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Winners Announced at Inaugural Southeastern BBQ Showdown

June 20, 2024

Reading Time: 5 minutes

The first-ever Southeastern BBQ Showdown (SEBBQSD) concluded at Segra Park with a spectacular display of culinary talent, drawing competing Chefs from across the nation including Texas, Georgia, South Carolina, and even as far as Japan. BBQ enthusiasts gathered to witness top pitmasters compete for prestigious titles and hefty prizes, showcasing their skills in a variety of categories on Lang BBQ Smokers.

Champions Barbecue Alliance(CBA) served as the sanctioning body for the food sport competition. “The Southeastern BBQ Showdown was an out of the park cookoff and event, from the event Emcee – Mark Conway, to the Host – Capital City/Lake Murray Country, and the Segra Park staff – as well as the community.  You would have never thought that this was a first year event with all the many moving parts and all of the organization,” shared CBA Out of State Area Ambassador – Steven Pfeiffer. CBA Board of Director/Event Representative, Ronda Pfeiffer said, “It was a great privilege and honor that Champions BBQ Alliance was chosen to run the first part of the BBQ challenge. The Southeastern BBQ Showdown was a blast and one of our favorite events. We cannot wait to see what’s in store for next!”

Grand Champion_First Class BBQ_Mark Conway, Brian Keen, Robert Smith

Robert Smith and Brian Keen of First Class BBQ from Hempstead, Texas, took home the $10,000 cash prize, the title of Grand Champion, and a Golden Ticket to compete November 8-12, 2024 at the World Food Championships (WFC) in Indianapolis, IN! First Class BBQ dazzled the judges and audience alike with their exceptional skills and flavors. Known for their dedication to BBQ perfection, First Class BBQ showcased why they are a top contender in the competitive BBQ circuit.

When asked about his team’s win, Robert Smith said, “getting to come to South Carolina to cook and have a good time was great, but taking home the Grand Championship meant a lot to us. I really didn’t think we were going to do it, but it was definitely something special to get number 1. It was a hell of a day and we sure do appreciate all that went into it.”

Rounding out the top 5 are: 1st Place Reserved – Cool Hand Rooster (GA), 2nd Place – Rio Smoke (TX), 3rd Place – Smoke Central BBQ (SC), and 4th Place – Tail-Gater Hater (SC). In addition to the top 5 placements, additional awards were presented for “Best Booth” – Backwoods Bar-B-Que (TX), and “People’s Choice” – The Sue Chefs. A second Golden Ticket to the World Food Championships was awarded to Wagyu Boys (Japan) who traveled the farthest to the competition.

SOUTHEASTERN BBQ SHOWDOWN OVERALL COMPETITION RESULTS:

Judges: Mark Henry, Chef Brian Duffy, Mayor Daniel Rickenmann

  • Grand Champion/WFC Golden Ticket:
    First Class BBQ, Head Chef Robert Smith from Hempstead, TX
  • 1st Place Reserved: Cool Hand Rooster, Head Chef Adam Dawkins from Lavonia, GA
  • 2nd Place: Rio Smoke, Head Chef Al Lino from Rio Hondo, TX
  • 3rd Place: Smoke Central BBQ, Head Chef Jason Singletary from Lake City, SC
  • 4th Place: Tail-Gater Hater, Head Chef Phillip Miles from Lake City, SC
  • Best Booth Award: Backwoods Bar-B-Que, Gene Culbertson, Trenton, SC
  • People’s Choice Award: The Sue Chefs, Peter Nguyen, Grand Prairie, TX
  • WFC Golden Ticket (Team that Traveled the Farthest):
    Wagyu Boys     (from Japan), Yoshitake Kitamura, Tokyo, Japan

CHAMPIONS BARBECUE ALLIANCE

The Champions Barbecue Alliance(CBA) is the sanctioning body for the Southeastern BBQ Showdown.  Champions Barbecue Alliance is committed to providing a fair and consistent judging atmosphere that the BBQ competitor deserves while keeping the values of the sport in mind. CBA is made for cooks by cooks.

OVERALL CATEGORY RESULT RANKINGS – Top 10

  1. Tail-Gater Hater, Phillip Miles, Lake City, SC
  2. First Class BBQ, Robert Smith, Hempstead, TX
  3. Cool Hand Rooster, Adam Dawkins, Lavonia, GA
  4. Rio Smoke, Al Lino, Rio Hondo, TX
  5. Smoke Central BBQ, Jason Singletary, Lake City, SC
  6. Backwoods Bar-B-Que, Gene Culbertson, Trenton, SC
  7. All Smoked Up, Gary Taylor, Gilbert, SC
  8. The Sue Chefs, Peter Nguyen, Grand Prairie, TX
  9. The War Mouth, Jason Fant, Columbia, SC
  10. Kirby Q BBQ & Catering, Richard Kirby, Sumter, SC

CATEGORY WINNERS:

