Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast

There's no question that team participation in BBQ competitions has been trending downward in recent years. There are no magical solutions as various factor come into play, with economics probably No. 1. On Episode 361 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, we take a stab at examining - from a contest organizer's point of view - what makes for a good comp, a not-so-good comp and all points in between with long-time organizer Carl McBee. We hope our listeners will add to the conversation in the comments section, though transparent and frequent communication along with bang-for-your-buck prize funds certainly seem to...

Episode 360 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast takes us to northeast Arkansas for a visit with one of the USA's most-respected, across-the-board pit masters. John Lindsey spent time on the KCBS circuit as All Q'ued Up BBQ before becoming a champion on the Steak Cookout Association for several years. He's opened a catering business in recent years that has been a hit and now is venturing more into content creation on Facebook, Youtube and Instagram as John Lindsey Delta Pitmaster with his twist on southern cooking. It's great to catch up with John, who has some interesting thoughts on...

Mat Bonville hasn't been doing competition BBQ for long, but the pitmaster of Phantom Smoke & BBQ from Kipling, Saskatchewan had a memorable cook at one of the world's foremost contests a couple of weeks ago. Bonville scored a whopping 707.97 at the KCBS World Invitational in Lebanon, Tennessee - roughly a 24-drive from home - to earn Reserve Grand honors and qualify for next spring's BBQ World Cup. On Episode 359 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, Bonville tells us about his journey, what it was like hearing his name alongside some of the world's best and what's ahead for his...

Living six hours apart as competition teammates can be a challenge. But brothers Joe and Jeff Rouse have been able to overcome the geographic challenge to become one of the nation's top KCBS Backyard teams in recent years and, this year, are making waves in the four-meat Masters series as well. On Episode 358 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast we go "Under the Radar" to find out more about Joe (from New Jersey) and Jeff (Massachusetts) and how they're consistently bringing home trophies as Rough Cut Q - including a recent Reserve Grand Championship to a KCBS Hall of...

Episode 357 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast brings back our popular "Under the Radar" segment where we find out more about up-and-coming competition teams. Jordan Williams and Richard Smith comprise BBQ Pit Bros out of Des Moines, Iowa. They began cooking KCBS backyard comps in 2021 and, after multiple Grand Championships and Reserves, the team has taken the plunge into the KCBS 4-Meat Masters Series in 2026. Jordan and Richard talk about the journey and how their contrasting personalities keep the team in balance.

We also talk about the growing popularity of high school BBQ with Chuck Simpson, head...

A few days after making history at one of the world's biggest BBQ competitions, Heath Riles joins us on Episode 356 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast to discuss his repeat Grand Championship at Memphis in May. It was the first time in 42 years that anyone has repeated their World Championship at Memphis in May and Heath breaks down what the accomplishment means to him and his Heath Riles BBQ brand and describes the work ethic that went into preparing for his favorite competition. 

We also welcome back our friend Kevin Green of The Butcher Shoppe in Pensacola, s...

North Dakota is not the warmest open-fire cooking climate in the country, but Nick and Shannon Holman are doing their best to put the Minot, N.D. team Burnt Trees BBQ on the competition map. The husband-wife duo last week came away from the 77-team Minnesota in May with a Grand Championship, their fourth in 50 career KCBS competitions. Consistency is a key for the couple, who have turned countless highway miles on the BBQ trail into quality time. The Holmans talk about they've been able to achieve success on Episode 355 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ podcast, also telling the...

Memphis in May is just one week away and on Episode 354 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, we talk it over with one of the top contenders to take home the big trophy. Tim Scheer, whose Blues Hog team captured Whole Hog and overall Grand Championship honors in 2022, gives us a preview of the preparations. Those include the final days of feeding the three hogs that he raised on his east-central Missouri Marble Ridge Farm ahead of processing and and prepping the three 250-pound porkers for a date with one of his three Gateway mega-drums. Tim's segment begins at...

After lots of anticipation and patience, it's official. The American Royal World Series of BBQ has new dates (Oct. 1-4) and a new home (the under construction American Royal Association complex in Kansas City, Kansas). On Episode 353 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, we visit with American Royal Association CEO Pat Macy about the move and what went into bringing the event to its new complex which is not far from the old one, at Kansas Speedway. 

We also talk high school BBQ's growing popularity as a team sport with Doug Kerr, a teacher at Iola High S...

On Episode 352 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, we talk it over with two big winners from last weekend. First up is the story of fast-rising High on the Hog BBQ out of St. Louis, which won its first KCBS GC in Edina, Missouri, in just its sixth KCBS competition. Shawn Campbell and Rich Alexander reveal how they've been able to achieve big-tie success in just their second full-time season. The segment beings at the 9:02 mark. 

We then take a trip to central Texas to hear from Matthew Frazier and Justin Payne of Smokin' Aces BBQ after t...

