BBQ World Cup Qualifier: Michelle Martinez

Michelle Martinez never planned to be a pitmaster, but one unexpected weekend cook led her to today: the first female qualifier for the BBQ World Cup, preparing to compete for $1 Million next April.

Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Michelle grew up around small barbecue cookoffs, participating in a large team called Prime Cookers, cooking whatever her teammates agreed upon. Once she had her daughter, now 20, Michelle stepped away from barbecue, until she met Adam Martinez. In one of their first meetings, Michelle watched Adam at a barbecue competition, fascinated by the intricacy and dedication in the sport. Approximately a year after Michelle’s official introduction to competitive barbecue, Adam was preparing to cook an unsanctioned competition, meant for testing a new method of scoring, when Adam unexpectedly had a family emergency. Because the meat and equipment were already prepped, Michelle agreed to cook in his place, unexpectedly landing in the top 10 of the competition. Immediately, Michelle had caught the barbecue bug, looking for her next chance to cook, this time starting from scratch.

Michelle’s first official barbecue competition was a Lone Star Cook-Off after the COVID-19 pandemic. Surrounded by experienced competitors, Michelle was dedicated to achieving the best cook possible, this time with her own meat, injections, and preparations. At the end of the day, Michelle had received decent calls for both chicken and ribs, before reserving the entire competition. Michelle Martinez started her competitive barbecue career that day, and has only accelerated since.

Michelle competes under the name AMP Cookers, inspired by the line of seasonings Adam started, called A.M.P. after Adam Martinez’s Pollo (Chicken). As the business continued, Michelle began working with him to create new products inspired by her own cooking. Thus, AMP became a name that could reflect Michelle’s dedication to the art of barbecue, both in competition and out of it.

Michelle is the first female qualifier for the BBQ World Cup, and to all of the women out there who may be interested in joining the sport, she has one message “Just do it.” In such a predominately male community, Michelle is proof that women deserve a place in competitive barbecue. She has now given several classes to women interested in learning how to cook, and is thrilled to see the rising involvement of women in the sport. Michelle has made a name for herself in barbecue, and her consistent success, mentorship, as well as her pursuit of excellence are all testaments to her drive for herself and all other female pitmasters.

Michelle and Adam don’t cook together often, and one of her first competitions was against him. She wasn’t originally planning to cook that day, but once she decided to compete, Michelle finished higher than Adam. From there, she decided to chase IBCA points, before switching to CBA. Although the couple does not compete together often, Michelle and Adam were cooking together at the Central Texas BBQ Roundup when Michelle qualified for the BBQ World Cup. Michelle describes this moment as her most meaningful win, a demonstration of great, consistent cooking that is now sending her to Vegas.

Michelle is not the only talented cook in her family, and her daughter has GC’ed some of her own competitions. Most weekends, Michelle and her mom are teaming up to cook, fighting through weather and early mornings to participate in this sport together. When her mom isn’t actively cooking beside her, she is still the first person Michelle calls after every win. Michelle and Adam have also made a large impact on the entire barbecue community, building a network of fellow competitors and friends, constantly sharing support with one another.

Michelle’s qualification for the BBQ World Cup has her excited to be a part of a new competition, and hoping that this $1 Million opportunity will help competition barbecue keep growing. If she were to win one million dollars, something she hasn’t thought about much, Michelle intends to move out of the city and keep building her dream life, complete with plenty of barbecue competitions.