Category Archives: Baby Got Rack

Baby Got Rack, Carla, Flat Earth Joe, Jay, Jesse, Mom, Pufferbilly Days, Sara, Scottie D., Teresa, Willy

The People’s Rack

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Team Baby Got Rack competed in the Pufferbilly Days Barbecue Contest this past Sunday.

I will take away many cherished memories from this Sunday, I’ll share those when I share the majority of the Baby Got Rack images at a later date.

Here is what is important to know.

At this contest we debuted our two signature barbecue sauces:

Sweet + Mild
Anaconda Picosa

We also debuted our new signature drink: Thick Soul Sweet Tea.
We also debuted our new logo: Sir Pigs-a-Lot.
We also debuted a mascot, that at this time we are going to just call Cow or Bull.
We also attempted to debut a new signature style shirt to go with our signature fedoras. We weren’t quite there on that.

But what about the results? Well it wasn’t our best day. But even on a tiger’s worst day, it still gets to be a friggin’ tiger! We came home with the People’s Choice Award for the second straight year. Proving that you can’t spell D-Y-N-A-S-T-Y without Baby Got Rack.

Here is the team picture (with Cow or Bull) from Sunday:



Photo Credit: Melissa D.

Another unofficial category we dominated was The Fun Department. As you will see in a later post where I tell some of the stories of Saturday. Including my favorite guy from the day, who delivered the best line of the day.

In closing, I would just like to thank all the people that came up and supported us (helping ease the pain of Baby Got Rack Superfan Willy McAlpine’s absence), like my sisters and Mom, WB Joseph Lynch and his posse, the Howard Clan, the Thornburgs, and the Petersons to name a few. And of course, those that were there in spirit. Too many to name.

And to Sara for loaning us her chalkboards. To Jay for offering us the use of his can opener too!

Baby Got Rack, Contests, Scottie D., State Fair

State Champs!

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As some may have heard from various social media outlets or via press release, Baby Got Rack competed at the Iowa State Fair barbecue contest in the Combination category last Tuesday and brought home the championship.

Word on the street is that we were very close to winning the Grand Championship, but fell just short because we didn’t have our own barbecue sauce. An oversight that has been remedied. 4X over.

Here are a few photos from the day.





We were set up and ready to rock by 5 AM.


This corn dog stand can take a long walk off a short pier.


Marcus holding down the smoker.


Chicken and pork loin on!


IPTV setup a timelapse camera in our booth, but didn’t use the footage in their show.


Meat check.


Meat resting.


This guy’s shirt. Came to the right place.


60 total barbecue combatants.


Never hurts to work the Staties.


Getting the pizza ready.


The Marriage Saver


Scott and the judges.


Cynthia Fodor spent quite a bit of time hanging around our booth.


Media Obligations


More Media Obligations


Even More Media Obligations. This interview was on IPTV.

The Grand Champion Judges


Scott receiving his award. If we would’ve won Grand Champion, he would’ve gotten that crown.

I also took some pictures of the preparations, but we don’t want any of the trade secrets going public.

If you’re sad you missed Baby Got Rack’s most recent competition, we will be competing again during the Pufferbilly Days barbecue contest. We will be looking to defend our People’s Choice Award. We have a few tricks up our sleeve for this one. An ace in the hole from a marketing standpoint. Almost as good as our trademark fedoras.

Some come up and try our free samples on Sunday, September 11. Downtown Boone. Follow the smell of smoky and goodness. Vote for Baby Got Rack! The one vote you can cast this fall that you won’t regret later.

Baby Got Rack, Boone County Fair, Melissa, Scottie D.

Baby Got Boone County Fair

This isn’t exactly new news, because it has been leaked to the social media realm, but here it is:

Team Baby Got Rack cleaned up at the Boone County Fair Barbecue Contest. Baby Got Rack won all the categories except for two. Claiming the title for Turkey, Beef, Combination, and Overall.

This victory has secured Baby Got Rack a berth at the Iowa State Fair’s Barbecue Contest. We will be loading up Scott’s truck and heading down to do battle with the Cyclone State’s best barbecue teams on August 16th. It is a Tuesday, but if you are at the Fair, I invite you to come look us up.

After we were given our victor’s crown, we put our fedoras back on and posed for a picture.



Photo Credit: Mel D.

