All language subtitles for BBQ.USA.S01E01.Stick.to.Your.Ribs.720p.WEBRip.X264-KOMPOST

[Michael] Ribs, brisket,
pulled pork, chicken,

whole hog, you name it,
they're smokin' it.

The competition is fierce.

It's on today, fellas.

We're gonna win
'cause the rest of these
guys suck.

[all laughing]

[Michael] But it's not just
about food or prizes,

it's about finding out
if your team

has what it takes to be
a master of the craft.

Each weekend,
I'm traveling across
the country to a top

barbecue competition
to meet some
of the best pitmasters aroun

Some do it for money
while others do it
for the title.

-Yeah!
-[cheering]

[Michael] But all of them
are doing it for the love
of barbecue.

Oh, we want to win.
That's it.

[Michael laughs]

[Michael] I'm here
to show you some
tips and tricks

about the food I love most.

Look how juicy
it still is in the middle.

This is barbecue.
This is America.

This is BBQ USA.

We're at the Qlathe
Barbecue Festival
in Olathe, Kansas.

I expect to be eating
some top-notch barbecue
this weekend

because if there's one thin
Kansas City is famous for,
it's barbecue.

[Joe] You know, we have mor
barbecue restaurants

per capita than anywhere else
in the country,
and we're proud of that.

[Michael] We are
in America's breadbasket,

where wheat
and cattle reign supreme,

at one of the top
barbecue contests
in the world.

It attracts over 70
of the best professional
barbecue teams.

From veterans to up-and-come
to champions,

they're all here to prove
who is best and to compete

for a total of $10,000
in prize money.

We're gonna go see
a couple of the competitors,
see what's going on,

eat a little bit of 'que,
get the day going.

What's happening, everybody?

[cheering and whooping]

[Michael] Oh, my God.
Thanks for bringing
the weather.

[all laughing]

I left Cleveland, Ohio
when it was like 70.

[all laughing]

[Michael] The teams
are catching up and enjoyin

some classic
Kansas City barbecue,

known for its burnt ends
and ribs.

Kansas City barbecue
is sweet, hot, vinegary.

Usually has some
decent back-end heat.

Little bit of tang to it.

[Richard] We're known
for ribs around here.

It's a way of life here.

Kansas City is all about ribs.

It's sweet, salty.

Maybe with some molasses,
a little bit of spice.

Just the best elements,
everything.

Hey, Dan, these look
a little better
than your ribs.

[man] Ooh!

They kind of taste
like yours, eh?

[Marcy] Ah!

[laughs]

[Michael] We've got
a great group of teams today
and they are fired up.

Tell me who you are.

Tell me
what your specialty is.

Tell me why you're going
to win tomorrow.

There's not a better monument
in America
than Mount Rushmore,

so Meat Rushmore
is going to win.

[Katie] We're Meat Rushmore.

We've got a pig, a chicken,
a cow, and then we've got Abe,
because who doesn't want Abe?

[Katie] People are like,
"How do you do this
all weekend long?

You go with four guys,
you're the only girl
on the team."

But I love it.
I love the competitiveness.

We're here to win.

And we're gonna
do it Rushmore style.

Just to be clear,
I'm on Mount Rushmore.

In the barbecue world.

[all laughing]

Have you ever won this one?

I've not won this one,
but I've won a whole bunch.

[laughs]

If there's a team
to beat this week,

it's anybody who thinks
they can beat me.

Barbecue for me
is a way of life.

And luckily enough,
I've been a little better
than everybody else.

We've had success everywhere,
from Wyoming to Georgia
to Florida.

And so, unfortunately, I think
I have a target on my back.

-We're Fergolicious
from here in Kansas City.
-[Michael] Okay.

And we win
because it's not delicious,
it's fergolicious.

-[man] Oh!
-[laughter]

We are Fergolicious BBQ,
and we're from right here
in beautiful state of Kansas.

Beautiful.

We traveled the entire
eight minutes to come here,
to Qlathe,

to beat everybody
in this parking lot.

And that's what we do.

-We cook meat in
the parking lot, and we win.
-Right.

-And we take home
grand championships.
-That's it.

[both laughing]

I'm here to cheer
everybody up,

most specifically
important tomorrow.

I can do everything good
but pork, yeah!

I'm a truck driver
for my 9:00 to 5:00 job.

Eighteen-wheeler,
diesel trucks.

I really love cooking pork,
so Hog Diesel BBQ kind of
came naturally.

[Joe] Van with Hog Diesel
is up-and-coming
in the barbecue world,

but he's putting a lot of time
and effort into...

into being one
of the best teams out there.

And he's sneaky good.
That's what I call him.

Sneaky good Van.

You never know
when he's just going
to pop up and win one.

All right, Randy Van Slyke,
High i Que BBQ.

We're gonna win
'cause the rest
of these guys suck.

[all laughing]

I'm just saying.

I mean, it's not personal.

Yeah, but your ribs are like
just dunked in sauce.

And what wins. Okay!

I'm a competitive person.
I want my name called last.

That means I beat everybody

I want to beat Joe.
I want to beat Richard.

I want to beat Rushmore.
I want to beat 'em all.

I'm in it to win it.
That's why we're here, right?

Me and Richard, same hometown.

Who's the best team
in Gardner?

-We are.
-Don't lie!

Don't! No!

Wait, wait, wait.

Just to be clear,
I won the Gardner contest
the last three years in a row.

[all laughing]

-Oh!
-Oh!

