We’re off to the American Royal World Series of BBQ, but before departure we visited with some folks who are going to be a big part of the weekend. First up is Danielle Bennett, better known in the BBQ world as Diva Q. A championship competition pitmaster before launching a career as a television personality, cookbook author and brand ambassador, D…

We bring you double star power on Episode 282 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast. First up is Jess Pryles, the Hardcore Carnivore. She’s not only an expert on all things meat and open-fire cooking, Jess now has her own television show. We visit with the native of Australia and transplanted Texan about her show “Hardcore Carnivore” now airing Season 1…

Scuffletown Smokers has been a successful competition team for several years, but because the family team from Boonville, Indiana, cooks a limited amount of events perhaps many aren’t familiar with them. Well, that all changed last weekend when head cook Alby Ransom and Scuffletown Smokers became the sports newest “major” champ by winning the Jack …

The world’s largest BBQ competition is coming up in a few weeks. The American Royal World Series of BBQ at Kansas Speedway brings together more than 400 teams, from all over the world, and on Episode 280 we have a roundtable discussion with three first-time Royal teams - Nicholas Owensby of Sailor Nick’s BBQ from Wadsworth, Ohio; Jamie Mintz from C…

Episode 279 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast features “Fast Eddy” Ed Maurin, a member of the BBQ Hall of Fame Class of 2024. Ed is one of seven inductees joining the Hall on Nov. 2 during ceremonies held at the American Royal World Series of BBQ at Kansas Speedway. One of the heavy hitters on the competition circuit back in the late 1980s and 1990s…

On Episode 278 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, we visit with one of the all-time greats of competition cooking about his latest business venture. Travis Clark recently opened a new Clark Crew BBQ restaurant in Tulsa to go with his flagship location in Oklahoma City. Travis discusses the myriad of issues that crop up when opening a new venue and h…

Long-time competition cook Joel Fleetwood never dreamed of having his Meat Rushmore BBQ team’s name on a BBQ restaurant. But after winning last weekend’s Made for KC event, that’s exactly what will happen in the fall of 2025. On Episode 277 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, Joel talks about what the opportunity to have naming rights, with menu cons…

“The Doctor” is in on Episode 276 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast. Ray “Dr. BBQ” Lampe, one of the all-time greats of open-fire cooking, joins us this week and we begin by talking about his time on the Food Network Show BBQ Brawl, Season 5, which aired over the summer. Ray talks about what it was like being “the old guy” on a show with a lineup of…

On Episode 275 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, we shine the light on a recent first-time KCBS Grand Championship winner. Chris Leikam and Devin Schwartz from the Kansas competition team Finger Leikam Good were college friends at Kansas State and enjoyed cooking before Wildcats football games at Snyder Family Stadium. They eventually took their lo…

He’s lived the American Dream, a United States Navy veteran who worked the overnight shift at the Des Moines, Iowa, water treatment plant. During his spare time, Moe Cason fired up the smoker and dabbled in competition BBQ. On a suggestion from the legendary Johnny Trigg, “Big Moe” sent in an audition video for the groundbreaking BBQ television pro…

On Episode 273 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, we learn about a new competition and festival in mid-Missouri that will include three sanctioning bodies. It’s the Buds, Blues & BBQ in Columbia, Sept. 13-14, with opportunities to enter the KCBS Master’s Series regular comp plus one-meat chicken cook, a Steak Cookoff Association comp and the new Rib…

Whether it’s cooking in the backyard or the highest level of competition, Christie Vanover is someone who has been instrumental in helping open-fire cooks worldwide up their games since she launched her GirlsCanGrill.com website in 2015. With recipes, tips, product reviews and much more, it’s a one of the top resources available. Christie joins us …

Episode 271 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast has arrived and it has a variety of guests as we welcome the month of August. At the 7:58 mark, Emmy-award-winning television news producer turned author and now podcast host David Page returns to discuss his latest project. Page’s new podcast “Culinary Characters Unlocked” debuts Aug. 27 as he goes in-d…

