Sam's Club® National BBQ Tour Crowns Regional Champ

ROCKFORD, Ill., Aug. 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- A competitive barbecue team from Denver, Iowa, Lucky's Q, moved one step closer to The Sam's Club National BBQ Tour national championship and a portion of the $500,000 prize purse during the Aug. 4 regional event in Rockford, Ill.

The Sam's Club National BBQ Tour regional competition in Rockford was an opportunity for winning competitive barbecue teams from Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota to once again battle over the flames to produce the best dishes using high-quality meats and side dishes available at Sam's Club, the official supplier of the Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS). KCBS is the largest barbecue society in the world with a membership of 15,000 individuals and 5,000 competitive barbecue teams.

"Nearly 5,000 barbecue enthusiasts came to the competition here in Rockford," said Scott Schelling, manager of the Rockford Sam's Club.  "Being part of this competition gives Sam's Club an opportunity to share barbecue tips so anyone can become an expert griller. Whether you are cooking ribs, steaks, chicken or fresh vegetables, Sam's Club has everything our members need to grill simply delicious meals any day of the week."

Lucky's Q from Denver, Iowa is the second of five regional champions to qualify for the national championship to be staged Saturday, Oct. 13 at the Sam's Club home office in Bentonville, Ark. The Sam's Club National BBQ Tour kicked off local competitions in February 2012 in 31 states, where competitive barbecue teams battle for a spot in the national championship event.

"To first win our local competition was a thrill, and this is even more exciting," said Justin McGlaun, part of the Lucky's Q winning team, who has been competing for two years. "We are already looking forward to the national championship this fall. Iowa BBQ is so unique because the competition is so tough. Every team competing is trying to get one step ahead of each other all of the time. We can't thank Sam's Club enough for hosting these events and taking barbecue out of the backyard and into a festival atmosphere."  

Who's Smokin' Now, from Benning, CA qualified in May at the Albuquerque, N.M. event, and three more regional competitions are slated in the coming weeks in St. Charles, Mo.; Hendersonville, Tenn. and Chesapeake, Va. A complete list of events is available at Kansas City Barbeque Society's "2012 Sam's Club National BBQ Tour" site and SamsClub.com/bbq.

The Rockford event also featured samples and grilling tips from nationally recognized professional barbecue expert and author Troy Black. The author of The Big Book of BBQ, Black shared barbecue tips on authentic pulled pork, ribs and brisket.

"The most important step to creating a great meal on the grill is buying quality ingredients that can hold their flavor under the heat," says Black. "Sam's Club offers plenty of variety to keep my menus interesting. Plus, their fresh meat, seafood, produce and bakery items come with a 200% satisfaction guarantee so members can feel good about experimenting during grilling season."

Sam's Club has the high-quality meats and side dishes to make every backyard griller a winner. Members do not need to be a grilling expert to find a great cut of meat at Sam's Club. To learn more about the Sam's Club National BBQ Tour, or for tips and recipes, visit "National BBQ Tour" at SamsClub.com/meals. 

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.

SOURCE Sam's Club