republic and Washington Beef are sponsoring The Golden Skewer, a chance for our readers to show off their grilling skills by creating the best skewered meal in the Yakima Valley.

We want to combine all the greatest aspects of summer: Grilled food and stick food. And we want you to be involved.

Here's how the contest works: Now through Aug. 31, we want you to send in your best recipe for food-on-a-stick. Recipes will be accepted in three categories: Main dish, side dish and dessert. All entries must use the skewer in cooking or presentation. Main dishes must be grilled. Our Taste testing committee -- comprised of brave Herald-Republic employees willing to sacrifice their tummies for your benefit -- will select finalists for each category, cook the recipes and select winners.

Winners will be announced in the Taste section on Sept. 7 and receive an assortment of speciality beef products from Washington Beef. The main dish category winner will receive a prize valued at no less than $100 and side dish and dessert winners will receive prizes valued at no less than $50.

Entries will be judged on creativity, ease of replication and overall tastiness. No secret sauces, exotic ingredients or proprietary spice blends. All ingredients must be readily available in the Yakima Valley. All participants must live in the Herald-Republic's circulation area.

To enter, fill out our online entry form at www.yakimaherald.com/goldenskewer. You can also pick up an entry form at the front desk of the Yakima Herald-Republic, 114 N. Fourth St., Yakima. For information, call 509-577-7752 or email stranchell@yakimaherald.com.

You can follow the progress of the contest and get a sneak peek at recipe entries online on Appetite, the Herald-Republic's food blog. Check it out at yakimaherald.com/blogs/appetite, like us on Facebook, www.facebook.com/YHRAppetite or on follow the blog on Twitter at @YHR_Appetite.