Seriously, Who Are Those Guys?

George Hensler's team had been decked out in its white aprons for the better part of Friday afternoon at the ninth annual downtown Maryland Barbecue Bash. Outside their station sat a sign advertising sales for a signed copy of Hensler's book, "Startin' the Fire." It was this self-written literary guide to building a barbecue team combined with Hensler's charisma that made him the cause of many pedestrian traffic jams during the two-day event.

His team from Street, MD, calls itself Who Are Those Guys?

The longer Hensler stays on the competitive circuit, though, the less appropriate that name becomes.

Jealousy, however, never made its way through the maze of 59 teams. That is because the atmosphere created by the Maryland Barbecue Bash, and competitions like it, is not one of cutthroat proportions.

"We all want to win, but we want to beat [our competitors] at their best," Dan McGrath of 3 Eyz BBQ said.

Hensler, after all, likely would not be the cook he is today if it were not for a man named Steve Farrin—a well-known pitmaster who took Hensler under his wing about six years ago.

It was through this quasi-internship that Hensler also met Dan Hixon, president of 3 Eyz BBQ, which stationed itself adjacent to WATG? at this year's Bash.

Hixon got his start as a competitive cook under the tutelage of Tuffy Stone, head cook of team Cool Smoke.

To refrain from performing these good deeds would be to shun the unwritten rule of competitive barbecue that is somewhere along the lines of "Love thy neighbor."

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The competitors will tell anyone who listens that it is not your own opinion that matters, but that of the 24 judges who score their barbecue. Pleasing all of them is the holy grail of competitive barbecue, proving elusive to even the top teams.

"You can't teach taste," judge Ron Templeton said.

The dumb luck that could put a team with a sweeter sauce on the table of a judge who prefers something spicy highlights why it is important to believe in your flavor profile instead of playing with lady luck.

"We don't change nothing," McGrath said of the 3 Eyz BBQ team method. "I ain't scared."

Next door WATG? had been working since about 6 a.m. when the ribs went into the cooker. George's wife, JoAnn went home for the night while George, Al Smith and the team's No. 2, Bob "Big Mouth" Zengel, used cots to sleep on the pavement for three-and-a-half hours. Only Erich Schmitt got a normal amount of sleep—seven hours, according to George.

"He looked like he was laid out at McComas Funeral Home," George said.

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The first two turn-ins of the day—chicken and ribs—had passed and McGrath was not happy.

"Our ribs are always our ribs," the 3 Eyz team member said with a shrug. "They were not stellar—they were just my ribs." Which is to say they were pretty good, just not great, by his standards.

"We'll have a decent finish if we don't trash this brisket," McGrath added.

With one category remaining and the 1:30 p.m. deadline looming, George and company think they may have cooked a career brisket.

"We haven't had it look like this in a long time," Zengel said.

"That's three of the best briskets we've ever cooked. I'm telling you," George agreed, only to be subdued by Zengel's heeding.

"It'll tank. … Anytime we like anything it tanks."

This may be the chance, then, to take a bit of a risk with the point cut, George decides.

While WATG? usually submitted a healthy serving of the brisket's flat cut—the leaner, flatter piece of the meat—he decided to add some chunks of the naturally fattier, chewier point cut along the bottom of the box. It certainly looked good, but the concern was how the judges would respond to the experiment.

Seated behind George was his mother, who had her share of samples that afternoon. Content and smiling she was asked how her son became such a good cook.

"He's a good student," Marlene Cavano said.

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"You wanna sell a book or what?!" Zengel yelled to George, who was chatting with McGrath from across the tent after the cooking had ended.

George excused himself and signed another copy of what had become the top-selling book for his small-time publisher.

After taking a few minutes to let his work sink in, he was ready to evaluate the team's performance.

"Unfortunately today I really feel good, but hopefully it's not the kiss of death," George said. "I'd like to be in the top 10 overall."

A swarm of cooks began crossing Thomas Street to get a seat in front of the main stage and find out if their work paid off.

The top eight teams in each category were recognized, with the announcement of the category and overall winners saved for the end.

After the first round of calls to the stage, George's team was shutout, and could only hope for a category victory.

Chix, Swine & Bovine, which got a seventh place call in brisket, threw its hat in the ring for grand champion honors when it was called for first place chicken.

The rib champion was a relatively local team, just not Who Are Those Guys? Pork & Dean's BBQ Team won the category, which invoked genuine cheers from the entire WATG? team.

"He won't let me hear the end of that," George would later say of his friend, Dean Ayres, whose team is from Jacksonville, MD.

With two categories remaining, George was resigned to the fact he would be shut out. As is often said, though, just when you least expect it—

First place in the pork category goes to—Geeooorrrrge…

You could almost hear Hensler's heart beat out of his chest, ready to stand up for a walk to the stage.

… and Swine Done Fine.

It would have been impossible for him not to be disappointed. Asked if he got his hopes up when he heard "George", he needed one word to answer.

"Yeah!"

Fate would not be so kind as to reward his brisket with a first place finish, and with only the top five overall to be announced, the shut-out was all but official.

A small consolation came when Ayres' team was announced again for fifth overall.

Tuffy Stone, whose team had already gotten three calls to the stage, was worried that the shutout in the ribs category might cost him grand champion honors.

"You're just hoping that your ribs didn't tank so bad because I've been in that situation before where it looked like you could've won, and you're not even in the top 10," Stone said.

But it would not be one of those situations, as Stone soon made his fourth and most meaningful walk to the stage.

The grand champion goes to Tuffy Stone and Cook Smoke!

The skinny southerner with glasses made his way through the crowd and accepted the trophy that had narrowly eluded him three times in the past.

George made his way back with the rest of the teams to pack up their trailers and go home.

"We're happy with where we are. [Fifty-nine] teams, we would've liked to have gotten a call to the stage but overall our scores were pretty solid," said George, whose team finished 14th.

The 22nd place brisket did not do as bad as he had feared, but George felt that the inclusion of the point cut cost his team a top 10 finish.

"I think maybe I did a little bit of an experiment on the brisket box this time out and maybe I shouldn't have. So I'll go back to basics," George said. "I think the flat brisket that I turned in—I don't know if I could cook a better brisket than that."

Even more disappointed in the shutout was Hixon for his team's 29th place showing.

"You continually beat your head into that wall," Hixon stated. "If you let a finish that sucks beats you … you obviously don't love it enough. If it was easy I wouldn't be doing this."

Stone, of course, had nothing with which to be unhappy.

"As I went to awards I felt like I had a good cook. But I never go to the awards with the expectation of getting called," Stone said. "Once you put your food in the box and give it to the judges, you can't control any of that. Every contest I go [to] I try to hit my marks."

Despite the good news from the judges and responsibility of overseeing his vending tent for the rest of the night, Stone was out of energy.

"As cool as that was, I'm about faded out right now."

George and his team felt the same, and fortunately had much less further to travel.

One more thing before you go, though, George.

"Do you have any more books to sell?" someone asked.

George smiled at the thought of another person wanting to read Startin' the Fire. Glad to accommodate he grabbed a pen, signed it and made her day, because sometimes these competitions are about much more than barbecue.