"Thank you, William Brohaugh. Thank you for writing this book. Barbecue is the better for it." --Doug Mosley in The National Barbecue News "The blend of travel, social and culinary history is exceptional and fun in this highly recommended pick." --Midwest Book Review "A must read for aspiring pit masters and great for armchair cooks, too." --Steven Raichlen, author of The Barbecue Bible and host of PBS's Barbecue University		The Season's at High Heat As always, the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest at the 2007 Memphis in May was a glorious, glorious weekend, with pleasant temperatures and lots of sun. It was the first time in many years we weren't swimming either in rainwater or our own sweat. Or both. Several of the teams that played important parts in The Grill of Victory absolutely outdid themselves this year: Jack's Old South took grand championship and became the second team ever to win Memphis in May three times. The other team was The Apple City Barbecue Team out of Murphysboro, Illinois. That team was then run by Mike Mills, author of Peace, Love and Barbecue, and Pat Burke, leader of the also-very-successful Tower Rock Barbecue Team. Myron Mixon and Jack's Old South took the whole hog category. Pig Pounda Kappa took first place in the ribs category. When Gary Kerce and his crew were cooking in Galax in the competition's first year, they were coming off an impressive 2005 WCBCC second-place finish. Sweet Swine o' Mine took second place in shoulder, also the second time in three years they've made finals in that category. When Richard Lackie, Pat Rooney and friends were cooking in Galax, they were coming off a first-place finish in 2005, so now it's two pieces of major hardware for the Rock and Roll Barbecue Stars. Second place hog went to Right on Q, run by Chris Birmingham and the pleasant Mr. G.T., who have cooked extensively with Natural Born Grillers. Fourth-place shoulder went to last year's grand champion, Red Hot Smokers and the gracious Wayne and Linda Booth. Wayne and Linda didn't cook in Galax, but they, like the others mentioned here, contributed so much to the background and writing of the book. The People's Choice award went to Rib Ticklers. They, too, did not cook in Galax, but their contributions to The Grill of Victory are very similar to those of Red Hot Smokers. Each year, Memphis in May also holds a Patio Porkers division, in which amateur teams compete against each other in the ribs category. The winner of Patio Porkers must move on to the pro division the next year. This year's Patio Porker winner was Barefoot in the Pork, formed and co-captained by Claud Mann of TBS's Dinner and a Movie, who wrote the kind introduction to The Grill of Victory, and Ed Richardson, so gleefully described in Claud's introduction. Congratulations to all, and to all, thanks for letting me mooch off you and taste all that good stuff. For more coverage and a picture of Tall Matt and Linda Smith of Natural Born Grillers racing madly to turn in an entry, check out "Georgia team claims third grand championship" and "Barbecue cooking contest winners" in the Memphis Commercial Appeal. And for some thoughts on the fun of judging finals at the competition, check out "The View From the Golf Cart," a first-person account from one of the finals judges at last year's Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest. Me. Lucky, lucky me. Read my account here. Galax, Part III It's almost impossible to comprehend, but the third Smoke on the Mountain Virginia State Championship in Galax, Virginia, has come and gone. And it was every bit as well-run and fun as it was in its first years. Natural Born Grillers retook the Grand Championship, with its spectacular trophy of a hand-made Tom Barr banjo. Natural Born won the first championship (and, yes, I just gave away the ending of The Grill of Victory. Barnyard Roasters, the reigning 2006 grand champ, returned with an impressive overall showing, themselves. The scorecard: Whole Hog: 1st: Natural Born Grllers 2nd: Barnyard Roasters 3rd: Fiddlers BBQ Shoulder: 1st: Natural Born Grillers 2nd: King's Cooking 3rd: Fiddlers BBQ Ribs: 1st: Natural Born Grillers 2nd: Barnyard Roasters 3rd: Fiddlers BBQ Grand Champion: Natural Born Grillers - Shoulder Just FYI, Fiddlers BBQ was named that long before deciding to come to Galax to compete for its specialty trophies: working fiddles for first through third in each category. Or so they claim.