The 2011 Smoke on the Water BBQ Competition in Winter Haven, FL was a huge success, with The Wood House Grill and Uncle Kenny’s BBQ taking Grand and Reserve Champion honors. Boasting a field of fifty-two pro teams and twenty-five backyard barbecue cook team competitors, these teams scored highest overall, with teams like GB’s BBQ, Jacks Old South, Whiskey Bent BBQ, Team Unknown, Forrest’s Fine Foods, and Swamp Boys BBQ all walking with individual honors.
2011 Smoke on the Water Top 10 Finishers
- The Woodhouse Grill (Grand Champion)
- Uncle Kenny’s BBQ (Reserve Grand Champion)
- Git R Smoked
- Wooley Bully
- Smokin Guns BBQ Crew
- GB’s BBQ
- Whiskey Bent BBQ
- Forrest’s Fine Foods
- Bubbachucks
- Naked Bones
Full event scores can be found here: http://www.flbbq.org/winter_haven.htm
Pro-Teams Agree – Smoke on the Water is One of the Nation’s Best BBQ Cook-Offs
Frank Cosmos, Event Chairman for the Citrus Center Boys and Girls Club’s Smoke on the Water BBQ Competition has done an excellent job pulling together this festival now for seven straight years, and top team leaders like Myron Mixon (Jack’s Old South) and Forrest Dilmore (Forrest’s Fine Foods Championship BBQ) both spoke very highly of the work he’s done pulling this event together.
According to both Mixon and Dilmore, the love that Frank has for the Citrus Center Boys and Girls Club and the spirit he pours into the event really make it one of the top two or three barbecue competitions in the nation. As many of you know, Myron Mixon knows barbecue competitions, and as the winningest man in BBQ cook off history, he was very quick to state that The Winter Haven Smoke on the Water event is pretty much without equal when compared to all of the national events (and Canadian ones, too) he attends annually. This is high praise from these two cook team leaders, and the popularity of the event among other cook teams and the masses that attended right up through the 5 PM Saturday evening awards ceremony reflected the truth of it.
Photos from This Year’s Smoke on the Water BBQ Competition
Myron Mixon - Jack's Old South BBQ at the 2011 Smoke on the Water BBQ - Winter Haven, FL
Event organizer and all around awesome dude Frank Cosmos at the 2011 Smoke on the Water BBQ - Winter Haven, FL
Forrest Dilmore for Forrest's Fine Foods BBQ Team at the 2011 Smoke on the Water BBQ - Winter Haven, FL
Rob Bagby of Swamp Boys BBQ at the 2011 Smoke on the Water BBQ - Winter Haven, FL
PapaChuck of BubbaChuck's BBQ Team at the- 2011 Smoke on the Water BBQ - Winter Haven, FL
We sincerely hope to see this event being held well on into the future. It was a real pleasure meeting Frank Cosmos and the cook teams out at this year’s Smoke on the Water Event. Well done, everyone.
See you next year!
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Stopped by Uncle Kenny’s BBQ vendor station last night at the Bartow Bluegrass and Barbecue Festival and gave their ribs a try. A good product, but what I was very impressed with was their mustard bbq sauce. This stuff is rockin’ good. In fact, there isn’t much I’d not want to put this stuff on!
Kenny Nadeau is a super nice guy, too. A native of Missouri, he started the Winter Garden, FL based Uncle Kenny’s BBQ with Mike Smith – a college buddy of his. Hitting the competitive BBQ circuit in 2005, Uncle Kenny’s participates in BBQ competitions sanctioned under the Florida Barbeque Association (FBA) and Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS).
They’ve accumulated a nice set of awards and prizes, and hope to do well at this weekend’s cook-off in Bartow. Kenny told me that he hopes to get to the Kansas City Royal next year, as it would be nice to compete at this massive event that takes place in his old home territory. I know I’ll be pulling for him to get there.
If you are in the Winter Garden, FL area, you need to get over to Uncle Kenny’s to taste that mustard sauce. I promise you’ll love it.
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