Page 9 - October 2021 Issue

Sin Circle BBQ from South Dakota took home second place. (See full results here.)
Sunday was all about competition, with the day fo- cused on the American Royal Open. About 470 teams cooked up chicken, ribs, pork, and brisket. Many teams also competed in ancillary categories, including turkey (aka Turkey Smoke), baked beans, vegetables, and desserts.
The Last Call Heroes BBQ team from South Dakota won the Grand Champion prize at the Open, while Hogline from Minnesota won Reserve Grand Cham- pion. (See full results here.) Notably, Last Call Heroes won Reserve Grand Champion at the American Royal Open in 2019, showing that they seriously know how to compete at the highest level.
The World Series of Barbecue, for many teams, is about reconnecting with old friends and making new ones — all while cooking up a storm. And with so many teams showing up this year, it felt like
a clear response to missing the cama-
raderie from 2020’s canceled event.
Despite a little heat (and some heated competition), the weekend was a success. As hundreds of tired teams departed the Kansas Speedway on Sunday night, one thing was clear: the love for competition barbecue is as strong as ever.
About The Smoke Sheet
The Smoke Sheet is a weekly email newsletter that curates the latest national barbecue news, unique recipes, media recom- mendations, upcoming events, and more. The newsletter was founded by Sean Ludwig (NYC BBQ) and Ryan Cooper (BBQ Tourist). Both Sean and Ryan have been traveling across the country trying the best barbecue for years and regularly write about various restaurants, news, and events in the newsletter. The Smoke Sheet was founded in September 2018 and has thou- sands of followers via email and social media channels.
Sign up for The Smoke Sheet at bbqnewsletter.com.