Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast Steve Koehler and Lyndal Scranton

We’re all about celebrating the iconic BBQ teams on the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, but we also love to shine the spotlight on those up-and-coming teams who achieve big things. This week on Episode 261, we focus on Barking Dog BBQ out of Kansas City, a team of childhood friends Dave Lillis, Kevin Bunting and Brian Tuttle. Barking Dog BBQ (we explore the origin and meaning of that unique team name) just won its first career KCBS Grand Championship and we talk the guys about their love of BBQ and how they’ve been able to take it to a championship level.
We also talk Memorial Day Weekend cooking plans with Charlie Wallace from the Grill Guys of Missouri, where Charlie and his long-time friend and co-store-owner Skyler Spartan have opened a food truck. On our weekly BBQ news and notes, we recap results from Memphis in May and SmokeSlam and run through the roll call of Grand Champions from the past week.
Meanwhile, co-hosts Lyndal and team review their cooking weeks, which included a seventh-place finish for the Tailgate Guys BBQ team in West Plains, Missouri, and Steve reports from Texas where he’s on a BBQ expedition.
Thanks to all our sponsors and marketing partners for making the show possible: 
Blues Hog #blueshognation
Royal Oak Charcoal #TeamRoyalOak2024 
The Butcher Shoppe #alwayshandpicked 
Proud Souls BBQ Kansas City #proudsoulsbbqkc #kingdomofq 
The Grill Guys of Missouri
Smoke ’n Magic BBQ #SmokenMagic
Vietti Marketing Group  
Marty "Real Sign Man" Prather #pizza
Have a great BBQ week! #SmokeEmIfYouGotEm

Episode 260 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast takes us to the Phoenix area to visit with Kyle Matuszewski, owner-operator of Your Behind BBQ restaurant in Florence. Kyle is a long-time competitor on the Steak Cookoff Association and KCBS trails and he’s parlayed that success into a red-hot start in the restaurant business. Kyle breaks down his story which includes how a restaurant owner deals with his first 1-star Yelp review. 
Brad Colter and Breana Via from Smoke N Magic BBQ stop by for their weekly segment, reviewing their recent trip down under to participate in Meatstock Sydney. They also preview their appearance at Memphis in May this weekend, where they’ll be doing demos for Home Depot. On the Grill Guys of Missouri segment, Skyler Spartan gives the latest from the Republic, Mo., BBQ store.
Co-hosts Lyndal and Steve discuss their latest cooking adventures and plans, and they have some quick thoughts on a host of sports topics. 
Thanks to all our sponsors and marketing partners for making the show possible: 
Blues Hog #blueshognation
Royal Oak Charcoal #TeamRoyalOak2024 
The Butcher Shoppe #alwayshandpicked 
Proud Souls BBQ Kansas City #proudsoulsbbqkc #kingdomofq 
The Grill Guys of Missouri
Smoke ’n Magic BBQ #SmokenMagic
Vietti Marketing Group  
Marty "Real Sign Man" Prather #pizza
Have a great BBQ week! #SmokeEmIfYouGotEm

When we’re asked about BBQ restaurant recommendations in the St. Louis area, Heavy Smoke BBQ always is at the top of our list. On Episode 259 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, we talk it over with Chris Schafer, the owner-operator of Heavy Smoke BBQ about the constantly overlapping thrills and challenges of the restaurant industry. Chris also is one of the world’s top competition pitmasters, a past Grand Champion at both the Jack Daniels World BBQ Invitational and KCBS Invitational World Championship. Heavy Smoke is No. 2 in the KCBS Team of the Year standings in 2024 and we ask Chris about a possible Team of the Year.
It’s also time for our monthly chat with Richard Fergola, pitmaster of Fergolicious BBQ and marketing director for Proud Souls BBQ and Provisions. “Fergie” is gearing up for a trip to the new Smoke Slam, next week in Memphis. 
We also have our weekly segments with Breana Via of Smoke n Magic and Charlie Wallace from Grill Guys of Missouri. Meanwhile, co-hosts Lyndal and Steve discuss their latest cooking adventures and plans, and they give some brutally honest opinions on the downfall of the St. Louis Cardinals on the sports segment.
Thanks to all our sponsors and marketing partners for making the show possible: 
Blues Hog #blueshognation
Royal Oak Charcoal #TeamRoyalOak2024 
The Butcher Shoppe #alwayshandpicked 
Proud Souls BBQ Kansas City #proudsoulsbbqkc #kingdomofq 
The Grill Guys of Missouri
Smoke ’n Magic BBQ #SmokenMagic
Vietti Marketing Group  
Marty "Real Sign Man" Prather #pizza
Have a great BBQ week! #SmokeEmIfYouGotEm

