Despite temperatures that hovered in the 40s at night at NRG Park, competing barbecue teams from across the country toughed it out to submit 419 entries.
Amazingly, the grand champion this year was Across the Track, a Houston cookoff team that took home the exact same honor in 2013. Across the Track also was the top scorer in the chicken category. First runner-up was Iowa's Smokey D's BBQ, and second-runner up was Ram's Club.
Of course, in Texas, at least, brisket is the Holy Grail of barbecue. Top honors went to Hill County Go Texan. first runner-up was Xtreme Texas Cookers while Waste Management's team, the Two Steppers, was second runner-up.
In Ribs, the team for CBS radio station 100.3 The Bull took the top prize.
The "Go Texan" awards are for the county-sponsored barbecue tents, and Hill County took first place, while Goliad County scored the second spot.
Making a dessert with little more than a Dutch oven to work with is quite a challenge, but Tejas Cookers surmounted the challenge with a strawberry cheesecake turnover. According to the Houston Chronicle, cook Kathy Scafuri turned in the same dessert last year but didn't win. In this case, the second time's the charm.
The complete winners' list is below.
Overall Winners
- Grand Champion - Across the Track Cook-off Team
- First Runner Up - Iowa's Smokey D's BBQ
- Second Runner Up - Ram's Club
- Champion - Hill County Go Texan
- First Runner Up - Xtreme Texas Cookers
- Second Runner Up - Waste Management Two Steppers
- Champion - 100.3 The Bull
- First Runner Up - Fowl Feathered Cookers
- Second Runner Up - Texas Trail Tramps
- Champion - Across the Track Cook-off Team
- First Runner Up - Iowa's Smokey D's BBQ
- Second Runner Up - Ram's Club
- Go Texan Best Barbecue - Hill County Go Texan
- Runner Up - Goliad County Go Texan
- Champion - Tejas Cookers
- First Runner Up - Tyler County
- Second Runner Up - Jasper County
- Most Colorful Team - Bad Girls Gone Wild
- Runner Up Most Colorful Team - Floyd, Morrow & Larkin
- Go Texan Most Colorful - Metro Go Texan 3: Gridiron Cookers
- Runner Up Go Texan Most Colorful - Jasper County Go Texan
- Most Unique Pit - Lost Village Cooking Team
- Runner Up Most Unique Pit - Bottomless Pit Cooking Team
- Best Team Skit - Takes a Village
- Runner Up Best Team Skit - Devil's River Mountain Men
- Cleanest Team Area - We BQ'n
- Runner Up Cleanest Team Area - Floyd, Morrow & Larkin
- Go Texan Recycling - Calhoun County
- Recycling - Blowing Smoke