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Top 100 BBQ Team Invitations Announced

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Posted Apr 30, 2012
The World Food Championships committee announced today how the 100 best BBQ teams in the World will be qualified into the ultimate BBQ throw down in Vegas, where the winner will have a chance to compete for the loftiest food crown in food competition history.

The WFC will be sending invitations to the Grand Champions of the following 90 competitions:

Kansas City Barbeque Society  

48 contestants (comprised by the Grand Champions of the following 48 events):

Lakeland Pig Festival – Lakeland, FL
BBQ Championship & Hog Wild Festival – Mobile, AL
It’s a Smokin Blues & BBQ Challenge – Hammond, LA
ACM BBQ Throwdown – Las Vegas, NV
Pork in the Park – Salisbury, MD
Capital City Cookoff – Jefferson City, MO
Rockn Ribs BBQ Festival – Springfield, MO
Tony Stone Low and Slow – Zanndam, Netherlands
BBQ Capital Cook Off – Lexington, NC
Stagecoach Music Festival BBQ Championship – Indio, CA
Whistle Stop Festival & Rocket City BBQ – Huntsville, AL
Bakersfield’s Biggest Baddest BBQ Championship – Bakersfield, CA
Arizona Barbecue Festival - Scottsdale, AZ
Bloomin’ BBQ & Bluegrass – Sevierville, TN
Papa Joe's Banjo-B-Que – Evans, GA*
Raytown State Championship BBQ Cookoff – Raytown, MO
Blue Ridge BBQ & Music Festival – Tryon, NC
Que’n for the Kids – OC BBQ Festival – Costa Mesa, CA
Colorado BBQ Challenge – Frisco, CO
Iowa State BBQ Championship – Marshalltown, IA
Great Lenexa BBQ Battle – Lenexa, KS
Safeway National Capital Barbecue Battle – Washington DC
I Love Barbecue & Music Festival – Lake Placid, NY
Pork & Brew State BBQ Championship – Rio Rancho, NM
SC Festival of Discovery – Greenwood, SC
New Jersey State BBQ Championship – North Wildwood, NJ
U.P. Hog Wild – Kingsford, MI
Up in Smoke BBQ Bash – Mason City, IA
Dillard Bluegrass & Barbeque Festival – Dillard, GA
Mainely Grillin & Chillin State BBQ Comp – Eliot, ME
Madison Ribberfest Barbeque and Blues – Madison, IN
Wyoming State BBQ Championship – Worland, WY
Winnipeg Barbeque and Blues Festival – Winnipeg, MB
Smokin’ in Mesquite BBQ Challenge – Mesquite, NV
City of Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival – Bedford, TX
Colorado Pork & Hops Challenge - Grand Junction, CO
Blue Springs Barbeque Blaze Off – Blue Springs, MO
Decatur Jaycees Annual Riverfest – Decatur, AL
Cherokee Strip Cookoff – Ponca City, OK
Murphysboro Barbecue Cook Off – Murphysboro, IL
Roots n Blues n BBQ – Columbia, MO
Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship – Shawnee, KS
Bikes, Blues & BBQ – Fayetteville, AR
American Royal – Kansas City MO
Sam’s Club National Championship – Bentonville, AR
Cherokee Pignic – Canton, GA
Hog Happnin’ – Shelby, NC
The National BBQ Cup – Cumming, GA 

International Barbeque Cookers Association

10 contestants (comprised by the Grand Champions of the following 10 events):

Smokin’ on the Rio – Mercedes, TX
LaGarto Community BBQ – LaGarto, TX
Traders Village BBQ – Grand Prairie, TX
Terrell Heritage Jubilee, Terrell, TX
West Vol. Fire Dept BBQ – West, TX
Ft Worth Cops 4 Kids – Ft Worth, TX
Montgomery County Fair – Conroe, TX
TBIPAC BBQ Throwdown – Marksville, LA
Keller Lions Club BBQ – Keller, TX
Party in the Pits – Ponchatoula, LA

Memphis Barbecue Network

4 contestants (comprised by the Grand Champions of the following 4 events): 

MBN Invitational – Tunica, MS
Smokin Aces – Tunica, MS
Big Pig Jig – Vienna, GA
Time Warner Cable BBQ and Blues – Charlotte, NC  

