Nova Scotian wins world champion title in Memphis Barbecue Competition

Nova Scotia Grill Master Phil Gaudet wins the world championship for ‘Best Poultry’ at the Memphis BBQ Contest.

Phil Gaudet and his team went into Memphis and came out world barbecue champions.

“Almost all of our meats did really well there this year. It was our best showing by far,” he told CTV News.

The team, Cook the Books, had to impress four judges. They won the world championship title for barbecued chicken with a perfect score across the board.

“I think it’s just balance the sweet heat aspect really good. You know, I often cook chicken around here and everybody is like, it’s spicy, but it’s not, it’s just the right amount of heat,” said Gaudet.

“[Gaudet’s] been competing for a while, and he put on a lot of events, and he’s really been growing barbecue on the East Coast,” said Matty McMasters, of Vintage Stove and Fireplace in Truro, N.S.

“Barbecue is more of a southern thing, but it’s making it’s way up here with a lot of good local guys starting to get into the competition circuit,” he added.

Gaudet and his father got into competing about 12 years ago, when they hosted a backyard barbecue competition in Maxwelton. From there, they went bigger.

“Me and my dad went to Memphis in 2019, and I just started reaching out to people through the Canadian Barbecue Society to see if there were any Canadian teams there and if they need any help lifting, cleaning or whatever,” Gaudet explained. “And a good friend of mine, Steve Perrin out of Ontario, let us, three strangers from Nova Scotia join their team.”

He said that year they got fourth-place in poultry. “It was, you know, the world’s biggest stage. And I’m walking the stage and you get hooked right away,” said Gaudet.

Now he travels for competitions, including the prestigious Jack Daniel’s World Championship Invitational Barbecue.

“You actually have to win a contest. And then your name gets put in a draw to go,” said Gaudet, of going to the Invitational last year. “There’s only three teams from Canada that get to go. And luckily my name got pulled last year. But like Texas, for example, you have like a one out of 150 chance of going.”

Competing isn’t for the faint of heart, the champions noted.

“The pressures get pretty high, in the final, you’re trying to meet timelines. So things get pretty crazy and your stress goes right through the roof,” said McMasters. “You’re trying to get multiple meats going, multiple cooks going, and you’re on a deadline and you want to turn in within, you know, the last few seconds because you want warm meat getting to the judges.”

Despite the pressure, both Gaudet and McMasters say the community is amazing.

“It’s crazy how you know you’re competing for the same prize, but if you forget butter or something, you can go to the team next to you and it’ll pass you butter, even though they might be hurting their chances,” said Gaudet.

Up next for Gaudet is Atlantic Canada’s only competition this year, the Throttle Up BBQ Throwdown in Truro on June 6 and 7.

“Here in Nova Scotia, we should be at least 15 teams there. So, it should be a qualifier for the Jack. And the defending champions are coming back down from out west,” he said. “One of the cool things about my local teams, it’s a family team. So, you know, it’s good family time together.”

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