[Michael] The teams return
to their trailers to do

some crucial final prep
for tomorrow.

This right here,
this is my good luck charm,
my daughter made her.

I know that if I have her,
I'll be all right.

[Michael] The teams
are prepping
their meat tonight

because they need to get up
before dawn tomorrow.

The meat needs to get on ear
so it can cook low and slow

and then rest
for maximum tenderness.

Tomorrow they will be
competing in four categories

pulled pork, brisket, chicke
and the most coveted... ribs

[Joe] So we're gonna get
these ribs opened up.

The thing
we're looking for on ribs
is thickness and marbling.

[Michael] The ribs are locat
in the center of the pig,

behind the shoulder
and below the pork loin.

There are three main cuts
of ribs, the baby back ribs

which are meatier
because they encompass
the bottom of the pork loin

the spare ribs,
which combine
both the center and rib tips

and the St. Louis cut,
which is near
the center portion of the ri

excluding the rib tips.

Here in Olathe,
the competitors

are primarily using
spare ribs.

So we're gonna inject these.

[Michael] This might seem
a little strange
to folks outside

the barbecue competition
circuit,

but one trick the teams use
is injecting
the ribs with liquid.

This adds moisture
and flavor to the meat.

[Randy] Pork, in my opinion,
is very bland meat.

It kind of tastes like
whatever you do to it.

So this just helps us
boost that flavor.

[Joel] It's got some salt,
some sweetness,
little bit of spice.

Definitely lot of sweet.

[Joel] Judges like sweet.

Everybody's palate
can be a little bit different,

but pretty much
everybody likes sweet.

[Michael] The teams swear
by different injections

that they have developed
using ingredients,

from maple syrup
to fruit juice.

[Van] I use
a very specific brand
of peach juice

and it just sets the flavor
of my food apart
from everybody else's.

It's getting good in Olathe.
People are fired up.

[Joe] Doesn't get much
better than that.

They are ready to compete.

A lot of competent
and great teams here,
very excited.

Tomorrow's going to be
spectacular.

[blows raspberry]

Good morning, everybody.

[Van] Let's get this day
started.

It's time to get dirty.

It's time to make the donuts.

-Let's do this.
-We cook our butts off
and see what happens, man.

Let's go.

Thirty-five degrees
this morning, dude.

Cold.

But the fires will be hot.

[Michael] The first order
of business is getting
the smokers started.

This will be ready to go
in about 10-15 minutes.

[Michael] And then
the big meat's got
to start smoking.

[Richard] All right.
We got our pork butts
all ready to go.

Then we got our brisket.

Randy, this brisket
is coming for you, buddy.

[Van] Come Saturday morning
when I open up my eyes,
I don't care about anybody.

I'm coming to beat
every single person
in the field.

Ready to roll.

Kick some ass today
here at Qlathe.

Look out, Fergolicious
is going to take down
High i Q, Slap's, Hog Diesel,

Meat Rushmore,
it's going to take
all of them down.

[Michael]
The competitive spirit
burns bright in these teams

as they sacrifice sleep
and maybe
a little bit of sanity...

I'm coming for you guys.

[Michael] ...to compete
for the $10,000 in prize mon
that will be awarded today.

[Richard] It's on today,
fellas.

[Michael] Here
at Qlathe Barbecue Festival
the competition is on,

as the teams juggle cooking
four meats to compete
for $10,000 in prize money.

We're gonna turn in chicken
at noon and then
we're gonna turn in

another meat
every 30 minutes after that

If you screw up one thing,
it... it could be all over.

Do you feel like
one of your categories
is your strongest category?

I love cooking all of them,
but ribs is really my thing.

-[Michael] Your favorite?
-Yeah. Yeah, I love them.

-There's something
about a perfect rib, I think.
-[Randy] There really is.

[Michael] When I think
of Kansas City, I think ribs

So today is going
to be a ribs kind of day.

And the first step
with the ribs today
is the rub.

And we go right into rubbing.

Meat side down.

The bark on the ribs
is probably
the most important bark

and of all the four meats
we cook.

[Michael]
Most of the Kansas City rub
have brown sugar as a base,

but each team emphasizes
a different flavor
in their particular rub.

[Randy] This one has to have
a little bit more paprika,
mostly for color.

[Michael] Meanwhile,
Meat Rushmore is leaning
on another unusual flavor.

[Joel] It has a pecan profile
to it, some...

[indistinct] you know,
it's just out
of this world, man.

[Michael] I'm gonna check i
on Joe from Slap's

who has experienced
such great success

at the barbecue
competition circuit

that he and his brother
opened a restaurant

so more people could try
their amazing smoked meats.

Joe keeps competing
to stay sharp
and because he loves it.

We got started competing
in barbecue in 2013.

The first contest we ever di
and I said,

"Hey, I think this is
what I want to do
with the rest of my life."

And so ten years later,
here we are cooking barbecue.

-You feeling good?
-I'm feeling good.

I'm ready to put some ribs on.

-Oh, perfect.
-Let's do it.

[Michael] Let's do it.

[Joe] You know,
ribs is actually
my favorite category.

Ooh!
Ooh, those are looking good.

We have figured out
how to make
the perfect bite of ribs

that's savory, sweet,
flavorful, moist, and juicy,
all at the same time.

[Michael] I've eaten
these ribs many times,

and they're some
of my absolute favorites.

You were saying you go
a little sweeter

in competition
than at the shop.

