What It Takes to Win the World's Largest BBQ Competition - Smoke Point: The Competition

Over 500 pitmasters compete at the American Royal World Series of Barbecue in Kansas City, Kansas, in hopes of becoming the barbecue grand champion. Watch top competitors Tuffy Stone of Cool Smoke and Grant Basiliere of Que U fire up pork ribs, pork shoulders, beef brisket, and chicken in a fierce rivalry to win the title of best-in-class barbecue.
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Credits:
Producer: Connor Reid, Jay Simms
Director: Connor Reid, Murilo Ferreira, Jay Simms,
Camera: Murilo Ferreira, Carla Francescutti, DeVonte Brown, Jay Simms
Production Assistant: Bryna Vogel
Editor: Lucy Morales Carlisle
Executive Producer: Stephen Pelletteri
Supervising Producer, Operations: Stefania Orrù
Supervising Producer, Development: Gabriella Lewis
Audience Engagement: Frances Dumlao
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For more episodes of 'Smoke Point', click here: trib.al/wNBR1iD
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[@thomashernandez1738]

Where do I sign up to be a judge 😅

[@eater]

You'll have to come back next week to watch as we dive further into the judging process of the American Royal World Series of Barbecue!

[@Giveme100ksubs]

@@eater ok

[@Mactastic25]

Some of those judges don't look so healthy. Guessing many spots open each year.

[@grahamsong4585]

😂

[@jesselund360]

You're 20 years away from being a year away...

[@ZUCChinishrIMP]

Anyone else feels like there's no way they can accurately rank 500 teams just from 6 bites of each category...

[@dhvmpyr]

Way too many contestants… any human would get taste blind

[@jerryjerrylahngenhairy4724]

Butter sugar meat

[@skizztrizz4453]

Seems like it's a good excuse for doing what they love and great BBQ is a tasty byproduct. 🤔😂🤣

[@phillipcarroll6625]

There is no way. The competitions are pointless.

[@icebrg.]

Idk, I think that there are ways of making sure palettes are cleansed every once in a while for food judges. The way food looks is also a major factor, which is probably the greater factor for the larger food competitions. Flavor is so important, but the way it looks is also important.

[@johnmarkmike]

20:38 "So what I do is I come, and I just hit it with some of my liquids" BBQ videos never disappoint when taken out of context

[@OskeeWowWowIllinois]

I'm a KC local and my realtor competes in it and invites all his clients every year to eat at his tent for all the meat he doesn't send in for judging. Even the cast offs are delicious! He did a wagyu brisket last year that was like smoked meat butter it was so juicy. I think he placed in the Top 100.

[@andyhunter5869]

How was your post competition bbq poop?

[@OskeeWowWowIllinois]

@@andyhunter5869 Like a tub of Crisco and liquid smoke.

[@dustinsmith9212]

I bet even the 100th place finisher tastes delicious

[@andyhunter5869]

@@dustinsmith9212 not when it's a bukaki

[@AS__77]

BBQ competition videos are a hidden gem for out of context sayings. “It’s all about concentration on the best bone” 😂

[@maikepunkt1442]

multiple meats to worry about

[@TakeaSwigofTheJuice]

Huge pause

[@ClearGalaxies]

Those butts are feelin' good.

[@Gatebreakerglitcher]

20:38 😳😳😳😳

[@um931]

Judges are looking for a specific flavour. Heavy on sauce and spices. Aaron Franklin did a competition and summed it up perfectly. They are looking for a very specific definition for brisket etc not neccessarily what the best BBQ spots sell.

[@devonm5037]

I've tried comp BBQ and its disgusting. Like they said its more a 1 bite and look thing. You cant eat comp BBQ youll get sick with how bold and rich it all is. But its a competition so I get it you're catering to what wins.

[@Mactastic25]

Butter, Sugar and Maple Syrup. You would think they're making a cake, not BBQ.

[@anothertarnishedone5960]

So, they look for the meat to don´t taste like meat at all.

[@PlaySA]

Honestly that looked way, WAY overseasoned. I mean ridiculously so. Barbecue doesn't have to have a million different flavors and ten layers of sugar, apple juice, maple syrup etc. I'd prefer a much cleaner meat.

