Josiah Aguilera, age eight, transfers cooked veggies to very clear the grill prior to throwing on his steak during the World’s Championship Bar-B-Que Contest Jr. Cook dinner Off, the 2nd 12 months of the division of steak preparing, held outdoor in the Bar-B-Que Town area of NRG Park Friday, Feb. 25, 2022 in Houston, TX. Photo: Michael Wyke/Contributor

In only its second 12 months competing at RodeoHouston’s 2022 World’s Championship Bar-B-Que Contest, a tiny group from Taylor took home just one of competitiveness barbecue’s most coveted titles.

Williamson County Go Texan, a 10-member team beneath the way of Sean Leschber, won Grand Winner, besting 252 other groups vying for RodeoHouston’s best prepare dinner-off prizes, introduced Saturday evening at the conclusion of the a few-day barbecue function.

“Coming from a compact city we received to be on the big phase,” claimed Leschber who cooked the winner barbecue with his spouse, Cassie. “To gain general was awesome. I still get teary eyed wondering about it.”

Problems for this year’s cook dinner-off had been not great. The weather – temperatures in the significant 30s and mid 40s Friday and Saturday – proved to be a problem for 253 cook-off teams coping with drizzle and in close proximity to freezing chilly. Attendance around the three-working day prepare dinner-off was down: Just around 158,000, in comparison to 219,457 that packed the 2020 prepare dinner-off.

But practically nothing could acquire absent from the exhilaration that 1 of championship barbecue’s major and most beloved competitions was back soon after the pandemic scuttled the 2021 rodeo. The vitality, camaraderie and smoked meats know-how have been out in energetic, spirited force at the 3-working day rodeo cook dinner-off that came to a joyous summary Saturday night.

Cook dinner-off teams competed in meat categories (chicken, ribs and brisket), dessert (Dutch oven sweets), and the new Open up Contest (gourmet initiatives wherever groups had been allowed to demonstrate their cooking chops past smoked meats). And for the 2nd time the competitors highlighted the Junior Cook dinner-off – 31 contestants ages 8 to 14 drawn from cook-off teams who grilled ribeye steaks. (Held on Friday, the Junior Cook-off’s top award went to 14-year-outdated RJ Fite of Spring, representing Asleep at the Grill cook-off staff. Raeyln Barker arrived in next and Vince Martinez arrived in 3rd.)

But it was the meat competitors that fueled the best enthusiasm at the prepare dinner-off. 

“There’s a level of enjoyment I have under no circumstances noticed. It is pent-up elation,” Peter Johnson, vice chairman of the barbecue contest said during the meat judging Saturday. “I really do not believe the weather conditions deterred them at all.”

The 12 months absence from the level of competition not only stoked the cook dinner-off power, it could possibly also have resulted in much better barbecue efforts, Johnson proposed. “I can tell that some of the groups put in that time refining their abilities,” he stated.

Those abilities were being obvious in the 248 chicken, 249 ribs, and 248 brisket convert-ins, judged Saturday.

For Williamson County Go Texan it was a fantastic evening. The workforce, which received winner brisket in 2020 was named Grand Winner In general for its cumulative scores in all meat preparations. What did Leschber do exclusive? “I truly don’t know,” he mentioned, adding that all his meats were being procured at H-E-B. “I cooked the identical brisket I cooked the final time.”

What ever, it worked. And shot his team to the major. He called it “a memory that will last without end.”

The final results of 2022 World’s Championship Bar-B-Que Contest

Grand Champion General: Williamson County Go Texan

Reserve Grand Champion Overall: Mama and Papa Joe’s BBQ

Brisket

Champion: Cowboys 4 Heroes

Next location: Jasper County Go Texan

3rd area: Fayette County

Ribs

Champion: Brew Crew Cookers

Second put: San Patricio County Go Texan

Third put: Letsos Pan-Handlers

Chicken

Winner: Getting Sauced Cookers

2nd place: Goliad County Go Texan

Third spot: Los Gallos

Go Texan

Grand Champion: Jasper County Go Texan

Reserve Champion: Metro Go Texan 2/Q’ston Barbecue

Dutch Oven Dessert

Champion: Willis Team (pecan pie cheesecake)

Second place: Rusty’s Smoke BBQ (hazelnut chocolate cheesecake)

3rd location: NRG Power Inc. (pineapple upside down cake)

Open Contest

Champion: Clifton Chevy Cookers (seafood shock)

Second position: Cotton Q Club (surf and turf)

3rd area: Ritch’s Raiders (steak and lobster)

Junior Cook dinner-off

Winner: RJ Fite, Asleep at the Grill

2nd place: Raelyn Barker, Circle D-A Cookers

3rd area: Vince Martinez, Metro Go Texan 3/Midnight Mavericks

Specialty Awards

Greatest Façade: Cotton Club

Go Texan Finest Façade: Brazos County

Very best Overall Theme: Over the Hill Gang

Go Texan Very best All round Topic: Mills County

Greg Morago writes about food for the Houston Chronicle. Adhere to him on Facebook or Twitter. Ship him news guidelines at [email protected]. Listen to him on our BBQ Point out of Intellect podcast to study about Houston and Texas barbecue lifestyle.





  • Greg Morago

    Greg Morago was a features editor and reporter for The Hartford Courant for 25 many years in advance of signing up for the Houston Chronicle as foods editor in 2009. He writes about foodstuff, places to eat, spirits, journey, manner and magnificence. He is a native Arizonan and member of the Pima tribe of the Gila River Indian Neighborhood.

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