43 teams from around the U.S. competed at Raider Red Meats BBQ State Championship at TTU

Rising early and working diligently to ensure the perfect flavor, tenderness, and smokiness of their barbecue, 43 teams from 20 different states flocked to Lubbock Saturday to compete at Texas Tech's Raider Red Meats BBQ State Championship.

This is the 13th year the event has been sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbeque Society, said Tate Corliss, senior director for Raider Red Meats, and serves as a fundraiser for the program at Tech.

"It's also our largest fundraiser for our scholarship endowment," Corliss said.

For some competitors, this was a time to have fun and enjoy competing if their favorite hobby.

However, for others, it's a chance to earn points and a spot in the American Royal — the world championship of barbecue.

Competitors could enter into various categories, but one in Texas is king — brisket.

A team from West Texas Land Guys started smoking their brisket around midnight. It took a total of 13 hours. They kept a simple Texas brisket flavor profile.

Others, such as the team from Re/Max of Lubbock, cooked theirs for 12 hours. The team, comprised of Trevor Lee, Johny Hamcheck, and Moe Evans, has been barbecuing for many years. But Evans said he has been doing it for the past 40 years, having started in college when he was attending Texas Tech.

However, for one competitor, barbecue is a family sport. John Schmidts drove down from Oklahoma with his family and used a drone rather than a traditional smoker to cook his brisket in 5 hours. Next to him on the grills was a barbecue master in training, Schmidts' six-year-old daughter.

This was her second year competing, and she entered the ribeye portion of this competition.

However, age and experience do not matter in this state championship. Chance Vinson, who is one year into competing, finished second in this region last year and also made the top 25 in the state. He says he takes a different approach to the flavor profile.

"I want something that nobody has had before," Vinson said. "Something different, something nobody has every tasted."

And sure enough, his hard work and creativity paid off.

His team — "I'll Tell You Later BBQ" — tied for first place in the pork entry and placed 10th overall. The Re/Max team placed 20th, West Texas Land Guys placed 26th and Schmidts placed 9th overall.

Here is the full breakdown of the winners from each category and the overall winner.

Overall winners

• 1st — Rollin' Smoke BBQ Texas
• 2nd — 3 Cow Cartel

Chicken

• 1st — 3 Cow Cartel
• 2nd — Rollin' Smoke BBQ Texas

Ribs

• 1st — TCB BBQ
• 2nd — Pit Pirates BBQ

Pork

• 1st — (tie) I'll Tell You Later BBQ & La Pasadita
• 2nd — 3 Cow Cartel

Brisket

• 1st — Loot N' Booty BBQ
• 2nd — Scooters BBQ

Ribeye

• 1st — Pit Pirates BBQ
• 2nd — Limp Brisket Featuring Linkin Pork

For full results of the championship, visit: mms.kcbs.us/members/evr/view_scores.php?org_id=KCBA&evid=46364803

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: 43 teams from around the U.S. competed at Raider Red Meats BBQ State Championship at TTU