Tailgate Guys BBQ Show, Episode 16: Sterling Smith
Release Date: 05/08/2019
Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast
Episode 360 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast takes us to northeast Arkansas for a visit with one of the USA’s most-respected, across-the-board pit masters. John Lindsey spent time on the KCBS circuit as All Q’ued Up BBQ before becoming a champion on the Steak Cookout Association for several years. He’s opened a catering business in recent years that has been a hit and now is venturing more into content creation on Facebook, Youtube and Instagram as John Lindsey Delta Pitmaster with his twist on southern cooking. It’s great to catch up with John, who has some interesting thoughts on his...
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Mat Bonville hasn’t been doing competition BBQ for long, but the pitmaster of Phantom Smoke & BBQ from Kipling, Saskatchewan had a memorable cook at one of the world’s foremost contests a couple of weeks ago. Bonville scored a whopping 707.97 at the KCBS World Invitational in Lebanon, Tennessee - roughly a 24-drive from home - to earn Reserve Grand honors and qualify for next spring’s BBQ World Cup. On Episode 359 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, Bonville tells us about his journey, what it was like hearing his name alongside some of the world’s best and what’s ahead for his...
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Living six hours apart as competition teammates can be a challenge. But brothers Joe and Jeff Rouse have been able to overcome the geographic challenge to become one of the nation’s top KCBS Backyard teams in recent years and, this year, are making waves in the four-meat Masters series as well. On Episode 358 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast we go “Under the Radar” to find out more about Joe (from New Jersey) and Jeff (Massachusetts) and how they’re consistently bringing home trophies as Rough Cut Q - including a recent Reserve Grand Championship to a KCBS Hall of Famer. It’s...
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Episode 357 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast brings back our popular “Under the Radar” segment where we find out more about up-and-coming competition teams. Jordan Williams and Richard Smith comprise BBQ Pit Bros out of Des Moines, Iowa. They began cooking KCBS backyard comps in 2021 and, after multiple Grand Championships and Reserves, the team has taken the plunge into the KCBS 4-Meat Masters Series in 2026. Jordan and Richard talk about the journey and how their contrasting personalities keep the team in balance. We also talk about the growing popularity of high school BBQ with Chuck...
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A few days after making history at one of the world’s biggest BBQ competitions, Heath Riles joins us on Episode 356 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast to discuss his repeat Grand Championship at Memphis in May. It was the first time in 42 years that anyone has repeated their World Championship at Memphis in May and Heath breaks down what the accomplishment means to him and his Heath Riles BBQ brand and describes the work ethic that went into preparing for his favorite competition. We also welcome back our friend Kevin Green of The Butcher Shoppe in Pensacola, supplier of A9 wagyu...
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North Dakota is not the warmest open-fire cooking climate in the country, but Nick and Shannon Holman are doing their best to put the Minot, N.D. team Burnt Trees BBQ on the competition map. The husband-wife duo last week came away from the 77-team Minnesota in May with a Grand Championship, their fourth in 50 career KCBS competitions. Consistency is a key for the couple, who have turned countless highway miles on the BBQ trail into quality time. The Holmans talk about they’ve been able to achieve success on Episode 355 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ podcast, also telling the story behind their...
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Memphis in May is just one week away and on Episode 354 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, we talk it over with one of the top contenders to take home the big trophy. Tim Scheer, whose Blues Hog team captured Whole Hog and overall Grand Championship honors in 2022, gives us a preview of the preparations. Those include the final days of feeding the three hogs that he raised on his east-central Missouri Marble Ridge Farm ahead of processing and and prepping the three 250-pound porkers for a date with one of his three Gateway mega-drums. Tim’s segment begins at the 12:05 mark and he also talks...
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After lots of anticipation and patience, it’s official. The American Royal World Series of BBQ has new dates (Oct. 1-4) and a new home (the under construction American Royal Association complex in Kansas City, Kansas). On Episode 353 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, we visit with American Royal Association CEO Pat Macy about the move and what went into bringing the event to its new complex which is not far from the old one, at Kansas Speedway. We also talk high school BBQ’s growing popularity as a team sport with Doug Kerr, a teacher at Iola High School in Kansas and the head coach...
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On Episode 352 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, we talk it over with two big winners from last weekend. First up is the story of fast-rising High on the Hog BBQ out of St. Louis, which won its first KCBS GC in Edina, Missouri, in just its sixth KCBS competition. Shawn Campbell and Rich Alexander reveal how they’ve been able to achieve big-tie success in just their second full-time season. The segment beings at the 9:02 mark. We then take a trip to central Texas to hear from Matthew Frazier and Justin Payne of Smokin’ Aces BBQ after their $5,000 GC at the Rib Cookoff Association...
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The guys from Blind Fox BBQ haven’t been doing competition cooking for long, but it’s clear they rise to the occasion in big contests. Two years after finishing sixth at their first American Royal World Series of BBQ Open (444 teams) Joe Rickfels and Adam Burch won their first Grand Championship at last weekend’s 103-team Smoke in the Spring in Osage City, Kansas. Not only was it the first GC, it gave the guys a ticket into the American Royal Invitational and an auto bid into the inaugural BBQ World Cup next spring in Las Vegas. On Episode 351 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, we visit...
info_outlineWelcome to Episode 16 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Show Podcast. We hope everyone is having a great week and getting outside to cook up some great ‘Q’ as National BBQ Month gets into full swing.
Our featured guest this week is Sterling Smith of Scottsdale, Arizona’s Loot’n Booty BBQ. Sterling not only is a world-class competition pitmaster, he teaches classes all over the world, has a great line of Loot’n Booty rubs and sauces and is simply an all-around great guy. On this week’s show, Sterling tells about how he went from serving in the United States Navy to working in the banking industry and into full-time BBQ.
This week’s “Under the Radar” segment takes us to Huntsville, Alabama and Rob Nelson of the backyard team Beer Pressure. You might have seen Rob - who’s a one-man team - and Stanley, his Great Dane, on the Destination America television show “Bama Q” which returns for season three this fall.
If you’re in mid-Missouri this Saturday, there’s an outstanding first-time benefit BBQ event in Columbia to help the Firefighter Cancer Support Network and the Missouri Firefighter's Museum. Firefighter and event organizer Jeff Strawn fills us in.
The guys also chat about invading the Memphis in May World BBQ Championship and horses changing lanes without signaling at the Kentucky Derby, along with Mother’s Day cooking plans.
Thanks for listening! Have a great BBQ Week!