Iowa’s Smokey D’s BBQ Takes Home Grand Champion Title at 39th American Royal World Series Of Barbecue® Open Competition

KANSAS CITY, Mo., Sept. 17, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Smithfield^® congratulates Darren and Sherry Warth of Iowa’s Smokey D’s BBQ on taking home the Grand Champion title at the 39^th American Royal World Series of Barbecue^® Open Competition, beating out 466 other competing teams. This marks the third Grand Champion win at the American Royal for the husband and wife team, who took home the top prize in the Open Competition in 2016 and 2013. Additionally, Iowa’s Smokey D’s BBQ placed first in Chicken and sixth in Brisket in this year’s Open Competition, seventh in Pork Ribs, and 12^th Overall in the Invitational Competition.

“The American Royal is one of the most challenging barbecue competitions, and it’s such an honor to take home the Grand Champion title for the third time in six years,” said Darren Warth of Iowa’s Smokey D’s BBQ. “To win World Championships, you need quality and consistency – and that’s why we compete with Smithfield Fresh Pork products. Whether you’re a seasoned pitmaster or an at-home cook, you can trust that you’ll find that consistency and quality in every package.”

As the official Pork Loin Category sponsor, Smithfield congratulates There’s No Place Like Smoke, Grills Gone Wild Iowa, and Lucky’s Q on placing in the top three at the inaugural Smokin’ With Smithfield Pork Loin Ancillary contest. In addition, several Smithfield Championship pitmasters, BBQ Alliance, and Committed Cooks teams placed in the top 10 in several categories at this year’s competition, including:

• one2bbq placed second Overall (Invitational), fourth in Brisket (Invitational), and eighth in Pork Ribs (Invitational)
• Lucky’s Q placed third Overall (Open) and second in Brisket (Open)
• T-Mac Smokin placed fourth Overall (Open) and second in Chicken (Open)
• Angry Jack BBQ placed seventh Overall (Invitational) and ninth in Chicken (Invitational)
• Outlaw Hawgs BBQ placed eighth Overall (Open), third in Pork Ribs (Invitational), sixth in Turkey (Open), and seventh in Sausage (Open)
• Getting’ Basted placed 10^th Overall (Invitational)
• Shake ‘n Bake BBQ placed 10^th Overall (Open) and eighth in Chicken (Invitational)
• Fat&Dumb BBQ placed third in Pork Ribs (Open)
• Big Poppa Smokers placed fourth in Pork (Open) and seventh in Chicken (Invitational)
• Smokin’ Lefty’s BBQ placed fourth in Pork Ribs (Open)
• Fergolicious BBQ placed fifth in Chicken (Invitational)
• Hunka Hunka Burnin’ Rub placed sixth in Pork Ribs (Open) and third in Brisket (Open)
• pitmasterIQ BBQ placed sixth in Brisket (Invitational)
• Burnt Bean Co. placed 11^th in Brisket (Invitational)

“We’re so proud to have these accomplished pitmasters winning year after year with high-quality Smithfield Fresh Pork,” said Emily Detwiler, director of fresh pork marketing for Smithfield Foods. “Congratulations to Darren and Sherry on your third impressive win at the Royal, and all of our Smithfield BBQ Alliance and Committed Cooks teams! We thank you for representing us at one of the most distinguished competitions and for sharing in our commitment and passion for barbecue.”

For the full list of winners from the 39^th American Royal World Series of Barbecue, visit www.kcbs.us.  To apply to be a Smokin’ With Smithfield Committed Cooks team for 2019 and for more information on the Smokin’ With Smithfield Grant program, please visit www.SmokinWithSmithfield.com.

About Smithfield
A leading provider of high-quality pork products, Smithfield was founded in 1936 in Smithfield, Virginia, establishing the town as the “Ham Capital of the World.” From hand-trimmed bacon and slow-smoked holiday hams to marinated tenderloins, Smithfield brings artistry, authenticity and a commitment to heritage, flavor, and handcrafted excellence to everything it produces. With a vast product portfolio including smoked meats, hams, bacon, sausage, ribs, and a wide variety of fresh pork cuts, the company services retail, foodservice, and deli channels across the United States and 30 countries abroad. All of Smithfield’s products meet the highest quality and safety standards in the industry. To learn more about how Flavor Hails from Smithfield, please visit www.Smithfield.com, www.Twitter.com/SmithfieldBrand, and www.Facebook.com/CookingWithSmithfield. Smithfield is a brand of Smithfield Foods.

About Smithfield Foods
Smithfield Foods is a $15 billion global food company and the world's largest pork processor and hog producer. In the United States, the company is also the leader in numerous packaged meats categories with popular brands including Smithfield^®, Eckrich^®, Nathan’s Famous^®, Farmland^®, Armour^®, Farmer John^®, Kretschmar^®, John Morrell^®, Cook’s^®, Gwaltney^®, Carando^®, Margherita^®, Curly’s^®, Healthy Ones^®, Morliny^®, Krakus^® and Berlinki^®. Smithfield Foods is committed to providing good food in a responsible way and maintains robust animal care, community involvement, employee safety, environmental and food safety and quality programs. For more information, visit www.smithfieldfoods.com, and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.