Dec 212017
 


 

 

 

 

 

Swamp Boys bbq team had a very blessed year in 2017. The experiences I get to have with friends and family are truly unforgettable. I’m so thankful. I’m especially thankful for earning the Florida BBQ Association Team of the Year ’17. This marks my 3rd time winning it, in two different decades. Here’s my year by the numbers:

  • 28 contests in 5 states – FL, GA, AL, TN, and CA
  • FBA TOTY
  • 7 Grand Championships, 3 Reserve Grands
  • 19 Top 5 Overalls
  • 14 category 1st place calls
  • Vended as well as competed at 4 contests
  • Taught 3 Swamp Boys Q Schools

Final TOTY Standings. I was in 2nd place up until the final contest.

One of the things that won’t show up in the numbers that I’m really proud of was earning an invitation to every major invitational in the country. The American Royal, Sonny’s, The Jack, and the King of the Smoker. We were able to travel and compete in all but the American Royal.

Regarding KCBS I was able to compete in 5 contests. Out of over 2,200 teams in my division (5 or less contests) Swamp Boys placed 8th overall for the year, and we were the 2nd place rib team (Smithfield ribs baby!). I’m pretty happy with that considering 2 of those contests we were vending, which means I was cooking food for thousands of people, as well as the 6 judges.

Finally a big shout out to my amazing sponsors! Products from each of them are integral to my team, and I’m thankful for their support.

  • Deep South Smokers – simply the best quality and performance smokers. 100% usable interior space, the most even temp’d cooker I’ve ever used. Built by hand in the USA.
  • Big Poppa Smokers and Simply Marvelous aka West Coast Offense – some amazing rubs and injections from these 2. I use them every contest. So do the best teams in the country. Proud to be a West Coast Offense team!
  • Nature’s Own Hardwood Charcoal from Basques – Every time I cook. Clean and predictable sugar maple lump. Nothing else. Why would you cook on anything other than all wood?
  • Grizzly Coolers – I’m proud to be an ambassador for the best coolers on the market. Made in the USALifetime Warranty. Try to top that.
  • The BBQ Guru – Hands down the best thermostat/draft system for smokers anywhere. I’ve been using them since they started back in the early 2000s. Makes minding your pit incredibly easy and produces consistent results.
  • Butcher BBQ – David Bouska has lived and breathed meat and BBQ most of his life and his products reflect that. He’s used his knowledge to produce some amazing injections, rubs, sauces and oils. I use his products every contest and am proud to be a Pro Staff team.
  • Smithfield – The best ribs and pork I can put my hands on. They just win. And they are super easy to find locally! Check your WalMart and Sam’s Clubs, they should carry Smithfield products.
  • Mac’s Meats and Produce – My favorite meat place ever! Family owned and operated, quality customer service and prices. Tell them I sent you.
 Posted by at 1:27 pm
Dec 292015
 

Swamp Boys BBQ Team was blessed to have another fun, productive, and charitable year in 2015. We were able to compete in 26 contests, in AL, AZ, FL, GA, NC, TN, TX, and The Hague, Netherlands! I travelled over 24,000 miles, all in the name of barbecue!

We won 2 Grand Championships and 4 Reserve Grand Championships, and a combined 12 top-5 overall finishes. 

lakeCity

FBA Florida State Champion 2015

We repeated as the Florida BBQ Association Florida State Champions, and finished 3rd in the FBA Team of the Year race, giving us 10 years of consecutive top 5 finishes.

On the Swamp Boys Q School front I was able to teach 5 classes in FL, IA, AZ and The Hague, NL. I truly enjoy teaching the art and science of BBQ to whoever will listen, wherever they are!

Q School Grads in Netherlands!

Q School Grads in Netherlands!

Swamp Boys BBQ Sauce sales also set a record, with 4 of the top 5 KCBS Teams of the Year being customers! We were also able to be accepted into the “Fresh From Florida” campaign, as a truly Florida product. I fully expect 2016 to set more records as the good word spreads.

We're Fresh From Florida!

We’re Fresh From Florida!

Through the help of the Swamp Boys Nation (all of you!) we were able to raise almost $7,000 to give directly to 2 dear barbecue friends who each experienced extreme health emergencies in ’15, to help pay their medical bills.

