BRYAN, Texas — It was an early morning for Mickey Lang and his crew — driving all the way from Conroe to begin setting up for a busy barbecue cook-off weekend.
Lang's "Bad to The Bone BBQ" team has plenty of cook-off experience under their belts and are ready to take on the Brazos Valley.
“I’m originally from Oklahoma, cooked some events back there, and moved to Texas three years ago during the middle of COVID, so I have been actively cooking the IBCA [International BBQ Cookers Association] circuit for a couple of years now and doing barbecue competitions for the last 10,” Lang said.
For the second year in a row, the Brazos Valley Fair and Rodeo have opened their doors to host their barbecue cook-off with over 30 teams competing for cash prizes.
Even though the cook-off is still a new event, it's steadily growing in popularity.
“So, we are actually a hidden gem, we have electricity, water and cement because most cook-offs are in the middle of a field—so we are still a hidden gem but we have doubled in size since last year so we are excited about that,” Assistant Manager Avery Fisher said.
Lang told 15ABC why he needed to be a part of this hidden gem of a cook-off.
“The drive was local, we have heard a lot of good things about it and there’s some really good competition out here — we know a lot of the competitors and have competed against them almost every weekend when we come to the Brazos Valley. It’s our first time here to cook for this event and have heard nothing but great things," Lang said.
Lang’s team is currently one of the top 10 in the state for their brisket, thanks to brisket chef Jeff Davis, who hopes to continue their success over the weekend.
“We’re hoping to get a 'walk' in brisket along with chicken and ribs – we hope to continue to be in the top 10, is our goal here,” Davis said.
The Brazos Valley Fair and Rodeo is going on now through Sunday, October 22.
Information on events, schedules and concerts can be found at the event's website.