Perfection at the World Series level isn’t easy to achieve, whether you’re pitching baseballs or smoking ribs. But Hot Daddy’s BBQ, a team from Grasston, Minnesota, earned a perfect score of 180 points for their ribs and went on to be named Grand Champion of the American Royal Invitational, aka the World Series of Barbecue.
Chief cook Kyle Kuhn and his wife, Amy, took top honors by placing first in ribs, ninth in pork, 26th in brisket and 46th in chicken.
“Winning Grand Champion of the Royal was one of the most emotional experiences of my life,” Kyle says. “My wife and I, we’d never felt anything like that in our lives. I wish everybody could get the feeling just once.”
The perfect ribs were produced mainly by skill, as the recipe is super-simple: a commercial dry rub and lump charcoal—no raw wood.
Unfortunately, the only way you’ll ever taste Hot Daddy’s perfect ribs is by meeting up with them on the Kansas City Barbecue Society competition circuit. They don’t operate a restaurant or catering operation. They’re in it for the fun and camaraderie. They travel the country to compete, but the American Royal is one of their favorites.
“It’s the largest barbecue reunion you can find,” Kyle says. “You get to see all your friends from around the country. It’s just a lot of fun. There’s so much going on.”
This year’s contest was held at a new site, the Kansas Speedway in KCK, which is close to the new American Royal headquarters now under construction. There were 175 teams that qualified for the World Series competition by winning a major contest during the year. A total of 468 teams, including 13 from foreign nations, competed in the weekend’s second contest, open to everyone.
Chunky BBQ, a team from Hershey, Pennsylvania, took top honors in the American Royal Open competition. The team finished fifth in chicken, 12th in ribs, 20th in pork and 55th in brisket. The win also earned the team this year’s points championship in the Kansas City Barbecue Society.
A local team from Raytown, The Slabs, took top honors in the Legends contest, a sub-category for teams that have competed at the Royal for 20 or more consecutive years. The team represents the business The Slabs, a local maker of rubs and sauces that are sold under various brand names at stores around the metro. Stephanie Wilson is the owner of The Slabs and pitmaster of its namesake cue team.
This was The Slabs’ 29th consecutive year competing at the Royal. Out of the 468 teams in the open, they finished ninth in ribs, 87th in pork, 91st in chicken, 186th in brisket and 30th overall.
Long hours of prepping the meat and tending to the pit, plus decades of experience, paid off. “One thing I always tell people about the American Royal: It’s a marathon, not a sprint,” Wilson says.