Robin (L) is now a Breast Cancer Survivor!

Robin (L) is now a Breast Cancer Survivor!

Jim (R) is recovering from Acute Pancreatitus

Jim (R) is recovering from Acute Pancreatitus

And as an outgoing  member of Big Poppa Smokers Elite Team, I am honored to be able to present our local  kidsPack USA a check for $1,000 from BPS. I regret that this will be my last act as a BPS Elite Team, as the criteria to belong has changed for 2016. However I am extremely thankful for the opportunity I have had to be a part of this charitable group of barbecuers. I hope to be able to continue to support kidsPack through other avenues in 2016.

kidsPack Lakeland

kidsPack Lakeland

Of course all of this was possible with the help of my sponsors, who have provided me with the best products available: Deep South SmokersBig Poppa SmokersCompart Duroc Family FarmsNature’s Own Hardwood CharcoalGrizzly CoolersGrillGratesButcher BBQBBQ Guru3 Eyz BBQ. I fully recommend all of these products with no reservations. Please talk to me if you have questions about any of them. I will be happy to help! And most of all thank you to my family! Without the love and support of my wife and daughters none of this could have happened. I love you guys, forever.

ThankYou

 Posted by at 12:55 pm
May 292013
 

Swamp Boys are proud to offer a 25% standing discount to all U.S. Veterans and current military personnel at our online store. Applies to all regularly priced items; already discounted and bulk quantity items not included.
Follow this link for details.

ABOUT: Swamp Boys are a Winter Haven FL based team, and now also championship BBQ sauce and rub producer. I began competing as a “pro” in 2004, was a Top 5 team in the Florida BBQ Association (FBA) in 2006 and 2007, was Team of the Year in 2008, 2009, and 2017. I was inducted into the Florida BBQ Association Hall of Fame and awarded Lifetime Membership. We were ranked the #1 team in the country for all of 2009 by the National BBQ Rankings, and again in 2013. We compete primarily in the southeast – FL, AL, GA, SC, NC and TN in both FBA and KCBS contests. We have won 64 professional Grand Championships and 52 Reserve Grand Championships. We were World Champions in Pork at The Jack in ’09, and tied for first in ’17. I was hired to go to Brazil to train and help open that country’s first ever American-Style Barbecue restaurant. I have taught professional BBQ classes from FL to IL to AZ, to The Hague, Netherlands. Hundreds of people from all over the World have attended. I’ve been a spokesman for Kingsford Charcoal. I’ve competed on the TV shows BBQ Pitmasters and Big Bad BBQ Brawl. We’ve been blessed.

CATERING: Besides competing, we also offer world class barbecue catering. Let me provide the best barbecue you’ve ever had for your next event. All of our meats are slow smoked the old fashioned way on wood & charcoal burning pits. I use combinations of pecan, cherry, oak, & hickory to smoke the meats from 4 to 16 hours, depending on the cut. The end product is far above & beyond anything you’ve ever had at a “BBQ” restaurant. Guaranteed.

Call or email me today to reserve your date & discuss your menu. Or better still, come visit me at a Barbecue Competition & you can sample some.

My BBQ Catering mission is not to be the cheapest.
It is to be the BEST.

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Rob ‘Rub’ Bagby
rub@swampboys.com
863-206-9363

 

*Scroll Below For Current Events*

 Posted by at 9:29 am
Jan 132013
 

The second FBA contest of the year, the second RGC of the year. Jim McCoin always organizes a great contest and this one was no different. My category numbers were chicken 7th, ribs 6th, pork 2nd, brisket 6th. Big congratulations to Forrest’s Fine Foods for winning Grand Champion!

Reserve Grand Champion

Reserve Grand Champion

 Posted by at 5:35 pm
Jan 062013
 

Ziggy Dick’s in Naples FL was the first contest of the 2013 season and it started out well for Swamp Boys. I scored a 6th in chicken, 2nd in ribs, 1st in pork, and 7th in brisket which was good enough to claim Reserve Grand Champion. Congratulations go out to Wooley Bully for winning Grand Champion. It’s fun getting edged out by former students 😉

1st place pork!

1st place pork!

ziggy_reserve

Reserve Grand Champion!

 Posted by at 3:16 pm