[Joe] The flavors
are so intense here
for competition

that most people
aren't ready for it.

Well, they're taking
a bite, right?

They're taking one bite,
so it's got to be
extremely flavorful,

juicy, moist, savory,
salty, spicy,

all at once
without being offensive.

-Yeah, you gotta hit them
with the one bite.
-Yep.

[Michael] A lot of teams her
in Kansas City are using

one of my favorite types
of smoker,

the very dependable
drum smoker.

[Joel] The drum smokers
we use,

they run really efficiently
in any weather,

so we'll be able
to turn out the food

that we're after,
whether it's rain,
snow, 100 degrees, whatever.

[Michael] Now, drum smokers
are made from 55-gallon
steel drums

that are converted
with some basic parts
into inexpensive,

yet effective,
meat-smoking machines.

At the bottom of the barrel
is an air vent
and a fire basket

that holds the charcoal
and any wood chunks

for some added
wood smoke flavor.

Air enters through the vent
which stokes the fire baske
producing heat and smoke,

which then rises up the barr
and cooks the meat on its wa

to the chimney at the top
of where it vents out.

One of the big benefits
of a drum smoker is that

it could handle
hotter temperatures,

which leads
to faster cooking times.

You know,
one of the things I noticed,

and I don't know
if it's a Kansas City thing
or not,

but we see everybody's
smoking closer to 275.

I think a lot of that,
in the competition world,

is because you can get
some more sleep,
you know, and it's when...

when you're 30,
I can stay up all night,

drinking beer, do whatever,
everything is fine.

At 40, I need a couple
of hours of shut-eye.

Okay, well, at 40,
it doesn't get any better.

-Just saying.
-[all laughing]

All right. It is about 7:30,
and it is time to get
the ribs on.

I took Richard Fergola's class
from Fergolicious BBQ.

He really put me
on my barbecue journey.

Now they got
a nice sweat going.

Couple of years out,

the teacher should be ready
for the student
to come for the belt.

Look at these beauties.

I teach barbecue classes
all around the world.

And, you know,
I can give people my timeline,
I can give them my secrets,

I can give them my profiles,
but they have
to execute it like I do.

And that's not
an easy thing to do.

Ribs are on!

Go ahead and grab one.

[Michael] Richard and Marcy
over at Fergolicious,

they're making some shots now
because it's 9:00 o'clock,

everybody is going to have
a drink together
because it is a barbecue fest.

-[Michael] What is this?
-It's called Fergolay.

[Marcy] Barbecue contests
are about, you know,
brotherhood and camaraderie

So you get everyone togethe
and you do a shot together

and it kind of brings
the group in.

You're welcome, guys.

-All right,
raise your glasses.
-Ooh!

Barbecue family
right here in the house.

-Good luck.
-Whoo!

-Whoo!
-Whoo!

9:00 o'clock
in the morning, shots.

It seems normal.

Good luck.
Good luck. Good luck, Jim.

[Michael] Now that I've trie
their Fergolay,

let's find out what else
this team has going on.

What do you got
brewing so far?

So the brisket
and the pork butts

and they've been on
since 3:00 a.m.
and the ribs just went on.

So now we're just kind of in,
like, a little chill phase.

I got my squad up here,
so we're ready to rock.

[Michael] You got a gnome,
you got a pig,
you got everything.

-[Richard] Yeah.
-The gnome seems
a little angry.

[Richard] He kind of fends off
any people that are haters.

-You know what I mean?
-Got it.

Now, it's time for ribs.

[Richard] Those are
freaking sexy.

[Michael] After the ribs
are smoked
for about two hours,

the teams remove them
to be wrapped.

[Joe] So we're wrapping
these ribs,
we get some brown sugar,

some honey, and some
apple cherry habanero
rib glaze down.

Here in Kansas City,

most of the teams
are adding a lot
of sweetness to the ribs.

[Van] I use a little bit
of butter, brown sugar,
some maple syrup.

[Michael] Meat Rushmore
is even adding

some citrus soda
to their wrap.

The soda helps give
a nice little citrus flavor

to the ribs and also helps
with the moisture.

[Michael] Not every team
is going sweet today, though

Kansas City barbecue
tends to be
a little on the sweeter side.

Lately, that maple-y
sweet flavor on ribs

seems to drive
the judges nuts.

They just love it.
But in a competition,
you cook what you cook.

Good barbecue
is good barbecue.

[Van] Wrap these bad boys
back up and let them
finish cooking.

[Joe] My ribs need to cook.

When you're cooking
four meats at once,

you really got to be
on your game.

[Joe] Getting
really close there.

[Randy] Just to make sure
you don't overcook something,

you want to make sure
it's not undercooked as well.

But overcooking
is the biggest problem
because you can't change that.

We're going to check these
St. Louis cut ribs here
for tenderness.

They're just about there.

[Michael] The bend test
is a great way to check
if ribs are ready.

You want them to have
a little bit of give,

but you don't want
those bones to pop out.

They're coming right along.
They're gonna be really good.

[Van] Cooking
a little bit hotter
than normal today.

So I thought it would be
a good idea to just check
these ribs out.

If there's one category
I'm nervous about,
it'd be ribs.

[Michael] If the ribs
are overcooked,

the bones will start
to pop out when you do
the bend test.

[Van] Uh...

Yeah. This isn't good.

[Michael] Oh, boy!

[Van] I just kind of want
to see how it feels. Ooh!

