Local barbecue master named to inaugural state Hall of Fame class

ASHBURN — Robby Royal, a national and state barbecue champion, has been named an inaugural member of the Georgia Barbecue Hall of Fame (www.gabbqhof.org).

“WOW, the Georgia BBQ Hall Of Fame! I’m very emotional and extremely humbled at this moment, after getting this email a few minutes ago,” Royal posted on his Facebook page after learning of his selection. “Thank you to my family. I know that our entire family has had to bend, change plans, and eat a ton of barbecue because of the love I have for competitive bbq.

“I love my family and appreciate y’all’s love and support since I started Q in 2002. I am extremely humbled to have been chosen as one of the first six to be put in the Georgia BBQ Hall of Fame. I am truly blessed. So many more people to thank, I don’t even know where to start.”

Royal won this year’s State BBQ Championship at the Big Pig Jig in Vienna, easing past BBQ legend Myron Mixon.

He previously won a national championship. He was also featured on several Pitmasters TV show episodes. He teaches how to cook professional-level BBQ and runs a YouTube cooking channel.

Persons interested in judging barbecue competitions are invited to take part in a training class for prospective GBA judges. A limit of 50 seats are available for this class. The fee is $50 per person. Due to limited seating, interested persons must pay online when registering. Deadline to register is 5 p.m. on Jan. 17.

The class will be held Jan. 20 from 12:30-5:30 p.m. at the Turner County Elementary School, 705 Hudson Ave. Participants are asked to park in the back of the school as the class is planned for the lunchroom.

Interested participants must be a GBA member before registering for the class. Those who are not already members can go to www.bbqga.com and click on the “Join the GBA” link.

To serve as a judge at a GBA-sanctioned contest, individuals must first take this training class. Those who successfully complete the class are considered a “trained judge” and must judge at least two contests within the next 12 months to become a certified judge and receive a certified judge badge.

Participants will learn everything they need to know to judge the best barbecue in the world, including:

♦ Objectives and purposes of the GBA;

♦ How to sign up to judge;

♦ How to judge the GBA meat categories using comparative judging techniques;

♦ The typical contest schedule from start to finish;

♦ How to complete judging comment and scorecards.

The class is interactive and presented informally. Interaction between instructors and participants is encouraged.

Check in for the class begins at 12:30 p.m., and class begins at 1 p.m. Attendees must stay for the entire class. The session will end with a practice session of judging the loin category.

Special Photo: Wiregrass Farmer