ACME BROTHERS BBQ - Woodbridge, VA
ACME Brothers BBQ has been cooking for four years. Hailing from Northern Virginia, they have competed in contests in Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, Delaware, and Pennsylvania. They cook their barbecue over hickory and apple wood. They are a simple yet easily confused bunch of brothers from different mothers. "In our pursuit of BBQ excellence, no avenue of stupidity has been untraveled." Turn-ons: Knob Creek, Halupki, and early turn-in. Turn-offs: Anything butt entries, food poisoning, and Bobby Flay.

Awards include:
2008 - 3rd Overall - Salisbury & Stevensville, MD
2008 - 3rd Overall - York, PA

BIG KNIFE COOKING - Camden, NC
Big Knife Cooking has been cooking for one year. From Camden, North Carolina, they cook their barbecue with a vinegar base over oak and apple wood. They have competed in the following events: 2008 Edenton Hog Festival, 2008 Stevensville, MD, and 2008 Chesapeake Bay Cook-Off.

BUCCANEERS BETTER-B-Q - Raleigh, NC
Buccaneers Better-B-Q has been cooking for three years. From Raleigh, North Carolina, they cook all styles of barbecue. They have competed in the Fall Fling in Lumberton, NC and Hog Happenin in Lincolnton, NC. They enjoy the history of barbecue. They got their name from the founding fathers of smoking meats. "We won in the first competition we ever cooked in."

Awards include:
6th Place Chicken - Fall Fling - Lumberton, NC

CHECKERED PIG - Martinsville, VA
Checkered Pig has been cooking for six years. From Martinsville, Virginia, they have competed in contests in North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, New York and Nevada. They cook their barbecue with a tomato and vinegar base over apple & hickory wood. In 2004, they competed in Reno, Nevada at the Best In The West Nugget Rib Cook Off and won. They beat out some of the best rib cookers in the country, and were featured on the Food Network.

Awards include:
2008 Reserve Grand Champion - Pigs In The Park - Danville, VA
2007 Grand Champion - Lumberton, NC
2007 Reserve Grand Champion - Stevensville, MD

FATBACKS BBQ & RIBS SHACK - Fayetteville, NC
Fatbacks BBQ & Ribs Shack has been cooking for five years. From Fayetteville, NC, they have competed in North Carolina and South Carolina. They cook both vinegar based and tomato based barbecue over hickory wood. They are in the business to sell barbecue and ribs. They live in their concession trailer about twelve hours a day, and sell anywhere from 75 to 100 slabs of babybacks a day. "We come to compete to relax and enjoy talking with the other teams."

FLAMING PIG - Red Springs, NC
Flaming Pig has been cooking for ten years. From Red Springs, North Carolina, they have competed across the state in North Carolina and Charleston & Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Their barbecue is vinegar based. Vick has always liked outdoor cooking. His wife, Teresa, encouraged him to enter their first competition at East Carolina. Needless to say, they were not prepared for competition cooking. But, after that first experience, they learned the process, and they worked to perfect the process. Their team name originated from two torch pigs that Vick put together to use for the showmanship competition. At one contest, people were talking about their flaming pigs. So, they decided to use that as a team name. Their team developed a line of BBQ sauces that they use during competition cook-offs called Flaming Pig Sauces.

Awards include:
Two North Carolina State Championships and lots of local competition awards.

GOONEY CREEK BBQ - Browntown, VA
Gooney Creek BBQ has been cooking for three years. From Browntown, Virginia, this team has competed up and down the Eastern United States from North Carolina to Maryland. They cook their barbecue with a sweet & tangy tomato base.

Awards include:
2008 - 2nd Place Brisket, 8th Place Chicken - Landover, MD
2008 - 8th Place Ribs - Blue Ridge BBQ Festival - Tryon, NC
2008 - 2nd Place Governor's Cup, 5th Place Ribs, 7th Place Brisket, 9th Place Chicken - Pigs In The Park - Danville, VA
2007 - 1st Place Ribs, 1st Place Brisket - Morgantown, NC
2007 - 6th Place Pork - Blue Ridge BBQ Festival - Tryon, NC
2007 - 8th Place Chicken - Pigs In The Park - Danville, VA
2006 - 2nd Place Dessert, 10th Place Brisket, 10th Place Pork - Pigs In The Park - Danville, VA

HAMBONES BY THE FIRE - Yorktown, VA
Hambones by the Fire does not formally cook. They are "just goofing around". From Yorktown, Virginia, they cook their barbecue "hambone style", which is kind of a mix of styles including Santa Maria, California, Eastern North Carolina, and Kansas City. It "depends on the meat and the mood". They cook their barbecue over white oak, pecan and apple woods. They are looking to have a good time and continue learning their craft.

