The World Barbecue Championship brought the greatest competition barbecue teams, cooks and chefs together under one Vegas sky to settle the score and name the World Barbecue Champion. The World Barbecue Champion then went on to the Final Table to see if ‘America’s Cuisine’ would rule the world.

Choosing from all the major sanctioning bodies, The World Food Championships selected 90 premier barbecue competitions. The Grand Champion of those 90 events all received automatic invitations to enter and compete at The World Food Championships, along with champions selected by the WFC Competition Committee as Wild Card entrants or sponsor/competition exemptions. What started with a host of the best championship pitmasters across all sanctioning bodies, ended up with just one winner.

Friday, November 2 & Saturday, November 3, 2012
Location: Competition Square

Competition Categories

- Pork Shoulder
- Sauce
- Pork Ribs
- Beef Brisket

The World Food Championships uses a customized blind-judging system, which includes certified BBQ judges along with food celebrities, based on the Competitor Series that uses KCBS scoring in Appearance, Taste & Tenderness.  

Turn-in times:
FRIDAY: Pork Shoulder 4 p.m., Sauce 4:30 p.m.
SATURDAY: Pork Ribs 4 p.m., Beef Brisket 4:30 p.m. 

Prize Purse:

$50,000

Grand Champion - $10,000
Reserve Grand - $7,500
3rd Overall - $5,000
4th Overall - $3,000
5th Overall - $2,500
6th Overall - $2,000
7th Overall - $1,500
8th Overall - $1,300
9th Overall - $1,200
10th Overall - $1000 

By Category
1st in each category - $1,500
2nd in each category - $750
3rd in each category - $500
4th in each category - $500
5th in each category - $500

The WFC SENT invitations to the Grand Champions of the following 90 competitions:

Kansas City Barbeque Society  

48 contestants (comprised by the Grand Champions of the following 48 events):

Lakeland Pig Festival – Lakeland, FL
BBQ Championship & Hog Wild Festival – Mobile, AL
It’s a Smokin Blues & BBQ Challenge – Hammond, LA
ACM BBQ Throwdown – Las Vegas, NV
Pork in the Park – Salisbury, MD
Capital City Cookoff – Jefferson City, MO
Rockn Ribs BBQ Festival – Springfield, MO
Tony Stone Low and Slow – Zanndam, Netherlands
BBQ Capital Cook Off – Lexington, NC
Stagecoach Music Festival BBQ Championship – Indio, CA
Whistle Stop Festival & Rocket City BBQ – Huntsville, AL
Bakersfield’s Biggest Baddest BBQ Championship – Bakersfield, CA
Arizona Barbecue Festival - Scottsdale, AZ
Bloomin’ BBQ & Bluegrass – Sevierville, TN
Papa Joe's Banjo-B-Que – Evans, GA*
Raytown State Championship BBQ Cookoff – Raytown, MO
Blue Ridge BBQ & Music Festival – Tryon, NC
Que’n for the Kids – OC BBQ Festival – Costa Mesa, CA
Colorado BBQ Challenge – Frisco, CO
Iowa State BBQ Championship – Marshalltown, IA
Great Lenexa BBQ Battle – Lenexa, KS
Safeway National Capital Barbecue Battle – Washington DC
I Love Barbecue & Music Festival – Lake Placid, NY
Pork & Brew State BBQ Championship – Rio Rancho, NM
SC Festival of Discovery – Greenwood, SC
New Jersey State BBQ Championship – North Wildwood, NJ
U.P. Hog Wild – Kingsford, MI
Up in Smoke BBQ Bash – Mason City, IA
Dillard Bluegrass & Barbeque Festival – Dillard, GA
Mainely Grillin & Chillin State BBQ Comp – Eliot, ME
Madison Ribberfest Barbeque and Blues – Madison, IN
Winnipeg Barbecue & Blues Festival – Winnipeg, MB
Wyoming State BBQ Championship – Worland, WY
Smokin’ in Mesquite BBQ Challenge – Mesquite, NV
City of Bedford Blues & BBQ Festival – Bedford, TX
Colorado Pork & Hops Challenge - Grand Junction, CO
Blue Springs Barbeque Blaze Off – Blue Springs, MO
Decatur Jaycees Annual Riverfest – Decatur, AL
Cherokee Strip Cookoff – Ponca City, OK
Murphysboro Barbecue Cook Off – Murphysboro, IL
Roots n Blues n BBQ – Columbia, MO
Shawnee Great Grillers State Championship – Shawnee, KS
Bikes, Blues & BBQ – Fayetteville, AR
American Royal (open and invitational) – Kansas City MO
Sam’s Club National Championship – Bentonville, AR
Cherokee Pignic – Canton, GA
Hog Happnin’ – Shelby, NC
The National BBQ Cup – Cumming, GA 

