Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast

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 our fifth and final Royal with a 98th place, putting us in the top 25 percent overall. Our food was good. Memories were made. While we'll never win The Royal, we bring you the big winner. Jason Wagner of Wags Backwoods BBQ joins us in this week's featured segment, talking about his Grand Championship in the Open. We also chat with Charlie Wallace of the Grill Guys of Missouri after his first Royal, spent helping out Richard Fergola and Fergolicious BBQ. Charlie also gives us a rundown of the latest from The Grill Guys, located in Republic, Mo., where Black November sales roll on. Check out the show in the link below or on your favorite #podcast platform. A big thanks to our show sponsors and marketing partners. Please support them: Blues Hog #blueshognation Royal Oak Charcoal #charcoalofchampions  The Butcher Shoppe #alwayshandpicked  The Grill Guys of Missouri #grillguys417 Clark Crew BBQ #clarkcrewbbq  Mister Brisket #thighlife Have a great week! #SmokeEmIfYouGotEm

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 year, which has inducted some top-10 competition finishes and judging at the Jack Daniels World Invitational. Check out her tremendous website girlscangrill.com for all sorts of info. Skyler Spartan from Grill Guys of Missouri joins us with the latest from the Republic, Mo., BBQ store. For the second straight week, The Grill Guys had a big weekend in competition themselves, this time cooking up chicken wings and Skyler has the recap. Meanwhile, co-host Lyndal previews the Tailgate Guys competition team's upcoming trip to the American Royal World Series of BBQ and Steve recaps his latest backyard cooking adventures.  Remember: If you're coming to the American Royal World Series of BBQ this weekend, stop by and see us at space No. 160.  A big thanks to our show sponsors and marketing partners. Please support them: Blues Hog #blueshognation Royal Oak Charcoal #charcoalofchampions  The Butcher Shoppe #alwayshandpicked  The Grill Guys of Missouri #grillguys417 Clark Crew BBQ #clarkcrewbbq  Mister Brisket #thighlife Have a great week! #SmokeEmIfYouGotEm

Episode 329 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast is our 45th American Royal World Series of BBQ preview. First up is a conversation, beginning at the 6:30 mark, with American Royal BBQ Manager Kayci Vincent and director of communications Allyssa King about what teams and spectators can expect from the world's largest BBQ competition. The fun is set for Nov. 6-9 at Kansas Speedway. Then we bring back our roundtable of first-time American Royal competitors with a trio of pit masters - Kurt Brauner from Rack City BBQ out of Las Vegas; Dan Wright of Take it Easy BBQ from St. Louis and Bradley Vollmer of Meats My Mistress BBQ from Pilot Grove, Missouri. The segment starts at the 20:43 mark as we learn a bit about each team and why this was the year to make their debut at The Royal.  We also check in with Charlie Wallace from the Grill Guys of Missouri at 42:48 with the latest from the Republic, Missouri, store plus a review of a big cooking weekend for them and a preview of another one ahead. Meanwhile, co-hosts Lyndal and Steve review their cooking weeks and take a tour of the sports world while looking ahead to what's going on the smoker next.  Check out the show in the link below or on your favorite #podcast platform, or go to our Tailgate Guys Facebook page (link in IG bio). A big thanks to our show sponsors and marketing partners. Please support them: Blues Hog #blueshognation Royal Oak Charcoal #charcoalofchampions  The Butcher Shoppe #alwayshandpicked  The Grill Guys of Missouri #grillguys417 Clark Crew BBQ #clarkcrewbbq  Mister Brisket #thighlife Have a great week! #SmokeEmIfYouGotEm

