The Kingsford® $40K Challenge
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Swine Assassins repeat at Iowa State BBQ Championship
Jul 18, 2011
The 2010 Iowa State BBQ Champion can rest easy for another year – Swine Assassins, the 2010 Grand Champion, successfully defended their title June 24-25 in Marshalltown, Iowa.
In addition to being named the Grand Champion two years in a row, Swine Assassins also took home first place in chicken and brisket and third in ribs. The 11-person team was also named the Kingsford Points Chase winner of the event.
The Swine Assassins consist of Scott and Katy Nelson, Kris and Brandi Paulson and their Seven Assassins in Training (Tyler, Valerie, Gavin, Hudsen, Ben, Lucas and Chloe).
Long time friends, the Nelsons and the Paulsons were looking for a productive way to spend their weekends and decided to take up competitive barbeque. The team spent a week brainstorming team names and ultimately decided on Swine Assassins. One thing they can’t decide on is who to give credit for the name, but according to Scott it was a team effort.
In just three years on the BBQ trail, the Swine Assassins have amassed an impressive resume, including being named the Reserve Grand Champion at the 2010 American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open Contest.
The Seven Assassins in Training are also making their own mark on the BBQ world by participating in Kids Quest at events alongside their parents. And if their collection of trophies from the Iowa State BBQ Championship is any indication, these young pitmasters will soon be giving their parents a run for their money!
According to Scott, patience is the key to their success. The team has picked up valuable tips and lessons from fellow competitors and are always working to improve in the pork category, which, to date, has been their most difficult to master. Given their “overnight” success, however, it won’t be long until their pork entries live up to their name.
