Whenever I eat barbecue, I imagine beer, bourbon, and even blues. Locally, there are BBQ festivals and competitions held across the country that convey everything mentioned above. From BBQ club competitions to state-wide BBQ contests, people of all backgrounds are drawn to this style of cooking.

Think you’re ready to enter a serious competition or back-yard challenge among friends? I’ve organized more than 401 name ideas that will set your grilling team apart from the rest of the ground round. Flip on your smoker and let’s find your team name. Stick around until the end of the post and I share proven tips for winning any BBQ competition you enter.

Competition BBQ Team Names

  • Smoke ‘Em
  • Smoke Smarter
  • The Smoke Plan
  • Smoke Lab
  • BBQ Joint
  • Chillout Grill
  • Grill Crowd
  • Hello Grill
  • Live To Grill
  • BBQ Men
  • Grill Culture
  • Cajun Heat
  • Steak Geeks
  • Roast And Grill
  • Butcher Grill
  • Big Grille
  • The BBQ Project
  • House Of BBQ
  • BarbeCuties
  • BBQ Alley
  • 3 DeGrill
  • BBQ Shack
  • Barbe Queueing
  • The Smoke Patrol
  • Smoke And Win
  • Too Smoke Too Furious
  • Smoke River
  • Yes Sirloin!
  • Pork Peeps
  • Outback Shack
  • Sizzam!
  • Sizzling Mamas
  • Tenderite
  • Grill Mountain
  • Country Smoke
  • Smoked Favorites
  • Meat Kings
  • Flaming Guys
  • Thermal Factor
  • Slow Smokers
  • Fiery Hands
  • Arms On Fire
  • Sizzling Joes
  • Velvet Smoke
  • Blazing Smokes
  • Lava Grille
  • Ignite Guys
  • Wicked Chops
  • Savory Saucers
  • Dragon Grillers
  • Smoke Meister
  • Roasticas
  • Flaming Janes
  • Hot Guys

Funny BBQ Team Names

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  • Burned Palms
  • Up In Smoke
  • Ashed Meats
  • Rise N’ Swine
  • Nothing Butt Pork
  • Grillin’ It Slowly
  • Gone Grillin’
  • Little Pig Town
  • Rubbin’ Backs
  • Second Hand Smoke
  • Holy Smokes!
  • Pig Newtons
  • Hog-o Boss
  • Bushwhackers
  • Silence Of The Hams
  • Pork-O-Holics
  • Bad To The Bone
  • Tipsy Pigs
  • The Grill Is Mine
  • Kick Ash

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  • The Brisket Bitch
  • Ash Wipe
  • 2nd Hand Smoke
  • Blood, Sweat, and Beers
  • Casual Smokers
  • BBQ Pickers
  • Grillem’
  • Pork Illustrated
  • Pork Buffs
  • Rise And Swine
  • Seriously Smokin’
  • So Slow
  • The Spice Boys
  • Too Sauced Too Furious
  • Smoke And The Bandits
  • Smoke Ville
  • Yummy Butts
  • Pork & Teens
  • Hogs Gone Wild
  • Pork Hub
  • After Pork Ends
  • Porkography
  • Notorious P.I.G.
  • Mission Imporkable
  • Piggest Loser
  • Pork Whisperers
  • Grilluminati
  • Three Men and a Pig
  • The Pignappers
  • 1-2-3 Pig
  • Two Pork Smoker
  • Albert EinSwines
  • Nice Racks

