Meet Plowboys BBQ — The American Royal Invitational Grand Champion

If you’re looking for the future of barbecue, you might just head out to Blue Springs, Missouri. That’s the hometown of Plowboys BBQ, the newly crowned American Royal Invitational Grand Champion.

The team of Todd Johns and his brother-in-law Randy Hinck (who compete as the Pork Pullin Plowboys) bested 123 past grand champions to capture the overall crown. And they did it with a mixture of classic techniques and a bit of technology designed by Johns — an IT project manager by day. 

“We cook at low temps for a long period of time. That is the more traditional way of preparing barbecue,” says Johns. “However, that is where tradition ends for us. We use 100 percent wood pellets for fuel along with computer controls and temperature sensors on our pits. Our smoke profile is light. We rely largely on the quality of the meat and our own seasonings to liven up the taste buds. Pecan and cherry are our wood flavors of choice. Pecan delivers a familiar barbecue wood flavor while cherry brings the ruby color.”