The guys from Blind Fox BBQ haven't been doing competition cooking for long, but it's clear they rise to the occasion in big contests. Two years after finishing sixth at their first American Royal World Series of BBQ Open (444 teams) Joe Rickfels and Adam Burch won their first Grand Championship at last weekend's 103-team Smoke in the Spring in Osage City, Kansas. Not only was it the first GC, it gave the guys a ticket into the American Royal Invitational and an auto bid into the inaugural BBQ World Cup next spring in Las Vegas. On Episode 351 of the...

There are many tremendous cooks in the Backyard Division of the KCBS who often are overlooked in a competition world in which the Masters division gets most of the attention for master all four meats. On Episode 350 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast we talk it over with one of the best in the two-meat (chicken and ribs) division and that's Bill Toth whose Dawg's BBQ out of Minneapolis, Minn., is coming off a rare 180/180 for a perfect 360 total at the Iowa State BBQ Championships in Altoona. Bill gives the backstory on how he and wife Shelly got started...

Everywhere Paul Russell goes in competition BBQ from his home base in Conway, Arkansas, he consistently gets the question about his team's unique name. But Kermit's Ex BBQ is more than a neat name and logo, it's also a consistent contender on the KCBS circuit. On Episode 349 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, we visit with Paul about his latest success, a Grand Championship at the Kickin' It On Route 66 BBQ Challenge in St. Robert, Mo., plus his upward trend to become a serious contender anywhere he competes. 

We also check in with Skyler Spartan from The G...

Think you need a fancy toy hauler or trailer to succeed in competition BBQ? To that, we present Drew Davis, the king of canopy cooking. On Episode 348 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, Davis and his simple approach with Razorracks BBQ proved again last weekend - winning the 125-team KCBS Smoke on the Shores in Lebanon, Tenn., that less can be more. Drew, one of the nation's best comp cooks for more than a decade, talks about his approach to success and why Smoke on the Shores was a special win to him.

We also talk it...

It's fun to talk it over with one of America's top up-and-coming competition pit masters on Episode 347 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast. Chase Muninger of Munny's Stove BBQ in Wichita, Kansas, has won five KCBS Grand Championships since 2024 with his latest in a stacked 37-team field at Boots, Brews & BBQ in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Chase talks about his background in barbecue and how the competitive nature of it appeals to him. A member of the Kansas Air National Guard, Chase said he uses a "hybrid" cooking style with different kinds of smokers to achieve his success and explains how...

It's fitting that on Episode 346 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast - our 500th show when combined with three years on local radio - that our long-time friend Brad Leighninger joins us. Brad came on the show often in 2016 when we started the show and those who follow competition BBQ will enjoy the various topics that he touches on, including thoughts on the current state of KCBS and its leadership, plus what drives him to seed a fifth Team of the Year championship. We also get Brad's thoughts on his upcoming induction into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame. 

We've met J.P. Parran on the competition circuit and he's truly one of the most enthusiastic people out there, guaranteed to bring a smile to all and some great BBQ to the judges. On Episode 345 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, JP stops by to talk about his BBQ journey and how he and wife Colleen, who form Bourbon and Blues BBQ out of Wilmington, N.C., have made a successful leap from the KCBS two-met backyard series to the four-meat Masters. It's particularly timely as Bourbon and Blues is coming off back-to-back Reserve Grand Championships on the...

On Episode 344 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, we take a trip to Texas to learn about up-and-coming team Smokin' Aces BBQ. Led by friends Matthew Frazier and Justin Payne, Smokin' Aces is fresh off a Champions BBQ Alliance Grand Championship in Giddings, Texas, boosting the team to second in the early season CBA points chase. Matthew and Justin break down how they got started competing and how they've meshed into one to be reckoned with.

We also welcome Joel Fleetwood back to the show for his monthly Meat Rushmore BBQ appearance. With the World Cup coming...

As the 2026 competition season gets rolling, a team to watch is Can Country Outlaw led by Jason Halterman. After a breakthrough 2025 season, which saw Can Country Outlaw win three KCBS Grand Championships plus a first-place 180 brisket at the American Royal World Series of BBQ Invitational, Jason is looking for even bigger things in 2026. On episode 343 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, we visit with Jason about his BBQ career and the key elements in making huge strides last season with 20 top-10 overall finishes in 30 events. Jason also reveals a lofty goal that he would like to become the first...

Call this one the bonus show! Unplanned, but here we are! Episode 341 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast is our annual Super Bowl preview edition, from both football and foot angles. Representing the Seattle Seahawks out of the Pacific Northwest is Seattle Food Truck owner Jason Hester, Rolling Smoke BBQ & Co. Jason gives his game breakdown and offers up some Seattle-themed food ideas for game day in your backyard, along with a breakdown of his BBQ background. Then we're off to Boston to chat with 2026 KCBS Hall of Fame Bill Gillespie of Smokin' Hoggz BBQ after another banner 2025 season...

