RV BBQ Trail – It's all good…

September 9, 2021

Hudson’s Bay Heritage Days BBQ Cook Off

DuPont, WA

August 20 – 22, 2021

The Hudson’s Bay Heritage Days BBQ Cook-Off brought the Big Guns out for a spectacular community event! Presented by the Pat Tillman Memorial American Legion Post 53 Family, organizer Tom Riggs (Sergeant Major, ret) orchestrated the event with a battalion of volunteers, resulting in a remarkable community and family fun weekend!

The event was held at beautiful Clockertower Park in the heart of town DuPont, with local beer and craft distillers, live music, free kid’s activities, military exhibits, historical demonstrations, and craft booths.

Friday night, August 20, kicked off with the Steak Cookoff Association’s (SCA) steak competition for “Steak Out for Youth”, sponsored by Best Damn BBQ Sauce™. Fifteen teams competed with the nod going to Chris Kelly as champion! Proceeds from the event will be targeted towards local DuPont area kid programs.

On Saturday, BBQ teams sampled their BBQ prowess with food samples in exchange for BBQ Bucks. Scrumptious small bites included tri-tip sliders, smoked salmon, brisket balls, and the like were available until 4 pm or sold out, which most did! 25% of the ‘bucks’ went to DuPont area kid’s community efforts. The balance helped teams pay for their weekend competition expenses. This was a new approach for RVBBQTrail and one I think would work back in the Midwest! And the food, along with the team’s culinary creativity, was amazing!

Sunday morning, the BBQ game faces were out! 27 professional teams competed for almost $13,000 in prize money and bragging rights for Washington State’s King/Queen of Q!

Congrats to Smoke324 as Grand Champion with an astonishing 701.1 score and earning a 700 pin!

The California Grill Billies earned the RGC with an impressive 696 score.

And a shout out to Hoggin’Da Sauce BBQ with a perfect 180 score on Pork and a 180 pin!

PacNW competition BBQ can go head-to-head anywhere in the US, as evidenced by the 700 and 180 pins! The Hudsons Bay Heritage Days Cookoff was over 2,600 miles from home for RVBBQTrail and worth every mile for this terrific community event in a beautiful part of the country!

Competition Day

The California Grill Billies – Reserve Grand Champion

Hoggin’ Da Sauce earned a 180 in the Pork category

SCA Steak Competion, sponsered by Best Damn BBQ Sauce™

Fun for Kids and Adults!

The DuPont Historical Society

May 8, 2021

Marietta River City BBQ

Marietta, OH

April 23 & 24, 2021

Welp, RVBBQTrail.com is finally back on the road after a paltry 2020! And we kick off our 2021 season with an action and protein-packed event at the Marietta River City BBQ Cook-Off! Organizer, Emmeline Wharton, puts her heart and soul into this event and it shows with her attention to detail.

Some of the things we love about BBQ are the places it takes us. Take Marietta, OH; located on two rivers and was the first settlement of the Northwest Territory. Downtown is welcoming and engaging with plenty of restaurants and taverns. Marietta is one of those places that you will remember fondly with intentions of wanting to return!

Did I mention Protein Packed?

Friday Steak Cook-Off Association (SCA):

Meat Category	First Place	Second Place
Pork Chop	Shawn Surber	Sean Wainwright
Ribeye Steak	Jeff Lamb	Chris Rossman

Steak Cookoff Association

Saturday KCBS Master Series:

KCBS Category	First Place	Second Place
Chicken	BooyaQ – 178.88	Elegantly Violent BBQ – 175.44
Pork Ribs	Under the Radar – 178.30	Peace Love & Smokiness – 174.88
Butt	Baby B’s BBQ – 173.15	Tire Smoke BBQ – 171.97
Brisket	Bo B Q BBQ – 177.70	The BBQ Bus – 177.14

Saturday Ancillary – Turkey:

Turkey

Convicted Pigs BBQ – 178.86

Smoked Wright BBQ – 175.44

Sponsored by The National Turkey Federation

Saturday KCBS Backyard Series:

Meat Category	First Place	Second Place
Chicken	Tasker’s BBQ Supply – 175.47	D’Qued BBQ – 164.02
Pork Ribs	Tasker’s BBQ Supply – 171.43	D’Qued BBQ – 164.53

Congrats to Under the Radar for earning Grand Champion for the Master series with a 695.99 overall score! Peace Love and Smokiness commanded Reserve Grand Champion with a 690.89 score.

RVBBQTrail.com highly recommends cook teams and judges consider the Marietta River City BBQ event in their 2022 plans… RV hookups, both grass and paved, indoor judging, close to town and amenities, and mighty fine organizers (Emmeline) and KCBS reps (the Grindstead Bros.)!

July 7, 2020

COVID-Que 2020

Franklin, IN

Double Header

June 19 & 20

Welcome to “the first, and hopefully last ever, COVID-Que 2020 BBQ Competition” as was inserted into the judge’s oath for the COVID-Que 2020 Double Header BBQ event held at the Johnson County Fairgrounds in Franklin, IN.

A community supporting community is how one can best describe the actions over the Father’s Day weekend. Over 70 professional BBQ teams engaged in supporting community efforts behind awareness and relief for Covid-19 in the Franklin, IN community. The event presented a sizeable check to Johnson County, Indiana, in support of COVID-19relief efforts. Several area foodbanks also were assisted with donations of canned goods, sanitizers, and money to replenish dwindled inventory.

Impressive, too, is how this event came together. In five short weeks of planning, Franklin hosted Indiana’s largest BBQ competition ever! Organizers, select teams, and KCBS reps all contributed time and effort to make this two-day event a success!

Masks, gloves, and social distancing were the norm. New rules and procedures were put in place to ensure the safety of the cook teams, judges, and volunteers.

Day One – June 19

It was a heated competition with 69 teams positioning for “The Best Que in the Land.” Congrats to ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN for capturing Grand Champion with a 693.7 overall score.

Reserve Grand Champion was awarded to Hot Coles BBQ with a 690.8 score.

To show how competitive Day One was, ROOTERS-N-TOOTERS TN had only two top-ten finishes in the four required meat categories!

Special shout out to JMB BBQ for their first ever First Place in Chicken!

Day Two – June 20

So, if Dad has to cook on Father’s Day, you might as well make it world-class BBQ! Sixty-three teams vied for Champion status, with several additional competitors from the previous day.

Congrats to ONE2BBQ with a coveted 701.7 score and a 700 pin! ONE2BBQ placed no worse than 4^th in three of the four required categories…Chicken (4^th), Ribs (2^nd), and Pork (1^st)!

BLUE ISLAND BBQ CO. was Reserve Champion with a 686.3 overall score. BLUE ISLAND placed in the Top 10 in two entries, Chicken (10th) and Brisket (5^th).

COVID-Que Face Masks

Blue Chip BBQ - Day 1 -3rd place Brisket

BBQ Rigs

Tire Smoke BBQ - Day 1- 3rd place Pork Ribs; 5th Brisket

COVID-Que BBQ Competition Day 1

February 15, 2020

Lakeland Pig Festival

January 25, 2020

RVBBQTrail kicked off the 2020 BBQ season in grand fashion by attending the 24th Annual Lake Pigfest in Lakeland, Florida! BBQ’ing in the Sunshine State is bright and sunny, with over 102 Professional and Backyard teams competing for bragging rights and a share of $25,000 prize money.

Pigfest is held at the Sun & Fun Expo Center adjacent to the Lakeland airport. Included is an impressive museum of flight, including military and experimental planes that you can get up close to and touch… very impressive! This is a massive community event with all proceeds going to local Lakeland charities. Hats off to the organizers for pulling off a terrifically executed event. Judges were in hangers with cook teams and entertainment nearby.

Congrats to Grand Champion Smoke Central BBQ with a 700.5 score earning a coveted 700 pin!
Reserve Grand Champion went to Old Virginia Smoke with a 695.4 score.
Special recognition to Bushmaster BBQ with a perfect 180 on Beef Brisket.

Sunshine, warm weather, world-class BBQ, excellent entertainment, and a museum of flight make attending Lakeland Pigfest worth putting on your BBQ bucket list for next year’s 25 Silver Anniversary event!

Unfortunately, we were not able to stay for the Award Ceremony to take pictures. It was later in the day and we needed to get back to our campsite (40 minutes away) to take care of our dogs. Apologies to Grand Champion Smoke Central BBQ for not having pictures of them.

http://lakelandpigfest.org

Reserve Grand Champion Old Virginia Smoke

February 8, 2020

Eden Gardens, Eco-Sustainable Farm

Jacksonville, FL

January 22, 2020

We found “The Good Place”. With so much turmoil in the news, we found an oasis that serves and supports food deserts in Northern Florida and beyond.

Welcome to Eden Gardens, an eco-sustainable farm located outside Jacksonville, FL.

…a self-sustaining eco-farm that will help train and feed thousands. We have built two aquaponics greenhouses and planted the first citrus orchard. We are working to change the face of hunger and poverty around the world and right here at home!
We are building a 120-acre Community-Based Eco-Farm that will feed hundreds of hungry children per day. We want to provide fresh responsibly grown food to those who need it most at a low cost or free through our work-4-food program…
https://www.edengardensjax.org/about

RVBBQTrail is a member of Harvest Hosts, where RV’ers can boondock at participating host locations that include farms, wineries, breweries, and other points of interest. That’s how Marcia found Eden Gardens.

The farm is a vision come-true for Tim Lovelace. His background was as a network engineer where he traveled the world and found that he could help folks with education wherever he went. Just the one night we spent at Eden Gardens was moving. We also met Trevor, a retired physician on the board of directors, and Bill, an electrical engineer (who happens to be a KCBS BBQ pitmaster too!). They, and several other volunteers, had sleeves rolled up, getting dirty, bringing the farm to life.

Eden Gardens is a beautiful property. We parked our RV between a pond with ducks and a large tree bearing Spanish Moss. Our dogs were allowed to run free around the place, chasing the ducks and swimming in the pond. Well, at least Eli swam. He swam after the ducks, and they led him around in circles, never getting close enough to touch one.

“Give a man a fish and he eats for a day. Teach him to fish and he eats for a lifetime”
Anne Isabella Ritchie

We found “The Good Place”. Please view their link and help if you can!

https://www.edengardensjax.org/

July 11, 2019July 11, 2019

Heritage Days BBQ Showdown

June 22 & 23, 2019

Belvidere, IL

What’s going on here? The Scottish Heavyweight Olympics, a cornhole tournament, live music, a Little League baseball tournament, 4H livestock show, Kid’s Q, a Backyard BBQ series, and two full days of Master Series BBQ competition… this is the Heritage Days BBQ Showdown at the Boone County Fairgrounds in Belvidere, IL!

Fifty teams competed for this two-day event which drew nine of the US KCBS top 25 teams, lured not only by the $15,000 in prize money but also by the draw of top teams to compete against!

Day 1

When the smoke cleared on Day 1, Razorbacks BBQ all the way from Summerville, SC clinched Grand Champion with a 693.1 and the 1st place in Ribs. Reserve GC was earned by Kelly Wertz’s 4 Legs Up BBQ with a 688.4 score. Kelly came in from Great Bend, KS. 4 Legs Up is currently ranked #4 nationally.

Day 2

Lucky’s Q BBQ from Waverly, IA was crowned Grand Champion on Day 2 with a 692.4 score. This team also won the “Iowa” bragging rights as Iowa’s Smokey D’s BBQ was third overall! Dirt Road BBQ, hailing from KC, MO earned Reserve Grand Champion with a 691.9 score.

The Belvidere event organizer, Danny Anderson, found ways to make this year’s event bigger and better than last year; and he promises to make 2020 even bigger & better than this year’s! So, if you’re a cook team get this on your calendar now! If a judge, plan on being there for one of the best judging experiences you’ll ever have!

