Chris Schriver
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At the early age of 5, cooking became a passion for Chris. It was the early 80s and the family had just purchased a microwave. In the box, a recipe book that included instructions on how to make scrambled eggs… in the microwave of course. From then on, the kitchen became a science lab for experimental cooking. As he grew older, watching Julia Child or Yan Can Cook on a black and white 19” television was where he would gain additional knowledge for his kitchen experiments.
Fast forward through college where he was appointed head cook of the apartment for his roommates and then onto married life where he gained a brother-in-law, Tom. After Tom’s living six years in North Carolina eating Carolina style BBQ and Chris’s three years living in Texas enjoying BBQ and Tex-Mex, they each found themselves back in Pennsylvania, settled down with their respective families and living about three hours apart. Both with a passion for cooking, they were missing BBQ from the states in which they once lived. With nothing to lose, one summer day in 2015 at Tom’s parent’s house, they set up a Weber Kettle grill in backyard and smoked their first pork butt. It was the best they ever cooked!
BBQ becomes a focus
Researching, reading, learning and practicing was driving their passion to get better to the point they felt that their BBQ was worthy enough of an award. And so began the research to create a team name find a contest. It was Christmas time and the brothers-in-law were in Tom’s office with all their kids playing on some wooden instruments. It was hardly music, but they felt they needed a backwoods name for this non-traditional bluegrass band and Brother-Uncle Band was born. “Brother” symbolizing the brother neither had growing up and “Uncle” serving as a reminder to be the best Uncles they could be to each other’s kids and best of all, it just had that backwoods sound to it. It was then they knew they had also just created the name for the BBQ team and so BROTHER-UNCLE BARBEQUE was also born. Interstate BBQ Festival would be their first ever competition in the backyard category. After all, they were amateurs, backyard cooks and knew there would be lots to learn so a backyard competition seemed appropriate and they might just stand a chance at being competitive.
Starting in 2016, BBQ competitions would become a family pastime and the team would navigate backyard competitions for the next three years. During that time the team obtained a pair of perfect 180s in ancillary competitions, won several backyard Grand Championships along with introducing Chris’s son, Colton, to his first kids Q and watching him score a perfect 180 in tacos to the team being drawn for the 2018 Jack Daniel’s World Championship Shadetree Competition in Lynchburg, Tennessee and finishing fourth overall. The team accomplished just about everything a backyard team could in the Mid-Atlantic region. Even though backyard remained a passion, the decision was made to compete in the KCBS Masters series and MABA Rookie Team of the Year as well as adding several SCA competitions to the calendar for the 2019 season with the story to be continued.
Outside of BBQ
Professionally, Chris holds a degree in engineering along with a master’s in business. He currently works as an inside sales manager for a large industrial pump company where he has 20+ years of applications, project management, marketing, training and continuous improvement and leadership experience.
At home, Chris and wife, Kelly reside in south central Pennsylvania with their two sons and daughter and their beloved mushy yellow lab, Somer.
Oh yeah, almost forgot, that first backyard competition… Chris & Tom took first place in chicken and were instantly bit by the BBQ competition bug.
Chiles Cridlin
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Chiles started cooking Brunswick Stew for churches and charities back in early 1990’s. His love for stew and cooking grew while he developed a reputation for making this Southern Virginia delicacy. He has taken his stew pot to places like the Virginia Folk Life festival, the National Folk Life Festival at the National Mall in DC, and even attended events like the “Big Apple Block Party” where he cooked right next to BBQ legends Mike Mills and Chris Lilly. This is where is interest in BBQ was sparked, watching fire and smoke transform ordinary meats into extraordinary meals. Chiles is now the Pit Master of “Wolf’s Revenge BBQ” and is cooking with a smoker that he designed and built himself, taking it across the country on the KCBS circuit to see how his recipes and skills rank against other professional BBQ teams.
Robert “BBQ Bob” Trudnak
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It started in early childhood in a home where he was the eldest of four children. His mother was a homemaker, and his father worked up to three jobs to support the family. Most Sundays were spent barbecuing at the local state park near their home in the hills of Clarks Summit, PA (pop. 5,100). Sundays were his father’s lone day off, and he would spend it grilling and barbecuing in the park’s charcoal grills. Trudnak says the witness of his father’s selfless sacrifice taught him “how important selfless contribution is to a family’s well-being.”
When BBQ Bob was seven, his dad placed him “in charge” of putting charcoal in the grill.
He says, “From that day forward, I was hooked on barbecue.”
Truly a barbecue lover, no matter the time of year, temperature or weather, as long as he has meat and dry charcoal, you will find BBQ Bob cooking outdoors.
