Tailgate Guys BBQ

Kelly Wertz is one of the legends of competition BBQ, winning more than 40 The Kansas City Barbeque Society Grand Championships during a 20-year career - including the American Royal World Series of BBQ and the Jack Daniel World BBQ Invitational. On Episode 374 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, we catch up with Kelly about why he chose to call it a career. He’s staying plenty busy, with steady catering gigs and a growing 4 Legs Up BBQ product line of spice rubs and injections. Kelly has some good info to share and we appreciate his time.

As the 46th American Royal World Series of Barbecue approaches, we also visit with Kevin Heese of Weekend Bum BBQ,]. Kevin is an international ambassador for the visiting teams and he tells us what that involves along with his expectations for the new site at the American Royal complex. We always like to chat with a first-time Royal team and Shawn Campbell of High on the Hog Barbeque fills that bill this year, discussing his preparation for the world largest competition. High on the Hog hasn’t been competing for long, but the team has quickly become used to finishing at or near the top and might be a team to watch at the 370-team Royal.

Check out the show on the link below or on your favorite platform.

A big thanks to our show sponsors and marketing partners. Please support them:

Blues Hog
Royal Oak Charcoal
The Butcher Shoppe
The Grill Guys of Missouri
Clark Crew BBQ
Meat Rushmore BBQ
Lovely Jubbly BBQ
Mister Brisket, Inc.

Have a great rest of your BBQ week and, as always …

Episode 374: https://tailgateguysbbq.libsyn.com/tailgate-guys-bbq-podcast-episode-374-kelly-wertz-kevin-heese-shawn-campbell

In the September meeting notes from the The Kansas City Barbeque Society, I notice there was discussion of making the J-CUP mandatory for all judges. Please make this happpen!

https://kcbs.us/news_manager.php?page=17965

Anyone competing at the American Royal World Series of Barbecue for the first time who wants to join our annual 1st-timers discussion on this week's show? Please email me at [email protected] (no messenger please).

What is your memory of your first competition BBQ top-10 call? Ours came 9 years ago today. We swallowed the competition BBQ bug hook, line and sinker. 9th-place brisket at Table Rock Boats and Bones in just our fourth The Kansas City Barbeque Society contest, cooking a prime brisket from Ruby's Market. That comp was loaded with great teams. The rest, as they say, is some very expensive history.

Episode 373 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast is a preview of the 46th American Royal World Series of Barbecue. It’s a new venue after a decade at Kansas Speedway and Kayci Vincent, BBQ Manager of the American Royal, tells us that while it’s a scaled-down version as construction continues on the new site, teams will probably think it’s more like a regular BBQ event. Spectator access will be limited to Friday-night parties with none of the usual events on Saturday such as bands and public wandering the grounds to take in the sights and sounds.

Joel Fleetwood of Meat Rushmore BBQ also joins us to talk American Royal with his thoughts on the new location and what he’s looking for. Meat Rushmore’s time in the BBQ Experience restaurant at Kansas City International Airport is coming to a close in early 2027. Joel reviews the experience, looks ahead to future catering operations and discusses to-go food orders now can be taken on outgoing flights, either ready-to-eat on the plane or vacuum-sealed for later.

Co-hosts Lyndal and Steve their cooking weeks, including the Tailgate Guys BBQ team’s competition return last weekend at Meat Inferno in Edgerton, Kansas.

A big thanks to our show sponsors and marketing partners. Please support them:

Blues Hog
Royal Oak Charcoal
The Butcher Shoppe
The Grill Guys of Missouri
Clark Crew BBQ
Meat Rushmore BBQ
Lovely Jubbly BBQ
Mister Brisket, Inc.

Have a great rest of your BBQ week and, as always …

Episode 373: https://tailgateguysbbq.libsyn.com/tailgate-guys-bbq-podcast-episode-373-american-royal-info-and-joel-fleetwood-of-meat-rushmore-bbq

We returned to competition this weekend in the 33-teams from 6 states Meat Inferno in Edgerton, Kansas. Lots of top-quality teams on hand. The organizers and city officials did a fine job in our first visit to this growing contest. Our results: Mixed.

We snapped a long drought in Chicken with a 3rd-place call. (Mister Brisket, Inc. Changed a few things that seemed to work. The other three categories were not good, especially brisket which is a real dilemma for us. No idea what the heck to do. It all added up to a 20th-place overall. Time to review past class notes and The BBQ League videos.

We’re off until Branson MO in late October.

Thanks as always to Blues Hog, Royal Oak Charcoal, The Butcher Shoppe, Mister Brisket and Meat Rushmore BBQ for their support.

Congratulations to the GCs today, Josh & Jeremy from Jdqbbq and RGC Parts "R" Smokin.

Thanks to show sponsor Meat Rushmore BBQ for their fabulous Pork Wrap and Brisket Mop that we are using today.

Here we go! First BBQ adventure in two months. Blues Hog, Royal Oak Charcoal

We enjoy talking to the biggest names in BBQ - and also shine some light on the up-and-comers. This week we go “Under the Radar” on Episode 372 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast to visit with a fast learner from Ohio, Chris Reed of Team Cookie BBQ . Along with having a unique team name, Chris knows his stuff on the smoker. In just 16 career The Kansas City Barbeque Society Masters Series attempts, he’s had seven overall top 10s, including his first Grand Championship last month at the Saxonburg BBQ Smokeout in Saxonburg, Pennsylvania. Chris fills us in on how it’s come together so quickly.

Richard Fergola also joins us for his quarterly visit about the latest happenings with Fergolicious BBQ and his Richard Fergola line of products. “Fergie” has enjoyed a busy summer of spreading the good word of Q across the land with four new products now available. Now he’s getting ready for the American Royal World Series of Barbecue at the new American Royal Association complex and we get his thoughts on that.

Ever had a raccoon scrounging around your smoker or grill? Co-host Steve Koehler has and he warns everyone to clean and cover your cooking equipment before bed time. Meanwhile, co-host Lyndal Scranton previews the competition side of the team’s preparation for this weekend’s Smoke Inferno in Edgerton, Kansas.

A big thanks to our show sponsors and marketing partners. Please support them:

Blues Hog
Royal Oak Charcoal
The Butcher Shoppe
The Grill Guys of Missouri
Clark Crew BBQ
Meat Rushmore BBQ
Lovely Jubbly BBQ
Mister Potato Malaysia

Have a great rest of your BBQ week and, as always …

Episode 372: https://tailgateguysbbq.libsyn.com/tailgate-guys-bbq-podcast-episode-372-under-the-radar-with-team-cookie-bbq-plus-richard-fergola