One of the greatest to light a pit - and a great friend of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Show since the beginning on local, low-powered radio - joins us for an extended conversation on Episode 258. Brad Leighninger just passed the 11-year anniversary of his first BBQ Grand Championship. Now, 70 GCs later, Gettin’ Basted is a three-time KCBS Team of the Year, a Jack Daniels World BBQ Invitational Grand Champion, Brad is a part of the Blues Hog 2022 Memphis in May World Champion. He’s also co-owner of four restaurants in the southwest Missouri area including a couple of new ones in the tourist-mecca of Branson. We visit with Brad on a variety of topics, including the upcoming Memphis in May.
“We’re coming in motivated,” Brad said of Team Blues Hog. “I wouldn’t bet against us.”
We also have our weekly segments with Brad Colter from Smoke n Magic and Skyler Spartan from Grill Guys of Missouri. Meanwhile, co-hosts Lyndal and Steve discuss their latest cooking adventures and plans and preview their open-fire plans for the week ahead. 
Thanks to all our sponsors and marketing partners for making the show possible: 
Blues Hog #blueshognation
Royal Oak Charcoal #TeamRoyalOak2024 
The Butcher Shoppe #alwayshandpicked 
Proud Souls BBQ Kansas City #proudsoulsbbqkc #kingdomofq 
The Grill Guys of Missouri
Smoke ’n Magic BBQ #SmokenMagic
Vietti Marketing Group  
Marty "Real Sign Man" Prather #pizza
Have a great BBQ week! #SmokeEmIfYouGotEm

On Episode 257 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, we talk it over with one of world’s hottest pitmasters. Eric Coley from Alabama’s Poppa Pig BBQ is leading the KCBS Team of the Year standings with three Grand Championships and seven top-10 finishes in eight 2024 competitions. It’s a start that’s signaled a breakthrough after Eric went through a two-year stretch of top-10 finishes without nailing the GC. What has changed? Eric talks about that, plus his career in competition BBQ and how a DQ after missing turn-in with some of the best brisket he ever cooked was a big turning point.
In our weekly segments, we find out the latest from Smoke’n Magic BBQ from Breana Via and head to the Grill Guys of Missouri to chat with Charlie Wallace.
Meanwhile, co-hosts Lyndal and Steve discuss their latest cooking adventures and plans and preview their open-fire plans for the week ahead. 
Thanks to all our sponsors and marketing partners for making the show possible: 
Blues Hog #blueshognation
Royal Oak Charcoal #TeamRoyalOak2024 
The Butcher Shoppe #alwayshandpicked 
Proud Souls BBQ Kansas City #proudsoulsbbqkc #kingdomofq 
The Grill Guys of Missouri
Smoke ’n Magic BBQ #SmokenMagic
Vietti Marketing Group  
Marty "Real Sign Man" Prather #pizza
Have a great BBQ week! #SmokeEmIfYouGotEm
#bbq #bbqpodcast #competitionbbq #tailgateguysbbq 

Jon and Jason Wade of Optimus Swine BBQ out of Williamsburg, Virginia have one of the hottest competition BBQ teams around. Since moving into the KCBS Master’s division a couple of years ago, the Wades have seven Grand Championships and seven RGCs in 63 competitions. They also own and operate two BBQ restaurants in the Williamsburg area, Two Drummers Smokehouse and 2 Drummers Butchery and BBQ Provisions. On Episode 256 of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, we talk it over with Jon Wade about the team’s success in both aspects of BBQ and about the crossover of restaurants and competition cooking.
We’ve seen far too many good BBQ competition disappear in recent years. It’s always great to see new ones come along and we find out more from organizer Vanessa Williams about the inaugural Give Local First Charity BBQ Festival, coming up May 17-18 in West Plains, Missouri. Vanessa gives us the rundown of what teams can expect (aside from a nice prize fund of $10,000) and how the public can attend and get a taste of the fun.  
In our weekly Smoke N Magic Minute, Breana Via tells about heading to Meatstock in Sydney, Australia where Smoke N Magic will see how their American style competition BBQ stacks up against the native Aussies. 
Thanks to all our sponsors and marketing partners for making the show possible: 
Blues Hog #blueshognation
Royal Oak Charcoal #teamroyaloak2023
The Butcher Shoppe #alwayshandpicked 
Proud Souls BBQ Kansas City #proudsoulsbbqkc #kingdomofq 
The Grill Guys of Missouri
Smoke ’n Magic BBQ #SmokenMagic
Vietti Marketing Group  
Marty "Real Sign Man" Prather #pizza
Have a great BBQ week! #SmokeEmIfYouGotEm