The Backstory
In January 2009, a friend of ours was preparing to compete in the San Antonio Rodeo BBQ Competition—a prestigious event that draws over 220 teams from across the United States. He knew we’d been testing a new rub and asked if he could use it on his chicken, ribs, and brisket. We said, “Let’s go for it!”
He headed to San Antonio with our new blend. The results were outstanding: 4th place chicken, 3rd place ribs, and 7th place brisket—earning him the overall Grand Champion title out of more than 220 teams. He was thrilled, and we were incredibly proud.
When he returned to San Antonio the following year, he took our rub again—and won the entire event once more. Then, at the 2010 Hold’em and Hit’em Cookoff in Houston (with over 120 teams), he won another Grand Champion. A few weeks later, he secured yet another Grand Champion award at a competition in West, Texas (yes, there really is a town called West), beating out 97 other teams.
It was clear our new rub had earned its name: Grand Champion BBQ Rub. It had proven itself in some of the toughest, largest cookoffs in Texas and the nation. Before releasing it widely, we sent out trial bags to our loyal customers, who found the flavor so remarkable that many preferred it over our original rub.
One cook-off team even started calling this blend “the Edge” because it gave them an edge over their competitors. We love that nickname!
