Two BCISD barbecue teams advance to world championships

Three Burnet Consolidated Independent School District high school barbecue teams finished in the top 20 during the national competition, the Slab, which was June 18-22 in Round Rock. Two of the squads earned invitations to the World Food Championships in November. Courtesy photo
Burnet Consolidated Independent School District is sending two high school barbecue teams to the World Food Championships in November after they qualified during the National High School Association barbecue cook-off.
The Burnet FFA BBQ team finished sixth at the national competition, called the Slab, which was June 19-22 in Round Rock. The Burnet Bulldog FFA BBQ squad was 10th. The top 10 finishers at the national competition earn a spot in the world competition, which is Nov. 9-13 in Dallas.
Another BCISD team, Smoking Bulldog FFA BBQ, was 15th at nationals.
All three of the BCISD teams earned invitations to the national cook-off through qualifying competitions earlier this year.
The top team at the Slab was James Madison High School FFA’s Cowboy Smokers. Pleasant Hill High School of Pleasant Hill, Missouri, was Reserve National Champion.
The overall sixth-place Burnet FFA BBQ team made up of Jordon Erickson, Kori Gililland, and Braelyn Summers also won the Tootsie award as the highest-placing all-female team as well as the Slab’s Grilling Games.
In the individual food contests, Burnet FFA BBQ finished eighth in dessert, sixth in burger, sixth in steak, and third in brisket.
The overall 10th-place Burnet Bulldog FFA BBQ team consists of Coen Champeau, Coyt Barrow, Rhett Murray, and Grayson Clark. In the individual categories, the team finished third in burger, ninth in ribs, 10th in steak, and sixth in brisket.
The overall 15th-place Smoking Bulldog FFA team of Levi Ringstaff, Adrian Lopez, Brooke Choina, and Sean Marvin were 10th in dessert and third in steak.
While at the national competition, the students also took part in a number of educational and professional-development workshops led by leaders in the food and culinary industry.