Chris Davis of Crossed Rifles BBQ from Schertz, Texas, knocked down the Grand Championship at last weekend’s prestigious Red Raiders Challenge in Lubbock with a huge score of 713.16. We visit with the Marine Corps veteran on Episode 225 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast about his journey into competition BBQ, which he credits for helping him cope with PTSD from his time in the military. It’s a common theme for veterans who come on the show and Chris discusses why he thinks open-fire cooking resonates with them.

We go to north Texas for our other guest as Shane LeClair of Damn Yankee BBQ Texas joins us for our “Under the Radar” segment on up-and-coming teams. A transplanted New Yorker and avid Yankees fan, LeClair has been knocking on the door of his first KCBS Grand Championship in just his second year of competitive cooking. LeClair cooks out of one of the most-distinctive trailers on the circuit, wrapped in a distinctive Yankees them including a large illustration of Mickey Mantle swinging for the fences on the back.

Lyndal and Steve break down their cooking weeks and throw in some sports talk in the hot days of August. Wherever you are, we send best wishes for a great BBQ Week! 

Thanks to all our sponsors and marketing partners for making the show possible:  Blues Hog #blueshognation Royal Oak Charcoal #teamroyaloak2023 The Butcher Shoppe #alwayshandpicked  Clark Crew BBQ #clarkcrew Proud Souls BBQ Kansas City #proudsoulsbbqkc #kingdomofq #proudsoulsbarbecueandprovisions Randy Vanslyke and Pro Technology Solutions The Grill Guys of Missouri Allquedup #arkassippicombo Vietti Marketing Group #marketing Marty "Real Sign Man" Prather #pizza

Have a great BBQ week and thanks for listening! #SmokeEmIfYouGotEm