[@Frogbjb]

They’re trying so hard to be perfect that they lost touch with what makes good bbq so good. All this food looks like it was made by a machine not a human.

[@usamaepekonis]

That venue must have the best smell in the world

[@Bongz187]

I just want to be a taster, no judging, just tasting 😂

[@Ducktility]

Do you like dog meat?

[@markchristopher4165]

Appreciated how gracious both of these guys were when they didn't place this year

[@ChefBurns1]

Thanks for the spoiler 😂

[@willie123567]

All that effort to place that low, brutal!

[@rosameltrozo5889]

That low? almost 500 teams, not so bad seen like that.

[@willie123567]

@@rosameltrozo5889 I guess, coming off winning both titles last year 88th or whatever is pretty brutal

[@cococock2418]

yes that low. they hyped up the cool smoke guy as a 6 time 1st place champion, thjen he finisheds like 300th or something lmao@@rosameltrozo5889

[@dustinsmith9212]

Imagine how precise and next-level you have to be to beat out 500 other expert barbecuers

[@avoidingtrees6692]

Humble respect from France !!!!

[@user-xl9hd2ez4d]

This is very educational.I love it.

[@Ais4Drew]

I’ve been seeing a lot of comments about “how can they really judge the competitors offer a few bites” and wanted to mention some things I’ve heard from my short time in the industry that reinforces that exact idea. Trophies are nice. I don’t have any for my cooking/BBQ. But I do have a ton of friends and family who have smiled and told me that my brisket is “better than their dad’s” or “some of the best I’ve ever had”. Most seasoned cooks and chefs have told be the same thing. Competition is a young man’s game. They can be fun, stressful, and more work than it’s worth sometimes. A good award can really start your career off strong too. It can also give your carer a big boost as well - And props to superstar chefs (young and old) who grind it out and can perform at that level. But there’s a lot of politics, vanity, and inconsistency (as we saw in the video) that comes with these competitions and that coveted award - whatever it may be. A trophy will never replace the joy of nourishing and sharing a meal with those you care about. People get into this industry because they want to feed, entertain, and bring joy to their community. You don’t need a ton of bling to do that. 😎

[@justaguy328]

That's with any human competition. But there are a group of people that consistently perform better than others like Myron Mixon and Tuffy, and people like that, so you can't simply chalk it up to politics, vanity, etc. There are people who are just better at BBQ competitions than others.

[@billzjr222]

It's been a while since I've seen Tuffy on tv. He was in the BBQ Pitmasters tournament with the legendary Myron Mixon, Johnny Trigg, and Moe Cason.

[@bakunawa3191]

Tuffy Stone is really a great guy.

[@Garylhairston]

Great to see what goes into competition bbq.

[@SlapMyGorillaGorilla]

Smoke Point bring us the Avengers of Smokepoint lol Where all the professionals meet in one place 😂

[@CharlieSmurffy]

As somebody who makes backyard BBQ, this looks nauseating to eat. Idk how the judges handle all that flavor.

[@anothertarnishedone5960]

Yeah, looks like they don´t want the meat to taste like meat at all.

[@Frogbjb]

They’re trying so hard to be perfect that they lost touch with what makes good bbq so good. All this food looks like it was made by a machine not a human.

[@Descentperson4213]

I'm watching this at 3AM and I'm freakn hungry

[@ClearGalaxies]

These men are amazing

[@honkiavelli8044]

I learned a lot in this video! :)

[@bbqbourbonblues3257]

Awesome video! It's nothing like competition BBQ!!!

[@frequentlycynical642]

Huh? That's what it is.

[@bbqbourbonblues3257]

I know bro. That should say it's nothing better than competition BBQ!@@frequentlycynical642

[@tomypreach]

Wow... A good healthy bunch of people.

[@LinkOmega1]

Oh man, what did the first place stuff look like?

[@kamotetops1572]

17:23 The competitors are stressed out on handing over their final product, meanwhile... 17:53 The facilitators of the competition nonchalantly handling them. The competitors needs to take this into account.

[@SuicideStarboyy]

Great video! We need more videos covering BBQ competitions and who won 1st place?