[Michael] It feels...
looks like it feels
pretty tender.

Feels like it... yeah, yeah,
feels like it might be
a little too tender.

[Michael laughs]

[Michael]
I'm a little worried.

I hope those aren't the ribs
Van is turning in.

Those ribs that Van showed,
I think,

he got a little nervous
'cause they're a touch over.

And once the meat goes over,
there's no bringing it back.

To overcook it,
even just one minute,

can make
heartbreaking results.

[sighs]

[Michael] Here
at Qlathe Barbecue Festival

the judges
who will be awarding $10,00
in prizes have arrived...

Please raise your right hand.

[Michael] ...and are swearin
to fairly judge

all the heavenly barbecue
coming their way.

Meanwhile, the teams
are getting in one last sho
before things get real.

So the Meat
Rushmore tradition,

at 11:00 o'clock,
we do a barbecue family shot.

Masses are coming.
You better keep pouring.

Here you go.

-Here.
-Oh, boy.

We call it our go-time shot
because it's starting now,
man, it's...

everything
is full speed ahead.

-Good luck, everybody.
-[crowd whooping]

-It's go time!
-[Katie] Good luck!

Get it, get it, get it.

[man] Hey, good luck, boys.

[Michael] Now it's go time
for meat number one, chicken

[Joe] So we're getting
the chicken off of the cooker.

It's been on there
for about two hours.

This is the moment of truth.

Like, we've worked all morning
on this chicken
for it to look like this.

We want to see just a couple
splits at the top of the skin.

We're gonna take
a measurement.

205, 206.
[cheering]

Looks like
I've done this before.

[Michael] What's up, guys?

Is Fergolicious as confiden
as Slap's today?

All right,
you're looking good.

[Richard] We're dolling up
these chickens.

This is my "Yes" row.
This is "Maybe".
This is my "No".

Like that guy
right there is banging.
I'm putting him in there.

Right out of the gate,
no trim, no nothing.

Yeah. I didn't even
have to touch that one.

[Michael] Here, the teams
are looking
for even color and size.

This is "Yes",
"Maybe", "Lunch".

[laughs]

You're exactly right.

[Michael] Now it's time
for the sauce.

This is just one way
that teams are adding

that special
Kansas City flavor
to their meats.

[Marcy] The thing that I think
of when I think of Kansas City
is like the sauces.

To me, that's the best part

[Michael] Arguably the most
prominent barbecue style

KC-style barbecue has sprea
from its humble beginnings

in Kansas City
throughout the Central

and Midwest regions
of America.

KC barbecue sauce
is a defining feature

that most home cooks think
about when talking barbecue

After they get dunked
in the flavorful
sweet Kansas City sauce,

the chicken goes back
on the smoker.

[Joe] All right.
Sauce is going to set
for seven minutes.

[Michael] Luckily,
Joe set one aside for me.

This job's got great perks.

So this one's ugly,
but flavor should be
pretty good.

Okay. Look how juicy
it still is in the middle.

[Joe] Oh, yeah. Yeah.

You can see that steam
ripping off its sauce
on the top.

Skin bit through pretty good.

Mmm-hmm.

You get a little bit of sweet,
little bit of heat.

Get the smoke on the chicken.

-Yeah.
-But it's so juicy.

Oh, my God.
Are you brining those?

Yeah, brining and injecting.

So brine, inject,
smoke or rub, smoke.

-Yup.
-Then sauce and smoke again.

Yep.

[Michael] Nobody said
competition barbecue was eas

but it's even harder
than I expected.

So far, everybody
is using chicken thighs,
which, let's face it,

it's the most flavorful part
of the chicken
and is easiest to keep juicy.

But one team is trying
something different today.

[Van] It is almost
chicken time.

A lot of people,
they're cooking
chicken thighs.

I'm cooking legs.

I either think that the legs
will be a complete home run

or they'll just be like,
"Yeah, it tastes all right."

[Michael] It's a bold choic
because thighs
typically remain

a little bit more tender,
but it could pay off big
for Hog Diesel.

I compete because I love
the camaraderie.

I love being able
to compare myself
to the best in the state,

the best in the world.

And I love all the leftovers.

[Joel] So we're just gonna put
this butter in the pan here,
making a little butter wall.

And what that's going to do,
as it melts, it's going

to allow it to kind
of braise in there
and add some tenderness.

As a former athlete,
there comes a time
for everybody

where you maybe get
a little bit older,

but that competitive fire
really never goes away.

We get a lot of the same
pleasure that we get out

of competing maybe
in basketball or soccer

or football or whatever
you like to do,

but just do it in a way
that's more fat-guy friendly.

[Michael] How are you
feeling about the chicken?

[Joel]
We're boxing it right now.

Who's in charge
of the scissors?

[Katie] It's me.
It's always the lady.

[Michael] Oh, look at that.

-She's got a tea ball
for the spicing.
-[Katie] Yes. Yes.

It's as far as finishing dust.

Oh, could you just
come out here real quick
with that machine?

Yeah, sure.

Look, this is really smart.
I've never seen this before.

This is a tea ball
that you put loose tea in,

but it's got very fine mesh.

So you're finishing
with the spice, so...

-[Katie] Yep.
-...so it goes very even.

Pulls all the flavor together.

Beauty, brains.
She's got it all.
I'm telling you.

[laughter]

You're too kind.

[Michael] I'm gonna
steal the sprinkle idea.

Flay,
I hope you're not watching

because I don't want you
to see that one.

