Barbecue club Pitmaster Collective has signed on to be the presenting sponsor of the annual Raider Red Meats BBQ and Ribeye Championship, set for Aug.16-17 on the campus of Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. This annual event, launched more than 15 years ago, features more than 70 teams competing for $15,000 in prizes across five categories: brisket, ribs, pork, chicken, and ribeye steaks. The event has become the largest fundraising event for the Raider Red Meats scholarship endowment.

The two-day event is open to the public. Festivities kick-off Aug. 16 with a sponsor dinner and the Raider Rumble and entertainment including a cook-off between five teams with six celebrity judges. These include Chris Chadwick, host of the show "Let The Smoke Roll," Sterling Smith, author of "The Complete BBQ Cookbook," Robert Sierra, founder S&S Pit Crew, Mike Johnson, nationally known pitmaster, Peter Armendariz, former World Steak Champion, and Robert Wood, owner of Robert Wood Homes. Aug. 17 features a Backyard BBQ Boss workshop conducted by Texas Tech's meat scientist, Dr. Dale Warner, along with teams manning their smokers to produce their entries for judging. (A collegiate division is part of the cook-off. The event is Kansas City Barbecue Society sanctioned. A full schedule and team registration form are available at Raider Red Meats | Meat Science & Muscle Biology | TTU.

"At Pitmaster Collective, we understand the absolute passion that so many Americans feel for barbecue. It's not just something to eat, it's a lifestyle, and we want to support it every way we can," said John Billingsley, chairman and CEO of Dallas-based Pitmaster Collective. "This is one of Texas's premier barbecue events, and it's a wonderful partner for us to associate with."

Raider Red Meats exists to provide hands-on, real-world experiences for Texas Tech students and to support scholarships for students in the college of agricultural sciences and natural resources. This is accomplished by providing high-quality aged beef, lamb and pork for sale. The Texas Tech on-campus store features a wide variety of beef, pork, lamb and fully cooked products produced by students. Students are involved in every step of production of Raider Red Meats. A variety of items are available in Market Street and United Supermarket in the Lubbock, Dallas-Fort Worth, Midland and Albuquerque areas. Additionally, beef steaks and roasts are distributed by US Foods to restaurants throughout the South Plains region. Shipping is available to all 50 states. 

Pitmaster Collective brings together almost 150 of America's premier craft barbecue pitmasters with people who are passionate about the best in barbecue. The "virtual club" membership is $24 annually, with exclusive benefits such as 10% off barbecue at any pitmaster restaurant every day of the year, skip-the-line passes at selected restaurants, pit tours, master classes and webinars, and On 'Cue magazine.

Source: Pitmaster Collective