Episode 340 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast features Chris Salsberry, whose Fred Vegas Smokers captured the Grand Championship at last weekend's 63-team Lakeland Pig Festival. That earned Chris an auto bid into the inaugural BBQ World Cup in 2027, an event that he says is getting people excited in the competition world. We learn about the origin of the name Fred Vegas Smokers while Chris takes us through his background in the competition world, ranging back to the early days in 2012.

It's also time for our monthly trip to the Grill Guys of Missouri for the latest from...

On Episode 339 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, we welcome our friend Richard Fergola back to the show. The pitmaster of Fergolicious BBQ already has had an eventful 2026 with a vacation to Kenya before teaching a full-on competition BBQ class in Louisville. Now "Fergie" is off for a 10-day BBQ excursion to Costa Rica and Panama. There's never a dull moment when Fergie is around and he also breaks some news of two new Richard Fergola BBQ sauces that are nearing release. 

Joining the show for the first time is Mitch Heath of new show partner Lovely J...

Season 8 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast begins and we're thrilled to be back, looking to bring open-fire cooking knowledge to our listeners. That's best done by having great guests and we kick off the new year with two of the best. Leading off Episode 338 is Bill Purvis of Chicken Fried BBQ, who's not only a world champion but one of the best content producers around. We visit with Bill about his 2025 season, the year ahead and  his line of rubs and sauces, which continue to grow. 

We also talk it over with Joel Fleetwood of Meat Ru...

While we're on a holiday break before starting Season 8 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, it's a special edition with two of our most-listened-to guests from 2025. First up is Brad Leighninger of Gettin' Basted with a recap of his runner-up finish on the Food Network show BBQ Brawl. The July conversation also touches on Brad's in-progress run to an unprecedented 4th KCBS Team of the Year title …

A few weeks later, the #GOAT of Q joined us. Darren Warth from Iowa Smokey D's showed in 2025 that he was reinvigorated about competition BBQ and we talked to him sh...

We wrap up Season 7 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast with champion guests from from far north and south of the competition spectrum. First up at the 8:30 mark on Episode 336 of the show is Janice Smella, head cook of SmellaQue out of Calgary, Alberta. Smellaque recently was crowned Team of the Year in the Canadian BBQ Society for the fifth time. Janice reviews her 11-year history in competition BBQ and some of the travels that have taken her family team tens of thousands of miles over the years to enjoy the BBQ lifestyle.

Then it's a trip...

Not to toot our own horn, but the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast has a pretty good track record when spotting upcoming talent in our "Under the Radar" segment. This week's featured guest, Dan Wright of Take it Easy BBQ, is the latest example. Since appearing on the show in March, Dan posted his first two KCBS Grand Championships, 11 top 10 overall finishes and a sixth-place in the KCBS Chicken Team of the Year standings. Dan rejoins the show to discuss his BBQ journey this week on Episode 335. 

We also talk it over with Charlie Wallace from the Grill G...

On Episode 334 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, we visit with the husband-wife due of Dave and Shirin Mara of Meat Candy Q out of San Diego. It was a banner 2025 season as Meat Candy Q won California BBQ Association Team of the Year honors for the third time in four years and also wound up seventh in the KCBS Team of the Year standings. They had a remarkable stretch of 15 consecutive top-10 finishes during the season and talk about the keys to consistency and how they deal with extensive travel that competition BBQ often requires. 

We a...

Before getting to the preview of Episode 333 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, we send wishes for a "Happy Thanksgiving" to all. May your feast be plentiful and your family time blessed, not only on Turkey Day but every day as we head down the home stretch of 2025.

Leading off the guest lineup this week is Chase Willard, pitmaster of Squealin' N Dealin' BBQ out of Independence, Missouri. Chase and team had a breakout season, with three Grand Championships and three RGCs in 19 KCBS events, finishing 21st in the Team of the Year standings. Chase - a...

The 2025 competition BBQ season was another great one for Bill Heyen and wife Andrea of Triple H BBQ from Gillespie, Illinois. But beyond three grand championships and four RGCs, with a scoring average a fraction under 700, Bill uses the word "blessed" to describe a season that concluded with a Grand Championship at last weekend's Atlanta BBQ Store Classic. Bill battled back from a tumor near his liver that led to several rounds of chemotherapy during the summer and fall and is feeling great headed into the offseason - a victory bigger than any achieved on his Gateway Drum Smokers...

We came, we cooked, we survived. On Episode 331 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, it's a review of the 45th American Royal World Series of BBQ where conditions were challenging for Sunday's 401-team Open. The Tailgate Guys team didn't come away with any coveted ribbons, as we had done in three of our four previous visits to the world's largest BBQ competition, but we had a respectable showing in our fifth and final Royal with a 98th place, putting us in the top 25 percent overall. Our food was good. Memories were made.