It’s become one of the jewels on the late-season KCBS calendar, a doubleheader to cap the points season. But only a few days ago, the 4th annual Boo-B-Que was on the verge of cancellation. No worries. The Oct. 25-27 event in Oak Grove, Mo., will go on after Greg Hastie, who began the event three years ago but had too much on his plate to run it aga…

After running hard in 2023, cooking 44 contests as he successfully chased KCBS Team of the Year honors, Jordan Kirkpatrick and Janky Leg BBQ has slowed the pace a bit this season. But after an addition to the family and a home remodel project, Janky Leg is back and ready for a big second half, evidenced by the team’s first GC of the year last weeke…

On Episode 268 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, we visit with one of the top teams on the West Coast - and one of the best in the USA. Dave and Shirin Mara from Meat Candy Q out of El Cajon, Calif., is enjoying a terrific 2024 season with one KCBS Grand Championship and and three RGCs in just 10 competitions. Meat Candy is sixth in the Team of the…

Happy 4th of July to all! To celebrate, Episode 267 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast features two great guests. Leading off is one of the best to ever light a pit, BBQ Hall of Famer Darren Warth from Iowa Smokey D’s. While he’s won more than 100 grand championships during his career, including multiple majors, Darren accomplished a first last weeke…

Mike and Nichole Mulkey of Mulkey’s BBQ from St. Louis are one of the many successful husband-wife competition BBQ teams in the country. On Episode 266 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, we learn how they work together after Mulkey’s won the Grand Championship at the 172-team Great Lenexa BBQ Battle. The back-to-back St. Louis BBQ Society Team of th…

We asked for nominations for up-and-coming competition BBQ pitmasters or teams and our listeners delivered with lots of great suggestions. This week on Episode 265 of the Tailgate Guys BBGQ Podcast, we bring you an extended “Under the Radar” segment with Joe Wilson and B.J. Searcy from the northern California team Cherry Anchor BBQ. Despite only do…

On Episode 264 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, our “Under the Radar” segment returns by popular demand. This week, our look at an up-and-coming pitmaster focuses on Kansas City’s Lane York of Aww Shucks BBQ. York’s primary focus has been on KCBS Backyard competition so far, but he’s done well in limited Masters’ Series attempts and does so withou…

It’s an action packed Episode 263 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast with an assortment of guests with good info and stories to tell. First up at the 9:26 mark is Charles Simpson, with a preview of the National High School BBQ Championships coming up this weekend (June 7-9) in Branson, Missouri. As director of the Missouri High School BBQ Association…

The 6th annual KCBS World Invitational was held over Memorial Day Weekend in Lebanon, Tenn., and on Episode 262 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast we talk it over with both of the big winners. Drew Davis of Razorracks BBQ out of Pleasant Plains, Ark., has won 28 KCBS Grand Championships during his career. But Drew and wife Chelsey picked up their big…

We’re all about celebrating the iconic BBQ teams on the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, but we also love to shine the spotlight on those up-and-coming teams who achieve big things. This week on Episode 261, we focus on Barking Dog BBQ out of Kansas City, a team of childhood friends Dave Lillis, Kevin Bunting and Brian Tuttle. Barking Dog BBQ (we explore…

Episode 260 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast takes us to the Phoenix area to visit with Kyle Matuszewski, owner-operator of Your Behind BBQ restaurant in Florence. Kyle is a long-time competitor on the Steak Cookoff Association and KCBS trails and he’s parlayed that success into a red-hot start in the restaurant business. Kyle breaks down his story…

When we’re asked about BBQ restaurant recommendations in the St. Louis area, Heavy Smoke BBQ always is at the top of our list. On Episode 259 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, we talk it over with Chris Schafer, the owner-operator of Heavy Smoke BBQ about the constantly overlapping thrills and challenges of the restaurant industry. Chris also is on…

