Squealin’ Good Weekend
over the city. Friday night saw live music and over 45 vendor booths downtown, giving the public a chance to experience everything from food trucks to axe throwing and more. Meanwhile, Saturday was a day packed with activities, as the Squealin’ Car
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Lyons was packed with food, festivities, and fun as the 13th Annual Real Squeal BBQ & Music Festival took
Photo by Makaylee Randolph
BACKYARD BBQ CHAMPIONS – The Sugar Creek Stick Burners, from Telfair County, have BBQ traditions running through their family, as cousins compete in the professional competitions with their sponsorship from Bubba Grills. The team took home the gold in their first competition, winning the title of 2022 Real squeal Backyard BBQ Grand Champions. L to R: Emcee Todd Padgett, Team Member Brandon Merritt, Team Member Tony Collins, 2022 Miss Real Squeal Alaya Cutler. continued from page
Show, Professional BBQ Competition, Arts & Crafts Festival, Quilt Show, and Indian Artifacts Show filled Partin Park and the First Baptist Church in Lyons.
Backyard BBQ Contest
The annual Backyard BBQ Contest kicked off Friday afternoon, as nine teams competed for bragging rights. These teams were judged on three categories — sauce, chicken, and ribs — which determined their overall placement in the tournament. The Grand Champion of the competition received
$350 prize money, while the reserve grand champion was awarded $250. Top three placements in each category also received monetary prizes, ranging from
$100 to $150. The Sugar Creek Stick Burners, from McRae-Helena, took home the top prize as Grand Champions of the contest. The team was ecstatic since this was the first competition in which they had participated. The team said, “Our family has a long history of BBQ in Telfair County. Our cousins, Lonnie and Lee Smith, competed in the Pro Division with Bubba Grills, and we’ve been learning new techniques for them for several years.”
They continued, “We decided it was time to try it on our own. We were not expecting the win, but we were thankful for it.”
Backyard Chicken Results
8th Place: The Freckled Frog
7th Place: Smoke Street BBQ
6th Place: Reu-B-Que
5th Place: Summer’s Backyard BBQ & Stew
4th Place: 3 B’s BBQ
3rd Place: Backwoods BBQ
2nd Place: B & B Barbeque
1st Place: Sugar Creek Stick Burners
Backyard Ribs Results
9th Place: Fishboy’s BBQ
8th Place: 3 B’s BBQ
7th Place: Sugar Creek Stick Burners
6th Place: B & B Barbeque
5th Place: Summer’s Backyard BBQ & Stew
4th Place: Backwoods BBQ
3rd Place: Reu-B-Que
2nd Place: Smoke Street BBQ
1st Place: The Freckled Frog Overall Backyard Results
9th Place: Fishboy’s BBQ
8th Place: 3 B’s BBQ
7th Place: Smoke Street BBQ
6th Place: Summer’s Backyard BBQ & Stew
5th Place: The Freckled Frog
4th Place: Reu-B-Que
3rd Place: B & B Barbeque
2nd Place: Backwoods BBQ
1st Place: Sugar Creek Stick Burners Professional BBQ Competition The Professional BBQ Competition featured 31 total teams from all across the eastern United States. According to Lyons Main Street Director Daphne Walker, the contest even featured teams from as far away as Illinois, as barbecue groups were drawn to the Kansas City Barbecue Society- sanctioned event.
These teams competed for $15,000 in prize money through 4 categories — chicken, pork ribs, pork, and brisket — as all battled for the title of Grand Champion. The competition was fierce. Four entries even received a perfect score of 180 within categories, but it was Who Cares BBQ, a father and son team from Charlotte, North Carolina, who took home the gold, with a total score of 706.25 out of a possible 720.
Who Cares BBQ Team Member Donald Cook said this win was a repeat of the past, as the team last traveled to the Real Squeal festival in 2020, where they took home the prize of Grand Champion. “We were supposed to come in 2021, but we were unable to because of some medical issues, but we are happy to be back again.”
He continued, “Any time you win anywhere, it’s a great feeling, because you don’t know when the next time will be that you get your name called. I was telling some of my fellow competitors that I have competed 4 or 5 times this year and have been sitting there without having my name called for anything, so it feels good to finally have my name called and to top that with the pinnacle win.”
Professional Chicken Results
10th Place: Qmeisters
9th Place: Real South BBQ
8th Place: Mad Dog BBQ
7th Place: Bald Hawg BBQ
6th Place: Wine Me Dine Me Swine Me
5th Place: Cool Hand Que
4th Place: Smoke Central BBQ
3rd Place: Sweet Dixie BBQ
2nd Place: Who Cares BBQ
1st Place: Smokin Ghost BBQ – Perfect Score Professional Pork Ribs Results
10th Place: Smokin’ Sweetmeats 9th Place: Cool Hand Que
8th Place: Sweet Dixie BBQ
7th Place: ZIPS BBQ
6th Place: Bald Hawg BBQ
5th Place: FYC
4th Place: Who Cares BBQ
3rd Place: Smoke Central BBQ
2nd Place: Smoke Me Silly – Perfect Score
1st Place: Jack’s Old South BBQ – Perfect Score Professional Pork Results 10th Place: Smoke Central BBQ
9th Place: Angry Jack BBQ
8th Place: Peach Coast BBQ
7th Place: Who Cares BBQ
6th Place: Bad Rooster BBQ
5th Place: ZIPS BBQ
4th Place: Smokin Ghost BBQ
3rd Place: Wine Me Dine Me Swine Me
2nd Place: Smokin’ Sweetmeats 1st Place: Smoke Me Silly Professional Brisket Results
10th Place: Qmeisters
9th Place: Jack’s Old South BBQ
8th Place: Smoke Central BBQ
7th Place: Quenut BBQ
6th Place: Angry Jack BBQ
5th Place: Cool Hand Que
4th Place: ZIPS BBQ
3rd Place: Who Cares BBQ
2nd Place: Bald Hawg BBQ
1st Place: Smoke Me Silly – Perfect Score Overall Professional Results
10th Place: Angry Jack BBQ
9th Place: Smokin’ Sweetmeats 8th Place: Smokin Ghost BBQ
7th Place: Sweet Dixie BBQ
6th Place: ZIPS BBQ
5th Place: Cool Hand Que
4th Place: Bald Hawg BBQ
3rd Place: Smoke Central BBQ
2nd Place: Smoke Me Silly
1st Place: Who Cares BBQ Sauce Competition
This year’s ancillary competition was a barbecue sauce competition, which allowed competitors with
3 entries to compete for the title of Best Sauce. The top three spots were awarded cash prizes, ranging from
$50 to $100. Local team Alston & Uvalda BBQ took home the top honor, as the team scored a 163.38 out of a possible 180.
Results
10th Place: Reu-B-Que
9th Place: Bad Rooster BBQ (3rd Entry)
8th Place: Real South BBQ
7th Place: Must B The Sauce (2nd Entry)
6th Place: Reu-B-Que (2nd Entry)
5th Place: Must B The Sauce
4th Place: Rue-B-Que (3rd Entry)
3rd Place: Bad Rooster BBQ (2nd Entry)
2nd Place: Summer’s Backyard BBQ & Stew
1st Place: Alston & Uvalda BBQ Reflections
Lyons Main Street Director Daphne Walker commented on the success of the festival. “Thank you to everyone who came and was a part of The Real Squeal. This is our 13th year, and we could not do it without everyone, because it takes everyone to make it happen.”
