Whoever said watching TV was a waste of time was wrong. For the team over at Burnin and Lootin, it was television that inspired them to barbecue.

 

Jerry Aguilar, the team's head cook, said he saw people barbecuing on TV and decided he wanted to learn the trade. In 2005, he bought an offset smoker and a couple of books and soaked up what he could find on the Internet.

 

After 12 years, he said he's learned that "sometimes you have to ignore all those unwritten rules that people claim there are when it comes to cooking BBQ. There’s no right or wrong way, whatever works for you, that’s the right way. "

 

Over the years, he helped a couple of teams, and then decided to start his own team with Lupe Aguilar. Their first competition was New Year's Day 2012.

 

Team Burnin and Lootin (named after a Bob Marley song) has earned 10 Grand Championships and 10 Reserve Grand Championships.

 

At competitions, they cook brisket and pork on Gateway drums and ribs and chicken on Weber Smoky Mountains. But at home, brisket is king.

 

"Brisket was so hard to learn to cook, and it’s the most rewarding, in my opinion, when it’s cooked right. A good Texas style brisket is probably the only BBQ my family will eat. They’re burned out on the rest," said Jerry.