[@ClearGalaxies]

Ikr! Also I like your name ⚫️

[@scuze__]

PETA gonna cry watching this lmfao

[@jones68442]

Makes me miss BBQ Pitmasters and Pit Wars!

[@dylant8110]

Pockets are definitely getting greased here I bet

[@Chris-pd9hp]

Ever just watch something and smile… that’s what this is for me right now 😂

[@charlesorr5038]

Rod Gray CEO OF KCBS..didnt know, wow!! Love his rubs..most powerful...zero to hero..won me money in back yard kcbs!! Still use these rubs today at home.

[@oldgruntbbq]

Y’all were just across the aisle from us at the Royal when you were recording Tuffy.

[@Sajuuk]

Tuffy looks like he doesn't eat the food he prepares, unlike the judges 😂

[@simmonsgoats]

Those are some TINY pits. Come on down to the HLSR late February to see some real barbecuing.

[@mariodelgado9729]

Well the problem with being judged on flavor by a bunch of so called judges is SUBJECTIVENESS!

[@BornAgain717]

I had to pause it about halfway through and pull me a pack of chicken thighs out of the freezer...

[@jacked_senpai69]

Bruh . No wonder the judges are so fit😮‍💨

[@Panster7]

"It's a one bite competition"

[@LittleKey93]

Amazing that they didn't even score well after all that haha

[@dmc3079]

Been there. It sucks.

[@jordanbabcock9349]

​@@dmc3079LOL. 400-500 competition teams and you couldn't find something good? You are the problem.

[@dmc3079]

@@jordanbabcock9349 I was referring to being in competitions and not scoring well even though I thought I did everything right.

[@dmc3079]

@@jordanbabcock9349 "You are the problem." - not sure what you are talking about.

[@whip8]

Makes you realize it’s about the table of judges you get, as opposed to just the meat.

[@raheemabdul1066]

that pork was swwet as a desert and placed 400+ in competition and he thinks he needs to improve presentation lol

[@Ted_P]

There are some questions and misconceptions in the comments. Competition BBQ really isn’t the same as restaurant or home cooked BBQ. It is prepared to a specific standard based on (in this case) KCBS judging. It’s judged on appearance, taste and texture with taste weighted 4 times more than appearance in the score calculations. This is a World championship as the KCBS is an international organization sanctioning contents in a good number of countries. For example, Australia, Italy, Netherlands…. Of course, travel to the US and securing equipment and food would likely be prohibitively expensive. Not as much food is wasted as it appears. Judges are allowed to take home what they judged and left overs are collected and shared with staff and volunteers and in some cases donated. Anyone can be a judge. You will need to join the Kansas City BBQ Association and sign up for a Certified BBQ Judging course. My experience is with KCBS, there are many other organizations that sanction events.

[@oldahe]

These guys are so advanced on technique. wondering what all of that sugar would do to my European palette..

[@tepsan]

Where do I sign up to be a judge? :D

[@DaraVODs]

if i had to guess, the skin splitting is probably the result of wrapping it too tightly when you tuck some of the skin under the meat of the thigh. having it sit a little looser would help with that

[@SheaT789]

not to mention it took 5.5+ minutes just to terrrine each thigh…I respect this guy’s efforts and passion, but he didn’t even temp the thigh without poking more holes in the skin

[@mikemurdoch9653]

YOU COULDN'T BE MORE WRONG, JUST STOP, STOP I SAY

[@saturnv2419]

So en...... Are they still open for judge application?

[@TearitoffE]

You know your the real deal when you got 1st place bbq trophies throughout your whole bbq restaurant

[@Jiiiiiiiytityiii]

What do they do with the rest of the food? Theres tonnes left over after judging

[@jerryadams2539]

Thank you for explaining that fall off the bone is over cooked the most misused term in BBQ!

[@Sku11Ski11]

There's a Pizza contest in Italy right? Would amazing if you cover that too. Thanks for the video.

[@Zalkard]

Dude sounds like John Goodman

[@billybaddewd1986]

The real winners are the judges.

[@corgeousgeorge]

Who do I have to NOT sleep with in order to get on this Judging panel?!

[@kiranvajjha9731]

looks like a meaty paradise. Wish i was around

[@BLACKS4BBB]

So make a video of the top contenders.

