KANSAS CITY, MO — Kansas City’s famed pitmaster Mitch Benjamin has taken first place at the 35th Annual World Series of Barbecue Sauce Contest, the largest barbecue sauce competition in the world, hosted by the American Royal.
Benjamin’s Meat Mitch Whomp! BBQ Sauce placed first in the Vinegar Category, and twentieth for the title of “Best Sauce on the Planet.”
In the World Series of Barbecue Rub Contest, Meat Mitch Whomp! Rub placed second in the Mild Rub Category, and third place for the title of “Best Rub on the Planet.”
The contest had more than 400 entries from 36 states and 8 countries. Each entry was judged in a blind tasting based on appearance, texture, taste alone and taste on unseasoned barbecue meat.
“This is huge,” Benjamin said as results were announced. “I wanna yell from the rooftops.”
This was not Benjamin’s first win at the American Royal.
“I remember when a friend took me to my first American Royal World Series of Barbecue party. Wow! It was awesome,” Benjamin said. “Hay bales, bars, dancing, DJs, bands, Daisy Duke shorts … I was hooked.”
The next year Benjamin wanted to enter the contest. He named his team “Meat Mitch” and “suckered” a few friends to help. The goal, however, was not to win, but to have an amazing party!
“We had a knock-down, drag-out, kick-ass party, but somehow, we still managed to successfully submit all of our meat in the various competition categories,” Benjamin said. “Afterwards, we cleaned up, loaded up our trailer and headed back to our house to continue the party.”
Later that evening, a friend called Benjamin and asked where he was? He informed him that he shouldn’t have left because Meat Mitch won third place in the Brisket Category, and they were the only team that wasn’t there to take the stage for the victory.
The Meat Mitch party at the American Royal quickly grew to mythical proportions — 2,500 people with three huge movie screens and an LA-style DJ. At the same time, Meat Mitch was evolving into a proper brand.
“Our team started to get better and better,” Benjamin said. “We began entering competitions throughout the year and expanding our scope. We were making a name for ourselves.”
In 2014, Benjamin entered the restaurant arena with the opening of Char Bar Smoked Meats & Amusements in historic Westport. And to spice things up, he rolled out Char Bar Table Sauce, a spicier version of his Whomp! Sauce.
Throughout the pandemic, Benjamin started emailing weekly BBQ recipes to friends and family, and in 2020, he published the collection in a book titled BBQ Revolution — Innovative Barbecue Recipes from an All-Star Pitmaster.
In 2021, he opened his first Meat Mitch restaurant in Leawood, Kansas, and along with his Whomp!, Naked and Char Bar sauces, he released three new sauces, including Stay Hot, Yellow Brick Road and White Sauce.
Meat Mitch award-winning rubs include Whomp!, Naked and Steer Season.
The American Royal win comes just weeks after wins from The National Barbecue and Grilling Association, where Whomp! Sauce and Whomp! Rub both took first place, Naked Sauce took second place, and Steer Season took third.
The National BBQ Association, based in Tennessee, holds an annual Awards of Excellence every year in conjunction with a conference. The awards portion is an open contest to celebrate the best barbecue sauces, rubs, blogs and accessories in the U.S.
In early 2023, Meat Mitch will open its second location in the new Kansas City International Airport. Travelers from all over the world will have a chance to taste Kansas City barbecue, and to take world award-winning sauces and rubs back home.
“We’re still in it for the fun,” Benjamin said. “But don’t get me wrong — being named World Champion is pretty nice.”
Meat Mitch is located at 3620 W. 95th Street in Leawood, Kansas. For more information, or to purchase sauces and rubs online, visit meatmitch.com and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
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