The Southern Living BBQ

Located in Ribfest's Northwest Expo, the Southern Living BBQ on Tour is on the road again bringing the South’s favorite magazine to Ribfest. Southern Living will provide Ribfest visitors with free cooking demonstrations, food sampling, and of course delicious recipes to take home and try out in their own kitchens.

Meet Troy Black
With a knack for invention and love of barbeque, Troy Black has gained an impressive reputation as an award-winning, competitive barbeque chef, and educator. His zeal for both barbeque and the industry have taken Troy on an incredible journey from the Southern Living editorial staff to full-time competitive barbeque chef.

He discovered the world of professional barbeque competition while on assignment for Southern Living. From that moment on he was hooked and immediately went home and began preparing for competition on the Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) circuit.

As a Southern Living contributing editor, Troy’s passion for barbeque led him to work hand-in-hand with the test kitchen professionals to perfect his recipes for the special edition Southern Living “Our Ultimate Guide to Barbeque.” In 2006, Troy made the decision to commit full-time to the world of competitive barbeque, and because Southern Living believes in his mission of bringing professional tips to everyone’s grill, this year Southern Living is sending him on tour to major competitions across the country with the Southern Living BBQ on Tour.

Few teams can claim the immediate success on the highly competitive KCBS circuit that Troy has enjoyed. He consistently finishes in the Top 10, week in and week out, and has been featured on The Food Network, The Travel Channel and numerous other national television and radio shows. His awards to date include three state barbeque championships, 82 Top 10 awards, competing in the American Royal Invitational barbeque Contest (world’s largest), and the prestigious Jack Daniel’s World Invitational barbeque Championship. In addition, for two of the last three years, Troy’s ribs have finished 7th in an annual overall national ranking.

In keeping with his passion for barbeque education, Troy is currently a member of the board of directors for the KCBS, the nation’s largest competitive barbeque-sanctioning body, where he serves as chairman of marketing and public relations. He also provides insight and leadership as the founding president and board member of the Alabama Barbeque Association, which oversees eight barbeque festivals that attract more than 250,000 people each year.

Troy’s wife Jan shares his intense passion for barbeque as do his daughters Taylor and Darby. You can often find them on the road with Troy – cooking up winners under the team name learn2Q.com, taking home top prizes, and educating the public about one of America’s greatest traditions… barbeque.