That is how I am going
to beat Bobby Flay.

The sprinkle powder.

[Van] Time to get boxing.
That's when
the madness starts.

So the window is opening

in like one minute.

[Michael]
It is the first turn-in time.

They have from 11:55 to 12:05.

So they have ten minutes
to get the chicken
to the judges.

So now,
judges need six pieces.

[Richard] Boxing is stressfu
because it's almost like
painting a picture.

It's gotta look good.

The appearance,
that's the first score
they're going to write down.

You've got to make it
look pretty.

[Katie]
So any little light spots,

we'll go back through
with our sauce
and touch that up.

Now, a little bit
of room temperature
apple juice.

Just a little glisten.

[Richard]
It looks absolutely perfect.

[Joe] Looks pretty good.
Closing it down.

[Van] And she's off.

[Michael] The teams
hand their chicken boxes
to get scored by the judges

And meanwhile, Fergolicious
offers me a chicken thigh

that did not make it
into their final box.

-Yeah.
-Boom.

See, right through the skin.

Got a little bit of, like,
sweetness from the sauce,

some of those great flavors
from the rub,

just barely kiss of the smoke.

It's a little nerve-wracking
having Michael Symon
try your chicken,

but I think it went well.

If he loves it, I think
the judges should love it.

You've taken, like,
three bites and the skin
is still intact.

Oh!

-[Richard]
Did you get that on camera?
-Yeah, we got.

Perfect in the judges,
second in my mouth.

These are the ones
we didn't want to try.

[Richard] Yeah,
those are no longer...

[laughs]

I had four of them for you,
now I got two.

-We call that
the Fergolicious Flop.
-Yeah.

[Michael laughs]

[Michael] But chicken
is just the beginning.

Windows open.

[Michael] In the next one ho
and 30 minutes,

the teams need to prepare
ribs, pork, and brisket.

Once that chicken
turn-in happens, man,

it's go time
and we are just on it.

-Whoo!
-Crazy.
I mean, it's just nonstop.

Steaming hot.

You know, every 30 minutes,
goes fast.

That one's going to need
a couple more minutes.

[Randy]
We got to get four meats in

If we miss one,
if we're late on a turn-in..

-[Van] Damn!
-[Randy]
...there's no recovery.

[Van] Hey!

[Michael] Here at Qlathe
Barbecue Festival,

teams have just turned in
the mouthwatering chicken

as they compete for $10,000
in prizes

and now have just 25 minute
to finish their ribs.

Teams are all super focused
right now

because they really want
to put up the perfect box.

I'm gonna go check
in with Slap's.

They're the current
KCBS rib champion.

I need to find out
what makes Joe's ribs roll.

-So rib time now.
-Rib time.

So it's every 30 minutes.
That's...

It's moving, man.
If I waste a minute, I'm...

-I'm behind schedule.
-[Michael] Right.

We do a lot of these
barbecue contests.

I think this
is my 235th contest

in the last six years.

So this is a kind of a rhythm
and a routine for us,

and we're right on schedule.

We're really excited about
where our cook's at so far.

What particular ribs
are you using?

[Joe] It's the biggest
St. Louis cut they make.

You can just tell
how thick these suckers are.

[Michael]
Yeah, that's a thick rib.

[Joe] So what I'm looking for
right here is that moisture.

You can see.

I trim every rib down
to eight bones

and I taste bone seven.

-Tender, but not too tender.
-Yeah. The meat is tender.

-Yup.
-But it has a nice
little pull to it still.

I'll be honest, that one
probably is the least tender

that I would ever
put in the box.

-Really?
-[Joe]
I want it little softer.

-Really? Okay.
-Yeah. Yeah.

'Cause that was
very tender to me.

-[Joe] This one feels
better to me.
-Okay.

[Joe] Yeah, let's try it.

[Michael] This kind of insig
is what makes Slap's the tea
to beat here at Qlathe.

[Joe] I can tell by the way
this one slices, it's right,
right as rain.

You guys, look at this stuff.

See the juice
coming out of there?

But look
how tender it is, too.

[Joe] Tell me that one
is not better.

Oh, man.

-Am I right?
-Yep.

And now see how this
is the perfect bite of rib.

I took a bite.
The meat came off the bone,
but it still held over here.

So all the meat
didn't come off
just where I bit.

And you can see that little
smoke rink on there.

And you could...
look at the juice.

That's a great rib.

Competition is going
to be tough today,
I'll tell you that.

-Slap's is a great team.
-Yes.

[Marcy] He's a great guy,
he's got great barbecue.

And that's why
I like to beat him,

'cause, you know,
if you can't beat the best,

how good are you?

[Richard] All right, now,
we're gonna get
these ribs going.

Oh, my God.

Usually that's a good sign.

I think that was
the happy "Oh, my God."

[Richard] That's the happy
"Oh, my God".

-[Marcy] If he was upset,
it wouldn't be those words.
-Yeah.

[Michael laughs]

[Richard]
That's what we call

a blowout right there
where that bone blows out.

So we can't quite use that.

It's all about consistency.

You got 70 teams here,
and if you're consistent,

you've got
a good shot at winning.

This slab right here
is banging.

Delicious. Really, you know,
nice, gentle smoke.

You could see the nice
pink hue through there.

It melts in your mouth,
but it's not overly tender

and it's incredibly juicy.

-Not too shabby, sir.
-All right.
Thank you, Michael.

