The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin resort will celebrate independence with a family-oriented, all-American Stars and Stripes Celebration!

Imagine old-fashioned fun with a live band and carnival-like games as chefs create your family’s barbecue meal in the outdoor Fantasia Gardens Pavilion on Saturday, July 2, 2011 from 3:00 – 8:00 pm.

Summertime Senses

Luckily, we got the chance to speak with Chef Robert Ciborowski (a.k.a. Chef Cib), the Executive Chef at WDW Swan and Dolphin, about the menu for the event!

It always amazes me how well the chefs at the Swan and Dolphin know both their craft and their audience, and Chef Cib clearly holds the reigns on creating that culture at the resorts! Check out these details on the food…

What’s the first sense that comes to mind at a barbecue? Smell! According to Chef Cib, “we tried to use that sense as the focal point of what we’re doing.”

To capitalize on this summertime sense of barbecue, the menu will feature all-beef hot dogs, hamburgers, pulled pork and traditional BBQ chicken, as well as some incredible side dishes and desserts that are sure to make your mouth water!

BBQ Chicken:
Chef Ciborowski elaborated on using the “eight-way” chicken for this dish, which is marinated overnight and lacquered in St. Louis-style BBQ sauce.

The whole, bone-in chicken is continuously basted while grilling — the molasses in the sauce creates a beautiful caramelization. This barbecue technique “keeps the meat from drying out and imparts flavor,” says the Chef.

Pulled Pork:
Chef Cib’s Smoke Shop is a fun Barbecue event offered during the summer for hotel guests and will be part of the July 2 barbecue as well!

Using an industrial-sized smoker, the event will feature a traditional Carolina-style pulled pork. (In the style of Cooper’s Barbecue in Raleigh, the sauce includes white vinegar, brown sugar, chile pepper, and jalepeno.)

The organic pork shoulders will be basted with a rub made of beer, butter, onion, garlic, black pepper, and cumin. After marinating for 24 hours, the rub will form a casing on the shoulder. Chef Ciborowski says this “seals the outside, but imparts the flavor.”

The shoulders will smoke at 185-224 degrees for 8-12 hours, then be shredded so that guests can create their own Carolina-style pulled pork sandwiches at the barbecue!

Side Dishes:
Feast on side dishes including pickled veggies, traditional homemade coleslaw and potato salad, fresh watermelon, traditional corn bread and buttermilk biscuits (using shortening to give them an airy texture), and baked beans with molasses!

Mac and Cheese Station:
How does Chef Ciborowski make Super mac and cheese? “Most people make macaroni and cheese with a milk-based cheese sauce — whole milk brought to a simmer, then velveeta whisked in. We make ours from a roux”.

Using equal parts butter and flour, the Chef will whisk the cooled roux into the milk to make Bechamel sauce. He’ll add Gouda, white cheddar, and sharp yellow cheddar to complete the sauce.

At the Mac and Cheese station, guests can take the opportunity to add the ingredients that they like: bacon, fresh English peas, and/or caramelized onions.

Desserts:
Guests will savor pineapple upside down cake, pecan pie, cherry pie, and mini apple pies (“which hold ice cream better,” says Chef Cib!). A sno cone machine will be the provide the perfect summertime treat for the kids!

Introducing: Nitro Popcorn!
Chef Cib has created a new dessert for this event — Nitro Popcorn! “I love popcorn, but you don’t want something hot in the middle of the summer,” the Chef says.

To make this dessert, fresh popcorn is combined with honey roasted peanuts, caramel shards (ground in a coffee grinder), and sea salt. But here’s the fun part: whipped cream and other ingredients are combined to make a caramel mousse. This mousse is flash-frozen in liquid nitrogen, then broken into tiny pieces and mixed with the popcorn, peanuts, and caramel shards! Chef Ciborowski says this “creates a cold popcorn snack, but the mousse melts quickly in your mouth!”

Stars & Stripes Celebration at Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotel: MyFoxORLANDO.com

Sounds like fun? Here are the details!

Tickets

Kids ages 3-9 $25
Adults $45
Purchase tickets for the event online. Guests of the WDW Swan and Dolphin resort as well as the general public are welcome. Tickets will also be offered the day of the Celebration.

Packages
Call 888-828-8850 for information on special, all-inclusive, hotel packages available for this event.

Take on the pie-eating contest or water balloon toss before stepping up to win prizes at classic carnival games such as Skee Ball, Bean Bag Toss, Ring Toss and more!

There’s no additional cost to enjoy the live band, face painters, caricaturists, temporary airbrush tattoos and more interactive entertainment.

A cash bar with wine, beer buckets and specialty cocktails will be available.