One of the country's most popular summer acts, Jimmy Buffett, has just wrapped up this year's edition in his endless search for that lost shaker of salt.  Even if you're not a fan of Buffett's music, his concerts are a sight to behold, especially for the BBQ connoisseur.

Often the parking lots of the concert venues where Buffett plays blossom into full-on tailagating parties well before happy hour.  Fans haul in plastic wading pools, shark hats, coconut bras, and, yes, generators solely to power their grills.  (The fact that this also enables the operation of a blender has not escaped us.)  So if you're in the mood to low and slow it with free entertainment in the form of a vanful of college kids in Hawaiian shirts shrieking down a Slip-and-Slide.  Fun for all.

Anyone for Wild Turkey?

Not the liquid form--we're all for that-- the walking-around-kind.  If you're looking for a little bit of variety on the grill, try exotic meats.  For some friends and family, deer and venison qualifies as "exotic", but for the truly daring, try yak, rattlesnake, llama, or-- my personal favorite--frog.  Online retailers offer all these and more (alligator!  Snapping turtle!  Pigeon!) 

Exotic meats often an unparalleled date-asking opportunity; I pity the woman not intrigued by barbecued  crocodile.  And generally they offer earthy, more concentrated flavors, not to mention a welcome absence of fat and abundance of protein.

The drawback?... It's yak.

Here are some more great pictures from BelAir. Next up for The BBQ Guru team is The New Holland SummerFest on Friday and Saturday, August 24 and 25, 2007. The New Holland Summer Fest is sponsored by Meadow Creek BBQ. They make some great cookers and The BBQ Guru makes an adapter door especially made for Meadow Creek Cookers.

Final results from The Maryland BBQ Bash. Congratulations to The BBQ Guru Cook-Off team for a first in Brisket, second in Beef Ribs (not included below) and sixth place overall finish!

Overall (out of 51 teams) 1. Jack's Down Home (GC) 2. Cool Smoke (RGC) 3. Woodchicks 4. Organgedale Smokers 5. Taste-liss Cookers 6. The BBQ Guru 7. Dixie Bones BBQ 8. Freestate Smokers 9. Hess Meats 10. Dizzy Pigs 11. Free Range BBQ (could'nt resist posting to 11 on this one!)

Chicken 1. Jack's Down Home 2. Patapsko Valley Smokers 3. Cool Smoke 4. Pork and Deans 5. Woodchicks 6. War Pigs 7. The BBQ Guru 8. Bad Boyz BBQ 9. Swine Done Fine 10. Dixie Bones BBQ

Ribs 1. Taste-liss Cookers 2. Jack's Down Home 3. Smokey Bottom Boys 4. Rib N It 5. Orangedale Smokers 6. The DCFD BBQ Team 7. Freestate Smokers 8. Woodchicks 9. Patapsco Valley Smokers 10. Dizzy Pigs

Pork 1. Orangedale Smokers 2. Learn2q.com 3. Woodchicks 4. Taste-liss Cookers 5. Cool Smoke 6. 3 Eyes BBQ 7. Free Range BBQ 8. Dixie Bones BBQ 9. Big Daddy's Appajala BBQ 10. Freestate Smokers

Brisket 1. The BBQ Guru 2. Cool Smoke 3. Hess Meats 4. Jack's Down Home 5. Just Smokin Around 6. Dixie Bones BBQ 7. Freestate Smokers 8. Taste-liss Smokers 9. B-N-BBQ 10. Who Are Those Guys?

The BBQ Guru Cook-off team in action on Friday at the Maryland BBQ Bash. More details tomorrow!