One of the greatest to light a pit - and a great friend of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Show since the beginning on local, low-powered radio - joins us for an extended conversation on Episode 258. Brad Leighninger just passed the 11-year anniversary of his first BBQ Grand Championship. Now, 70 GCs later, Gettin’ Basted is a three-time KCBS Team of the Yea…

On Episode 257 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, we talk it over with one of world’s hottest pitmasters. Eric Coley from Alabama’s Poppa Pig BBQ is leading the KCBS Team of the Year standings with three Grand Championships and seven top-10 finishes in eight 2024 competitions. It’s a start that’s signaled a breakthrough after Eric went through a two…

Jon and Jason Wade of Optimus Swine BBQ out of Williamsburg, Virginia have one of the hottest competition BBQ teams around. Since moving into the KCBS Master’s division a couple of years ago, the Wades have seven Grand Championships and seven RGCs in 63 competitions. They also own and operate two BBQ restaurants in the Williamsburg area, Two Drumme…

Based in north central North Dakota, Burnt Trees BBQ has a long haul no matter where it goes for a competition. But the husband-wife team of Nick and Shannon Holman is almost always a contender when it arrives, with its 2024 debut proving the point. Burnt Trees BBQ captured the 97-team Smoke in the Spring in Osage City, Kansas, topping the 700-poin…

There are dozens of options available these days for BBQ-themed podcasts, unlike just a few years ago when the options were relatively limited. One of the longest-running shows is Baseball and BBQ, with co-hosts Leonard Aberman and Jeff Cohen. Combining two of America’s favorite past times, Leonard and Jeff have found a sweet spot with engaging gue…

Welcome to Episode 253 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, where we’re joined by the founders of America’s foremost weekly digital news authority on live-fire cooking. It’s been a while since we visited with Ryan Cooper and Sean Ludwig from The Smoke Sheet. Their weekly newsletter that arrives in subscribers’ in-boxes each Wednesday and Friday with a…

Spring has officially arrived, which means there are BBQ competitions across the land each weekend from now through early November - not to mention hundreds of thousands of backyard cooks are firing up backyard smokers and grills. On Episode 252 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, we talk to one of American’s most-colorful pitmasters and brand ambass…

It’s another guest-filled show on Episode 251 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast. Leading off is Joel Fleetwood of Meat Rushmore BBQ, which won three Grand Championships in 2023 on its way to an 11th-place finish in the KCBS Team of the Year standings. Joel also was recently voted president of the KCBS Board of Directors. We visit with Joel about his…

On Episode 250 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, we talk it over with two of competition BBQ’s top pitmasters - and most-colorful characters. First up is Richard Fergola from Fergolicious BBQ and marketing director of Proud Souls BBQ and Provisions. “Fergie” and the Proud Souls team is ready to throw a big first anniversary bash this Saturday, Marc…

It’s been more than a decade since we first saw Harry Soo on the groundbreaking television show BBQ Pitmasters. People still come up to Harry to talk about his experiences, especially after re-runs of the show air on the cable channel Destination American most weekends. On Episode 249 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, Harry recounts the beginning o…

On Episode 248 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, we take a virtual trip to New England and talk it over with one of America’s most-accomplished competition pitmasters for nearly two decades. Bill Gillespie of Smokin’ Hoggz BBQ has Grand Championships at the Jack Daniels World BBQ Invitational and American Royal World Series of BBQ Invitational to h…

The Kansas City Chiefs are the world champions of football, again! We’ll talk about that, plus championship BBQ on Episode 247 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast. Leading off our guest lineup is Phillip Breeden of LC BBQ out of Bandera, Texas. We visit with Phillip about his Champions BBQ Alliance Rio World Championship Cookoff last weekend and previ…

Word is there’s a big football game coming up. On Episode 246 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Show Podcast, we do our best to bring you both football and food perspective from both the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers sides as we countdown to Super Bowl Sunday. First up is Megan Day, pitmaster of Kansas City’s Burnt Finger BBQ. Megan again is he…