International Barbeque Cookers Association

10 contestants (comprised by the Grand Champions of the following 10 events):

Smokin’ on the Rio – Mercedes, TX
LaGarto Community BBQ – LaGarto, TX
Traders Village BBQ – Grand Prairie, TX
Terrell Heritage Jubilee, Terrell, TX
West Vol. Fire Dept BBQ – West, TX
Ft Worth Cops 4 Kids – Ft Worth, TX
Montgomery County Fair – Conroe, TX
Texas Cook 'Em High Steaks -- Edinburgh, TX
Keller Lions Club BBQ – Keller, TX
Party in the Pits – Ponchatoula, LA

Memphis Barbecue Network

4 contestants (comprised by the Grand Champions of the following 4 events): 

MBN Invitational – Tunica, MS
Smokin Aces – Tunica, MS
Big Pig Jig – Vienna, GA
Time Warner Cable BBQ and Blues – Charlotte, NC  

Lonestar Barbecue Society

4 contestants (comprised by the Grand Champions of the following 4 events): 

Rattlesnake Round-up – Sweetwater, TX
BBQ & Goat Cook-Off State Championship – Goldthwaite, TX
Winstar World Casino Championship BBQ Cook-off – Winstar, OK
National Championship – Meridian, TX

Texas Gulf Coast BBQ Cookers Association

4 contestants (comprised by the Grand Champions of the following 4 events): 

Hold’em Hit Em Club BBQ Cookoff– Houston, TX
San Antonio Rodeo BBQ Cookoff – San Antonio, TX
Humble Rodeo & BBQ Cookoff– Humble, TX
Southern Star Brew-B-Que – Conroe TX

Florida Bar B Que Association

4 contestants (comprised by the Grand Champions of the following 4 events):  

Citrus Center Boys & Girls Clubs "Smoke on the Water" BBQ – Winter Haven, FL
Smoke on the Water BBQ and Bluegrass Festival – Thomaston, GA
Barnesville BBQ & Blues Festival – Barnesville, GA
Smokin on the Suwannee BBQ Festival – Live Oak, FL

Pacific Northwest BBQ Association

3 contestants (comprised by the Grand Champions of the following 3 events): 

OR State Championship BBQ Competition – Aloha, OR
Canadian National Championship – Whistler, BC
Tree Top Skewered Apple BBQ Championship – Selah, WA

South Carolina BBQ Association

2 contestants (comprised by the Grand Champions of the following 2 events):   

SC Peach Festival – Gaffney, SC
Pig on the Ridge – Ridgeway, SC 

Southern BBQ Network

2 contestants (comprised by the Grand Champions of the following 2 events):   

Smoking at the Farmer’s Market – Columbia, SC
Beach Boogie and BBQ – Myrtle Beach, SC

New England BBQ Society

1 contestant (comprised by the Grand Champion of the following event): 

Grillin’ on the Bay – Brooklyn, NY

Georgia Barbecue Association

1 contestant (comprised by the Grand Champion of the following event): 

Hambone Jam – Ft. Valley, GA

Mid Atlantic Barbecue Association

1 contestant (comprised by the Grand Champion of the following event):

Que and Cruz – Louisa, VA 

Canadian Southern BBQ Association

1 contestant (comprised by the Grand Champion of the following event):

Blue Mountain Barbecue Championship – Collingwood, ON

Independent Events

5 contestants (comprised by the Grand Champions of the following 5 events): 

World’s Championship Bar-B-Que Contest – Houston, TX
Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest– Memphis, TN
Naperville’s Exchange Club’s Ribfest – Naperville, IL
Jazz & Rib Fest – Columbus, OH
Best in the West Nugget Rib Cook-off – Reno, NV 

WFC Special Invitations

If you would like to receive updates about additional World Food Championships information, please contact us.

The following competitions are automatic qualifiers for the 2012 World Barbecue Championship: