We bring you double star power on Episode 282 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast. First up is Jess Pryles, the Hardcore Carnivore. She’s not only an expert on all things meat and open-fire cooking, Jess now has her own television show. We visit with the native of Australia and transplanted Texan about her show “Hardcore Carnivore” now airing Season 1 on Outdoor Channel (check your local listings). Season 2 already has been recorded and will air sometime in 2025. We also catch up with “Big Poppa” h...
Oct 23, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Season 6Ep. 39
Scuffletown Smokers has been a successful competition team for several years, but because the family team from Boonville, Indiana, cooks a limited amount of events perhaps many aren’t familiar with them. Well, that all changed last weekend when head cook Alby Ransom and Scuffletown Smokers became the sports newest “major” champ by winning the Jack Daniels World Invitational. On Episode 281 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, we visit with Alby about the big win and his team’s steady journey to suc...
Oct 16, 2024•57 min•Season 6Ep. 38
The world’s largest BBQ competition is coming up in a few weeks. The American Royal World Series of BBQ at Kansas Speedway brings together more than 400 teams, from all over the world, and on Episode 280 we have a roundtable discussion with three first-time Royal teams - Nicholas Owensby of Sailor Nick’s BBQ from Wadsworth, Ohio; Jamie Mintz from Casual Smokers in Spartanburg, S.C.; and Jim St. Gemme of The Burnt Crow out of St. Louis. We get some background from each about their BBQ journeys an...
Oct 09, 2024•43 min•Season 6Ep. 37
Episode 279 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast features “Fast Eddy” Ed Maurin, a member of the BBQ Hall of Fame Class of 2024. Ed is one of seven inductees joining the Hall on Nov. 2 during ceremonies held at the American Royal World Series of BBQ at Kansas Speedway. One of the heavy hitters on the competition circuit back in the late 1980s and 1990s, “Fast Eddy” made an even bigger impact on the BBQ world as an innovator and builder of pellet smokers. He tells stories of how it all came to be and...
Oct 02, 2024•55 min•Season 6Ep. 36
On Episode 278 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, we visit with one of the all-time greats of competition cooking about his latest business venture. Travis Clark recently opened a new Clark Crew BBQ restaurant in Tulsa to go with his flagship location in Oklahoma City. Travis discusses the myriad of issues that crop up when opening a new venue and how his intense quest for winning in his competition days translate to the restaurant world. Travis also confirms that he is finished with competition ...
Sep 25, 2024•47 min•Season 6Ep. 35
Long-time competition cook Joel Fleetwood never dreamed of having his Meat Rushmore BBQ team’s name on a BBQ restaurant. But after winning last weekend’s Made for KC event, that’s exactly what will happen in the fall of 2025. On Episode 277 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, Joel talks about what the opportunity to have naming rights, with menu construction and a new line of Meat Rushmore BBQ products means. Also the president of the KCBS Board of Directors, Joel also gives us a couple of newsy n...
Sep 18, 2024•52 min•Season 6Ep. 34
“The Doctor” is in on Episode 276 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast. Ray “Dr. BBQ” Lampe, one of the all-time greats of open-fire cooking, joins us this week and we begin by talking about his time on the Food Network Show BBQ Brawl, Season 5, which aired over the summer. Ray talks about what it was like being “the old guy” on a show with a lineup of young chefs who brought an amazing culinary background to the table. It just didn’t seem right at “Dr. BBQ” was eliminated for being tasked with cook...
Sep 11, 2024•48 min•Season 6Ep. 33
On Episode 275 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, we shine the light on a recent first-time KCBS Grand Championship winner. Chris Leikam and Devin Schwartz from the Kansas competition team Finger Leikam Good were college friends at Kansas State and enjoyed cooking before Wildcats football games at Snyder Family Stadium. They eventually took their love for open-fire cooking to the KCBS backyard and eventually Master’s competition and now are enjoying the best season of their career. Chris and Devi...
Aug 28, 2024•50 min•Season 6Ep. 32
He’s lived the American Dream, a United States Navy veteran who worked the overnight shift at the Des Moines, Iowa, water treatment plant. During his spare time, Moe Cason fired up the smoker and dabbled in competition BBQ. On a suggestion from the legendary Johnny Trigg, “Big Moe” sent in an audition video for the groundbreaking BBQ television program BBQ Pitmasters. Now, Moe is a full-blown BBQ celebrity who travels the world spreading his love for open-fire cooking. On Episode 274 of the Tail...
Aug 21, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Season 6Ep. 31
On Episode 273 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, we learn about a new competition and festival in mid-Missouri that will include three sanctioning bodies. It’s the Buds, Blues & BBQ in Columbia, Sept. 13-14, with opportunities to enter the KCBS Master’s Series regular comp plus one-meat chicken cook, a Steak Cookoff Association comp and the new Ribs Cookoff Association event. Event organizer John Borland tells us about what’s happening and other activities that include a music festival on th...
