Sam's Club Meats Add Flavor, Flair to National BBQ Competition

BENTONVILLE, Ark., March 18, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Sam's Club today announced the third installment of The Sam's Club National BBQ Tour, the largest continuous barbecue competition in the U.S., sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS). As the official supplier of KCBS, Sam's Club is the 'choice' destination for the highest quality meats and ingredients for backyard grillers, restaurateurs and more than 750 professional teams who will compete in the 2013 Sam's Club National BBQ Tour.

"I am delighted that Sam's Club has joined forces with the Kansas City Barbeque Society for three years running to allow members and BBQ fans to experience the freshness, quality and value of Sam's Club premium fresh meat selection," said Shawn Baldwin, senior vice president for fresh, freezer and cooler grocery at Sam's Club. "We know that grilling, barbecuing and outdoor entertaining are important to our members. The Sam's Club National BBQ Tour celebrates their passion for everyday barbecuing and grilling with our commitment to giving them the fresh ingredients and items they need at a value they deserve."

Hosted by Series Director, barbecue aficionado and cookbook author Troy Black, the National BBQ Tour will journey to 31 Sam's Club parking lots from Albuquerque to Alabama with barbecue demonstrations and free samples of premium-quality Sam's Club meats, hand-cut fresh daily from butchers inside each local Sam's Club. Each event is open to members and the public.

"Each of our world-class competitive teams knows the best barbecue starts with premium fresh meat," said Black. "Having quality chicken, ribs, pork and brisket from Sam's Club on the smoker sets the stage for a mouth-watering competition."

Sam's Club offers members a 200% freshness guarantee every day on all fresh meats. Sam's Club meats are offered in several hand-cut varieties and large packs that provide added members-only value. If a member is not satisfied with their fresh purchase from Sam's Club, they can return the item for double the money back.

Introduced in 2011 as the largest competition series with the largest prize purse in the history of competitive barbecue, the Sam's Club National BBQ Tour has distributed nearly $1 million in prizes since its inception. Previous Grand Champions from 2011, TippyCanoe BBQ Crew of St. Ansgar, Iowa, and 2012, Lucky's Q of Denver, Iowa, will be among 750 teams competing for a portion of the $500,000 prize purse this year.

Each National BBQ Tour competition awards overall winners as well as winners in each of four barbecue categories: chicken, ribs, pork and brisket. Events are free and open to the public and take place in Sam's Club parking lots from February through September leading up to the National Championship on Oct. 19, 2013 in Bentonville, Ark.  KCBS will sanction the events and provide certified barbecue judges for the competitions. For a full schedule of events, visit SamsClub.com/bbq.

"Our professional competitors depend on the freshness and quality of Sam's Club meats," said Carolyn Wells, Executive Director of the Kansas City Barbecue Society. "Collaborating with Sam's Club also allows our sport's popularity to grow so that everyone has access to the tools and tips to be a backyard barbecue champion."

Partnering sponsors and brands for the Sam's Club National BBQ Tour include: Kingsford, KC Masterpiece, Coca-Cola, Heinz, Tyson Foods, Cattlemen's BBQ, New Zealand Lamb, Tone's, Stonemill Kitchens, Pillsbury, National Pork Board, Cargill and Bush's Best Baked Beans.

About Sam's Club
Sam's Club^®, a division of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT), is the nation's eighth largest retailer and a leading membership warehouse club offering superior products and services to more than 47 million members in clubs across the U.S., as well as in Brazil, China and Mexico. Members save an average of 34 percent over traditional retailers. To learn more about Savings Made Simple^®, visit SamsClub.com, and look for Sam's Club on Twitter, Facebook and our Mobile and iPad® App.

About KCBS
With more than 15,000 members, KCBS has been sanctioning events and training certified barbecue judges nationwide for more than 25 years. Using an objective, blind judging process, the society sanctions more than 400 barbecue competitions throughout the nation each year. For more information about KCBS, visit www.kcbs.us.

SOURCE Sam's Club