Iron Chef just tried our ri.
No big deal.
No pressure. No worries.

[laughs]

[Michael] After final saucin
up-and-comers,

Meat Rushmore have one more
trick up their sleeves.

Putting the ribs back on
for a few minutes

to both set the sauce
and add more flavor.

[Joel] All right. Do your job.
Smoke it.

What sets our food apart
is really the tenderness.

Ribs, come on in.

Then it's also going to have
a really good
smoke profile to it.

We finished 14th in the worl
out of about 3,000 teams
last year in ribs,

so that's definitely
one of our strong suits.

Meat Rushmore, they actually
took our class probably
five years ago.

And, you know, they've got
about 27 members
on their team.

[Marcy laughs]

You know, I always tease the
They... you know,

there's so many
people in that trailer.

Watch your back.

Sometimes, you just need
another pair of hands
and we never run out of 'em.

Final taste test.

The meat didn't pull off.
So that's a great sign.
It's a good bite.

That right there
is kind of what you want.

You want to bite
right straight to the bone.

-Yeah!
-[Katie chuckle]

-That's a sign of a great rib.
-[man] Right.

Turn-ins have started.

[Katie] Ribs are done.

-It's good.
-Yeah, twenty-seven.
Good luck, Josh.

[Michael]
Rib turn-in has started.

They have about
five more minutes to go.

Tasted a couple already.
And let me tell you,
they are banging.

[Joel] Our ribs
were fantastic today.

Maybe some of the best ribs
that we've, that we've cooked.

The tenderness was spot on.

The flavor was exactly
what we're looking for.

We had greatmeat
to start with

and everything just
came together beautifully.

So the judges here look
for taste, tenderness,
and appearance.

And these judges
are looking for perfection.

The food has to look good
and then your taste

and your tenderness
have to be perfect.

I don't see anybody
beat me in the rib category.

Fergolicious
with the turn-in right now.

He obviously feels that
he got his eight perfect ribs.

The one I tasted
was pretty damn good.

[Marcy] We turned in our rib
and they were bite-through
perfect.

Sweet, like I like 'em.
I like rib candy.

[Richard] The color is great
which is what we're always
looking for.

Couldn't be happier.

[Randy] So we turned
in our rib box.

They weren't necessarily
the prettiest ribs
I've ever seen,

but man,
if they get past ugly,

the taste and tenderness
was spot on.

[Van] Those were
the best ones.

But these are kind
of like the best-looking.

[Michael] Since Hog Diesel
overcooked his ribs,

he doesn't have as many
to choose from
as the other teams.

My ribs didn't feel up
to my standards today.

It wasn't as good
as it could've been.

It happens.

Now it's on the pulled pork.

[Michael] Now it's time
for the judges to decide

whose ribs
reign supreme today.

Each team's box is judged
blindly by a table
of six judges.

They rate the meat
in three categories,

presentation,
taste, and tenderness.

[Forrest]
Here's a typical judging slip.

If you gave it a nine,
it's excellent.

Eight is very good.
Seven is good.

Six is fair. Five is poor.

Two is inedible. One's a DQ.

Well, that's a bad day.

[Forrest] What these teams
are looking for is all nines.

[Michael] If you can get
an entire table to give you

the top rating of nine
in all three categories,

you get a perfect score.

If you can get six judges
with six different palates,
six different tastes,

to agree that
that's a nine, nine, nine,

that's where your
perfect score comes from.

Think about it,
you and your wife,

you probably can't agree
on most of anything, right?

[laughs]

-So you get six judges
at a table.
-I am married, 100%.

So you get
six judges at a table
that would have to agree.

[Richard] My brisket's
looking so good.

Easiest nine
we get all day long.

[Marcy] And we're both
very competitive,

but I will slit your throat
when it comes time to win.

[Michael] Here at Qlathe,
the top Midwestern

barbecue teams have just
turned in mouth-watering rib
to be judged.

But there's no rest yet
because the teams

still have just one hour
to turn in two more meats,
pulled pork and brisket.

Taking off another layer.

[Michael] Things
are really heating up
as I check on Fergolicious.

Oh!

Got out fancy power tools.

[Richard] Walked in
when the money was coming out.

[Michael] The money muscle
is the real centerpiece
of the pulled pork box.

And Fergolicious's looks lik
a million bucks.

I'm gonna put these
in an au jus
and I'm gonna let them

just soak in that au jus.

So this is like basically
the drippings
that the pork butt

rendered and then he's hitting
the drippings

with some different flavors
'cause when meat is hot,
as it's cooling a touch,

it's going to suck that
au jus in,

which is going to make it
even juicier
than it was already.

So that's a great
little trick.

[Richard] And I ran it through
a fat separator,

so I just got nothing
but the straight jus.

-No au.
-No au.

[Richard] No au.

[all laughing]

[Michael] The teams need
a lot of skill to create
the pulled pork box,

which is made up
of different sections
of the pork shoulder.

[Richard] This right here
is all bacon.

Hello, beautiful.
What are you doing tonight?

Would you like to go
to the judging tent later?

[Richard laughs]

So what we're doing
is we're mixing
in that horn muscle,

the bacon, and some tubes.

It kind of gives us a mixture
of textures

because we don't want it
to be overly tender

and we don't want it
to be tight.

I'm a firm believer
that contests are won and lo

on the cutting board
at the end.

No matter what you did
in the beginning,
it's how you finish it.

And so you're finishing rubs
your finishing sauces,
your glazes, your au jus.

