Porky Butts BBQ’s Triumphant Return to Competition Barbecue
When the dining room at Porky Butts BBQ in Omaha, Nebraska recently reopened for the first time since the pandemic began, my family was there to enjoy our first in-restaurant experience in several months. Blane Hunter, the restaurant’s owner and pitmaster, came by to say hello and told me about the Back to Mayberry BBQ competition that would be taking place in Rodney, Iowa, drawing a number of top-ranked teams and multiple world champions from across the country.
I was intrigued by the fact that a barbecue competition was taking place at all when so many are being canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was also great to know that many of the best teams would be there, perhaps drawn in part because the Back to Mayberry competition is actually a double event with separate competitions taking place on Saturday, June 27 and Sunday, June 28. More intriguing for me was the fact that Blane was coming out of retirement to compete for the first time in 14 months, so I was thrilled when he invited me to join him at the Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) competition.
Blane Hunter of Porky Butts BBQ recently competed for the first time in 14 months at the Back to Mayberry BBQ competition in Rodney, Iowa.
Growing up in South Texas with a father who cooked barbecue and built pits, Blane grew up with a passion for cooking and went on to attend culinary school and pursue a career in the food industry. He ended up settling down in Omaha and in 2013 began trying his hand at barbecue competitions. Blane quickly found success at the highest levels in the world of competition barbecue, winning dozens of awards and championships, including KCBS Team of the Year in 2016 and becoming Grand Champion at the American Royal Open Competition in 2017.
After doing 40 competitions in 2016 and 30 competitions in 2017, he scaled back his participation in competition BBQ and then eventually stopped altogether in order to spend more time with his family. He turned his sights to opening his Porky Butts BBQ restaurant in 2019, which has grown to become an extremely popular dining option in Omaha.
Blane and his wife Dana after the final turn in on day one of the Back to Mayberry competition.
Blane was convinced to enter the Back to Mayberry competition by his teenage son Gavin, who also enjoys cooking and competing. They decided to make a family trip out of the event with his wife Dana and daughter Halaina joining in on the fun. Gavin looked forward to entering a dish into the SPAM ancillary category and Halaina entered to cook in the “Kids Que” competition.
The world of competition barbecue truly is a family affair for the Hunters. Despite wins and accolades at the highest level of competition, Blane talks most proudly of Gavin winning Grand Champion at an event where he was cooking and competing against adults with years of experience.
When I arrived on-site, Blane was set up and ready to go but I could tell he was slightly rusty and unsure if he could still hang with the competition. Several pitmasters stopped by to welcome him back to competition, ask about how business at the restaurant was going, and tease him about being given the nicest spot at the event (the only one with a concrete slab, while the rest were gravel). He was located right next to world champion and 2020 Barbecue Hall of Fame semi-finalist Darren Warth of Iowa’s Smokey D’s BBQ, who Blane said was like his “BBQ dad” who he tried to emulate both in competition and at the restaurant.
Blane’s chicken entry won first place on the first day of the competition.
On day one of the competition, he said his cook had gone okay that morning but he seemed nervous about his chicken before turn-in. However, when everyone sampled the chicken, we were blown away with the flavor and texture. Dana was like a surgeon’s assistant in the kitchen handing him tools, wiping his brow, and helping ensure the boxes looked great before running them to turn in to the judges. They relied on Halaina’s palette and solicited her feedback on entries.
Dana was the assistant in the kitchen and turned in each of the boxed entries for the competition.
Blane’s ribs had nice flavor and tenderness, but he had missed a few of his steps from being out of the competition routine. The pork and brisket were both solid entries. That evening at the awards ceremony, Blane had a great showing, walking away with first place in chicken, sixth place in pork, and third place overall out of 54 top-notch teams.
On the second day of the competition, Blane won fourth place in pork with this box and overall Grand Champion.
Upon my arrival the next day, Blane seemed much more confident and seemed to be right back into the swing of things. Each of the dishes looked even better than the previous day and the flavor was on point with everything I tasted. At the awards ceremony for day two, the Hunter family got numerous calls, with Halaina winning the Kids Que competition with her Italian Burger entry, Gavin winning second place in the kids fishing tournament, and Blane placing fourth in pork and sixth in brisket. The real surprise was when Blane was named overall Grand Champion at the event, proving to himself that he still has what it takes to compete at the highest level in barbecue.
After the awards ceremony on day two, the Hunter family poses with all of their awards.
After the contest, Blane said he really missed being around his fellow competitors. “They’re like family,” he said. It seems the experience at the Back to Mayberry event has rekindled his interest in getting back out there. The next time I saw Blane he told me he had already signed up for his next competition. I have a feeling there are more awards and accolades in store for Blane and his family.
Ryan Cooper (BBQ Tourist)
Co-Founder, The Smoke Sheet
—Rodney Scott (left) and Nick Pihakis, both important figures in Southern barbecue, have a long friendship and history that is explored by AL.com.—
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ADDITIONAL READS
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American Heritage Goes ‘In Search of Real Barbecue
Robert Moss on the Surprising History of Pork Steak
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COMPETITION SPARE RIBS
by Fergolicious BBQ
For this week’s Recipe of the Week, we chose this video from Royal Oak Charcoal where Richard Fergola of KCBS competition team Fergolicious BBQ demonstrates how he makes competition-style barbecue ribs. Richard talks about how he trims, seasons, and cooks pork spare ribs when he competes, but he also notes that these ribs can easily be done in the backyard as well.
—Many of the largest barbecue events of 2020 have been canceled or postponed.—
In light of the constantly changing coronavirus crisis, we are leaving our events section blank for some time. Many events in 2020 have been canceled or postponed thus far. We’ll be updating our events section on our website with the most up-to-date information as we have it.
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