ODESSA, Texas — Fourteen different barbecue teams and multiple cornhole teams gathered at the BBQ Masters and Cornhole Bracket Battle today in Odessa.
Hosted by the City of Odessa, the event was sponsored by the Odessa Jackolopes and was held in the Ector County Colosseum parking lot.
The first edition of the story was held before the COVID-19 pandemic and couldn't be held again during that time.
Event organizers like Matt Christman, the Odessa Deputy Director of Parks and Recreation, wanted to bring the competition back ever since.
“Before the pandemic, we did a barbeque competition and we wanted to bring that back," Christman said. "So what better way to bring that back than during March Madness?”
Cornhole is a new aspect though, with the first place team getting custom cornhole boards. Second and third place would get other consolation prizes.
Event organizers believed the sport's popularity would blend with the barbecue competition.
"Then (we) bring in a tournament for the cornhole," Christman said. "Cornhole has grown in popularity over the years, so what better way to merge the two?"
The barbecue teams came early to get cooking, such as "Swift, Silent and Smoking", a team composed of Marine Corps veterans.
Head cook Tony Villalobos praises their comradery and numbers, saying it makes their food stand out.
“The majority of teams have one or two guys, we’ve got six or seven guys," Villalobos said. "We got a couple missing, but we all bring our own style of cooking.”
His style of cooking? A slower process to bring out the flavor and the juice of the meat.
“The slower you cook, the more tender the meat comes out and the more moist it is. It’s just a technique that quite a few cooks use," Villalobos said. "I prefer the slower, the longer, the juicier and the tastier meat.”
Competitors on the barbecue side competed for a cash prize of up to $4,000, a prize which each of the competing teams strived to win.
“Well if the barbeque gods be on our side, it’ll be great," Villalobos said. "If not, that’s okay because since this is our first competition together, it’s a learning process.”