Competition BBQ Recipes

Recipes built over fire. Some come straight off the competition trail, most are dialed in for the backyard. Every one is made to cook at home and serve to your family and friends.

Most BBQ recipes online were never cooked by the person who wrote them. These were. Every one on this page came off my pit first. A few came off a competition table at the American Royal.

How these recipes work

Competition taught me the fire matters more than the rub. Hold a steady temp and most of the rest sorts itself out. So every recipe here tells you what the pit should be doing, not just what to buy.

Each one lists a smoker temp, an internal temp and a total time. Cook to temperature, not to the clock. A brisket is done when it probes tender, not when the timer says so.

Where to start

New to smoking? Start with the backyard smoked chicken. It’s forgiving, it’s done in under two hours and it teaches fire management without costing you a whole packer brisket.

Been at this a while? The backyard brisket is the one worth your Saturday.

Want the competition side of it? The competition BBQ guide covers how KCBS scoring works and what it takes to turn in a box. Or read how Machete Boys BBQ started.