Slinging Meat

05/22/2026

We made the short trip over to the Lady in Black a/k/a the Track Too Tough to Tame a/k/a Darlington Raceway this weekend for the KCBS Speed and Feed BBQ Competition. This was honestly one of the best contests and venues we have ever attended. There is just something extra special about pulling in through the tunnel and having the racetrack wrapped around you. We were able to take a few laps around the track and there were plenty of loud and awesome cars to see during our time there.

Even after missing a mark and overcooking some of our ribs (understatement) we were still able to get a 9th place call in our favorite category. Unfortunately, we apparently didn’t add enough sauce to our pork and brisket and also had them sliced a little too thick for these judges. Thankfully we know what was done wrong and will be able to make those corrections before getting back at it in July at the Greenwood Festival of Discovery. All in all it was a great weekend at an amazing venue. We will certainly be doing this one again!

Big thanks to the King of Memphis in May - Heath Riles BBQ for the support and producing such fine products. We will see you all again in a few weeks!

#9 Ribs
#18 Chicken
#18 Pork
#22 Brisket

Slinging Meat at the Darlington Raceway Speed & Feed 2026

05/17/2026

Boom!

05/14/2026

Slinging Meat made a few more tweaks to the backup trailer and hit the road to land in Chester, SC for the annual Hog on the Hill BBQ competition this past weekend. With a record turnout this year the competition was tough with many of the best teams in the state all trying to get their name called.

When it was all said and done, we didn’t quite get the job done this weekend to bring home any fancy hardware or big cash prizes. We did come away with a 16+ call in pork (butts) and a 16+ call in ribs, earning 6th place in each, with a 6th place finish overall. Congratulations to Ken Hilliard and Dawn Verbarg of Blazin’ Bullets Barbeque for the win in pork and for getting Grand Champion. Congratulations to Gene Culbertson of Backwoods Bar-B-Que for the win in ribs and Reserve Grand Champion. Also congratulations to all others that got calls this weekend. It was a good time all around and we can’t wait get back out there again!

Also, for whatever reason, we forgot to take any decent pictures at this event. I promise we will do much better this weekend! 

Many thanks to Heath Riles BBQ for the support and producing such fine products. We will see you all again in a few weeks!

05/13/2026

LATE POST ALERT! - After working every night on a backup bbq trailer, we arrived at one of our favorite venues - Saluda Shoals Park in Irmo, SC for the annual Pickin’ and Piggin’ BBQ Festival May 1st and 2nd.

We arrived late and the weather was a little nasty on Saturday but overall it was another great competition. We had a few miscalculations and apparently left a few tools at home which contributed to missing a chance at a call in pork. However, we were able to come away with a 16+ score and securing 4th place call in ribs. Congrats to George Ray of Monkey Bottom Boys for getting the win in pork and Grand Champion, and Gene Culbertson with Backwoods Bar-B-Que for the win in ribs. Also congratulations to Paul Ahmed and John Gaston with Upstate Smoke Shop for the Reserve Grand Champion, as well as everyone else that got calls.

Many thanks to Heath Riles BBQ for the support and producing such fine products. We will see you all again in a few weeks!

04/17/2026

04/12/2026

We were able to keep it close with a “home game” this weekend for the Annual Youth Mentors of the P*e Dee Barbeque Cook-off Festival here in Florence, SC This is always a great event and supports an even greater cause. We were able to get grand champion last year at this one and hoped to pull off a repeat. The weather was perfect and the teams showed up for what turned out to be another great competition.

For our “Anything But” entry, we did some smoked bacon wrapped honey buns. We didn’t get the bacon just right for what the judges received but what we had for the public was spot on. We also switched up and used all new smokers for this event as a trial for future possibilities. In the end, it all seemed to come together and we got called to the stage 3 times, got some hardware, stickers and $$$ with the following: 3rd in ATB sweet; 4th in pork; 2nd in ribs; 16+ scores in pork and ribs; and finished Reserved Grand Champion. Congratulations to George Ray of Monkey Bottom Boyz for getting GC and 1st in ribs and 1st in ATB savory, and Deanna Phillip Miles and Dennis Caraway of Tail-Gater Hater BBQ Sauce for 1st in pork and 1st in ATB sweet.