There’s a lot of championship talk on Episode 245 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, beginning with pitmaster Paul Keltner of Rooters ’n Tooters BBQ out of Mount Pleasant, Tennessee. Paul knocked off a Grand Championship at the 61-team KCBS Lakeland Pit Festival to start his season in style. It’s a continuation of a remarkable last few seasons of co…

After a few weeks off, we are back to fire up Season 6 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast! We want to thank our listeners and sponsors from the beginning, way back in 2016 when we started the show on local radio. Our first guest of the new year is the busiest man in BBQ, our friend Tim Scheer who’s the boss man for Blues Hog, Gateway Drum Smokers, Sh…

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all! We hope it’s a great holiday season and a celebration of family, friends and great food! Episode 243 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast is our finale of Season 5 and it’s a good one with a pair of open-fire stars to help us conclude the year on a winning note. First up is Bill Purvis from Chicken Fried BBQ o…

It’s always an entertaining and opinionated conversation when we get together with Travis Clark, whose Clark Crew BBQ is a former American Royal World Series of BBQ and Jack Daniels World BBQ Invitational Grand Champion, along with a two-time KCBS Team of the Year. On Episode 242 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, we visit with Travis about the rest…

On Episode 241 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, we visit with two of the candidates for the upcoming Kansas City Barbeque Society Board of Directors election. Paul Buob from Smokin’ Ghost BBQ and Thomas Gearhart of Mudville BBQ tell us why they want to join the board in what some consider a time of choppy waters and expand on some ideas they have …

After we not only survived, but thrived with our Thanksgiving Weekend cooking adventures we now turn our attention to the stretch run for the final month of 2024. In one of the final big BBQ competitions of this year, Bill Heyen and Triple H BBQ out of Gillespie, Illinois, came away with the Grand Championship at the Atlanta BBQ Store Classic. On E…

Happy Thanksgiving Week! It’s Episode 239 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast and we visit with two of the best cooks in the country for lots of last-minute Turkey Day tips. John Lindsey of All Qued Up BBQ and Ronald Burns of Hotty Totty BBQ are the head coaches of the #arkassippicombo line of outstanding rubs and sauces. They tell us about how to mak…

You might know Robby Royal of Rescue Smokers from his days on the groundbreaking television show BBQ Pitmasters, or perhaps the Michael Simon program BBQ USA on Food Network. Whatever the case, Robby is still winning big on the circuit and on Episode 238 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, we talk it over with the Georgian about his recent Grand Cham…

When he first tested the competition BBQ waters in 2018, Norris “Syd” Sydnor of Good Googly Good never envisioned being a points chaser or contending for any Team of the Year honors. But when he began having big-time success in chicken a couple of years ago and got off to a great start in the bird category in 2023, Syd and wife Li took an early lea…

In a down-to-the-wire KCBS Team of the Year battle, Jordan Kirkpatrick and Janky Leg BBQ came through in clutch fashion. Needing a Grand Championship on the season’s final weekend to leapfrog Brad Leighninger and Gettin’ Basted, that’s exactly what Janky Leg accomplished on Day 1 of Boo-B-Que in Oak Grove, Missouri. Adding an RGC on Day 2, Jordan c…

The Kansas City Barbeque Society has released a 16-page report in the aftermath of the scoring errors and subsequent audit following the American Royal World Series of BBQ Open. The link to the full report is posted here: KCBS CEO Rod Gray joins me on a special edition of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast to discuss the event, from the time that errors…

The husband-wife team of Greg Boggs and Karryl Boggs - Boggs Hog BBQ out of Audubon, New Jersey - had one career KCBS Grand Championship in 64 career competitions prior to last weekend. And what a weekend it was for Boggs Hog as Greg and Karryl doubled their prior amount of title after sweeping both ends of the Red White & Que in Jackson, New Jerse…