BBQ Pitmaster Name Ideas

  • The Pigmasters
  • The Skillers
  • Grille Gods
  • The Pit Crew
  • The Smoke Squad
  • Grille Kings
  • Pitmatters
  • Hot Gods
  • The Lucky Pit
  • Triple Threat
  • Performance Gaugers
  • Titan Box
  • Planet Ace
  • Aces Of Spades
  • Sovereign Chiefs
  • The Smoke Gods
  • The Badass Pit Patrol
  • Grill Gurus
  • Pit Captains
  • Pit Pros
  • Pork Connoisseurs
  • Smoke Masters
  • Pig Pickers
  • Rub Me Gently
  • Grille Masters
  • Pit Maestros
  • Smoke Authority
  • The Pit Chiefs
  • Smoking Chiefs
  • Grille Commanders
  • Pit Governors
  • Pork Pros
  • Top Dogs
  • Grille Chieftains
  • Pit Guides
  • Grille Patriarchs
  • Smoke Heads
  • TaskMasters
  • Pit Skippers
  • BBQ Pedagogues
  • Pork Professionals
  • Commanding BBQs
  • Old Hand Pitters
  • Pit Rulers
  • Pit Real Pros
  • BBQ Whiz
  • Virtuoso Crew
  • Skipper Crew
  • Grille Wizards
  • Prima Donnas
  • Ace Squad
  • Cracker Jacks

Badass BBQ Name Ideas

  • All Elite Smokers
  • The Pit Warriors
  • The Forger Brothers
  • The Haley Boys
  • The Pork Foundation
  • BBQ Bulldogs
  • Badass Brisket
  • Domination
  • Abominable Smokers
  • New World Smokers
  • Harlem Heat
  • Smokers Of Pain
  • Smoking Gunns
  • Grillers Of Destruction
  • Wild Skewers
  • The Brain Skewers
  • Mega BBQers
  • The Butcher Express
  • Grilling Me Softly
  • The Hardened Boyz
  • Nitro Boyz
  • The Pork Horsemen
  • The Smoke Pack
  • The Filthy Animals
  • Badass Steaks
  • BBQ Impact
  • Extreme BBQ Grillers
  • Serial Grillers
  • Grivolution
  • Grille Corporation
  • Smoked Dreams
  • Natural Born Grillers
  • Smoke Mafia
  • Beastie Porks
  • Death Grille
  • Heat Division
  • Smokescreen
  • Pork Burners
  • Badass Smokers
  • Monster Smokers
  • Headless Grillers
  • Ghost Grillers
  • Grille Ghouls
  • Gang Of Four
  • Hell’s Smokers
  • Sons Of Smokers
  • Devil’s Crew
  • Grille Outlaws
  • Dos Diablos
  • Mongols Skewer Squad
  • Pork Vaporizers
  • Scums Of The Grille
  • Grilled Seekers
  • Bram Smokers

Grilling steak.

Texas BBQ Team Names

  • Southern Sky
  • Lone Star Crew
  • Texas Steak Club
  • Crew Down South
  • Houston Skewers
  • Red Tango Bbq
  • Red Storm Porks
  • Tex Smokes
  • Texas Jones
  • Southville Bbqers
  • Prestige Bbq
  • Grille Instruments
  • Lone Star Grill Co.
  • Star Skewers
  • South Select
  • The South Scene
  • H-Town Skewers
  • AGG Town Crew
  • ATX Grillers
  • Southern Longhorns
  • Crooked I Crew
  • El Chuco Smokers
  • Dirty Third Squad
  • Funky Town Grille Crew
  • Southlake Burners
  • Cowboy Smokers
  • Howdy Skewers
  • Pork Texecutioners
  • SA-Town Smoke Crew
  • Purple Sprite Squad
  • Tortilla Tech Crew
  • Slow Slabs
  • South Panteras
  • Da Rillo Smoke Squad
  • Texican Skewers
  • Co Town Grillers
  • Ti-83 Grille Crew
  • Mac-Town BBQ Crew
  • Jiggin With It
  • Dollas Texas
  • River BBQers
  • Houstone Grillers
  • 3rd Coast Crew
  • Hot Town
  • Triple D Smokers
  • Robstown Squad
  • Fort Worth Qers
  • Pocket Rockets
  • Red Raiders
  • Metroplex Skewers
  • Farmersville Crew
  • Armored Dillo Squad
  • Honkytonk Smoke Crew