[@Stopstalkingme-]

Wow

[@daandemeyer1708]

”six time world bbq champion” It never stops to amaze me that americans are not aware there are other countries 😅

[@Frogbjb]

I mean tbf anyone in the world is welcome to compete 😭 either way this bbq looks so bad. American BBQ is all about the imperfections and these look so machine-made

[@jamesbueker11]

I lived in Serbia for 20 months. The barbecue there is excellent

[@ciambellina]

The world: let's put some salt an pepper on our good meat US: let's get any crap we can find in a plastic tray, cover it in excessive spices and inject it with some oversugared apple juice 😂

[@Frogbjb]

Is it just me or does all the perfection and making it look pretty really destroy the appeal to all this. I love bbq for all the little imperfections. I want my bbq to be stacked up on a tray and I want each bite to make me think “wow, I’d do anything to have that bite again”. Once you achieve perfection, it’s gone, and it’s no longer perfect. These people are trying so hard to be perfect that they’ve lost touch with what makes bbq so amazing to begin with.

[@Stopstalkingme-]

W video

[@spider2544]

At 8:28 what brand of bbq pits are those?

[@alexmartin8003]

Gateway Drum

[@enderzgamez1859]

I’ve never been to one of these. How much to enter just to eat? Not to compete but to just eat lol

[@Djamieson713]

i'm going to join and turn in some burnt/nasty bbq just to wake up the judges

[@en-v1069]

those judges are lucky

[@dylant8110]

This is America. Love it

[@ACT1O1]

So how do I become a judge ?

[@captks940]

seasonings almost half of the meet lol

[@grahambunton377]

Where do I apply to be a judge !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?

[@eagledirect]

More importantly, is this an event open to the public? Can people come in to access or try some of that BBQ food?

[@javiertorres2193]

Should be titled "what it doesn't take to win..."

[@pepedeltoro6647]

Wouldn't the judges be taste blind after awhile? lol

[@jpbanksnj]

The judges were angry that day my friend... and couldn't even count apparently...

[@Reikotsu]

I love how Americans put “world” in any competition when it is just people in the USA competing.

[@jordanbabcock9349]

World championships of anything MUST be held Somewhere! And yeah, it's open to anybody in the world. Just qualify and you're in. So yeah. Of the world. Also - the US is very well known around the world for BBQ. You act like the US is holding the World Sushi Championship or something.

[@Reikotsu]

@@jordanbabcock9349 First of all, there are food competitions around the world in many different countries and they don’t feel the need to add “world” to their name to feel important, also anyone in the world can participate in them. That is just common sense, doesn’t matter their background or where they come from, for example if there is a bbq competition in Brazil, they are not gonna prohibit participants that come from abroad, as long as they sign up properly. The difference is that competitions that actually are “world competitions” make an effort to make preliminaries locally in a myriad of countries in the hopes of representing as many nationalities as possible and only then choosing the best of each countries to participate in the finals somewhere, where yes, could be the USA, but the procedure of how it got there is important. Second, bbq is not something exclusive from USA, what is shown here is American style bbq and other countries have different styles. Third, as long as preliminaries were held like I said in my first argument, this imaginary “Wold Sushi Championship” might as well be held in the USA, after all as you said it needs to be held somewhere.

[@cococock2418]

Because America IS the world. Aint nobody care about yall. Especially for BBQ, America does it best. Why would we care what someone in Africa does? Plus, by your logic "world" championships can't be held because by default they will be held only in one country and that "doesn't represent the world". You clown. No one is stopping foreigners from competing in this...

[@ProfessorFatMan]

@@jordanbabcock9349 He's not wrong. Kind of how you have the MLB world series yet it's always the same US teams? It doesn't even make sense lol

[@GOREDO5]

​​@@ProfessorFatManname any baseball team in the world that can beat a world series team. Where do you think the best players in the world play?

[@Gardens650]

Look up country style with Art Fennel 🖤

[@FussyPickles]

those judges are all trumpers so i'm surprised they don't do 50 recounts

[@lester8403]

Is it competitors from all around the world or just the US? Because if its only the US its just a national championship!