When you talk about consistent excellence in competition BBQ, few teams stand out over the last decade more than Rooters-N-Tooters from Tennessee. On Episode 328 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, we talk it over with Paul Keltner about Rooters-N-Tooters sustained success, which includes three KCBS Grand Championships in 2025 - including last weekend's Royal Oak Invitational - plus overall top-10s in 23 of 25 competitions this season. Paul touches on what he thinks has contributed to the consistency and previews a busy home stretch of the season ahead. We also check in with Skyler Spartan from the Grill Guys of Missouri with the latest from the Republic, Missouri, store and a big couple of competition weekends ahead for the team, including this Saturday's "Grill Guys vs. Grill Wives" showdown at Eggfest in Nixa, Mo. Meanwhile, co-hosts Lyndal and Steve review their cooking weeks and take a tour of the sports world while looking ahead to what's going on the smoker this weekend.  Check out the show in the link below or on your favorite #podcast platform, or go to our Tailgate Guys Facebook page (link in IG bio). A big thanks to our show sponsors and marketing partners. Please support them: Blues Hog #blueshognation Royal Oak Charcoal #charcoalofchampions  The Butcher Shoppe #alwayshandpicked  The Grill Guys of Missouri #grillguys417 Clark Crew BBQ #clarkcrewbbq  Mister Brisket #thighlife Have a great week! #SmokeEmIfYouGotEm

Since the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast began a decade ago, one of our mantras has been "we talk to champions." Episode 327 features the latest BBQ world champion. It's Ryan King of Kings BBQ out of Jacksonville, Florida, the Grand Champion at last weekend's Jack Daniels World Invitational in Lynchburg, Tenn. Beginning at the 10:22 mark, Ryan tells us about a cook that placed him among the legends - and how it wasn't exactly without challenges along the way. We also explore Ryan's background in BBQ and how Kings BBQ has emerged as one of the top teams in the country, even before making history at The Jack. We also talk it over with Aaron Huentelman, competition meat manager of Mister Brisket starting at the 34:54 mark about the looming deadline to place orders for the upcoming American Royal World Series of BBQ. Meanwhile, co-hosts Lyndal and Steve review their cooking weeks and take a tour of the sports world while looking ahead to what's going on the smoker this weekend.  Check out the show in the link below or on your favorite #podcast platform, or go to our Tailgate Guys Facebook page (link in IG bio). A big thanks to our show sponsors and marketing partners. Please support them: Blues Hog #blueshognation Royal Oak Charcoal #charcoalofchampions  The Butcher Shoppe #alwayshandpicked  The Grill Guys of Missouri #grillguys417 Marty "Sign Man" Prather  Domino's #pizza Clark Crew BBQ #clarkcrewbbq  Mister Brisket #thighlife Have a great week! #SmokeEmIfYouGotEm

We visit with a Hall of Famer on Episode 326 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast. Donny Teel and Buffalo's BBQ is a legend from Sperry, Oklahoma, winning more than 100 competitions over a three-decade career including Grand Championships at both the American Royal World Series of BBQ Open and Jack Daniels World BBQ Invitational. Donny will be inducted into the BBQ Hall of Fame next month during the American Royal at Kansas Speedway and we visit with him what it was like in the old days, when a little whiskey or cold beer went a long way toward getting helpful tips and tricks from other competitors. While Donny has mostly retired from KCBS cooking, he's still successful cooking on the Rib Cookoff Association circuit and his Buffalo's BBQ Food Truck in Sperry is a favorite of many. For our weekly trip to Republic, Mo., to talk it over with the Grill Guys of Missouri, Samantha Spartan hits a home run filling in for husband Skyler. It's a busy month ahead for The Grill Guys and she has the scoop. Meanwhile, co-hosts Lyndal and Steve recap their cooking weeks, including Lyndal leading the Tailgate Guys team into competition in Branson, Missouri, where a couple of top-five calls came our way. Check out the show in the link below or on your favorite #podcast platform. A big thanks to our show sponsors and marketing partners. Please support them: Blues Hog #blueshognation Royal Oak Charcoal #charcoalofchampions  The Butcher Shoppe #alwayshandpicked  The Grill Guys of Missouri #grillguys417 Marty "Sign Man" Prather  Domino's #pizza Clark Crew BBQ #clarkcrewbbq  Mister Brisket #thighlife Have a great week! #SmokeEmIfYouGotEm

