First of all, the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast wishes all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! We are grateful to all our listeners, sponsors and marketing partners who dialed up the show in 2024 and we finish off Season 6 with a Hall of Fame featured guest.

Mike Wozniak and Quau BBQ out of Brimfield, Ill., is one of the many great inductees in the inaugural KCBS Hall of Fame class coming up in January. On Episode 288 of the show, we talk it over with Mike about his competition career, which ran from 2001-2021 and included 76 Grand Championships. Mike discusses what competition cooking was like in the early days and the ways it differs from today.

Also stopping by as we close out the year is Richard Fergola of Fergolicious BBQ. “Fergie” is sure to be one of the hottest free agents in BBQ with the recent announcement that Proud Souls Barbecue & Provisions is closing at the end of the month. He’s been marketing director at Proud Souls the last two years and has a wealth of knowledge about the industry. We talk to him about what’s next, including his tell-all competition classes. 

We also take a trip just down the road from our home base to check in with Skyler Spartan from The Grill Guys of Missouri. The specialty BBQ store in Republic, Mo., has some dandy holiday specials going on and Skyler fills us in. Stop in and see The Grill Guys for all your open-fire shopping needs whether it’s grills, smokers, seasonings, sauces or accessories. 

Remember, you can find us on your favorite #podcast platform by searching Tailgate Guys BBQ - where all 288 editions are archived. We’ll return in a few weeks to kick off Season 7. 

Thanks to all our sponsors and marketing partners for making Season 6 of the show possible:  Blues Hog #blueshognation Royal Oak Charcoal #TeamRoyalOak2024 #charcoalofchampions The Butcher Shoppe #alwayshandpicked  Proud Souls BBQ Kansas City #proudsoulsbbqkc #kingdomofq  The Grill Guys of Missouri #grillguys417 Smoke ’n Magic BBQ #SmokenMagic Vietti Marketing Group   Marty "Real Sign Man" Prather #pizza

Have a great BBQ holiday season! #SmokeEmIfYouGotEm