Many thanks to Heath Riles BBQ for the support and producing such fine products. We will see you all again in a few weeks!

04/12/2026

04/04/2026

A few days late on the post, but better late than never! This past weekend, we made the trip up to Clemson, SC, to compete in the 5th Annual Grillin’ at the Grove at the Clemson RV Park at The Grove. This is an event that is circled each year for many reasons. It is one of the best venues on the schedule, and it is also the event that got us started doing competition BBQ four years ago.

We prepped everything early and got an early start to get there in plenty of time. While everything was going smoothly, about 45 minutes away from the venue, the universe said, “hold my beer and watch this.” Both wheels came off the right side of the trailer, causing a bit of a mess and stranding us on the side of the interstate. (Note: Potential legal issues regarding the assignment of liability, etc., prevent us from going into more detail at this time.) Luckily, a friend and fellow competitor, John N Michelle Stone of Stone Services, LLC, and S*M BBQ, owns a towing service, and after assistance from the SC Highway Patrol and SCDOT, and a great deal of work, they were able to deliver the now severely crippled rig to the BBQ venue. Yes, we still went to cook in the competition. Everyone there was more than willing to help get us set up and even helped track down parts needed to repair the trailer well enough to make it back home. I can’t express how thankful I am for everyone who lent a hand.

After a several-hour delay, tons of stress, and sunburn, we were able to get set up and get the cook going. Despite all that happened, we were able to have a pretty successful cook. Out of a stacked field of 20, we were able to come away with a 6th place in ribs, a 3rd place pork box (paying out $800), and a 3rd place overall. We also received a 16+ Club score in pork. Overall, it was a great finish considering the hurdles we had to clear to even get the smokers rolling. Congratulations to Rusty Waters with Smoke til You’re Broke on the 1st place pork and grand champion overall, and Gene Culbertson with Backwoods Bar-B-Que on the 1st in ribs and the RGC, and everyone else who got calls. Big thanks to Heath Riles BBQ – very lucky to be an ambassador representing this group and amazing products. We will see you all again in Florence next week for the annual Youth Mentors of the P*e Dee BBQ Competition.

04/02/2026

🔥 The results are in from this past Saturday’s Grillin’ at the Grove BBQ Cookoff! 🔥

These teams brought the flavor, the smoke, and the competition was TIGHT 👏🍖

🏆 1st: Smoke Til You’re Broke $2,000
🥈 2nd: Men at Work BBQ $1,200
🥉 3rd: Slinging Meat $800
4th: Backwoods Bar-B-Que $650
5th: S*M BBQ $350

People's Choice: SmokinFlava $250 PLUS Entry into next years competition

With scoring based on appearance, aroma, tenderness, and taste… you KNOW it was some serious BBQ 🔥 A BIG THANKS to SCBA- We couldn't do it without them!

Who’s ready to compete next year?! 😏

02/15/2026

Slinging Meat made the voyage down to Port Royal, SC to start the BBQ season off with the annual Bands Brews & BBQ festival. We ran into some issues early when arriving and things had fallen and broken in the trailer from the trip down. After getting all of that cleaned up we were back on track to provide the masses with some amazing BBQ.

There was a nice crowd both Friday for the chicken wings contest as well as for the pork on Saturday. After using the very best rubs and sauces from Heath Riles BBQ many people from the crowd told us that we had the best chicken wings they have ever eaten (apologies to all of the other teams that competed). We were able to pull out a 3rd place finish with those chicken wings getting us a call, a trophy and some money as well. The team that won 1st (Tail-Gater Hater BBQ Sauce) is also a Heath Riles BBQ team.

We ran into a couple of other hiccups with our pork and ribs just before turn in so we were unable to get calls in those categories this weekend. We know what we did wrong and have learned from it so hopefully we won’t have those issues moving forward. We also had the same issue on the return trip so trailer repairs are at the top of the list before we head back out. I’m confident that will get us taken care of, though. It is just the beginning of a long season and we are ready to give it another shot in just a couple of weeks. Congrats to Phillip Miles and Dennis Carraway of Tailgater Hater for winning all three categories and getting Grand Champion for the weekend. Congrats also to John and Ronald of S*M BBQ on the Reserved Grand Champion. We hope to see you all again in Union in a couple of weeks!