1st Place Chicken – Day 1 – Low Rent BBQ
1st Place Ribs – Day 1 – Razorracks
1st Place Pork – Day 1 – Rusty Pig BBQ
1st Place Brisket – Day 1
1st Place Chicken – Day 2 – Big “E” BBQ
1st Place Ribs – Day 2 – Iowa’s Smokey D’s BBQ
1st Place Pork – Day 2 – Smokin Ghost BBQ
1st in Brisket – Day 2 – Captain Ron’s Brew-N-Que
Kelly of 4 Legs Up BBQ
The BBQ Bus
Kid’s Que 1st Place
LOVE the HAT! Rooters N Tooters BBQ Team
Backyard Ribs 1st Place – Nicholas Kranzusch
Getting that turn-in box perfect!
The Rusty Pig BBQ Team
Bunch of Swines came from the United Kingdom to compete in the USA!
Captain Ron’s Brew-N-Que
Have you ever seen people on horses waiting in line for a smoothie?
Warming up for the Scottish Heavyweight Olympics
Scottish Heavyweight Olympics
Can you toss a telephone pole?

June 28, 2019

26th Annual Colorado BBQ Challenge

Frisco, CO

June 15, 2019

A Colorado Rocky Mountain High BBQ event! Situated about 75 miles West of Denver, this snowcapped mountain town has it all… and they roll the red carpet out for this sanctioned KCBS event! Frisco is a “Must Do” on any BBQ aficionado schedule, cook, judge, or spectator.

Starting Friday Night, we attended the Rub It, Smoke It, Sip It, Breckenridge Distillery’s Whiskey Tour of the Colorado BBQ Challenge. Folks from the local Breckenridge Distillery show off some of their liquid wares mixed in a unique concoction beverage just for the paid tour attendees. Refreshments were followed by delectable smoked bites as created by the championship BBQ team Special Ingredient BBQ. The team also had the attendees over to their competition site to give a BBQ 101, 201; Keith and Mark did a great job explaining to novices and experts alike the finer points of competition BBQ. Great fun, especially the goody bag from the organizers!

A shoot out between fifty-five teams lead to Porky’s Pit Crew as Grand Champion with a 694.2 score followed by Lucky’s Q with a 692.4 as Reserve Grand Champion. Shake ‘n Bake was third, and notably didn’t have his trailer with him. He dusted off four Gateway Drums that were being held by a local friend, and with a few coolers, a plastic table, and a canopy was able to show his BBQ acumen! Tim Scheer’s two daughters both won their divisions in Kids Que!

Porky’s Pit Crew, Grand Champion
Lucky’s Q, Reserve Grand Champion
Shake ‘N Bake, third overall

We saw some bbq cook friends that always put a smile on our face, Grinders and La Pasadita to name a couple; and got to meet some other notable folks like Johnny Trigger of Smoking Triggers, Midnight Smokers, and Smokin Elvises.

It was a weekend of fun, food, drink, and BBQ and one that won’t be soon forgotten! A true Rocky Mountain High at 9000′!

*Featured picture at top is Tim Scheer of Shake ‘N Bake BBQ.

Porky’s Pit Crew, Chicken 1st place
Proud Soul, Pork 1st place
The Celtic Pig, Ribs 1st place with a 180 score
Lucky’s Q, Brisket 1st place
Greenest Competitor, Midnight Smokers, for recycling the most waste.
People’s Choice 1st Place
Selecting chicken pieces for the turn in box.
Los Nerds BBQ Team
Johnny Trigger, Smoking Triggers BBQ Team
Reagan of La Pasidita BBQ
Jews and Gentiles BBQ Team
Smokin’ Elvises
Tim of Shake ‘N Bake BBQ
Light that fire, Stretch! (Grinders BBQ)
Gettin’ the chicken prepped for cooking, Special Ingredient BBQ Team.
Kids Que Contestants
Pure joy! Kids Que Winner
Kids Que Winner
Kids Que Winner
Kids Que Winner
Kids Que Winners
Smoke Jumpers, Dessert 1st place with a score of 180
Dessert 2nd place with a 180
BBQ Sauce 1st place
Anything Goes 1st place
She looks surprised to have a call.

June 25, 2019June 25, 2019

Buskers, Brews, & BBQ

Aurora, CO

June 7, 2019

The Buskers, Brews, & BBQ competition is held at the Aurora Municipal Center, which is a progressive town just outside Denver, CO. We learned that a Busker is a street performer, and there were plenty at Buskers, Brews, & BBQ! Take a look at the performer perched high atop a pile of chairs! Did I mention beer? Yes, some of Colorado’s best were at the event too! Add that to championship BBQ and a live music stage, and you’ve pretty much got your Saturday planned!