Grillmaster Team Names

  • Smooth Operators
  • Grille Commandos
  • Grille Captains
  • GFs (George Foreman’s)
  • Slab Masters
  • Grille Scot
  • Habachi Chiefs
  • Meat Nitins
  • Grille Librarians
  • Pork Sensei
  • Smokin’ Popes
  • Grille Jocks
  • Slab Dustins
  • Meat Eggmen
  • Grille Michaelangelos
  • Meat DaVincis
  • Master Of Smoked Meats
  • Meat GMP (Grand Master Plan)
  • Grillicious Masters
  • Slab Seinfelds
  • Grille Greats
  • Pork Conquerors
  • BBQ Lords
  • Jack Of All Grilles
  • Slab Aces
  • Pork Disciples
  • Totally Hot Grill
  • Master Chiefs
  • Grill Artimus
  • Pork Ring Masters
  • Grizzle Kings
  • Grill Ninjas
  • Control Knob DJs

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  • Meat Igniters
  • Control Knob Captains
  • Charcoal Starters
  • BBQ MultiMasters
  • Meat Meisters
  • Torgo Grillers
  • Meatheads
  • Grill Einsteins
  • Smoke Starters
  • Lead Grillers
  • Control Knob Maestros
  • Meat Pundits
  • Smoked Masterminds
  • Funkmaster Grillers
  • South Bay Maestros
  • Meat Your Master
  • Slab Champs
  • Master Smokers

Cookout Team Names

  • Temperature Gaugers
  • Fiery Charcoals
  • Grill Grindz
  • Grill Works
  • Grill Fusion
  • Team Meat
  • Grillin’ Grit
  • Control Knob MCs
  • Grill Gamers
  • Pork Pundits
  • Grillers Group
  • BBQ Aficionados
  • Tryin’ Harder
  • Meat Picks
  • Grill Corner
  • BBQ Men At Work
  • Meat At Its Best
  • BBQs Best
  • Burning Desire
  • Perfect Ten
  • Smoke Hunters
  • Puff The Magic Dragons
  • Ignite And Bite
  • BBQ At Work
  • Meat Chronicles
  • Pork Faction
  • Meat And Grit
  • Grilling Saucers
  • Ten Out Of Ten
  • Brisket Babes
  • Band Of Grillers
  • Inter Grillers
  • Grilla From The Villa
  • Grill Bill
  • Will Of The Grill
  • Grill From The Hill
  • Grill McGrill
  • The Smoke Has Spoke
  • Smoke Jokers
  • Don’t Provoke The Smoke
  • Meat Complete
  • Meat Eaters
  • Meat Street
  • Meat Fleet
  • Pork Dorks
  • Noah’s Pork
  • Walk The Pork
  • Pork Torque
  • Pork Hulks
  • Install The Grill
  • Built Grillers
  • Mile Long Grill

Creative BBQ Team Names

  • Grillin’ And Chillin’
  • Grill And Grind
  • Smoke Meat Everyday
  • Burning Hands
  • Meat Your Maker
  • Sauce Peter
  • Ribbed Pleasure
  • Burn Baby Burn!
  • Grillers Forever
  • Night Igniters
  • Pork Battalion
  • It’s A Large Knob Life
  • 2 Men and a Meat
  • Porkin’ Powers
  • BBQ-Weiser

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  • Smokers Paradise
  • Grilling Machine
  • Taylor’s Meat
  • BBQ Junkies
  • Yabba Dabba Que
  • Barbie Qs
  • Roar BBQ
  • Smoke N’ Barrel
  • Squeal Of Approval
  • Rub Me Tender
  • Ring Of Fire
  • Silence Of The Slabs
  • All Fired Up
  • Rub My Meat
  • Ultimate Grilling Champion
  • May The Sauce Be With You
  • Border Wall Smokers
  • The Smokiest Grill
  • Burning Point
  • Hogzilla
  • Flaming Red Grill
  • The Good Burn
  • Grill To Live
  • As Grilled As It Gets
  • Charred Remains
  • Sweet Grill
  • Lit Up
  • Straight From The Grill

Tips to Win Your Next BBQ Competition

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The competitive BBQ community is a tight knit group. It’s not uncommon for teams to travel to other states and across the country to attend different cook-offs. The winning teams of these events win cash prizes, trophies, and of course bragging rights.

