BENTONVILLE, Ark. (Oct. 9, 2012) - The top 50 barbecue teams from across the U.S. will compete in the second annual Sam's Club National BBQ Tour championship in Bentonville, Ark. on Saturday, Oct. 13, for the title of national champion and a portion of the $500,000 prize purse.
The competition will take place in the Sam's Club corporate headquarters parking lot at 2101 SE Simple Savings Drive from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. CST.
The Sam's Club National BBQ Tour, sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS), is the only continuous barbecue competition in the world. Kicking off in Tampa, Fla., last February, Sam's Club hosted the tour as it smoked through Sam's Club parking lots as 677 teams competed in 25 local contests to earn a spot at five regional competitions.
From Albuquerque, NM, to Chesapeake, Va., Sam's Club hosted 150 competitive barbecue teams in the five regional competitions, where the field tapered to 50 teams, who will once again battle over the flames to produce the best dishes using high-quality meats from Sam's Club.
Sam's Club is the official supplier of KCBS, the largest barbecue society in the world, with a membership of 20,000 individuals and 7,500 competitive barbecue teams. Competing teams include ZBQ, a Rhode Island-based competition team, founded by a group of friends in 2006, and Who's Smokin' Now, from Benning, Calif., who qualified in May at the Albuquerque, N.M., event. A complete list of the qualifying events and teams is available at KCBS' "2012 Sam's Club National BBQ Tour" site and SamsClub.com/bbq.
Each team will submit chicken, ribs, pork and brisket to be judged by a panel of 48 KCBS-Certified Barbecue Judges on taste, tenderness and appearance. The public is welcome to view the competition and enjoy complimentary samples and cooking tips from tour sponsors, including Bush's Baked Beans, New Zealand Lamb, chicken wings from Tyson, and sausages from Cavanaugh. The national event also features live music from Kristy Lee Cook and Hope Wilson and live grilling tips for pulled pork, ribs and brisket from nationally recognized barbecue expert and director of the Sam's Club National BBQ Tour, Troy Black, author of The Big Book of BBQ.
"The most important step to creating a great meal on the grill is buying quality ingredients that can hold their flavor under the heat," Black said. "Sam's Club offers a wide variety of high quality meats to keep these teams competitive and their finished product flavorful and delicious. Plus, fresh meat from Sam's Club comes with a 200 percent satisfaction guarantee so the competitors - and Sam's Club members - can feel good about experimenting throughout barbecue season."
The 200 percent guarantee is offered to members for all fresh products (i.e., meat, seafood, bakery and produce). If a member is not satisfied with their purchase, Sam's Club will refund double the member's purchase price or refund the purchase price and replace the product.
Sam's Club has the high-quality meats and side dishes to make every backyard griller a winner. Members do not need to be grilling experts to find a great cut of meat at Sam's Club. To learn more about the Sam's Club National BBQ Tour, or for tips and recipes, shoppers can visit "National BBQ Tour" at SamsClub.com/meals.
(Source: Sam's Club)