World Series of BBQ helps break barriers for pitmasters

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KCTV) – The American Royal World Series BBQ welcomed more than 450 teams to Kansas Speedway, including two blind pitmasters competing for a trophy.

For 125 years, American has been welcoming Royal BBQ experts to Kansas City, both in the West Bottoms and at Arrowhead Stadium. Saturday, in the rain, hundreds of teams smoked the smokers and heated up the grills as the competition was officially underway.

Blind ass limitless showed that the competition is truly open to anyone who can barbecue, as their two leaders, Brenda Harrison and Shane Howard, have varying levels of blindness.

They smoked stereotypes last year when they finished 106th out of more than 480 teams.

“That’s not too bad. It was only our fourth game ever,” Howard said. “This year we plan to do a lot better, as long as the judges accept that we do better.”

Harrison showed off other ways they plan to educate and encourage people at their tent, which will be at location 347 this weekend, through items people can use or have. They have a blindfold, glasses that when worn can show what vision is like with different eye diseases, a blind Barbie and more.

“We just love coming out and bringing our disability awareness to the table through BBQ,” says Howard.

She said they are fairly new to being blind, but Howard is not new to BBQ, so they want to open doors for people to learn more about them and their mission.

“When I’m seasoning, I tilt my hand at about a 25-30 degree angle and let the rub touch the inside of the hand as I go over a rib rack,” Howard said. “We use a lot of touch and feeling.”

Thomas Green and Mr. Greens BBQ traveled with members of his team from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

“Win anyway. Rain, snow, sleet, it doesn’t matter. Go for it, go for it,” he said. “Take every opportunity you have, use the experience, learn from it, and you just have to be prepared.”

Green and his team worked hard through the rain on Saturday with food on the grill, covered by an awning, and with a positive attitude for what lay ahead.

“Don’t take it for granted. Practice before you come here, practice it over and over again in your head,” he said.

Everyone wants a taste of victory, but Harrison said it’s more about their experience in their now eighth match.

Harrison said: “We are winning just by being here and raising awareness of what disabled and blind people are capable of.”