At every competition, there are different factors that go into determining the perfect chicken wing or rib. To improve your odds of winning, following these rules is extremely important. How does one go about achieving top rank among the dozens of other experienced competitors when the tiniest divergence from expectation could mean an excruciating loss? Here are some guidelines to follow.

Don’t Hurry Your BBQ. There’s a saying, “BBQ is Ready when it’s Ready so Don’t Hurry.” Low and slow is the name of the game during these competitions. Make the most of your time by getting your meat ready and on the grill as soon as possible so it can cook at its own pace. Give your meat plenty of time to sit and reach room temperature before hitting the flame. 

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Have The Right Equipment. As many well-placed teams who’ve built theirs out of who knows how many different bases can attest, it doesn’t have to be a top-of-the-line, fancy, tech-savvy monster. The only thing that matters is that the grill or smoker works, is dependable to maintain a consistent temperature for hours. You need to understand the hot and cold spots, idiosyncrasies, and use the smoker to its fullest potential. 

Test Your Skill First. Spend time perfect your rub and smoking process in the backyard before your first competition. Investing time at home to practicing for months is a worthwhile activity to ensure you’ve got the process down. Not to mention this can be extremely fun and delicious. Use this time to put together a list of equipment and everything from tongs to spices you’ll need to bring to a competition. You don’t want to miss any detail. 

Think Like A Judge. Consider yourself a judge, as if you were judging your own work. Get to know the rules of any event inside and out. Here are some general BBQ competition rules that are used by many judges as an example of things to look out for. 

  • Team members: Most competitions require one chief cook and a limited number of assistants (4 max). Make sure to build a team that can actually participate in most BBQ events.
  • Understand Rules of the Meat: Many events require you to bring raw meat that hasn’t been marinated or rubbed in any way. You usually won’t be able to precook meat before the start of the event either. Confirm what meat will be cooked at the event: chicken, pork, beef brisket, pulled pork, sausage, etc.
  • Cooking requirements: Meat often needs to be cooked in a certain way or you could be disqualified. For example, many events won’t allow gas or fire grilling. Certain fire woods may not be acceptable either. If anything is unclear in the cooking process be sure to ask.
  • Health and Safety: It’s essential to serve safe food to judges and attendees. This means washing hands and making sure all your equipment has been cleaned. There may also be local guidelines such as having a 3-compartment sink that will vary from event to event. Having a fire extinguisher may also be required.
  • Contest Space Size: If you’re using a tent, make sure it adheres to the dimension requirements of the event. In many events, a tent larger than 20’x20′ won’t be allowed.

BBQ judges are a common starting point for competitive cooks. You must pay a nominal fee and attend a four-hour judging class to learn the guidelines and regulations for judging BBQ. You’ll even see the meats that are submitted for evaluation, sample everything, and see what you’re up against as a BBQ judge. This is a cost-effective and enjoyable method to explore the competitive world of smoked meat.

In general, the bigger the competition, the more rules there are to follow. Review all the rules in advance and you’ll be setup for success. 

Networking is Important. Like so many things in life, who you know is important in the world of competitive BBQ. Competitive BBQ is a niche group of people that get to know each other. They share secrets of the trade and also share information about future events. It may time some time to get to know the players in your area. Make sure to be respectful and friendly to everyone at these events. Being nice and putting on a smile can only help improve the odds of success.

If you enjoy sampling from BBQ competitions and smoking meat on the weekends, it might be time to put your passion into action. You can locate a BBQ contest in your neighborhood by conducting some preliminary research into the competition to determine when competitors must submit their meats. Look for the smaller competitions first and work your way up the ranks.