The Raider Red Meats Barbecue & Ribeye Championship will be held Friday and Saturday (Aug. 20-21), highlighting cooks locally and nationwide while raising scholarship funds for Texas Tech students. Sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbeque Society, the competition serves as the Texas state championship and is open to competitors around the nation. A collegiate division will be included for the fourth year.

Raider Red Meats, a part of Tech’s Meat Science & Muscle Biology program, has funded scholarships for Tech students since 1982. All proceeds from the event go into the Raider Red Meats Endowment Fund to sponsor scholarships for students in Tech’s College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources. The event is consistently the largest contributor to the scholarship funding.

“We’re thrilled to be hosting the 2021 Raider Red Meats BBQ & Ribeye Championship,” said Tate Corliss, director of Raider Red Meats. “This is a great opportunity for our students to network and learn from leaders within the industry. After not being able to host the event in 2020, we are working hard to make this one the biggest and best ever.” 

This marks the 10th year for the cook-off, which involves CASNR students throughout the process, working all aspects of the event, including the sponsor dinner.

“It’s a great thing for the students to be involved with the Barbecue & Ribeye Championship,” Corliss said. “The student-sponsor interaction for this event is so critical, giving students the opportunity to meet those who are lessening their financial burden and the sponsors an opportunity to meet the next generation of meat-science experts.”

The competition will take place in the Animal & Food Sciences building parking lot (Commuter West) on the Tech campus. Team entry fee is $275 per team and cooks are invited to compete in a steak contest and four meat divisions: chicken, ribs, pork and brisket. Check-in, setup and cooking will begin Friday (Aug. 20) followed by a sponsor dinner and entertainment. Judging will be on Saturday (Aug. 21), followed by an awards ceremony at 5 p.m.

CONTACT: Michael Orth, chairman, Department of Animal and Food Sciences, Texas Tech University at (806) 834-5653 or michael.orth@ttu.edu

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