Aug 14, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Season 6Ep. 30
Whether it’s cooking in the backyard or the highest level of competition, Christie Vanover is someone who has been instrumental in helping open-fire cooks worldwide up their games since she launched her GirlsCanGrill.com website in 2015. With recipes, tips, product reviews and much more, it’s a one of the top resources available. Christie joins us on Episode 272 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast and we touch on a variety of topics, including her experience on Food Network’s BBQ Brawl Season 4 and...
Aug 07, 2024•58 min•Season 6Ep. 29
Episode 271 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast has arrived and it has a variety of guests as we welcome the month of August. At the 7:58 mark, Emmy-award-winning television news producer turned author and now podcast host David Page returns to discuss his latest project. Page’s new podcast “Culinary Characters Unlocked” debuts Aug. 27 as he goes in-depth some of the world’s top chefs and up-and-coming cooks - including some from the open-fire world. One of the fast-rising pitmasters in competition...
Jul 31, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Season 6Ep. 28
It’s become one of the jewels on the late-season KCBS calendar, a doubleheader to cap the points season. But only a few days ago, the 4th annual Boo-B-Que was on the verge of cancellation. No worries. The Oct. 25-27 event in Oak Grove, Mo., will go on after Greg Hastie, who began the event three years ago but had too much on his plate to run it again, turned to contest organizer extraordinaire Corey Linton. We’ll hear from both Greg and Corey about plans for Boo-B-Que on Episode 270. We also cat...
Jul 25, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Season 6Ep. 27
After running hard in 2023, cooking 44 contests as he successfully chased KCBS Team of the Year honors, Jordan Kirkpatrick and Janky Leg BBQ has slowed the pace a bit this season. But after an addition to the family and a home remodel project, Janky Leg is back and ready for a big second half, evidenced by the team’s first GC of the year last weekend in Cameron, Mo. On Episode 269 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, Jordan Kirkpatrick tells us about his mind-set looking ahead as he also reflects o...
Jul 17, 2024•1 hr•Season 6Ep. 26
On Episode 268 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, we visit with one of the top teams on the West Coast - and one of the best in the USA. Dave and Shirin Mara from Meat Candy Q out of El Cajon, Calif., is enjoying a terrific 2024 season with one KCBS Grand Championship and and three RGCs in just 10 competitions. Meat Candy is sixth in the Team of the Year race and we catch up with Dave and Shirin to inquire about what’s working and why they’ve decided to make an upcoming three-week, five-competiti...
Jul 10, 2024•53 min•Season 6Ep. 25
Happy 4th of July to all! To celebrate, Episode 267 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast features two great guests. Leading off is one of the best to ever light a pit, BBQ Hall of Famer Darren Warth from Iowa Smokey D’s. While he’s won more than 100 grand championships during his career, including multiple majors, Darren accomplished a first last weekend in Idaho as he won a KCBS competition by cooking all four meats on one Gateway Drum Smoker. We visit with “The GOAT” about how he did it, what stil...
Jul 02, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Season 6Ep. 24
Mike and Nichole Mulkey of Mulkey’s BBQ from St. Louis are one of the many successful husband-wife competition BBQ teams in the country. On Episode 266 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, we learn how they work together after Mulkey’s won the Grand Championship at the 172-team Great Lenexa BBQ Battle. The back-to-back St. Louis BBQ Society Team of the Year has a shared passion for BBQ and the competition it provides since they began just a few years ago. We also hear from Skyler Spartan from The G...
Jun 26, 2024•50 min•Season 6Ep. 23
We asked for nominations for up-and-coming competition BBQ pitmasters or teams and our listeners delivered with lots of great suggestions. This week on Episode 265 of the Tailgate Guys BBGQ Podcast, we bring you an extended “Under the Radar” segment with Joe Wilson and B.J. Searcy from the northern California team Cherry Anchor BBQ. Despite only doing a handful of KCBS Master’s Series events, Joe and B.J. have been quick studies in success, with two Grand Championships to their credit so far thi...
Jun 19, 2024•57 min•Season 6Ep. 22
On Episode 264 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, our “Under the Radar” segment returns by popular demand. This week, our look at an up-and-coming pitmaster focuses on Kansas City’s Lane York of Aww Shucks BBQ. York’s primary focus has been on KCBS Backyard competition so far, but he’s done well in limited Masters’ Series attempts and does so without all the bells and whistles. We also check in with Richard Fergola of Fergolicious BBQ for the latest happenings at Proud Souls BBQ and Provisions. “...
Jun 12, 2024•59 min•Season 6Ep. 21
It’s an action packed Episode 263 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast with an assortment of guests with good info and stories to tell. First up at the 9:26 mark is Charles Simpson, with a preview of the National High School BBQ Championships coming up this weekend (June 7-9) in Branson, Missouri. As director of the Missouri High School BBQ Association and coach of Osceola High School’s teams in west-central Missouri, Simpson runs down the format in Branson and talks about the growth of high school ...
