STATE BBQ: From Friday Night Lights to Saturday Afternoon Smoke

GRANITE SHOALS, Texas — Granite Shoals police chief John Ortis was dog tired by mid-afternoon on the Saturday of the Texas High School Barbecue State Championships.

The heat – and the fact that he’d been at Quarry Park since 3:15 a.m. to set up the event – was only half the story. Three days ago, this entire place was underwater after three days of torrential rain. As a city, Granite Shoals had shut down and banded together to tend to Code Red: saving the BBQ State Championships. Roads were blocked off because the street crews were using asphalt-digging equipment to turn Quarry Park’s dirt over and let the water drain out. Fire Chief Tim Campbell coordinated the audio and electrical equipment for a new PA system. City councilmembers like Steve Hougen and Judy Salvaggio stepped in as two of 175 volunteer judges to cover for out-of-towners who couldn’t make it.