Holy Smokes: Velvet Smoke BBQ Wins Fifth Grand Championship

By Travis Thayer The Velvet Smoke BBQ smoker. Photo by Vevlet Smokes BBQ. (Harrison, Oh.) – A Harrison-based barbecue restaurant was “smoking hot” at a competition in Cincinnati last weekend. Velvet Smoke BBQ announced Wednesday their fifth Grand Champion win at the First Annual Holy Smokes BBQ Competition held at Our Lady of Victory Parish in Cincinnati. Twenty-three professional barbecue teams from the region, including a team from Ontario, Canada, competed to see who had the best chicken, pork, pork ribs, brisket, and overall barbecue. Velvet Smoke received a top 10 ranking in each category, and an overall score of 691.37 edging out Historic BBQ by 2.25 points to win the title of Grand Champion. The championship is Velvet Smoke BBQ’s second local win in a row. Last October, Velvet Smoke won a Kansas City Barbecue Society-sanctioned contest for their fourth Grand Championship title. The two wins earns Velvet Smoke a trip to the 2016 & 2017 American Royal World Series of Barbecue Invitational in Kansas City, Missouri, and a chance at returning to the 2016 Jack Daniel’s World Championship Invitational Barbecue in Lynchburg, Tennessee. Velvet Smoke BBQ opened its Harrison location last October in what was formerly the Walt’s Barbecue location inside the BP station on New Haven Road just off Interstate 74. “We began serving our barbecue at the historic Findlay Market in 2012, but over the years we’ve expanded and the public have demanded more of our award-winning barbecue,” said restaurant owner Matt Schneider. In addition to the Harrison location, Velvet Smoke BBQ can be found at many festivals around the region, and they offer full-service catering as well. For more information, visit www.velvetsmokebbq.com. RELATED STORIES:  Fill Up On BBQ At Velvet Smoke In Harrison BBQ Biz Will Serve It Up In Harrison