Lonestar Barbecue Society

4 contestants (comprised by the Grand Champions of the following 4 events): 

Rattlesnake Round-up – Sweetwater, TX
BBQ & Goat Cook-Off State Championship – Goldthwaite, TX
Winstar World Casino Championship BBQ Cook-off – Winstar, OK
National Championship – Meridian, TX

Texas Gulf Coast BBQ Cookers Association

4 contestants (comprised by the Grand Champions of the following 4 events): 

Hold’em Hit Em Club BBQ Cookoff– Houston, TX
San Antonio Rodeo BBQ Cookoff – San Antonio, TX
Humble Rodeo & BBQ Cookoff– Humble, TX
Texas Gulf Coast BBQ Cookers Association Invitational – Montgomery TX

Florida Bar B Que Association

4 contestants (comprised by the Grand Champions of the following 4 events):  

Citrus Center Boys & Girls Clubs "Smoke on the Water" BBQ – Winter Haven, FL
Smoke on the Water BBQ and Bluegrass Festival – Thomaston, GA
Barnesville BBQ & Blues Festival – Barnesville, GA
Smokin on the Suwannee BBQ Festival – Live Oak, FL

Pacific Northwest BBQ Association

3 contestants (comprised by the Grand Champions of the following 3 events): 

OR State Championship BBQ Competition – Aloha, OR
Canadian National Championship – Whistler, BC
Tree Top Skewered Apple BBQ Championship – Selah, WA

South Carolina BBQ Association

2 contestants (comprised by the Grand Champions of the following 2 events):   

SC Peach Festival – Gaffney, SC
Pig on the Ridge – Ridgeway, SC 

Southern BBQ Network

2 contestants (comprised by the Grand Champions of the following 2 events):   

Smoking at the Farmer’s Market – Columbia, SC
Beach Boogie and BBQ – Myrtle Beach, SC

New England BBQ Society

1 contestant (comprised by the Grand Champion of the following event): 

Grillin’ on the Bay – Brooklyn, NY

Georgia Barbecue Association

1 contestant (comprised by the Grand Champion of the following event): 

Hambone Jam – Ft. Valley, GA

Mid Atlantic Barbecue Association

1 contestant (comprised by the Grand Champion of the following event):

Que and Cruz – Louisa, VA 

Canadian Southern BBQ Association

1 contestant (comprised by the Grand Champion of the following event):

Blue Mountain Barbecue Competition – Collingwood, ON*

Independent Events

5 contestants (comprised by the Grand Champions of the following 5 events): 

World’s Championship Bar-B-Que Contest – Houston, TX
Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest– Memphis, TN
Naperville’s Exchange Club’s Ribfest – Naperville, IL
Jazz & Rib Fest – Columbus, OH
Best in the West Nugget Rib Cook-off – Reno, NV 

WFC Special Invitations

5 contestants 

TBD 

Just A Pinch

5 contestants

TBD 

If a Grand Champion is not able to accept the invitation and participate in The World Food Championships, invitations will be extended to the Reserve Grand (or runner up) of the same competition, and subsequently to the Ribs Champion if necessary. In the event that more than one of these special invitation events are won by the same BBQ team, additional events will be added to the invitation roster to achieve 90 different competitors. 

The remaining 10 contestants will come from online competitions at JustAPinch.com (5 spots) and WFC special exemptions (5) based on sponsor requests and/or an overall BBQ rankings index used by the competition committee. All invited teams who qualify will receive a direct email message from the WFC on how to sign up and opt into the event. A $250 entry/processing fee will be required.
 
As for the official rules and sanctioning process, the WFC will be using the "competitor series" process developed by the Kansas City Barbeque Society. This will provide a judging process that is both blind and fair, so that all teams are guaranteed a level playing field. However, the WFC has not yet announced the meats that competitors will be required to cook in the contest. Official rules, meats, turn in times and processes will be announced on June 29, 2012.

Rules for the WFC are subject to change, but all decisions made by the WFC competition committee are final.


*Denotes an event change made by the WFC competition committee due to a cancellation of a previous event. All events listed above are accurate as of today's date. Since the events are subject to change beyond the control of the WFC, check back often to see the latest qualifiers. All actual team entries into the WFC will be confirmed via an email invitation.

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