We all know how important it is to keep those cooking grates clean. On Episode 325 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, we talk it over with Marvin Weinberger, an entrepreneur who's developed a handy and effective tool called the GrillFighter to get the job done. We visit with Marvin about his background as an inventor and why coming up with the GrillFighter was important to him. Marvin's segment begins at the 10:37 mark of the show. After a planned guest declined to come on to talk about a huge victory, we run back one of our favorite segments from earlier this summer with the OG GOAT of BBQ. Conversations with Darren Warth of Iowa Smokey D's always makes me feel smarter and we have an encore segment with Darren at 31:21 a week ahead of his return to the Jack Daniels World BBQ Invitational next week. Charlie Wallace joins us from Grill Guys of Missouri to review the latest from the standout BBQ supply store in Republic. Also, co-hosts Steve and Lyndal also talk about their latest cooking adventures and preview a big weekend ahead. Also in our opening segment, a special tribute to Marty "Sign Man" Prather, a local legend as a sports fan and businessman who flourished in making others happy. Marty was a great supporter of the Tailgate Guys competition efforts at the American Royal World Series of BBQ and, more important, a great friend.  Check out the show in the link below or on your favorite #podcast platform. A big thanks to our show sponsors and marketing partners. Please support them: Blues Hog #blueshognation Royal Oak Charcoal #charcoalofchampions  The Butcher Shoppe #alwayshandpicked  The Grill Guys of Missouri #grillguys417 Marty "Sign Man" Prather  Domino's #pizza Clark Crew BBQ #clarkcrewbbq  Mister Brisket #thighlife Have a great week! #SmokeEmIfYouGotEm

Sam Dodson of Bull in the Ring BBQ had been knocking on the door of his first KCBS Grand Championship, with a series of top-10 finishes and a recent runner-up finish. Last weekend in Ponca City, Oklahoma, Bull in the Ring scored the big prize and on Episode 324 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast we visit with Sam about the journey and some of the keys in getting to a consistently elite level. Sam's segment begins at the 11:30 mark. There's a terrific KCBS comp coming up this weekend in Miami, Oklahoma. Smokin' on the Route offers a prize purse in excess of $17,000 and pays the top 12 in each Master's division category. There's still time to jump in and organizer Chuck McKibben gives some details on the event at the 32:05 mark. Skyler Spartan joins us from Grill Guys of Missouri to review the latest from the standout BBQ supply store in Republic. Also, co-hosts Steve and Lyndal also talk about their latest cooking adventures and preview a big sports and cooking weekend.   Check out the show in the link below or on your favorite #podcast platform. A big thanks to our show sponsors and marketing partners. Please support them: Blues Hog #blueshognation Royal Oak Charcoal #charcoalofchampions  The Butcher Shoppe #alwayshandpicked  The Grill Guys of Missouri #grillguys417 Marty "Sign Man" Prather  Domino's #pizza Clark Crew BBQ #clarkcrewbbq  Mister Brisket #thighlife Have a great week! #SmokeEmIfYouGotEm

A few days after B'Mackin BBQ set a KCBS record with a near-perfect cook at the Burnt Offering BBQ Contest in Riverside, California, we talk it over on Episode 323 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast with San Diego's Brett McKinney about how he and teammate Benny Watsman pulled it off. B'Mackin scored an amazing 718.8572 and just missed a quadruple 180 by a couple of judges slightly dinging them in the chicken category. McKinney said he's still in happy shock over the record, but B'Mackin is no stranger to consistent excellent having finished top 10 overall in 31 of its last 34 comps dating back to 2022. McKinney said that less cooking - and thus more-relaxed expectations - has meant more success for the team. We also check in with our friend Richard Fergola of Fergolicious BBQ. The Royal Oak Charcoal ambassador is charting a new career path in 2025 and doing quite well, teaching BBQ full-time around the globe while also promoting his six Richard Fergola BBQ spice rubs. Charlie Wallace joins us from Grill Guys of Missouri to review the latest from the standout BBQ supply store in Republic. Co-hosts Steve and Lyndal also talk about their latest cooking adventures and review the Kansas City Chiefs' 0-2 start.  Check out the show in the link below or on your favorite #podcast platform. A big thanks to our show sponsors and marketing partners. Please support them: Blues Hog #blueshognation Royal Oak Charcoal #charcoalofchampions  The Butcher Shoppe #alwayshandpicked  The Grill Guys of Missouri #grillguys417 Marty "Sign Man" Prather  Domino's #pizza Clark Crew BBQ #clarkcrewbbq  Mister Brisket #thighlife Have a great week! #SmokeEmIfYouGotEm