If you can apply
that correctly,

you've got a great shot
at scoring really high.

[Katie] Coming in hot.

All right, here we go.
Here we go.

[Joe] Okay. Okay.

Now we're working.

One zero four.

[Richard] I spent 21 years a
a high school
special education teacher

and a high school
and college wrestling coach

When I retired from coaching

I had to find something else
to challenge me
in that competitive way.

And barbecue hits
all those marks.
Man, I love it.

Good luck. Nice job.

-Okay.
-Thank you.

Thank you.

[Marcy] We turned in
pulled pork.

[Richard] Boom.

He made me a little nervous
right down to the wire,

but he got him in there,
and I'm sure it's going
to be a winner.

-Good luck.
-You too.

Thank you.

[Joel] We've got
our pulled pork turned.

Last category, brisket.

This is what separates
the men from the boys.

This is what will determine
this contest.

[Richard] My brisket's
looking so good.

Brisket is my closer meat.

It's what I do best.

I got third in this contest
last year in brisket,

so I expect
nothing less than that.

I mean,
I expect more than third.

[Michael] The brisket box
must contain slices
from what's known as the fla

the leaner part of the brisk
that loves some smoke
but can't dry out.

This is our au jus.

As soon as you slice brisket,
it starts to oxidize,
which means dry out.

And so we're painting these.

It's not only for appearance
and flavor,
but also to keep them moist.

And now we're gonna
trim up some burnt ends.

[Michael] Teams could choos
whether to also include
burnt ends,

which come from the point,
the fattier part
of the brisket,

which I think's
more delicious.

[Richard] The easiest nine
we get all day long.

What do you think?
Is that overdoing it?

-I mean,
that's a full-ass box.
-[Marcy] That is.

[Richard] The hardest part
of competition barbecue
is consistency.

If you can't be consistent
every weekend,

then your results are gonna be
not consistent every weekend.

I mean, that looks
freaking good.

[Marcy] It does,
but let me clean it up,

otherwise
it's gonna look sloppy.

-[Richard] Use a Q-tip.
-[Marcy] I don't have one.

Also, the other hardest par
of competition barbecue

is being with your spouse
for like 48 hours straight.

It's still getting along
when it's done.

-She still likes me today, so.
-[mouthing]

[Michael]
By the final turn-in,

many teams are struggling
to get their brisket
in on time.

Oh, thank God that's over.

[Van] What time you got?

[man] It's 1:34.

[Van] Damn!

[man] You gotta move.

Ugh...

Van always creating drama.

[indistinct chatter]

You got ten seconds.

One second.

-Oh!
-Eyy!

I was one second away
from DQ on my brisket,
but you can't rush perfection.

[Michael] As we wait
for the final results,

I meet more of the 70 teams
competing today.

Love the rig, by the way.
It looks really good.

Love the paint job,
love the rims.

I love everything about it.
How are you guys doing?

-Living the dream.
-It looks that way.

-Ahh!
-[woman] Come on!

May the coals burn even
and your meat cook slow.

[woman] Cheers!

Hey, I started doing shots
at 9:00 a.m...

9:00 a.m., why stop now?

[all laughing]

[Michael] Now the team's
head over to the tent
for the final awards,

where they will announce
the top ten winners
in each category,

as well as the highest
scoring teams overall.

Welcome back,
everybody, to Qlathe.

This is year number four.

We've got the results.

[Michael] First category tod
is chicken.

Tenth place chicken, Shark Q.

[crowd cheering]

[Michael] These teams
are the top ten
of the 72 competing,

so they really
are the best of the best.

Eighth place chicken,
High i Que.

[crowd cheering
and applauding]

Eighth place, you know,
I think he's going
to be happy with it

but probably wanted
to finish a little higher.

We got
an eighth place chicken,

so we had a top ten
chicken call.

Eighth is what we call
a soft call.

If you wanna be the best,
you gotta beat the best.

How do you feel?

-Like I just got eight.
-Yeah.

-[laughter]
-Let's see.

[Michael] Hey, High i Q
still beat 64 other teams.

Eight out of 72
is quite an honor.

[announcer]
Seventh place chicken,
Last Call Heroes BBQ!

[Michael] Teams who place
ten through six receive $50

And then the prize money
increases rapidly,

with the number one team
in each category
receiving $500.

Third place chicken,
Sons of a Brisket.

[crowd cheering and whooping]

[Michael] This is the point
where you start
getting nervous, though,

'cause your name
hasn't been called yet.

There's only a couple
of spots left,

so you're excited
that you're still in the game,

but you're nervous
you didn't finish top ten.

[announcer]
Second place chicken,
Slap's BBQ!

[crowd cheering and whooping]

Go Joe!

Big Joe, coming in two.

Are you happy with second?

-I'll take second all day.
-You'll take second.

[announcer]
First place chicken,
Spitballs BBQ!

[Michael] Spitballs
is a surprise winner

of the top prize
of $500 for chicken.

We had High i Q in eighth
and Slap's in second.

Fergolicious and the rest
of our teams were shut out.

I always go
into awards confident.

We know we cooked
a good product

and we just got to wait
and see what happens.

[announcer] Next up,
we have pork ribs.

All right.
This is the big one, guys.

Here in Kansas City,
every team really wants
to hear a call for ribs.

[crowd cheering
and applauding]

Ninth place pork ribs,
Fergolicious BBQ.

[crowd applauding]

[Michael] Fergolicious
in ninth.