Stilt Walkers
Busker juggling on top of five chairs.
Hanging by a foot.
Busker juggling three knives!

Thirty-eight professional teams vied for Grand Champion with the top spot going to Buckshot BBQ of Texas with a 695.9 score. Reserve Grand Champion went to Uncle J’s BBQ with a score of 690.8. Buckshot had the first place on Brisket while Uncle J’s had the first place on Pork.

Teams choose the best pieces of meat for the judges.
Looking good!
I’d eat those ribs!
Preparation is key to a winning box!
Yum!
Self-made smoker
Brisket Box

Aurora’s Buskers, Brews & BBQ is fun for the whole family. This is one competition where you can purchase tickets to taste the teams BBQ, just be prepared to wait in line!

Games for every age.
Buskers, Brews & bbq is a family friendly event.
Lines for competition BBQ, but well worth the wait.

May 31, 2019

Q39 BBQ Restaurant

Antioch Road

Kansas City

Q39 has the Wow factor! At 5:00 pm the parking lot was full. Upon entering we were greeted by three smiling hosts eager to help and answer questions I met Jay, one of the managers and identified myself as a MCBJ, pitmaster, RVBBQTrail.com, and restaurant partner and he asked if I’d like a tour, wow!

Ronnie Martinez, aka Munchin’ Hogs BBQ competition team, greeted me and proceeded to show me the Q39 operation, wow! I was so impressed with the detail to quality, freshness, and focus on guest satisfaction. Everything is prepared on site and not too far ahead as to ensure the best experience for their guest, wow!

After seeing the Q39 operation I was thinking that it would be hard to top that experience, then the food came, and WOW!! I ordered the Judges Plate +1 extra meat.

Ribs cooked perfectly biting off the bone

Pulled Pork was spot on with just the right amount of smokiness

Brisket was hand cut with the right amount of tug and was juicy and tender

Chipotle Sausage is house made with the right amount of bite and snap

Baked Beans are house made from dry scratch with burnt ends…terrific

Apple Slaw was fresh and creamy

Experience Q39 and judge for yourself. I bet you’ll leave with several Wow’s too!

Q39 BBQ Restaurant on Antioch Road in Kansas City, KS
‘Judges Plate’
Q39 Brisket
Q39 BBQ ready to be served!
Ronnie Martinez, Q39 Manager, Antioch Road
Q39 Awards

May 10, 2019May 10, 2019

Lansing DAZE Festival – Brew, Blues, & BBQ!

Lansing, MO

May 3 & 4, 2019

Welcome to the land of Kansas City BBQ! Lansing, KS is situated northwest of Kansas City and has a rich tradition for this 17-year event. This family-themed event takes in some notable blues music, local brews, a petting zoo for the kids, and oh yeah, a KCBS BBQ event!

Grand Champion went to local BBQ joint favorite, Slaps BBQ, with a 692.48 score. Joe Pearce, Slaps pitmaster, might just be the nicest guy in BBQ, plus he wins! So, nice guys don’t finish last!

Dirt Road BBQ earned Reserve Grand Champion with a score of 688.48. Founded by Ryan & Karen Murphy, Dirt Road BBQ has been a KC area perrinial competitor on the KCBS circuit. To do well in Kansas City in BBQ says that you know what you’re doing!

Hats off to The Real Wives of Kansas City BBQ Team for their first-place finish in the Chicken category… could we see a syndicated TV show sometime soon?

The Real Wives of BBQ Team
1st Place Chicken

Lastly, we must mention the Lansing DAZE event coordinator, Tim Dossey. As with most BBQ competition organizers, there’s much to do, but after heavy rains forced a partial change in venue, Tim managed an avalanche of logistical challenges to pull this event off without a hitch!

We suggest you put Lansing Daze Brews, Blues & BBQ on your list for future years… great support for the BBQ teams, terrific music and food, and family friendly make this a winner!

Also, we suggest you check out nearby Weston, MO for an afternoon visit. It’s close by and we were taken back by what they had to offer. Weston Brewing Company’s O’Malley’s 1842 Pub, with beer and live music in cellars six stories underground, Weston Tobacco with a cigar making facility and smoke room, and an Irish store with a whiskey tasting room in the back.