08/17/2026
There truly aren’t enough words to describe this past weekend at Kora Shrine Kare for Kids Ride-In! And sorry in advance for the book—but this weekend deserves it! ❤️
We arrived Friday and jumped right into the parade with our golf carts fully decorated in true Las Vegas style! A huge thank-you to Ripley and Fletcher Ford and Mainely Karts for lending them to us. After the parade, we enjoyed the ice cream social and ended the night hanging out with longtime BBQ friends and meeting so many wonderful new ones.
Saturday morning, we got right to work firing up the Humphrey’s smokers and cooking ribs. Chad and I competed in the one-meat competition—not only against all the other talented teams, but also against each other!
While the ribs were smoking, it was time to crank out 50 servings for People’s Choice. Chad and I worked like a well-oiled machine preparing our Rowdy Rancher Beef over garlic smashed potatoes, topped with pepperoncini, homemade au jus and crunchy onions.
I have always wanted to win People’s Choice, but with so many entries and so many incredible teams, I honestly had my doubts. More than anything, we wanted to put our best foot forward because this event is all about raising money for the Shriners—and somehow, we won FIRST PLACE! I still can’t believe it!
Then it was time to turn in our ribs. We were both pleased with what we put in the boxes. I made Dr Pepper ribs, while Chad’s main flavors featured Ryan King King's BBQ Pecan and Smokin' Hoggz BBQ sauce. We didn’t finish where we hoped, but that quickly became unimportant when my ribs raised $850 and Chad’s raised $500 at the auction!
Together, our ribs brought in $1,350 of the incredible $26,000 raised during the Humphrey’s BBQ Famous Rib Auction! I still cannot believe we raised that much. Thank you to everyone who donated, bid and purchased ribs. You all hold a very special place in my heart.
Then it was time to focus on the KCBS Masters contest, and we had a pretty solid cook. We knew brisket wasn’t our strongest category, but we felt confident about the others. Our results were:
Chicken: 23rd
Ribs: 19th
Pork: 2nd place—again! Hilltop Boilers Maple Syrup
Brisket: 39th
Overall: 19th place
In a field this talented, we will absolutely take it!
I also have to give a very special shout-out to Jillian Hodgin, who completed her very first four-meat cook! Watching how hard she worked from start to finish made me incredibly proud. Taking on all four KCBS meats is no small task, and she put her heart into every step and every box. Jillian, you should be so proud of yourself—I know I certainly am! ❤️
Congratulations to Luke and OVS for earning Grand Champion—I am so incredibly happy for you! Congratulations as well to Smoke Sisters on Reserve Grand Champion!
The best part of the weekend was reconnecting with BBQ friends from near and far while making so many new ones. That is what makes this BBQ community so special.
A few very important shout-outs and thank-yous:
Mom and Dad, for always showing up and supporting everything we do.
Jackie and Peggy, for spending the day with us and bidding on—and winning—our ribs!
Hilltop Boilers, for donating the maple syrup for the Kids Que.
Heidi, for joining us in the parade and helping Jill with her boxes.
Every team and judge who traveled from 17 different states to attend this destination contest.
Every volunteer, sponsor, donor and person who helped make this weekend possible.
And to Jillian for helping and being the runner for the auction. We couldn't do it without you!
We’ll see you all in 2027—the third weekend in August!
Finally, thank you to the sponsors who continue to support Humphrey’s BBQ and everything we do:
Royal Oak Charcoal
Hilltop Boilers
The Barbque Store
Simply Marvelous
Smokin’ Hoggz BBQ
We couldn’t do this without you! ❤️🔥🏆
Up Next: 4 days to prepare for Culinary Fight Club, Ocean to Plate!