Ninth, are you happy?

-Do you think
they were at ninth?
-Huh?

-Do you think
they were at ninth?
-Well, I didn't taste all 72.

[announcer] Eighth place,
pork ribs, Happy Grillmore.

[crowd cheering]

[Michael] The next few spot
go to some great teams,

leaving just the bigger
money prizes left.

[announcer] Fourth place
pork ribs...

All right, top four.
Here we go.

Slap's BBQ.

[Michael] All right.
Slap's with the second
and the fourth.

Wow.

I'm curious to see
who won pork ribs

'cause I thought Joe's ribs
were really good today.

-I'll take it.
-Keep going.

[laughter]

Third place, pork ribs,
GEO Smokers.

It's actually Geo.

Second place,
pork ribs, Meat Rushmore.

[crowd cheering and whooping]

Yeah!

All right.

Meat Rushmore,
second place ribs,
that is big, baby.

First place, pork ribs,

Last Call Heroes BBQ.

[crowd cheering
and applauding]

[Michael] Wow.
Ribs is pretty exciting.

Fergolicious got ninth,
Slap's took fourth,
and Meat Rushmore got second

It's very close.

Who will take home
the top prize of $1,500 toda

[announcer] All right.
We're gonna go to pork next.

Tenth place pork,
Fergolicious BBQ.

[applause]

Good stuff.

-[Richard] Thank you.
-I know how competitive
you are.

And you're not,
you're not happy.

-I like two calls,
but they're low calls.
-I know.

Everybody else would be happy
with the calls,
but I know that you want...

-I want those top five calls,
you know what I'm saying?
-All right.

[Michael] But Fergolicious'
mood is lifted

when he is the only team
we followed
who places in pork,

and Slap's is not called.

And he also gets a shout ou
from one of his students
who places fourth.

-[Richard] Hey.
-[man speaking]

[Richard] Yeah.
Here you go, buddy.

[all laughing]

[announcer] Last up,
we got brisket.

Tenth place brisket,
Texas Smoke Whisperer.

[crowd cheering
and applauding]

[Michael] All 72 teams
are really hoping to hear

their names
called in this final category.

Seventh place brisket,
Meat Rushmore.

[crowd cheering
and applauding]

Meat Rushmore
is having a good day.

We got second place in ribs
and seventh in brisket.

[Joel] We'll take that.
That's a good way
to start the year.

[Michael] If a team places
high in brisket,

it makes it much more likel
they will place high overall

Fourth place brisket,
Slap's BBQ.

[crowd cheering
and applauding]

So Joe's got a second,
a fourth, and a fourth,

which should put him
in a pretty good position
for overall today.

Third place brisket,
Dr. Squealgood BBQ.

[crowd cheering
and applauding]

Second place brisket,
Fergolicious BBQ.

[crowd cheering
and applauding]

All right, Fergolicious
with a second in brisket.

-What's up?
-You feeling a little better?

Oh, I'm feeling
really good right now.

-Look at the glow.
He's got a...
-I'm feeling good.

Right here. Feeling good.

-Yeah.
-Feeling good.

We didn't do as well
as we wanted to today,
but some days you're the bug,

some days
you're the windshield.

And today we were the bug.

[Michael] Slap's
and Fergolicious,

both have had
a lot of calls today.

Now the question
is which teams will have

the highest score
for all four meets combined

[announcer] Now
for our top three.

Third place overall,
Last Call Heroes BBQ.

[crowd cheering
and applauding]

I think second and first
is going to be Fergolicious

and Slap's if my math
is right, I would think.

Guessing a little bit.

Our Reserve Champion,
Fergolicious BBQ.

[crowd cheering
and applauding]

My Kansas City math is...

Top-notch!

[Richard] Second place,
Reserve Grand Champion.

You know it's a good weekend
and we're taking home
hardware, baby.

-That's what we're all about.
-Right.

[man] Happy birthday, Joe.

We'll find out
real quick, guys.

[laughter]

And the grand champion
of the fourth annual

Qlathe Barbecue Championship,

Slap's BBQ.

-Happy birthday, man.
-[Joe] Thank you.

[Joe] The Qlathe
Barbecue Championship

had some of the best teams
in the country here,
and we won the whole thing,

which tells us that
we're better than
everybody else,

which is pretty freaking cool.

-That's a good birthday.
-It's a great birthday.

-Happy birthday, Joe.
-Thank you.

-I mean, you win overall.
-Yeah.

I was I think I was second
in chicken, fourth in...

-[Michael] Ribs.
-...ribs and fourth
in brisket.

I don't know if I should cross
my fingers or what,

but I think the judges
got it right.

[laughter]

He's a great competitor.

If I'm losing to someone,
I guess it's okay
that it's Joe.

[both laugh]

I didn't get my name
called this weekend,

but I'll be back next year
to go right back at it again.

Just looking at my scores,
I feel really good about
where I finished at.

Well, I mean,
look at all the nines,
nines, nines.

You know, a lot of nines.

You were the best
trash-talker of the weekend.

Just so, like...

-You've got to win
at something, right?
-Yeah.

First place trash talk, Randy.

[both laugh]

[Michael] The rigs
are pulling out.

Qlathe is over.

We got to taste and see some
killer barbecue
Kansas City-style.

Slap's ended up
taking home the big prize
with the overall,

with Fergolicious
right behind him.

So the battle continues,
but really it's all about
barbecue, family, and fun

because this is BBQ USA.