WILLIAMSBURG — Jason and Jon Wade, brothers, pitmasters, and owners of Two Drummers Smokehouse and Two Drummers Butcher & BBQ Provisions, recently competed in The Jack Daniel’s World Championship Invitational Barbecue competition (“The Jack”) in Lynchburg, Tennessee.
When competing on the competitive barbecue circuit, the Wades are better known as “Optimus Swine.”
According to a release from Virginia Tourism, there were 87 Kansas City Barbecue Society (KCBS) competition barbecue teams from around the country and world that participated in this year’s event held Oct. 11-12. The Wades competed in six categories.
Optimus Swine earned two top 10 finishes in dessert, where they placed fourth with a perfect 180 score, and in brisket, where they placed seventh. In total, 13 teams received perfect 180s in the dessert category. They also placed 14th in the sauce category.
This was the second year that Optimus Swine participated in The Jack.
“We are in disbelief that we got to compete at The Jack two years in a row. To earn recognition at that level … we feel very lucky,” said Jon Wade. “There is no competition like The Jack with tens of thousands of spectators and elite teams from across the country.”
The Wades opened Two Drummers Smokehouse in 2014 and joined the competition barbecue circuit in 2019. Two Drummers Butcher & BBQ Provisions opened in January 2022 and is the only butcher shop in the Historic Triangle. The Optimus Swine team also includes Alex, Jon’s 12-year-old son, who competes in a variety of Kids-Q competitions at KCBS events.
Optimus Swine is sponsored by Heath Riles BBQ.
Virginia Tourism reminds barbecue fans to mark their calendars for the 2025 Revolutionary BBQ Brawl at Chickahominy Riverfront Park on April 26 and 27. Event details will be available in 2025 on the Culture Fix website.