Awards include:
2007 - 1st Place Ribs, Backyard Division - Smithfield Slammin' BBQ
2007 - 1st Place Chicken, Backyard Division - Smithfield Slammin' BBQ
2007 - 2nd Place Turkey, Backyard Division - Smithfield Slammin' BBQ
2007 - 1st Overall, Backyard Division - Smithfield Slammin' BBQ

IRON PIG BBQ - Salisbury, NC
Iron Pig BBQ has cooked for three years. From Salisbury, NC, they have competed in several contests in South Carolina and Maryland. Their cooking style varies with the meat and contest location. But, usually a "bastardized" Lexington style over hickory and cherry wood. Their team members met on the internet and originally competed as www.thebbqcentral.com to promote their website/forum. They have won several top awards including: People's Choice (twice); 1st Place for Anything Butt; many 8th Place finishes; and almost always in top 10.

MY SWEET HOG COOKIN' TEAM - Newport, NC
My Sweet Hog started in 1999. In 2000, they won 1st in Capital City Cook-Off in Raleigh, NC. They became the My Sweet Hog Cookin' Team on the way home, when his wife said, "That was a sweet $1,000" with a tear in her eye. I said that's it - "My Sweet Hog", and we haven't stopped cooking yet. Their cooking team is a family affair. Members are made up from Dad, Mom, Brother, Niece and friends. They work hard every event we attend. Their pig cooker is homemade. Their set up is with antique cuttery; tools and family hand-me downs. They pull their cooker in a race car trailer that they converted with a little kitchen and sleep area. They also cook for single Marines at Cherry Point, the Newport Police and Firemen, sponsored by the Woodmen of the World every year, and several other fundraisers. They enjoy what they do, and they have a good time doing it.

NORTHSIDE B.Q. BOYS - Rocky Mount, NC
Northside B.Q Boys has cooked for two years. Robbie Stokes, chief cook, is from Rocky Mount, NC. Although they have never competed as a team, Cory Booz, one team member, has competed in several events in and around Kansas City winning Best Overall in the "Royal" in Kansas City. They have even had the opportunity to cook for Diplomats. They cook both vinegar and tomato based barbecue.

OLD DOMINION SMOKEHOUSE - Chesapeake, VA
Old Dominion Smokehouse has cooked at home for parties and holidays for over eleven years. This will be there first time cooking competitively. Recently, the chief cook, who is a Certified Barbecue Judge (CBJ), has been judging events in the region including the Chesapeake Jubilee and the Louisa Que n' Cruz. They use different style sauces for different meats. They plan to cook pork entry in the traditional eastern North Carolina style. They primarily use hickory wood finishing with some fruitwoods.

PICKIN' PORKERS - Clemmons, NC
Pickin' Porkers has cooked for one year. From Clemmons, NC, they got started after attending a Memphis In May event. They have competed in numerous competitions including the National BBQ Battle in Washington, D.C, Blue Ridge BBQ Festival in Tryon, NC, and Great American Barbecue in Kansas City, KS. They cook their barbecue with a vinegar base over apple and hickory wood. Their first cook off was the Southern National BBQ Championship in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, where they placed 5th in brisket. They got hooked on the craft and have "walked" in 85% of the events they have participated.

Awards include:
SC Q Cup Pork State Champions
Reserve Grand Champion - Boss Hog Cookoff - Waynesboro, GA

PIG ME COOKING TEAM, INC - Danville, VA
Pig Me Cooking Team, Inc has cooked for over six years. From Danville, VA, this team of three has competed in competitions throughout the southeast. Although they prefer their barbecue without sauce, their barbecue is tomato based cooked over pecan, hickory and oak wood. Involved with the Boyscouts, the team liked cooking outdoors over wood. They fell into cooking together after Pigs in the Park in Danville, VA, got them interested.

PIGS ON THE RUN - Palmyra, VA
Pigs on the Run started cooking in 2002. They believe that there is no such thing as secrets, just hard work and focusing on the task at hand. They have won 4 Grand Champions and over 60 top ten awards. They have competed in the south, west, east, and north regions. They have been invited to the Jack draw twice. There team members come from over four states.