While we'll never win The...

With Thanksgiving knocking on the door, it's time to plan a menu and possibly incorporate the grill or smoker to make the big feast even better. On Episode 330 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, award-winning pitmaster, judge and BBQ promoter Christie Vanover of Girls Can Grill offers some ideas from her book: "Holiday Grilling: 111 Recipes to Celebrate the Season." Christie also reviews her BBQ year, which has inducted some top-10 competition finishes and judging at the Jack Daniels World Invitational. Check out her tremendous website girlscangrill.com for all sorts of info.

Skyler Spartan from Grill Guys...

Episode 329 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast is our 45th American Royal World Series of BBQ preview. First up is a conversation, beginning at the 6:30 mark, with American Royal BBQ Manager Kayci Vincent and director of communications Allyssa King about what teams and spectators can expect from the world's largest BBQ competition. The fun is set for Nov. 6-9 at Kansas Speedway. Then we bring back our roundtable of first-time American Royal competitors with a trio of pit masters - Kurt Brauner from Rack City BBQ out of Las Vegas; Dan Wright of Take it Easy BBQ from St...

When you talk about consistent excellence in competition BBQ, few teams stand out over the last decade more than Rooters-N-Tooters from Tennessee. On Episode 328 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, we talk it over with Paul Keltner about Rooters-N-Tooters sustained success, which includes three KCBS Grand Championships in 2025 - including last weekend's Royal Oak Invitational - plus overall top-10s in 23 of 25 competitions this season. Paul touches on what he thinks has contributed to the consistency and previews a busy home stretch of the season ahead.

We also check in with Skyler Spartan from the Grill Guys...

Since the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast began a decade ago, one of our mantras has been "we talk to champions." Episode 327 features the latest BBQ world champion. It's Ryan King of Kings BBQ out of Jacksonville, Florida, the Grand Champion at last weekend's Jack Daniels World Invitational in Lynchburg, Tenn. Beginning at the 10:22 mark, Ryan tells us about a cook that placed him among the legends - and how it wasn't exactly without challenges along the way. We also explore Ryan's background in BBQ and how Kings BBQ has emerged as one of the top teams in the country...

We visit with a Hall of Famer on Episode 326 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast. Donny Teel and Buffalo's BBQ is a legend from Sperry, Oklahoma, winning more than 100 competitions over a three-decade career including Grand Championships at both the American Royal World Series of BBQ Open and Jack Daniels World BBQ Invitational. Donny will be inducted into the BBQ Hall of Fame next month during the American Royal at Kansas Speedway and we visit with him what it was like in the old days, when a little whiskey or cold beer went a long way toward getting helpful...

We all know how important it is to keep those cooking grates clean. On Episode 325 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, we talk it over with Marvin Weinberger, an entrepreneur who's developed a handy and effective tool called the GrillFighter to get the job done. We visit with Marvin about his background as an inventor and why coming up with the GrillFighter was important to him. Marvin's segment begins at the 10:37 mark of the show.

After a planned guest declined to come on to talk about a huge victory, we run back one of our favorite segments...

Sam Dodson of Bull in the Ring BBQ had been knocking on the door of his first KCBS Grand Championship, with a series of top-10 finishes and a recent runner-up finish. Last weekend in Ponca City, Oklahoma, Bull in the Ring scored the big prize and on Episode 324 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast we visit with Sam about the journey and some of the keys in getting to a consistently elite level. Sam's segment begins at the 11:30 mark.

There's a terrific KCBS comp coming up this weekend in Miami, Oklahoma. Smokin' on the Route offers a...

A few days after B'Mackin BBQ set a KCBS record with a near-perfect cook at the Burnt Offering BBQ Contest in Riverside, California, we talk it over on Episode 323 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast with San Diego's Brett McKinney about how he and teammate Benny Watsman pulled it off. B'Mackin scored an amazing 718.8572 and just missed a quadruple 180 by a couple of judges slightly dinging them in the chicken category. McKinney said he's still in happy shock over the record, but B'Mackin is no stranger to consistent excellent having finished top 10 overall in 31 of its last 34 comps dating...

Hugh Munro of Ambition Que might be the oldest man in competition BBQ. But the 73-year-old former drag racer doesn't mind the title one bit - particularly after likely becoming the oldest KCBS Grand Champion at last weekend's Bud's, Brews & BBQ in Columbia, Missouri. On Episode 322 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, we visit with Hugh about his late-start to competition BBQ and how it feeds his hunger to high-level competition after being involved in national-touring drag racing for many years. The Minnesota native now based in Springfield, Missouri, discusses how he got started in BBQ and said it's...