Sweet victory
Grand champion has a sweet ring to it.
And there was plenty of ringing – and other celebratory noise – when Stillwater County’s own Montana Outlaw BBQ took top honors at the 14th annual Montana BBQ Cook-Off in Absarokee late Sunday afternoon.
“People went nuts. It was loud,” said team member Tyrel Hamilton of when their name was announced. “It was almost a surreal feeling. We didn’t really believe it until our name was called.”
Justin Hamilton listened to the announcement of the winners over the phone and he and his family hurried off to another commitment.
“It got loud in the car,” said Justin with a smile.
The team placed second in pork, third in both chicken and brisket and 10th in ribs. It also was third in the open category of dessert/beef.
The teams total score of 701 put them in what is known as the “700 Club.” Since Jan. 1, there have been only 89 scores of 700 or higher awarded in professional competitions across the country, said Tyrel Hamilton.
Making it even sweeter this year was the fact that the Hamilton team beat several professional teams – including last year’s reserve champion of the Jack Daniel’s World Championship Invitational, which is considered to be one of the top three barbecue competitions in the country.
Sunday’s win almost guarantees Montana Outlaw BBQ a place at the Jack Daniel’s event. The team will know for certain by Aug. 1.
“The Jack” as it is commonly referred to in competitive barbecuing circles, invites teams with a state championship title in which there were at least 25 competitors or a competition involving 50 teams.
A total of 72 teams will participate in the event held in Lynchburg, Tenn., this October.
“The Jack” has been on Montana Outlaw BBQ’s radar since it began competing in 2006. If they advance, it will be only the second team from Montana to have competed in “The Jack,” said Justin Hamilton.
Sunday’s win also earned the team a place at the American Royal World Series of Barbecue in Kansas on Oct. 29, which typically draws 160 teams, and the Food World Championships in Orange Beach, Ala., on Nov. 11.
It is the third time the team has won the grand champion title, but the first since the event became an officially sanctioned event of the Kansas City Barbeque Society in 2013 and started drawing professional teams from across the country.
FAMILY AFFAIR
Montana Outlaw BBQ consists of brothers Tyrel and Justin, their father Rick, as well as their spouses. The guys do the cooking and the girls, among other things, handle the clean-up.
“They (the women) have the hard part,” said Rick at the family-owned Ace Hardware in Columbus Monday afternoon.
The team struggled through last year’s competitive barbecue season, finishing a disappointing 11th overall at the Absarokee event. The family doubled-down for this season and sought out the help of Tuffy Stone in Richmond Va., of the BBQ Pitt Masters and Destination America reality television fame.
The trio attended a class by Stone and now consider him a mentor. They tweaked their routine and obviously found the sweet spot, taking third in the Miles City Cowtown Cook-Off the weekend prior to the Absarokee event.
OTHER LOCAL TEAMS
Also representing Stillwater County at last Sunday’s event were Absarokee’s Long Board BBQ, Absarokee Fire and Rescue, Nye’s Upper Stillwater Smokers and the Absarokee Trading Post. Those teams finished 16th, 20th, 26th and 28th respectively. A total of 29 teams competed.
Longboard BBQ made strong showings in three events, bringing home second in the open category of dessert/beef, 10th in brisket and 13th in pork.
THANKFUL FOR EVENT, COMMUNITY SUPPORT
Rick Hamilton said the team is fortunate to have such a well-run, well-attended event in the Montana BBQ Cook-Off. The event has been going on for 14 years and continues to develop. The Hamiltons also praised event manage Nick Morrison with the job he has done in attracting professional competition while keeping it fun for locals.
The team has a Facebook page and is on Twitter for anyone interested in following its journey forward.
GET A TASTE
Locals can get a chance to dine on Montana Outlaw BBQ’s award winning creations every Friday night starting July 8 when they team up with My Big Fat Lunchbox to offer dinner.
My Big Fat Lunch Box food truck is located adjacent to Ace Hardware in Columbus.