What happens when three guys with Midwestern roots plant themselves in the middle of the Las Vegas desert? They create a BBQ team, of course.

 

For Kevin Jensen, Mike Cathcart and Erik Drake an annual 4th of July competition amongst friends and a few libations turned into "Our BBQ is good. We should compete with the big boys!! How hard can it be?"

 

The trio with their hodgepodge of grills and cheap smokers created the Nevada Barbecue Association Team – the Vegas GrillBillies.

 

"Little did we know, a year and a half later, we are just now starting to put it together," said Jensen, the team's head cook. Now the team is cooking on a Humphrey-Pint and a Kat Klose-Offset, and they've done their share of walking. Their recent awards include: 

 

• 2nd Ribs Logandale Fall Festival 2015

• 2nd Brisket Slab o Rama 2017

• 4th Ribs Porkin' on the River 2017

• 3rd Brisket Sam's Club BBQ Tour 2017

 

Jensen's best piece of advice for those looking to follow in his team's footsteps is that "the meat will tell you when it's done." He's also a fan of cooking ribs because he said you can go 100 different directions with flavor.

 

As the Vegas GrillBillies continue to make a name for themselves on the Nevada barbecue scene, they still stand by the motto that brought them together: "Unsophisticated smoking excellence."