What It Takes to Win the World's Largest BBQ Competition — Smoke Point: The Competition

Over 500 pitmasters compete at the American Royal World Series of Barbecue in Kansas City, Kansas, in hopes of becoming the barbecue grand champion. Watch top competitors Tuffy Stone of Cool Smoke and Grant Basiliere of Que U fire up pork ribs, pork shoulders, beef brisket, and chicken in a fierce rivalry to win the title of best-in-class barbecue.

Credits:
Producer: Connor Reid, Jay Simms
Director: Connor Reid, Murilo Ferreira, Jay Simms,
Camera: Murilo Ferreira, Carla Francescutti, DeVonte Brown, Jay Simms
Production Assistant: Bryna Vogel
Editor: Lucy Morales Carlisle

Executive Producer: Stephen Pelletteri
Supervising Producer, Operations: Stefania Orrù
Supervising Producer, Development: Gabriella Lewis
Audience Engagement: Frances Dumlao
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[OskeeWowWowIllinois]

I'm a KC local and my realtor competes in it and invites all his clients every year to eat at his tent for all the meat he doesn't send in for judging. Even the cast offs are delicious! He did a wagyu brisket last year that was like smoked meat butter it was so juicy. I think he placed in the Top 100.

[johnmarkmike]

20:38 "So what I do is I come, and I just hit it with some of my liquids" BBQ videos never disappoint when taken out of context

[ZUCChinishrIMP]

Anyone else feels like there's no way they can accurately rank 500 teams just from 6 bites of each category...

[um]

Judges are looking for a specific flavour. Heavy on sauce and spices. Aaron Franklin did a competition and summed it up perfectly. They are looking for a very specific definition for brisket etc not neccessarily what the best BBQ spots sell.

[AS__]

BBQ competition videos are a hidden gem for out of context sayings. “It’s all about concentration on the best bone” 😂

[markchristopher]

Appreciated how gracious both of these guys were when they didn't place this year

[AisDrew]

I’ve been seeing a lot of comments about “how can they really judge the competitors offer a few bites” and wanted to mention some things I’ve heard from my short time in the industry that reinforces that exact idea.

Trophies are nice. I don’t have any for my cooking/BBQ. But I do have a ton of friends and family who have smiled and told me that my brisket is “better than their dad’s” or “some of the best I’ve ever had”. Most seasoned cooks and chefs have told be the same thing.

Competition is a young man’s game. They can be fun, stressful, and more work than it’s worth sometimes. A good award can really start your career off strong too. It can also give your carer a big boost as well — And props to superstar chefs (young and old) who grind it out and can perform at that level. But there’s a lot of politics, vanity, and inconsistency (as we saw in the video) that comes with these competitions and that coveted award — whatever it may be.

A trophy will never replace the joy of nourishing and sharing a meal with those you care about. People get into this industry because they want to feed, entertain, and bring joy to their community. You don’t need a ton of bling to do that. 😎

[Bongz]

I just want to be a taster, no judging, just tasting 😂

[usamaepekonis]

That venue must have the best smell in the world

[willie]

All that effort to place that low, brutal!

[kamotetops]

17:23 The competitors are stressed out on handing over their final product, meanwhile...
17:53 The facilitators of the competition nonchalantly handling them.

The competitors needs to take this into account.

[LinkOmega]

Oh man, what did the first place stuff look like?

[GrillSergeant]

I will do 1 pushup for every like this comment gets. I need to burn off all the BBQ I eat. 🍻

[katheebmuzammil]

The CEO of the BBQ society looks exactly like how I've imagined a CEO of a BBQ society would look like.

[jones]

Makes me miss BBQ Pitmasters and Pit Wars!

[davekragness]

Some seriously delicious looking leftovers that some lucky group of friends is going to get to dive into for each of these teams!

[Descentperson]

I'm watching this at 3AM and I'm freakn hungry

[charlesorr]

Rod Gray CEO OF KCBS..didnt know, wow!! Love his rubs..most powerful...zero to hero..won me money in back yard kcbs!! Still use these rubs today at home.

[CharlieSmurffy]

As somebody who makes backyard BBQ, this looks nauseating to eat. Idk how the judges handle all that flavor.

[tomypreach]

Wow... A good healthy bunch of people.