There will be a plethora of pictures from the competition published at some point. That point is when I get a chance to edit them. A smart person would be able to figure out how to look at the unedited pictures through this blog… but I digress.

One other thing. Let me put a bug in your ear. Baby Got Rack will be defending our People’s Choice Award at the Pufferbilly Days Barbecue Contest in about 6 weeks. I invite you to come down for that and help us defend our title against 23 other barbecue teams. More information on that as it becomes available.

Baby Got Rack, Contests, Pufferbilly Days, Scottie D.

Baby Got Awards

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For the third time in as many years I was an auxiliary member of the award winning competitive barbecue team Baby Got Rack at the Pufferbilly Days Barbecue Contest. In many ways the Pufferbilly Days Barbecue Contest was a much bigger success than in previous years. There were 15 teams competing and I’d guess that there were over 200 people there milling around and trying the free samples from the teams competing.

Here are a few pictures from the competition:


As you can see, Baby Got Rack came home with multiple awards. 3rd Place for chicken. 2nd Place for pork loin, 3rd Place overall (no trophy), and the first ever Peoples Choice Award. It is not a coincidence that a well-documented “Man of the People” like me and Scottie D. would work for and attain such a prestigious award.

The secret to Baby Got Rack’s success, besides incredible teamwork and charisma? Well, Scottie D. makes the injection and House makes the rub. Other than that, you’ll have to spy on one of our team meetings.

If you are an aspiring graphic designer and work for the price of next to nothing, Baby Got Rack is looking for a logo to help brand the team on its adventures moving forward. If you have ideas and sketches, I might be able to get you invited to the next team meeting. However, you might be searched for a wire. The world of competitive barbecue is cutthroat. We take no chances.

If you are the observant type of person, you may have noticed that this is the second appearance by Scottie D. in less than a week. That is not completely random. All part of a new philosophy that I’ve adopted. He just doesn’t know it.

My new philosophy has a name. If you ask, I won’t tell you.

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On an unrelated note, as the barbecue contest is really beginning to take off, it seems like the Pufferbilly Days Photo Contest is beginning to peter out. There were less than 20 photo entries this year. I haven’t entered the contest in probably 7 or 8 years. In that time all of the best photographers I know have also stopped entering. I don’t know why they stopped entering, but I know the reasons why I stopped entering. Those reasons don’t stand up to scrutiny when placed under my new philosophy. Therefore, if the Pufferbilly Days Photo Contest returns next year, I intend on throwing my hat back into the ring. Hopefully, I will get my hat back afterwards. I like that hat.

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One other personal note, I had another great personal victory on Sunday. While shopping at the book store in Boone I found a book I have coveted for years and years and years. A book that I would have gladly paid a princely fortune to obtain. Only I didn’t have to pay a princely fortune. It was in a collection of books that were available to take as many as you could fit into a bag for 2 dollars, American.

At this time I will keep the details of that book a secret to only those that would understand its greatness and significance. However, believe me, you will be hearing about this book again in the future, “for that is where you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives. And remember my friend, future events such as these will affect you in the future.”*

*That was a clue, in case you are denser than osmium.

365 Day Project, Baby Got Rack, Black & White, Naima, Railroad, Scottie D., Self-Portrait

365 Day Photo Challenge: 64-70

10 weeks in the books!


Day 64: My Name Begins With...
Day 64: My Name Begins With…

Day 65: Lines
Day 65: Lines*

Day 66: Alone
Day 66: Alone

Day 67: Here Forever
Day 67: Here Forever

Day 68: Getting Ready
Day 68: Getting Ready

Day 69: White
Day 69: White

Day 70: Made By Me
Day 70: Made By Me**

Last week’s collection was very diverse in location. 6 different cities. 4 different states were represented. This week everything was not very diverse in location. Everything was shot in Boone.

The next 7 themes:

Day 71: On the Wall
Day 72: Sweet
Day 73: What You Did Today
Day 74: Shadow
Day 75: Unexpected
Day 76: Liquid
Day 77: Season

*This pictures was admittedly taken on Day 70, but I liked it so much better than my original lines picture.
**I actually had very little to do with making these ribs. I sprinkled the seasoning on them, but that was about the end of my contributions to the Team Degeneffe Pufferbilly Days Barbecue Competition Team.