Chicken:

  1. First Class BBQ, Robert Smith, Hempstead, TX
  2. Tail-Gater Hater, Phillip Miles, Lake City, SC
  3. Smoke Central BBQ, Jason Singletary, Lake City, SC
  4. Backwoods Bar-B-Que, Gene Culbertson, Trenton, SC
  5. The Sue Chefs, Peter Nguyen, Grand Prairie, TX
  6. Cool Hand Rooster, Adam Dawkins, Lavonia, GA
  7. Rio Smoke, Al Lino, Rio Hondo, TX
  8. All Smoked Up, Gary Taylor, Gilbert, SC
  9. The War Mouth, Jason Fant, Columbia, SC
  10. Wagyu Boys (from Japan), Yoshitake Kitamura, Tokyo, Japan

Ribs:

  1. Tail-Gater Hater, Phillip Miles, Lake City, SC
  2. First Class BBQ, Robert Smith, Hempstead, TX
  3. Cool Hand Rooster, Adam Dawkins, Lavonia, GA
  4. Rio Smoke, Al Lino, Rio Hondo, TX
  5. Smoke Central BBQ, Jason Singletary, Lake City, SC
  6. Backwoods Bar-B-Que, Gene Culbertson, Trenton, SC
  7. All Smoked Up, Gary Taylor, Gilbert, SC
  8. Indigenous Underground, Erica McCier, Abbeville, SC
  9. Champ’s Blazzzing BBQ, Wilson McKnight, Columbia, SC
  10. The Sue Chefs, Peter Nguyen, Grand Prairie, TX

Pork:

  1. Tail-Gater Hater, Phillip Miles, Lake City, SC
  2. Cool Hand Rooster, Adam Dawkins, Lavonia, GA
  3. Smoke Central BBQ, Jason Singletary, Lake City, SC
  4. Rio Smoke, Al Lino, Rio Hondo, TX
  5. Kirby Q BBQ & Catering, Richard Kirby, Sumter, SC
  6. First Class BBQ, Robert Smith, Hempstead, TX
  7. Backwoods Bar-B-Que, Gene Culbertson, Trenton, SC
  8. All Smoked Up, Gary Taylor, Gilbert, SC
  9. Bush River Boys, John Worthington, Newberry, SC
  10. The Sue Chefs, Peter Nguyen, Grand Prairie, TX

Brisket:

  1. Cool Hand Rooster, Adam Dawkins, Lavonia, GA
  2. Smoke Central BBQ, Jason Singletary, Lake City, SC
  3. Rio Smoke, Al Lino, Rio Hondo, TX
  4. First Class BBQ, Robert Smith, Hempstead, TX
  5. Backwoods Bar-B-Que, Gene Culbertson, Trenton, SC
  6. Tail-Gater Hater, Phillip Miles, Lake City, SC
  7. Wagyu Boys (from Japan), Yoshitake Kitamura, Tokyo, Japan
  8. The War Mouth, Jason Fant, Columbia, SC
  9. All Smoked Up, Gary Taylor, Gilbert, SC
  10. Kirby Q BBQ & Catering, Richard Kirby, Sumter, SC

SOUTH CAROLINA BARBECUE ASSOCIATION

Judges: Mark Henry, Chef Brian Duffy, Judi Gatson

6/14/24 – Chicken Wing Competition Results:

  1. Backwoods Bar-B-Que, Gene Culbertson, Trenton, SC
  2. High on the Hog BBQ, Matt Talbot, Anderson, SC
  3. Kirby Q BBQ & Catering, Richard Kirby, Sumter, SC

The Southeastern BBQ Showdown is hosted by Capital City Lake Murray Country Regional Tourism Board. Learn more at southeasternbbqshowdown.com

About The Southeastern BBQ Showdown:

Get ready to fire up your taste buds and dive into the ultimate BBQ competition at the Southeastern BBQ Showdown, June 14-15, 2024! This thrilling two-day event, hosted by Capital City/Lake Murray Country and held at Segra Park (home of the Columbia, S.C. Fireflies), is not your average cook-off—it’s a sizzling celebration of all things BBQ. Over the course of 2 days, chefs from around the Southeast will compete for the “Homeplate” grand prize. The event will include a vendor expo, shag music from Band of Oz, BBQ samples, a Multi-Grammy® award-winning Alabama concert, a fireworks finale, and much more!

Facebook | Instagram #SoutheasternBBQShowdown #TopFood Destination

About Capital City/Lake Murray Country Regional Tourism Board:

CCLMC is the official source for all things Lake Murray Country. To plan your next trip, find information on attractions, dining, hotels, outdoor recreation, fishing, golf, and events. Explore The Top Southern Destinations of Columbia, Richland, Lexington, Newberry, and Saluda. For more information about CCLMC visit LakeMurrayCountry.com or call 803-781-5940 | 1-866-SC-Jewel.

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