Jun 05, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Season 6Ep. 20
The 6th annual KCBS World Invitational was held over Memorial Day Weekend in Lebanon, Tenn., and on Episode 262 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast we talk it over with both of the big winners. Drew Davis of Razorracks BBQ out of Pleasant Plains, Ark., has won 28 KCBS Grand Championships during his career. But Drew and wife Chelsey picked up their biggest title when Razorracks scored a 708.548 to top the 81-team World Invitational. Razorracks also was a solid third in the Open the day before and Dr...
May 29, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Season 6Ep. 19
We’re all about celebrating the iconic BBQ teams on the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, but we also love to shine the spotlight on those up-and-coming teams who achieve big things. This week on Episode 261, we focus on Barking Dog BBQ out of Kansas City, a team of childhood friends Dave Lillis, Kevin Bunting and Brian Tuttle. Barking Dog BBQ (we explore the origin and meaning of that unique team name) just won its first career KCBS Grand Championship and we talk the guys about their love of BBQ and h...
May 22, 2024•45 min•Season 6Ep. 18
Episode 260 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast takes us to the Phoenix area to visit with Kyle Matuszewski, owner-operator of Your Behind BBQ restaurant in Florence. Kyle is a long-time competitor on the Steak Cookoff Association and KCBS trails and he’s parlayed that success into a red-hot start in the restaurant business. Kyle breaks down his story which includes how a restaurant owner deals with his first 1-star Yelp review. Brad Colter and Breana Via from Smoke N Magic BBQ stop by for their we...
May 15, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Season 6Ep. 17
When we’re asked about BBQ restaurant recommendations in the St. Louis area, Heavy Smoke BBQ always is at the top of our list. On Episode 259 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, we talk it over with Chris Schafer, the owner-operator of Heavy Smoke BBQ about the constantly overlapping thrills and challenges of the restaurant industry. Chris also is one of the world’s top competition pitmasters, a past Grand Champion at both the Jack Daniels World BBQ Invitational and KCBS Invitational World Champio...
May 08, 2024•54 min•Season 6Ep. 16
One of the greatest to light a pit - and a great friend of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Show since the beginning on local, low-powered radio - joins us for an extended conversation on Episode 258. Brad Leighninger just passed the 11-year anniversary of his first BBQ Grand Championship. Now, 70 GCs later, Gettin’ Basted is a three-time KCBS Team of the Year, a Jack Daniels World BBQ Invitational Grand Champion, Brad is a part of the Blues Hog 2022 Memphis in May World Champion. He’s also co-owner of fou...
Apr 30, 2024•53 min•Season 6Ep. 15
On Episode 257 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, we talk it over with one of world’s hottest pitmasters. Eric Coley from Alabama’s Poppa Pig BBQ is leading the KCBS Team of the Year standings with three Grand Championships and seven top-10 finishes in eight 2024 competitions. It’s a start that’s signaled a breakthrough after Eric went through a two-year stretch of top-10 finishes without nailing the GC. What has changed? Eric talks about that, plus his career in competition BBQ and how a DQ afte...
Apr 24, 2024•57 min•Season 6Ep. 14
Jon and Jason Wade of Optimus Swine BBQ out of Williamsburg, Virginia have one of the hottest competition BBQ teams around. Since moving into the KCBS Master’s division a couple of years ago, the Wades have seven Grand Championships and seven RGCs in 63 competitions. They also own and operate two BBQ restaurants in the Williamsburg area, Two Drummers Smokehouse and 2 Drummers Butchery and BBQ Provisions. On Episode 256 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, we talk it over with Jon Wade about the tea...
Apr 17, 2024•58 min•Season 6Ep. 13
Based in north central North Dakota, Burnt Trees BBQ has a long haul no matter where it goes for a competition. But the husband-wife team of Nick and Shannon Holman is almost always a contender when it arrives, with its 2024 debut proving the point. Burnt Trees BBQ captured the 97-team Smoke in the Spring in Osage City, Kansas, topping the 700-point mark for the first time. On Episode 255 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, we visit with Nick and Shannon about their shared BBQ passion and the chal...
Apr 10, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Season 6Ep. 12
There are dozens of options available these days for BBQ-themed podcasts, unlike just a few years ago when the options were relatively limited. One of the longest-running shows is Baseball and BBQ, with co-hosts Leonard Aberman and Jeff Cohen. Combining two of America’s favorite past times, Leonard and Jeff have found a sweet spot with engaging guests who speak with knowledge to baseball, BBQ or both. Now in season seven, we caught up with Len and Jeff as the Major League Baseball season gets un...
Apr 04, 2024•59 min•Season 6Ep. 11
Welcome to Episode 253 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, where we’re joined by the founders of America’s foremost weekly digital news authority on live-fire cooking. It’s been a while since we visited with Ryan Cooper and Sean Ludwig from The Smoke Sheet. Their weekly newsletter that arrives in subscribers’ in-boxes each Wednesday and Friday with a variety of content including BBQ trends, restaurant features, product news and recipes. On our extended conversation, Ryan and Sean tell us about a r...
Mar 27, 2024•54 min•Season 6Ep. 10
