JAMES CITY COUNTY — The smell of barbecue smoking on a grill means hanging out with friends, preparing the best bite and trophies for Optimus Swine.
Jason and Jon Wade, brothers, pitmasters and owners of Two Drummers Smokehouse in Toano, help make up the Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) Master series team Optimus Swine, along with Jon’s 12-year-old son, Alex.
Sanctioning and judging over 300 contests a year, KCBS is considered one of the most prestigious organizations of barbecue and grilling competitions.
The Wade family got their start on the competition circuit in 2019 and ended the 2023 season by earning a respectable ninth place for KCBS Master Series Team of the Year.
“Competition barbecue is such a different barbecue and style of cooking,” stated Jon Wade. “First of all, it is a one-bite challenge. You are not getting a full dish.”
There are a set of rules that must be followed for a KCBS Master series contest.
Each team must cook four types of meat — chicken, pork ribs, pork butt and brisket — and the cooking source must be wood, wood pellets or charcoal.
Every entry is given a white Styrofoam box with a number. That random number is the team’s identity for that competition.
There is a time limit to prepare, cook and turn in entries to the judges.
“Competition barbecue runs on a clock. If you are even one second late turning in your entry, you are disqualified.” Wade explained, “Timing dictates the taste and the bite.”
