Fired Up: Hub City Cookoff serves delicious food, fun atmosphere in 22nd competition

Alana Edgin, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
·2 min read

Cloudy skies could not dampen the spirits of the sold-out 22nd Hub City Cookoff Thursday afternoon as thousands of people swarmed the fairgrounds for award-winning food, music and drinks.

Tickets for the big event sold out by 2 p.m. Thursday, hours before the gates would open at 5 p.m. The line for entry stretched along the fairground fence as ticketholders hoped to try some of the award-winning food. Grant Gilbert and Chandler Pearson took to the stage while more than 4,000 attendees sampled the various foods.

A Hub City BBQ Cookoff competitor smokes sausage, Thursday at the South Plains fairgrounds.
A Hub City BBQ Cookoff competitor smokes sausage, Thursday at the South Plains fairgrounds.

Winners of the 22nd Hub City BBQ Cookoff:

Competitors entered the grounds on Wednesday, which had a little rain, to begin preparations for the cookoff. Despite the continued clouds Thursday, the 80 teams served up their best work in the hopes of taking hope the trophy in one of several categories: Bloody Mary, Beans, Ribs, Brisket, Dessert and a mystery item - Bologna.

Out of those 80, 33 teams across 29 companies placed across the categories. From firefighters to drink companies to plumbers, the teams stuck around after the winners were announced for the thousands of hungry people.

Ribs are seen at the Hub City BBQ Cookoff Thursday at the South Plains fairgrounds.
Ribs are seen at the Hub City BBQ Cookoff Thursday at the South Plains fairgrounds.

Bloody Mary category:

  1. Coca Cola SW Beverages #2

  2. Gery Joy Health and Life

  3. Lubbock Professional Firefighters #1

  4. Texas Farm Bureau Insurance, Lubbock County

  5. WesTech Plumbing

  6. BeYoutiful

  7. Outdoor Chef

  8. Impact Collision Center

  9. Home Sweet Homan – Westmark Realtors

Brisket is chopped at the Hub City BBQ Cookoff, Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022, at the South Plains fairgrounds.
Brisket is chopped at the Hub City BBQ Cookoff, Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022, at the South Plains fairgrounds.

Beans category:

  1. Home Sweet Homan – Westmark Realtors

  2. Great Plains Distributors – Coors Light

  3. Early Learning Center

  4. Caprock Waste Connections

  5. Kona-Ice of South Lubbock

  6. Apex Construction

  7. Gery Joy Health and Life

  8. Coca Cola SW Beverages #2

  9. West Texas Land Guys – Got Wood #3

 Bologna category:

  1. West Texas Land Guys – Got Wood #2

  2. Overton Hotel and Conference Center

  3. Home Sweet Homan – Westmark Realtors

  4. Caprock Waste Connections

  5. Lubbock Professional Firefighters #1

  6. Raider Flooring Team #1

  7. Lubbock Professional Firefighters #2

  8. Raider Flooring Team #2

  9. United Rentals – 2 Smoke 2 Curious BBQ

 Ribs category: 

  1. West Texas Land Guys – Got Wood #1

  2. Outdoor Chef

  3. KS Supplies

  4. Lubbock Professional Firefighters #1

  5. Raider Flooring #2

  6. Centerline Engineering and Consulting

  7. Forrest Tire

  8. Home Sweet Homan – Westmark Realtors

  9. Lubbock Professional Firefighters #2

 Brisket category: 

  1. WunderTre

  2. Lubbock Professional Firefighters #1

  3. Impact Collision Center

  4. Ryno Recycle

  5. Lubbock Wholesale Payments, Inc

  6. Yates Flooring Center

  7. Kona-Ice of South Lubbock

  8. Gery Joy Health and Life

  9. O’Tool Industries

 Dessert category:  

  1. WesTech Plumbing

  2. United Supermarkets

  3. Outdoor Chef

  4. West Texas Land Guys – Got Wood #3

  5. West Texas Land Guys – Got Wood #1

  6. Acme Electric Team #1

  7. Lubbock Professional Firefighters #1

  8. Texas Farm Bureau Insurance, Lubbock County

  9. One Guy From Italy

Alana Edgin is a journalist covering Business News in Lubbock and the surrounding area. Send her a news tip at aedgin@lubbockonline.com. 

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: 2022 Hub City BBQ Cookoff winners include Lubbock firefighters, more