UPDATE: Smithfield Announces 2017 Line-Up of Champ

SMITHFIELD, Va., March 02, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Coming off of a championship season in which partner pitmasters took home some of the top honors in competition barbecue, Smithfield is gearing up for another exciting year in 2017. Smithfield is committed to investing in the future of barbecue by partnering with some of the top pitmasters in the sport and announcing a Grant Program to provide financial support to barbecue competitions across the nation. With some returning champions and a few new faces, Smithfield is proud to partner with many of the top pitmasters in the world both on the competition circuit and to provide inspiration to backyard barbecuers to get grilling this summer. The 2017 roster of Smithfield sponsored pitmasters have earned 30 World Championships between them.

New to the Smithfield partnership this season is Melissa Cookston , the winningest woman in barbecue , a four-time Whole Hog World Champion, and two-time Memphis in May World Champion. A great Southern Delta chef, Cookston is the proprietor of three locations of the Memphis BBQ Co. and the recently opened STEAK by Melissa in Southaven, Ms. Melissa is the author of two best-selling cookbooks, Smokin’ in the Boy’s Room and Smokin’ Hot in the South which won the National BBQ News 2016 Book of the Year Award.

Joining Cookston as a newly minted Smithfield brand ambassador pitmaster is Chris Lilly of the legendary Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q in Decatur, Ala. Lilly is regarded as one of the top pitmasters to ever cook the circuit with expertise that spans from competition to cookbooks. He has dominated the field at Memphis in May, winning the contest four times and winning the Pork category a record nine times. Lilly has also found success as Grand Champion the American Royal Invitational, Reserve Grand Champion of the Jack Daniel’s World Championship Barbecue Invitational, the American Royal Open, the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo Barbecue Cook-Off, and winner of the first-ever Smithfield King of the Smokers.

Also joining the line-up this season is Jeff Stehney – restaurateur, caterer, and head cook of the World Championship Slaughterhouse Five barbecue team. Stehney and his wife, Joy, are the proud proprietors of the legendary Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que which boasts three locations throughout Kansas. Since they first hit the barbecue scene in the early 90s, Slaughterhouse Five has twice taken home top honors at one of the most prestigious barbecue competitions in the country, the American Royal, winning both the Open and Invitational. He is also a Reserve Grand Champion of the Jack Daniel’s World Championship Barbecue Invitational. Slaughterhouse Five is one of only a handful of teams in the country to win the prestigious KCBS Team of the Year award.  

Smithfield is very pleased to be partnering with Texas-based pitmaster Ernest Servantes in 2017. Servantes and his Burnt Bean Co. barbecue team are long-time users of Smithfield products and 40-time Grand Champion on the circuit. He also won Food Network’s “Chopped: Grill Masters.”

Tuffy Stone , of Cool Smoke BBQ out of Richmond, Va., continues his long-standing partnership with Smithfield this season. Stone, nicknamed “The Professor” due to his scientific approach to barbecue, is a five-time World Champion and served as a judge on Destination America’s “Barbecue Pitmasters” for five seasons. Stone has led Cool Smoke to a record-setting three-peat at the Jack Daniel’s World Championship Barbecue Invitational in Lynchburg Tn., becoming the only team to not only win three times but also to take home back-to-back trophies in 2016.

Sterling Ball, pitmaster and owner of Big Poppa Smokers from Coachella, Ca. will be joining Smithfield for his second season. Ball is the entrepreneur behind the Big Poppa Smokers online barbecue retailer, his own line of rubs and smokers, and two highly coveted competition barbecue events. “The Guinea Pig” event helps level the playing field and brings families back into barbecue, and “The Smithfield King of the Smoker Invitational Competition” features 24 of the top competitors from across the country. Ball took home more than 11 Grand Champion titles in 2016, winning California Team of the Year and placing third out of nearly 3,000 teams in the Kansas City Barbecue Society Team of the Year standings. Sterling is a past Champion of the American Royal World Series of Barbecue.

Also returning to the Smithfield roster this season are Darren and Sherry Warth of Iowa’s Smokey D’s. 2016 was a banner year of success on the competition barbecue circuit for Iowa’s Smokey D’s. Ten-time World Champions, they took home Grand Champion trophies at two of the most prestigious competitions this year: the 2016 American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open and the Sam’s Club 2016 National BBQ Tour in addition to numerous other contests. Smokey D’s also placed second in the Kansas City Barbecue Society’s 2016 Team of the Year Standings out of nearly 3,000 teams. Iowa’s Smokey D’s is off to a strong start in 2017, having recently taken home Grand Champion in Humble, TX. The Warths own three locations of Smokey D’s in their home city of Des Moines, Ia.

Two barbecue pitmasters who have been winning with Smithfield products during the past few seasons continue to partner with Smithfield in 2017. Tim Scheer of Shake ‘N Bake BBQ and Brad Leighninger of Gettin’ Basted both hail from Missouri. Gettin’ Basted and Shake ‘N Bake were two of the Top 10 Overall Teams competing in the Kansas City Barbecue Society in 2016.  Both teams excelled in the Pork and Pork Ribs categories with Gettin’ Basted taking home second Place overall in Ribs and Shake ‘N Bake winning KCBS Pork Team of the Year for the entire 2016 season.

Throughout the 2017 season, Smithfield will be supporting their sponsored pitmasters and providing product for them to use both in barbecue contest and for classes and other special events. Several of these pitmasters will join Smithfield for demonstrations and sampling opportunities throughout the 2017 Get Grilling America Tour. For more information about the Smithfield Get Grilling America Tour visit www.smithfield.com . For further details about opportunities for barbecue pitmasters and the Smithfield Grant Program, which offers monetary and marketing support to qualified barbecue contests throughout the United States, please visit www.smokinwithsmithfield.com .

About Smithfield A leading provider of high-quality pork products, Smithfield was founded in 1936 in Smithfield, Virginia. From hand-trimmed ribs, loins and bacon and slow-smoked holiday hams to marinated tenderloins, Smithfield brings artistry, authenticity and a commitment to heritage, flavor, and handcrafted excellence to everything it produces. With a vast product portfolio including smoked meats, hams, bacon, sausage, ribs, and a wide variety of fresh pork cuts, the company services retail, foodservice, and deli channels across the United States and 30 countries abroad. All of Smithfield's products meet the highest quality and safety standards in the industry. To learn more about how Flavor Hails from Smithfield, please visit www.Smithfield.com , www.Twitter.com/SmithfieldBrand , and www.Facebook.com/CookingWithSmithfield . Smithfield is a brand of Smithfield Foods.

About Smithfield Foods Smithfield Foods is a $14 billion global food company and the world's largest pork processor and hog producer. In the United States, the company is also the leader in numerous packaged meats categories with popular brands including Smithfield®, Eckrich®, Nathan's Famous®, Farmland®, Armour®, John Morrell®, Cook's®, Kretschmar®, Gwaltney®, Curly's®, Margherita®, Carando®, Healthy Ones®, Krakus®, Morliny®, and Berlinki®. Smithfield Foods is committed to providing good food in a responsible way and maintains robust animal care, community involvement, employee safety, environmental and food safety and quality programs. For more information, visit www.smithfieldfoods.com .

Media Contact: Green Olive Media for Smithfield Celia Strong (404) 815-9327 cstrong@greenolivemedia.com