From the Fire.
Competition results, recipes, stories, and everything happening in the world of BBQ.
Dates Confirmed: The Inaugural BBQ World Cup & Expo Is Coming to Las Vegas in 2027
The inaugural BBQ World Cup & Expo has confirmed its dates — April 8–11, 2027 — in Las Vegas, Nevada. Featuring 100 elite pitmasters, a $1,000,000 prize pool, a 100+ booth expo, and headline concerts, this four-day landmark event is set to become the biggest barbecue competition in history.
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Vinícius Aguiar: The Brazilian Chef Bound for the BBQ World Cup
An accident kept Vinícius Aguiar out of competition for seven years. In 2026 the MasterChef Brasil culinary producer came back with four friends, a perfect 180 in brisket and a BBQ World Cup seat. Next: Las Vegas and $1,000,000.
Heath Riles: Memphis in May Grand Champion and BBQ World Cup Qualifier
At seventeen he welded his own grill in Ashland, Mississippi and set a goal to win Memphis in May. Nearly thirty years later Heath Riles won it twice in a row. Next: the BBQ World Cup and a cook for $1,000,000 in Las Vegas.
Goldee’s Bar-B-Q Won Fort Worth’s First Michelin Star. More Than Half the Line Had No Idea.
Five friends from Arlington, Texas, learned barbecue at five different restaurants and opened Goldee’s Bar-B-Q in 2020. On October 8 it won Fort Worth’s first Michelin star. Most of the line that morning had not heard.
Bobbyrey Delgado: Si Quema BBQ Pitmaster and BBQ World Cup Qualifier
He was the youngest cook in the field when he qualified in February, a twenty-year-old who built his own barbecue team in a high school that had no kitchen. Now Si Quema BBQ, with his mom on the crew, is on the road to the BBQ World Cup and a shot at $1,000,000.
Mark Lee: Six Butt BBQ Pitmaster and BBQ World Cup Qualifier
Mark Lee and his wife are retired lawyers who cook competition barbecue as a hobby, off a pair of Weber Smokey Mountains, no sponsors. That hobby just earned Six Butt BBQ a seat at the first BBQ World Cup, cooking in Las Vegas for $1,000,000.
He Sold Bubba’s Barbecue After Nearly 40 Years in the Business. He Still Comes In Almost Every Day.
Ralph Miller could no longer lift hogs onto the pit, so he sold his Charlotte barbecue restaurant. The new owner changed the name, the menu and the dining room. She kept the old sign, and she kept him.
The Loser Buys the Barbecue: Gardner-Webb Wins a Third Straight North-South Barbecue Bowl, 12-10
Two Carolina colleges play football every fall for a hog trophy and a catered dinner. The loser pays, and the winner picks North Carolina or South Carolina barbecue. Saturday’s game came down to a safety.
Before Lionel Messi’s Last Match for Argentina, His Teammates Lit Two Grills
Lionel Messi’s farewell to Argentina’s national team began two nights before the match, at an asado in the team’s grill house. The cook has fed him since 2005, and the two share a birthday.
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S1E1 - Whiskey Bent BBQ: How Chad Ward Built a BBQ Empire
Chad Ward didn't set out to build an empire. He just wanted to cook with his buddies. Thirteen years later he's running Whiskey Bent BBQ out of Lakeland, Florida — a retail store, a co-packing facility, a competition record with 200+ top-10 finishes, a decade at Traeger, and collabs with Ken Griffey Jr., Brantley Gilbert, and Justin Herbert. Scott and Shannon sit down with Chad to talk about what building something real in BBQ actually looks like: the grind, the pivots, and why protecting the brand always beats chasing the shortcut.
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$1Million BBQ World Cup - Under Seasoned BBQ Show - Sp06
"We sit down with Scott Erdmann, the co-founder of the highly anticipated BBQ World Cup. Tune in to get the ultimate, up-to-date breakdown of this historic, $1 million winner-take-all competition hitting Las Vegas in April 2027."
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