Salt Lake Marine to compete in N.Y. in 'Command of Grill' contest

"Simple and subtle" are the grilling watchwords for Sgt. Michael Clawson of Salt Lake City.

He's one of 10 Marines who will compete at New York's Times Square tomorrow for "Command of the Grill," a national steak-cooking contest sponsored by Weber-Stephens Products. A reservist trained as a heavy machine gunner, Clawson has been in the Marine 12 years and is currently stationed at the Marine Corps Mobilization Command in Kansas City.

Finalists were culled from 10 grill-offs held at Marine Corps bases across the country last fall as part of a fund-raiser. Weber-Stephens Products (makers of gas and charcoal grills), compiled an 80-page cookbook of the competing steak recipes and recipes of famous former U.S. Marines called "Command of the Grill: A Salute to Steak." All proceeds from the $10 book will go to four charities that benefit Marines wounded or killed in the line of duty and/or their families. The book is sold at www.commandofthegrill.com or locally at Ace Hardware stores.

Clawson said he entered with few expectations of winning — after all, he was a "kid from Salt Lake" competing in Kansas City, a town known for barbecue. "I just showed up because all the contestants got a free grill."

In his recipe, Steak Fajitas with Rocky Mountain Rub, he tried to recreate the flavors of Utah's outdoors, where Clawson often hunted. He recalled that the elk often ate wild sage and rosemary growing on the hillside, and that those flavors come through subtly in the elk meat, he said.

Since contest rules didn't allow him to grill steaks from elk that he hunted and butchered himself, he decided to try to create the same rosemary-sage flavor in his beefsteak recipe. But he wanted to enhance, not overpower, the meat's flavor.

"People seem to be really into flavor overkill nowadays, but I think meat should taste like meat and not something else. I do a really basic spice rub."

Clawson advises those who might want to try their hand at grilling elk: "It cooks fast, and because it has a low fat content, it can dry out quickly. Grill it over low heat for a short amount of time."

He said he cooks at home, "but I don't really enjoy it. I do enjoy grilling steaks, though."