Over the years, he grew to love all cooking and has tirelessly worked to perfect the craft of making delicious food. As a result, he has amassed over 200 awards, plus numerous trophies and titles, cash, and prizes at national and international competitions.
Being a Professional BBQ cook is such a passion, he wants to share the joys of barbequing with others. You can often find him teaching cooking classes throughout the United States and Europe, helping others sharpen their skills and giving special tips and tricks.
“I teach partly because I enjoy teaching,” he says, “but most of all, I love teaching people how to cook. I try to explain cooking and make it simple, because it really can be. Anyone can do it. I’ve seen people create great dishes who never thought they could.”
For Trudnak, barbecuing is more than just firing up the smoker. Most of all, he truly believes barbecue is about community, and bringing family and friends together.
Turning a hobby and passion into a profession
About two years later, Pirkle mentioned a side project related to the barbeque industry. Bob’s heart started pounding as he listened to his boss describe plans for an electronic device that would make controlling an outdoor BBQ cooker’s temperature easy and efficient.
In 1999, the late entrepreneur and barbeque enthusiast “Shotgun” Fred Pirkle needed a marketing and design expert for his industrial valve business and hired Trudnak for the position.
The thought of bringing the world’s first BBQ temperature-control device for charcoal and wood-burning cookers to market—and forming a new company called BBQ Guru to launch the product—excited Bob.
Working together, they produced the Pit Minder mechanical temperature control. This control gave smokers and grills oven-like precision over a cooker’s heat. It made barbequing easier, more convenient, and fun.
Through the years Bob helped evolve that one product into an entire line of high-tech cooker accessories made by BBQ Guru, which is headquartered in Warminster, PA. These include the top-selling PartyQ, DigiQ, and CyberQ, all of which the majority of America’s award-winning BBQ competition teams use.
Because of his leadership in the invention of these revolutionary products, Bob soon earned the nickname “the time and temperature guru”.
Trudnak is also the creator of a line of award-winning sauces and rubs. These came out of his childhood-instilled love of foods that are homemade. He says his mother and grandmother only used fresh ingredients, “pasta, meatballs, sauce, and fresh vegetables from the garden. We never ate anything that wasn’t made from scratch and not without a whole lotta love.”
Bob also uses the sauces and rubs in his catering business, Hav’N a BBQ, which he runs on the side with his wife. The two live in the Philadelphia area with their daughter and son.
BBQ Bob’s competition victories and titles include:
- Reserve Grand Champion – Jack Daniel’s World Championship
- 2nd Place Ribs American Royal Open
- Ribs World Food Championship – Las Vegas
- Reserve Grand Champion Smoke on the Water – Atlantic City
- Reserve Grand Champion Red White and Que
- Many Grand Championships in PA, MD, VA
MABA T-Shirts Pre-Order Sale until February 12th, 2018!
Comments Off on MABA T-Shirts Pre-Order Sale until February 12th, 2018!Pre-Order your MABA T-Shirts but clickingHERE.
Sales run until February 12th, 2018!
Shirts will print and ship to you in the weeks after the pre-order sale closes. Don’t miss out!
2017 Boss Frog BBQ Contest in Preston, MD
Comments Off on 2017 Boss Frog BBQ Contest in Preston, MDThe early 2017 Mid Atlantic BBQ region continued with a the 1st Annual Boss Frog BBQ Contest hosted by The Preston Automotive Group. All proceeds from the contest went to support the March of Dimes.
Forty-five teams came out to Preston, Maryland on the Eastern Shore to compete. Weather proved to be a challenge for all as often happens at BBQ contests. Thursday saw high winds and rain both impacting contest set up as well as teams traveling. The Eastern Shore is an island and the bridges coming in were shut-down for some periods of time to trailers. With that said, teams still rolled in, even if later than intended, to compete. The rain finished itself off mostly Thursday with the strong winds sticking around for most of the contest. Immediately after turn-ins were complete, the sun was shining and the strong winds died down to a light breeze.
MABA teams had a strong showing at the contest! Some highlights:
Grand Champion: Aporkalypse Now
Reserve Grand: Checkered Flag 500 BBQ
First Place Chicken: 3 Eyz BBQ
First Place Ribs: Aporkalypse Now
First Place Pork: BBQ & Beyond
First Place Brisker: Checkered Flag 500 BBQ
Maryland State Champion: Sauce This BBQ
First Place Anything Butt: BBQ & Beyond
First Place Dessert: Blind Cherry BBQ
Preston Motors announced that they intend to host this event again next year and look forward to having a whole year to make site improvements as well as logistical improvements for water and electric. They gave a special shout out to BBQ Organizer Sandy Fulton for putting this event together in such a short timeline after deciding to host it. Thanks to all attending and hope to see you all again next year!
Awards Ceremony video:
