06/13/2026
Here we goooooo again! 🧑🍳 👩🍳 We’re in the quaint little town of Lockhart this weekend, and being close to home is a nice change of pace. After this cook, we’ll be taking a little break until the Fourth of July 🇺🇸 🧨 —time to tackle a few projects around the house, spend time with family, and honor my dad as we approach one year since we lost him.
Lockhart is proudly known as the Barbecue Capital of Texas, making this a special place to compete. This event was originally started years ago by Gabe Medina’s father. Over time, the cook-off faded away, but Gabe Medina and Shawna Tillotson have worked hard to bring it back and breathe new life into a great tradition. We’re excited to be here and be part of its return! 🔥🥩🏆
They pulled this event together in just three weeks, and the response has been incredible. Forty-six teams showed up, fired up their pits, and are ready to battle it out for the win. That’s a testament to the hard work of the organizers and the respect we have for them in the BBQ community. 🔥🏆
Even better, this event supports a great causes. Proceeds benefit Caldwell County's senior class and helps provide scholarships for the Class of 2027 as they pursue higher education. It’s always special when great barbecue brings a community together while making a positive impact for future generations. ❤️🔥🎓👵👴
Got our three Vinson Drum Smokers officially working together today. These are some good drums.
We started Friday night off right with 2 cooks choice entries and a bartender's choice.
🌮 Braden decided to do something a little different and whipped up some steak tacos with a homemade chipotle sauce. Man, they were good! I have a feeling these are going to become a regular request around our house.
🎂 Cook’s Choice for Kickin’ Ash was my cheesecake. I’m really looking for feedback and seeing how it continues to score. I turned in a beautiful little cheesecake and was incredibly happy with how it looked and tasted.
🥤🍹🍷 Bartender’s Choice—well, I turned in a drink. I’m not exactly sure what I’d call it, but let’s just say it was some happy juice and I'd enjoy it on the 🏖️ beach. 😂 Cheers! 🍻🔥
🐔 Chicken is running smoothly, we’re on schedule, and everything seems to be falling into place. Honestly, it almost feels like we’re forgetting something because we’ve actually had a little downtime today! 😂 But for now, we’ll take it as a win, enjoy the slower pace, and keep rolling. 🔥🍗🏆 Sure happy with our chicken - yum.
🐖 Ribs — I say it every week (😂), but I just don’t understand why these beauties aren’t landing in the Top 10 more often. So, I picked the brain of a fellow cook, and his verdict was simple: we’re not cooking them quite long enough. He shared a pro tip with us, so we’re giving it a shot and will see how it works out in Edinburg. For now, we’re hoping these judges appreciate them KCBS-style! 🤣🤞
🐷 Pork — This box is a bit of a mess, not gonna lie. The money muscles were all different shapes and sizes, and we should’ve slowed down and reevaluated the situation before building the box. We were rushing and trying to make the best of what we had. The pork was probably a touch overcooked because those monies wanted to fall apart on us, leaving us with a lot of chunks instead of nice slices. But that’s BBQ sometimes—you work with what the meat gives you and send it with a prayer! 🤣 🙏🏼
🐮 Brisket – We decided to put burnt ends in the box because they were absolute butter! Tender, juicy, and packed with flavor. The slices came out pretty darn good too. I over sauced a bit as I was putting the slices in the box, so hopefully the judges like our BBQ sauce! 😂 We were really happy with how this brisket turned out. It cooked beautifully, looked great in the box, and was one of those briskets that makes all the long hours worth it. Now we just wait and see what the judges think! 🤞🔥🥩
LC BBQ
The Barbque Store
Kevin Mypitsrburninbbq Hernandez
Twisted D Cookers
DoodleQ Competition BBQ
Snake River Farms brisket
Prairie Fresh ribs
Gulf Coast Smoke
Regi-Q BBQ
Chicken Fried BBQ
Royal Oak Charcoal
Gourmet Wood Products, Inc.
Casey Curtis Designs-all your hat needs!
