HOUSTON – The annual World’s Championship Bar-B-Q Cookoff is underway in Houston, and hundreds of teams are hoping to be crowned the winner!
KPRC 2′s Re’Chelle Turner spoke to cooks ahead of Saturday’s big competition.
Brad Deleon is the chief cook at Dusty Bones Cooker.
“We served almost 800 people last night for dinner. We do brisket, ribs, chicken, potato salad, and green beans,” he said.
Dusty Bones is also famous for their ice cream.
The award-winning Goody Girls cooking team is also turning up the heat! Michael Smith is the chief cook and says he comes from a family of cooks.
“My uncle, my dad’s older brother, started it and worked his way up for the Smiths,” he said. “And I’m the third generation of a chief cook of a Smith. I’ve taken the reigns for about seven years.”
Smith and his team have been practicing all year and hopes their hard work will pay off.
“You can’t go into it right off the bat and expect to win. You have to do some trial errors, and see what is working. It’s little things that can get you a half point to get you in the top 10,” he said.
JB Head and David Jeske with Scoundrels BBQ are the second-longest competing team at the BBQ Cookoff.
“They started in 1980. It was originally a bunch of first responders and firemen,” Head said.
JB is smoking their chicken and says he is excited about competing.
“Everybody looks for a flavor profile that the judges want to eat. There are 360 teams out here, so that’s the biggest thing. Are you going to have that flavor that the judges are looking for, and hopefully we are going to get a call on something this year,” he said.
A winner will be crowned at 7 p.m. Saturday night.
The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo kickoffs on Tuesday.