Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast

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 Misso...

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...

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 seg...

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...

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 co...

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 Rou...

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 mor...

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 competit...

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,...

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 tw...

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 t...

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 w...

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 i...

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...

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 break...

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 hi...

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...

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 BB...

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...

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 fini...

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 an...

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...

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 o...

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 ye...