Tag Archive: Anything Butt

  1. Que for the Troops Levittown, PA

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    by Mark Gibbs, MABA Board member and Pitmaster of Checkered Flag 500 BBQ

    Que for the Troops #Q4TT2016 is an annual BBQ festival and competition held at Falls Township Park in Levittown, PA each year to support the Philadelphia USO organization.  This year’s contest featured 67 teams (a new record high for Q4TT) from all over the region.  The weather was ordered by the Chamber of Commerce!  It was a beautiful weekend for smoke, music and fun indeed.  Matt Markey of Falls Township does a great job of setting up the competitors with the best amenities for each of the BBQ teams.  There is always ample power, water and a great breakfast on Saturday morning for all of the teams.

    The social scene was alive and well on Friday night.  The skies were clear and teams were taking advantage of the opportunity to visit and catch up with friends and fellow competitors.  The weekend started off with an Anything Butt Category and a Dessert Category on Friday evening.  JURASSIC PORK – PA took home the honors in the Anything Butt with a fried shrimp offering.   MABA’s own BBQ Bob Trudnak finished second in the category with this great platter of Surf and Turf Guru Style (pictured below).  Those shrimp must have been amazing if this was second place!  Our Bark is Better Than Your Bite took home the honors in the dessert category.  Congrats to everyone in those two categories!  We love BBQ, but we have some chefs in our region that can make your head spin with some gourmet dishes!

    image of surf and turf
    BBQ Bob Trudnak of BBQ Guru finished in second place with his surf and turf offering!

    Saturday brought another beautiful day to the park and the competitors had the smoke rolling.  A passerby remarked that the smell coming from the BBQ rigs was amazing.  He was not lying!  The awards ceremony was at 4pm and right on time.  The Q4TT team does not waste any time when it comes to awards.  The teams were crowded in around the stage and the awards began.  Top honors in the Chicken Category went to MABA’s own Smokin’ Foolz of New Cumberland, PA.  The big Rib trophy went home with Dead On Q of Fairless Hills, PA.  First in Pork was Eastern Beast BBQ of Valley Stream, NY (one of three top 5 calls!).  The Brisket trophy went home with yours’ truly, Checkered Flag 500 BBQ of Fawn Grove, PA.

    The Top 5 Overall were Checkered Flag 500 BBQ, Hawg Nation BBQ of Phoenixville, PA, Eastern Beast BBQ Team, Dante’s Inferno out of Newportville, PA and Smokestack Redemption from Phoenixville, PA.  Four of the top five finishers are Mid-Atlantic Barbeque Association members!  Way to represent MABA!

    Image of Grand Champion team
    Grand Champions Mark and Sharon Gibbs of Checkered Flag 500 BBQ!

    Congrats to everyone who had their names called and huge congratulations to the folks at Que for the Troops for another great competition.  Rumor has it that they are already making plans for 2017 and beyond!

    image of Reserve Grand Champs Hawg Nation!
    Reserve Grand Champs Hawg Nation BBQ!

    First Place Winners:
    Chicken – Smokin Foolz BBQ
    Ribs – Dead on Q
    Pork – Eastern Beast BBQ Team
    Brisket – Checkered Flag 500 BBQ

    Grand Champion – Checkered Flag 500 BBQ
    Reserve Grand Champion – Hawg Nation BBQ

    Check out the full competition results here.

  2. Jiggy With the Piggy, Kannapolis, North Carolina

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    by Jerry Stephenson, MABA Board Member and Pitmaster of Redneck Scientific
    jiggy5Jerry Stephenson from Redneck Scientific

    Stop number two on the Old North State Series brought everyone to Kannapolis, NC and the fourth annual Jiggy with the Piggy competition.

    Set in the middle of The North Carolina Research Campus, Jiggy is one of North Carolina’s best contests. Loading in and out is a breeze and there is plenty of space for large teams and their setups. The cooks area is a large, well-mowed field.

    Eddie Smith, his staff and the town of Kannapolis go above and beyond to take care of each and every team.

    The weather was cool on Friday night, but the Anything Butt dessert contest and People’s Choice wings got things heated up. After turn ins, the people of Kannapolis joined the teams and their families for an outdoor movie on the lawn. This annual event at Jiggy always pulls in a crowd. After the movie, fireworks lit the sky, as teams started to light their smokers and turn in for the night.
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    First place, Anything Butt for appearance
    jiggy4
    First place, Anything Butt for taste

    After a breezy, chilly start on Friday night, Saturday morphed into beautiful skies and 70-degree temperatures. The weather was perfect for the 77 KCBS BBQ teams that turned out.

    Saturday morning dawned crisp and clear with Cook’s Church led by Tommy Houston (Checkered Pig) and Kevin Gary (K&D Smokers). And if anyone is looking for a reason to attend Cook’s Church, the 2016 Jiggy’s GC and RGC attended. After the devotional, teams got a full pancake breakfast hosted by the Kannapolis YMCA.

    As thousands of people began funneling into the event just before noon, teams began their KCBS turn ins. After KCBS turn ins ended, the People’s Choice Pork event began and lastly the team awards.

    As anyone has ever been to Jiggy with the Piggy knows, Eddie Smith doesn’t mess around calling out team awards.

    In individual categories, Checkered Pig won chicken (with a Perfect 180 score), Lady of Q in ribs, and Prime in pork and brisket.

    Overall, the Reserve Grand Champion went to The Smokehouse Mafia and Grand Champion went to Sauced! BBQ. Not only did Sauced! BBQ Team earn a GC, they did it with 702 points, and only two other top ten calls.

    Well done fellows and congrats to all who heard their name called!
    jiggy2Grand Champions, Scott and Jolene Adams from Sauced! BBQ Team
    jiggy1Andrew Rasmussen and David Williams of The Smokehouse Mafia take RGC!

    First place winners:
    Chicken – Checkered Pig (with a perfect 180!)
    Ribs – Lady of Q (with a perfect 180!)
    Pork – PRIME
    Brisket – PRIME (with a perfect 180!)

    Grand Champion – Sauced! BBQ Team
    Reserve Grand Champion – The Smokehouse Mafia

    Check out the full competition results here.