The world’s biggest barbecue competition is back at the Kansas Speedway this weekend
Paul “Juggy” Schleer competed in the American Royal World Series of Barbecue for the first time in 1989. The competition was overwhelming for “Juggy’s Juciers,” Schleer’s small team of four, which included Schleer, his father and three of his good friends.
“We were overwhelmed because there were well over 200 teams there and most of the contests that we cooked were about 30 teams,” Schleer said.
Despite the odds, Schleer’s team brought home a first place ribbon for lamb.
“We took the first place ribbon at our very first big contest,” Schleer said, adding that he was so excited he did a round off and a backflip before accepting his first American Royal ribbon on stage.
Schleer’s first time victory at the 1989 American Royal was just the start of Juggy’s Juicers’ an enduring tradition for the Schleer family and a 32-year competing streak at the barbecue competition.
“It’s sort of like a high school or college homecoming to me,” Schleer said about the American Royal. “I see old friends and reminisce about old times, and it’s just a part of my life.”
This weekend, Juggy’s Juicers will join 534 other competitive barbecue teams at Kansas Speedway for the 2022 American Royal World Series of Barbecue.
How to attend the world’s biggest barbecue competition
Aside from the smoky delicacies, the weekend of barbecue will also have a Battle of the Bands competition, a BBQ sauce wrestling match, parties and vendors.
Tickets to the competition start at $25 for a single day entry with special prices for children and family packs.
On Friday night, there will be a “Pit Party” with live music, food and drinks on the infield of the Kansas Speedway. Vendors will be out starting at 3 p.m. and the live shows start at 5:00 p.m.
Saturday will be a more family-friendly day with games, activities and giveaways for the entire family to enjoy, according to the American Royal website.
Can you taste the competing barbecue?
Attendees should note, American Royal’s World Series of Barbecue is not a sampling event, so guests won’t be able to try the dishes in the competition unless they are affiliated with a competing team. However, there will be vendors available all weekend selling all kinds of food, including Kansas City barbecue.
How long has this been happening, and when did it get so big?
The American Royal is known as one the world’s biggest barbecue competitions and one of Kansas City’s longest traditions, starting in 1899 as a livestock show in the West Bottoms.
In 1998, the barbecue portion of the event became the largest competition in the world with 340 competitive barbecue teams in the running.
This year, there will be a total of 535 teams competing overall, about half will be competing in an invitational competition, which is reserved for teams who have won ribbons for their work in previous barbecue competitions over the past year.
The open competition is open for all who want to compete, regardless of if they have competed before. The open competition includes contests for both meats and side dishes. In addition to the open and invitational, there will also be a kids competition.
This year’s competition will also bring in 23 international teams hailing from countries like Canada, New Zealand, and Great Britain, according to American Royal’s spokesperson Allyssa King.
Last year, the “Last Calls Heroes” barbecue team won the open competition, while “Triple H BBQ” brought home top scores in the invitational competition.
Will KC be represented?
Of course.
Local pit masters will also leave their mark on this year’s competition, with 100 teams competing from the Kansas side and 114 teams competing from Missouri.
“It’s a reunion for them. They get to see all of their friends here,” King said. “It’s kind of cool to see [the teams] come, and get together, catch up and cheer each other on at the award ceremony.”
A big barbecue reunion
American Royal Barbecue vet Schleer said his team joins the competition each year just for fun.
“We’re not what I’d consider to be a team to be afraid of by any means,” said Schleer, who will be barbecuing alongside his son, nephews, sisters and a host of other family members. Although his team doesn’t compete as regularly as some of the other competitors, Schleer said it’s Juggy’s Juicers commitment to tradition that makes the team stand out.
“We’ve cooked in five different decades and we have had four different generations in our family compete at the American Royal,” Schleer said. “We are one of the few teams that can make this claim.”
To learn more about all the festivities kicking off at the American Royal World Series Barbecue this year, visit here. To learn more about what you need to know to compete next year, visit here. To learn how to become a judge in the future, click here.
