Swamp Boys BBQ and Git-R-Smoked Take Top Honors in Cocoa, FL

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The 1st Annual Historic Cocoa Village’s BBQ & Blues competition held yesterday was a huge success, with Swamp Boys BBQ and Git-R-Smoked BBQ taking the Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion prizes, respectfully. These two teams are always in the running for top honors in any Florida Bar-B-Que Association sanctioned barbecue cook off event, and the top prizes could not have gone to more deserving folks.

I made the trip out to this event from Winter Haven, FL, and it was well worth it. Since this was the first year this event was being held in downtown Cocoa Village, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Turns out this is a great location for a BBQ cook off, with plenty of room for the cook teams and good access to parking.

Only a few teams noted some minor power issues, but all in all everyone I spoke with really enjoyed their time in Cocoa Village. The vendors were going full force, and I think we may see a few more vending next year’s event. Sales were all cash, and it was a surprise to see that the organizers didn’t use “Pig Bucks” of any kind. This will likely change for next year, as it’s a proven best practice at FBA events.

All in all, the crowds were solid and the weather was awesome. With plenty of great BBQ and some excellent music, I can see this becoming a favorite stop on future FBA BBQ competition calendars.

Swamp Boys BBQ Takes Grand Champion Honors

It’s hard to find more good things to say about Rob “Rub” Bagby than have already been said a thousand times over. Rub is one of the stalwarts on the national BBQ competition scene, and it’s an extra bonus that he’s a local Imperial Polk County, Florida boy.

Ask anyone around what their impression is of Rub and without a doubt you’ll hear words including friendly, honest, hard working, charitable, and professional. It’s folks like Rub that make the BBQ fraternity so damn great.

This weekend Rub took top honors by posting the following finishes:

2nd Place Chicken
5th Place Ribs
1st Place Pork
4th Place Brisket

Rub finished 2.7 points ahead of Terry’s Git-R-Smoked team, with a point total of 758.34998. At the time of this posting, Swamp Boys BBQ is at 4th place among FBA professional cook teams and is ranked 18th in the nation.

Be sure to connect with Rub on Facebook!

PS… Not like you’re reading this, but… If you’re the jerk that took the damn bicycle out of Rob’s truck, then may the BBQ Gods make your life a living hell from now ’till the day you pass over to the great beyond, you friggin’ jerk!

Swamp Boys Summer “Q” School Scheduled!

Yes, folks. It’s true! You can learn to cook competition style BBQ from Rub Bagby himself at this summer’s Swamp Boys BBQ Summer “Q” School scheduled for July 15-16, 2011 in beautiful Live Oak, FL.

Rub’s class covers all four categories including chicken, ribs, pork, and brisket. He’ll teach you about meat selection, trimming, injections, marinades, rubs, using multiple smokers, cooking temps, sauces, and the art of FBA and KCBS turn in box building.

Rub will walk you through all aspects of cooking a pro style BBQ contest from purchasing meat all the way to turn-ins. Several of the top producers of rubs, sauces, and BBQ products will have their products on hand for you to use. Just show up with a pen, a notebook, and a desire to ramp up your ‘cue game.

This is an excellent opportunity to up your competition BBQ game, and nearly all of the teams who attend Rub’s classes see higher finishes in their next competitions. For more information, contact Rub directly at rub@swampboys.com or visit Swamp Boys BBQ directly for an application.

Git-R-Smoked Earns Reserve Grand Champion Prize

Winning is what Terry McKay and Git-R-Smoked BBQ is all about, and they proved it once again in Cocoa. Terry is currently ranked 1st among FBA teams by a margin of more than 40 points and holds the 16th spot among national pro BBQ teams.

Overall scores for Terry were impressive, as he came in at the following levels:

2nd Place Ribs
3rd Place Pork
2nd Place Brisket

Terry’s final score for the day was 755.61667. You can connect with Terry McKay on Facebook here.

Special Mention: Tiki Time BBQ Takes Grand Champion - Backyard Division

Photo Credit: Florida Bar-B-Que Association

The good folks from Tiki Time BBQ took their first ever back yard division Grand Championship at this weekend’s event. I first talked with them at this year’s Ribs on the Ridge event in Haines City, FL. Great folks, and it was very nice to see them have such great success!