SMITHFIELD, Va. — As a proud investor in competition barbecue, Smithfield® is pleased to announce the 24 qualifying teams participating in the first-ever Smokin’ With Smithfield National Barbecue Championship, taking place from Thursday, Nov. 14 – Sunday, Nov. 17 at NOLA Motorsports Park in New Orleans. After a year-long points chase, the following 24 teams, who earned the highest scores amongst 370 registered national and international teams, will face-off in a three-round, single elimination playoff contest for the chance to win a piece of the $50,000 cash prize pool and the coveted title of National Barbecue Champion:
- 4 Legs Up BBQ, Kelly Wertz – Great Bend, Kan.
- Boomerang BBQ, Matthew Walker – Wolfforth, Texas
- B-S BBQ Outlaws, Bob Stanfiel – Hill City, S.D.
- Buckshot BBQ, Jayde Henley – Midland, Texas
- Bunch Of Swines, Edward Gash – Swindon, United Kingdom
- Business As Usual Cookers, Caleb Warden – Deer Park, Texas
- Cajun Blaze, Adam Gautreau – Gonzales, La.
- Chat N Choo BBQ, Chris Hatcher – Haslet, Texas
- Chickapicow, Allan Freeman – Spring, Texas
- Gettin’ Basted, Brad Leighninger – Springfield, Mo.
- Heavy Smoke, Chris Schafer – O’Fallon, Mo.
- Iowa’s Smokey D’s BBQ, Darren Warth – Des Moines, Iowa
- iQ BBQ, Richard Wagers – Nijkerk, Netherlands
- Lucky’s Q, Justin McGlaun – Waverly, Iowa
- Pig-Chicka-Cow-Cow, Lee Thompson – Apopka, Fla.
- Race Crew BBQ, Jason Sagmiller – Spring, Texas
- Razorracks BBQ, Drew Davis – Pleasant Plains, Ark.
- Redmule’s Bad Ass BBQ, Lee Hickel – Sinton, Texas
- Rio Valley Meats BBQ, Fred Robles – Weslaco, Texas
- Scooter’s, Paul Whitaker – Midland, Texas
- Shake ‘n Bake BBQ, Tim Scheer – New Haven, Mo.
- Slap’s BBQ, Joe Pearce – Kansas City, Kan.
- Texas Oil Dust, Aaron Lesley – Midland, Texas
- Wolf’s Revenge BBQ, Chiles Cridlin – Henrico, Va.
The Smokin’ With Smithfield National Barbecue Championship is the first competition of its kind, as it is open to all competition barbecue cooks and designed to level the playing field across all major sanctioning bodies. Registered teams earned points based on their performance at sanctioned events throughout the past year, with the highest scoring teams facing off to compete in multiple categories including pork ribs and butts, chicken, and brisket.
“Smithfield is thrilled to recognize some of the best on the barbecue circuit – both seasoned and rookie teams from all over the world – with the first-ever unified competition,” said Laura Pall, brand manager for Smithfield Foods. “We thank all of those who registered and competed throughout the year, and we can’t wait to see these teams throw down and go hog wild in New Orleans!”
For more information about the Smokin’ With Smithfield National Barbecue Championship, as well as details for the 2020 Smokin’ With Smithfield Grant or Committed Cooks programs, please visit www.SmokinWithSmithfield.com.
About Smithfield
A leading provider of high-quality pork products, Smithfield was founded in 1936 in Smithfield, Virginia, establishing the town as the “Ham Capital of the World.” From hand-trimmed bacon and slow-smoked holiday hams to marinated tenderloins, Smithfield brings artistry, authenticity and a commitment to heritage, flavor, and handcrafted excellence to everything it produces. With a vast product portfolio including smoked meats, hams, bacon, sausage, ribs, and a wide variety of fresh pork cuts, the company services retail, foodservice, and deli channels across the United States and 30 countries abroad. All of Smithfield’s products meet the highest quality and safety standards in the industry. To learn more about how Flavor Hails from Smithfield, please visit www.Smithfield.com, www.Twitter.com/SmithfieldBrand, and www.Facebook.com/CookingWithSmithfield. Smithfield is a brand of Smithfield Foods.
About Smithfield Foods
Smithfield Foods is a $15 billion global food company and the world’s largest pork processor and hog producer. In the United States, the company is also the leader in numerous packaged meats categories. Popular brands include Smithfield®, Eckrich®, Nathan’s Famous®, Farmland®, Armour®, Farmer John®, Kretschmar®, John Morrell®, Cook’s®, Gwaltney®, Carando®, Margherita®, Curly’s®, Healthy Ones®, Morliny®, Krakus®, and Berlinki®. Smithfield Foods is committed to providing good food in a responsible way and maintains robust animal care, community involvement, employee safety, environmental and food safety and quality programs. For more information, visit www.smithfieldfoods.com, and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