Awards include:
2005 - 6th Place Pork - Blue Ridge BBQ - Tryon, NC
2006 - 5th Place Pork - American Royal
2007 - Grand Champion - King Pig - Bridgeton, NJ
2006 & 2007 - Grand Champion - Chesapeake Jubilee
2008 - 1st Place Brisket - Chesapeake Jubilee

PURE & SINFUL BBQ - Richmond, VA
Pure & Sinful BBQ has been in BBQ for a while. Dan started in the 80's when he lived in Memphis. He learned BBQ from the best in the Memphis In May circuit. He moved to the Virginia/North Carolina area in the 90's, and started a team in 2002. They cook their barbecue Memphis style dry ribs over apple & hickory wood. They have competed throughout Virginia and Washington, DC.

Awards include:
2007 - 2nd Place Ribs - Danville, VA
2005 - 3rd Place Chicken - Danville, VA
2004 - 3rd Place - Fredricksburg, VA
2004 - 3rd Place - Washington, DC
2004 - 7th Place - Washington, DC
2004 - 5th Place - Danville, VA
2003 - 4th Place - Washington, DC

RED WHITE AND QUE BBQ - Waxhaw, NC
Red White And Que BBQ has been cooking for four and half years. From Waxhaw, North Carolina, their barbecue is tomato based cooked over hickory and apple woods. They have competed in contest in the Eastern United States from Virginia to South Carolina. They also cooked in a local non-sanctioned cook-off in Union County, NC and received Grand Champion, 1st Place Ribs, and 1st Place Pork.

Awards include:
2008 - 4th Place Ribs - Union, SC
2008 - 2nd Place Brisket - Danville, VA
2008 - 9th Place Chicken - Dillard, GA
2008 - 4th Place Brisket - Waynesboro, GA
2008 - 5th Place Ribs - Waynesboro, GA
2008 - 3rd Place Brisket - Greenwood, SC
2008 - 9th Place Chicken - Greenwood, SC
2008 - 8th Place Chicken - Charleston, SC
2008 - 1st Place Dessert /Anything Butt - Union, SC (2nd year in a row)

SCREAMIN NITE HOG BBQ - Winston Salem, NC
Screamin Nite Hogs has been cooking for three years. From Winston Salem, NC, their barbecue is tomato based cooked over oak, hickory and apple wood. After watching barbecue cook offs on the Food Network, made some connections through the internet getting invited to help cook in 2004. They were hooked that first weekend, and helped them through 2005. In 2006, they started their own team and have competed in numerous competitions in North Carolina, Virginia, and Georgia. Team members include: Charles & Jo Ann Welch, Jon & Jessica Miller, and Brian Calicott.

Awards include:
1st Place Chicken - Waynesboro, GA
2nd Place Brisket - Kings Mountain, NC
3rd Place Chicken - Danville, VA
4th Place Pork - Louisa, VA

TARHEEL SMOKERS, Hertford, NC
Tarheel Smokers has been cooking since 2002. From Hertford, NC, members include: Roy & Gay, Ma & Pa and don't forget Champ! The most wins they have had in one year were two grand champions. Their biggest win was at Smithfield Slammin' BBQ in Norfolk, VA in 2007. They got started through a friend who was into competing. After cooking with them for a couple of years, they decided to go it on their own. They have now gotten caught up in this "very expensive hobby." They have been all over the place, from Madison, IN to New Holland, PA, and many more. "It's all about family, friends, and fun."

TAR RIVER BBQ - Newport News, VA
Tar River BBQ was started in 2006 by Kenny and Charlie Pope. They originally grew up in the Swelton Heights Area of Rocky Mount, NC. As kids, they remember eating at Bob Melton's BBQ every Friday evening and fishing in the Tar River behind the dam at the cotton mill (Rocky Mount Mills). This is where their team name originated. Even though they live in Virginia, they always hold true to the Carolina style wood cooked BBQ. Their team always flys the Carolina State whenever and wherever their cookers are going. Another interesting fact of their team is that they build some crazy looking cookers. Their first cooker was an oil drum with two offset fire boxes, which they call the "Carolina Microwave". Their current competition cooker looks like a submarine on a trailer.

Awards include:
2007 - 2nd Place Chicken - Chesapeake Jubilee
2008 - 1st Place Chicken - Chesapeake Jubilee
2008 - 3rd Place Anything Butt - Chesapeake Jubilee
2008 - 10th Place Ribs - Chesapeake Jubilee
2008 - 1st Place Best Booth - Que and Cruz
2008 - 3rd Place Chicken - Que and Cruz
2008 - 6th Place Ribs - Que and Cruz

TWO OLD MEN AND A GRILL, Alexis, NC
Two Old Men And A Grill got started in 2007. Their biggest wins were First Place Ribs in the Amateur Division in Douglas, GA and First Place Ribs in Kings Mountain, NC.