[@bensmith7536]

Without a control, who knows which judge values and recognises a particular taste / flavour / texture, what could be perfect for one may be too salty / not salty enough / too soft / not enough bite etc for others. Rolling the dice really.

[@Zenobeus]

Has any Competitor ever put "illicit substances" on a finished piece of meat? To, you know, give it that extra something special.

[@tasha2698]

I've never ate so much bbq in my life #kcnative

[@Childishron]

Might be the closest thing to heaven on Earth TBH

[@stilth]

You’re not BBQing if presentation is your number one priority ~ you’re posing.

[@jigglepuff1218]

You've never been in a bbq competition.

[@mytake1465]

Well I don’t think the judging is really fair . And that brisket did not have the right smoke ring. I’m hooked on TX bbq .

[@sactownism]

Until the Texas barbecue joints (Goldees/Franklin Bbq) pull up...

[@77Brainfreeze]

That's restaurant style bbq and they would come in dead last in this competition serving what they have at the restaurants in this competition. Grant is cooking two SRF Gold briskets that costs about $240 each and cutting 70% off it off and just throwing it away so his slices will fit perfectly in the box with bark all around. It's also packed with so much salt and flavor you wouldn't actually want to eat more than one slice. The judges pallets get so shot the competitors have to keep packing in more and more flavor.

[@zmcknight319]

Franklin did pull up and lost 😂.

[@Frogbjb]

@@77Brainfreezedisgusting.. idk how people got the idea that this was peak bbq. This doesn’t even look manmade anymore.

[@Frogbjb]

@@zmcknight319they just want bbq that looks like it was made in a lab and 50 lbs of spices on top bc they have no tastebuds left anymore. No true good bbq here

[@77Brainfreeze]

@@Frogbjb No idea. I thought about doing competition bbq for a while but came to the same conclusion. Competition chili is the same way. It's perfectly cubed meat in a smooth sauce. No one wants to eat that.

[@ruan6435]

Can we maybe see this from an actual winner’s perspective rather than someone who doesn’t even place in the Top 10?

[@dinckelman]

Some Americans do this, and get absolutely incredible results, and some others... put bbq sauce on a slab of boiled meat...

[@jtorola]

I’ve been traveling to over 40 states for work for almost 2 decades and I never once even heard of anyone putting bbq sauce on boiled meat

[@jackhinnenkamp4720]

butter

[@Kenya.Kay.MBA...]

Seems they were focused on the aesthetics. Didn't hear them really talk about flavor much.😢

[@maozhong88]

There is a huge problem with this competition. Too many judges.

[@ViciouzVgod]

Imagin doing all that work just to not even get ranked

[@aaronp1392]

So this is a competition that judges the perfect look and not the actual taste. As long as it looks edible who cares if it look’s perfect just needs to taste good.

[@FlemmingErnst]

They're all great "chefs" that can present a perfectly cooked piece of meat, so it looks like it's all down to the seasoning... or?

[@tpai302]

WARNING!!! Don't watch this if you're hungry. I'd love to be a judge for something like this.

[@ttanizawa901]

Pro tip: Don't watch this when you're hungry.

[@brownhues]

Kansas has the worst bbq of the major styles. Carolina whole hog and Texas brisket are the kings. I just prefer pork bbq, personally.

[@shane864]

I will never not be entertained by watching people at the top of their game doing what they love. I don't care what the thing is. This is a show about humanity, not food.

[@turnerpettway6905]

You need to try turkey thighs.

[@martinarcher1503]

should have shown the winners

[@77Brainfreeze]

If only they knew who was going to win before they started filming.

[@tintinbenjy]

Passion

[@StefanSentroshiReechani]

So you got good and expensive meet, throw like thousand spices and stuff on it and in the end one bite is eaten - the rest thrown away. Thats kind of ironical.

[@anothertarnishedone5960]

There are not only competitors and judges; there also friends, family and guests.

[@StefanSentroshiReechani]

@@anothertarnishedone5960 And they eat the food, the judge has taken one bite of it? I doubt it.

[@jigglepuff1218]

ironical is not a word

[@michaelciavarella6558]

4:00 That s not mirepoix: thats paysanne !!!! Mirepoix is way more smaller !!!