Hugh Munro of Ambition Que might be the oldest man in competition BBQ. But the 73-year-old former drag racer doesn't mind the title one bit - particularly after likely becoming the oldest KCBS Grand Champion at last weekend's Bud's, Brews & BBQ in Columbia, Missouri. On Episode 322 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, we visit with Hugh about his late-start to competition BBQ and how it feeds his hunger to high-level competition after being involved in national-touring drag racing for many years. The Minnesota native now based in Springfield, Missouri, discusses how he got started in BBQ and said it's not about the money but rather the love of the sport that has him looking for his next big trophy.  An encore segment from earlier this year brings Steven Raichlen back to explore his latest book, Project Griddle. It's the latest in a long line of great cookbooks from the BBQ Hall of Famer, who's always a fountain of information about outdoor cooking. Charlie Wallace joins us from Grill Guys of Missouri to review the latest from the standout BBQ supply store in Republic. Co-hosts Steve and Lyndal also talk about their latest cooking adventures and review the start of the NFL season. Check out the show in the link below or on your favorite #podcast platform. A big thanks to our show sponsors and marketing partners. Please support them: Blues Hog #blueshognation Royal Oak Charcoal #charcoalofchampions  The Butcher Shoppe #alwayshandpicked  The Grill Guys of Missouri #grillguys417 Marty "Sign Man" Prather  Domino's #pizza Clark Crew BBQ #clarkcrewbbq  Mister Brisket #thighlife Have a great week! #SmokeEmIfYouGotEm

On Episode 321 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, we talk it over with one of the nation's hottest competition pit masters. Gabe Trevino and Smokin' Volts BBQ of Fontana, California is coming off a Grand Championship over Labor Day Weekend at the star-studded Meat & Tater BBQ Fest in Boise, Idaho. Gabe scored a 707.9 total, edging out Gettin' Basted and one of his mentors, Brad Leighninger, for top honors. It was Smokin' Volts' second straight GC and fifth in seven events since June 1. Gabe reviews his BBQ background and what it feels like to be on a roll - especially in the Brisket category in which he's won six times in 2025.   Charlie Wallace joins us from Grill Guys of Missouri to review the big 4th anniversary celebration last weekend and other happenings at the standout store in Republic. Co-hosts Steve and Lyndal also talk about their latest cooking adventures and touch on the start of the NFL season. Check out the show in the link below or on your favorite #podcast platform. A big thanks to our show sponsors and marketing partners. Please support them: Blues Hog #blueshognation Royal Oak Charcoal #charcoalofchampions  The Butcher Shoppe #alwayshandpicked  The Grill Guys of Missouri #grillguys417 Marty "Sign Man" Prather  Domino's #pizza Clark Crew BBQ #clarkcrewbbq  Mister Brisket #thighlife Have a great week! #SmokeEmIfYouGotEm

We're also thrilled when one of our past "Under the Radar" guests go on and accomplish big things in the competition world. Jacob Watt of the Kansas City-area team Smoke This Drink That told us back in February that winning a KCBS Masters Division Grand Championship was a goal in 2025. It was mission accomplished Aug. 16 when he and wife Paige celebrate their first GC with a whopping 710.85 total at the BBQ and Fly-In on the River in Excelsior Springs, Missouri. On Episode 320 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, Jacob returns to tell us how he's become one of the nation's hottest teams and what's next for Smoke This Drink That. It's also fun to see a small business grow. Joshua Brock is a former Marine who founded JB's Gourmet Spice Blends in Ozark, Missouri, nearly 10 years ago. His popular rubs and spices, along with a trio of hot sauces, have become regional favorites and can be found in grocery stores and BBQ stores in six states. Learn about JB's story as we talk it over with him in our second guest segment. Skyler Spartan joins us from Grill Guys of Missouri to preview the big 4th anniversary celebration this weekend, with cooking demos and a brisket class from Brad and Bre of Smokin' Magic BBQ on the schedule. Co-hosts Steve and Lyndal also talk about their latest cooking adventures. Check out the show in the link below or on your favorite #podcast platform. A big thanks to our show sponsors and marketing partners. Please support them: Blues Hog #blueshognation Royal Oak Charcoal #charcoalofchampions  The Butcher Shoppe #alwayshandpicked  The Grill Guys of Missouri #grillguys417 Marty "Sign Man" Prather  Domino's #pizza Clark Crew BBQ #clarkcrewbbq  Mister Brisket #thighlife Have a great week! #SmokeEmIfYouGotEm

