Release date: December 3, 2024
LAS VEGAS – Champion Pitmaster Christie Vanover is packing her tongs to host the biggest barbecue party in Sin City on Dec. 7 at Bass Pro Shops Las Vegas.
The barbecue jackpot is the first Kansas City BBQ Society-sanctioned barbecue competition in Las Vegas since 2018 and the largest competition west of the Mississippi.
Around 80 teams from 14 states are vying for the title of Nevada State BBQ Champion and a chance to win part of a $15,000 prize pool.
The winner will also be invited to compete in the 2025 American Royal World Series of BBQ, Memphis 2025 in May and the 2025 Kansas City Barbeque Society World Championships. They will also have the opportunity to compete at the 2025 Jack Daniel’s World Championship Invitational Barbecue.
“I couldn’t be more excited about the talent that BBQ Jackpot is bringing to Las Vegas. There are some real heavy hitters in the mix,” said Vanover, owner and pitmaster of Girls Can Grill and Jackpot BBQ coordinator. “I’m also excited to see so many local Nevada teams ready to showcase Las Vegas barbecue.”
Vanover is no stranger to hosting barbecue competitions in Las Vegas. In 2022 and 2023, he partnered with Bama-Q TV to host the Roll the Dice Steak Cookoff, the largest SCA competitions in Nevada history.
With BBQ Jackpot, teams will smoke chicken, ribs, pork and brisket and process the meats with a panel of KCBS-certified barbecue judges. These judges will taste the dishes blindly, without knowing which team delivered which meat.
Approximately 115 certified barbecue judges from 23 states, Canada and Switzerland will judge dishes on appearance, taste and tenderness.
The team that amazes the judges the most and gets the highest scores will take home the title of Grand Champion, Nevada State Champion, a big share of the prize money, a Las Vegas-inspired trophy, an invitation to the world championships and huge royalties boast. .
At least five of the competing teams have already won the World Barbecue Championships, and many, including Vanover itself, have appeared on Food Network, The Cooking Channel, Destination America and more.
Teams will pull into the Bass Pro Shops parking lot on Dec. 6. After the meat has been inspected, some will begin cooking right away. Others will wait until Saturday morning to turn on the pits.
The public is invited to walk around the venue on December 7, at no charge, to see these pitmasters in action.
Although rules prevent teams from serving barbecue to the public, participants can enjoy free barbecue samples offered by Bass Pro Shops near the store entrance.
Bass Pro Shops also has a well-stocked selection of grilling equipment and dish towels available within the store. Many of the rubs for sale were developed by the award-winning teams that will compete.
This year’s sponsors include Girls Can Grill, Jack Daniel’s, Cowboy Charcoal, Jessie Rae’s Barbecue, Bass Pro Shops, Blue’s Hog, Premier BBQ and Fire, Silverton Casino, Felbro Displays and Coyle Visual Marketing Solutions.
To learn more about the BBQ Jackpot, visit bbqjackpot.com or follow the event on social media @bbqjackpot.
Christie Vanover is the owner of Girls Can Grill® and is an award-winning competitive pitmaster. He has cooked on dozens of grills and has at least 30 in his backyard at any given time. He has developed recipes for several companies in the grilling and barbecue industry. Christie has also competed in BBQ Brawl on Food Network and is the host of the BBQ Tips podcast. She is the author of Recipe book for barbecues during the holidays and has its own line of award-winning barbecue products.