From his home base in Arizona, Sterling Smith has been all over the world cooking, teaching and promoting his BBQ and Loot 'n Booty product line. On Episode 319 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, Sterling reviews the journey that included competition cooking since 2009 and recaps 2025 visits to Hawaii, New Zealand and Croatia among other stops and a busy fall schedule ahead with tickets punched to the Jack Daniel World BBQ Invitational and American Royal World Series of BBQ.  We also talk it over with Charlie Wallace about the latest happenings at The Grill Guys of Missouri. Co-host Lyndal reviews the Tailgate Guys competition team's weekend trip to BBQ & Fly In on the River in Excelsior Springs, Missouri, and co-host Steve talks about a step out of the open-fire cooking box for a different kind of bird. Check out the show in the link below or on your favorite #podcast platform. A big thanks to our show sponsors and marketing partners. Please support them: Blues Hog #blueshognation Royal Oak Charcoal #charcoalofchampions  The Butcher Shoppe #alwayshandpicked  The Grill Guys of Missouri #grillguys417 Marty "Sign Man" Prather  Domino's #pizza Clark Crew BBQ #clarkcrewbbq  Mister Brisket #thighlife Have a great week! #SmokeEmIfYouGotEm

Jordan Kirkpatrick and Janky Leg BBQ recently passed the seven-year anniversary of their first KCBS competition, a 27th-place out of 30 teams in Effingham, Illinois. Jordan recalled being "lost, confused and disappointed" with the results. On Episode 318 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, Jordan reflected on the humbling start and the road to becoming a world champion a years later. Janky Leg is still going strong and nearing the fall, when the team is always at its best. He also hits upon some interesting theories, including that you're not cooking against the other competitors, but instead against yourself.  We also take a trip to the Grill Guys of Missouri for a visit with Skyler Spartan. And co-hosts Lyndal and Steve also review their cooking weeks, preview what's ahead - including a trip to Excelsior Springs, Missouri this weekend for the competition side of the team.  A big thanks to our show sponsors and marketing partners. Please support them: Blues Hog #blueshognation Royal Oak Charcoal #charcoalofchampions  The Butcher Shoppe #alwayshandpicked  The Grill Guys of Missouri #grillguys417 Marty "Sign Man" Prather  Domino's #pizza Clark Crew BBQ #clarkcrewbbq  Mister Brisket #thighlife Have a great week! #SmokeEmIfYouGotEm

The OG #GOATOFBBQ can still get it done. On Episode 317 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, we visit with BBQ Hall of Famer Darren Warth about his latest KCBS Grand Championship, this one bigger than most. It came last weekend at the Grand American Barbecue World Championship in Port Jervis, New York. The $15,000 prize was one of the bigger non-majors he's won and the second GC in the last month for he and wife Sherry's Iowa Smokey D's team. Darren told us about feeling reinvigorated about competition BBQ these days and it sounds like the three-time American Royal World Series of BBQ Grand Champion and past Jack Daniels World BBQ Invitational Grand Champ is far from finished. One of the most-interesting tidbits is how Darren, even with all his accolades, is not past asking some other top competitors for some help in getting his Pork Ribs back on track. What did he find out? And what about BBQ television shows? Darren explains why he's never had any interest in doing them. We also visit with Skyler Spartan about the latest from Grill Guys of Missouri. Tailgate Guys Co-hosts Lyndal and Steve also review their cooking weeks, preview what's on the menu and take a quick tour of the sports world.  A big thanks to our show sponsors and marketing partners. Please support them: Blues Hog #blueshognation Royal Oak Charcoal #charcoalofchampions  The Butcher Shoppe #alwayshandpicked  The Grill Guys of Missouri #grillguys417 Marty "Sign Man" Prather  Domino's #pizza Clark Crew BBQ #clarkcrewbbq  Mister Brisket #thighlife Have a great week! #SmokeEmIfYouGotEm