The Full (Boar) Story

(Original Full Boar BBQ sign that still travels with us to every competition)  

Full Boar BBQ started with a group of friends in small town Indiana. Growing up one of the things we looked forward to the most was a small backyard BBQ competition in Ferdinand, Indiana called the Heimatfest. It was great! you could purchase a button for $3 and walk around and sample as much delicious BBQ as you could handle. There were always a ton of teams and it was a big deal locally to win bragging rights for the year.

One summer, after returning from college, we planned to head to the Heimatfest to walk around as we had in years before and sample some BBQ. When we got there we were taken aback to see there were only three teams competing! Many of the teams who had done it for years were getting older and had hung it up, others had quit for whatever reason, and none of the younger crowd had picked up the tradition. Hometown pride immediately kicked in. 

We decided then and there that we would not let this thing die if we could help it. First we formed our own team. With five original members we assigned each person one of the four meat categories to practice and take charge of, and named the other Bloody Mary specialist. Next we started talking to others our age and got some interest going as well as reaching out to some of the teams who had simply lost interest. That next year it was a small improvement but six teams showed up (or 100% YOY growth if I am doing the math right). We had been practicing for awhile but came in with very low expectations. 

We showed up to the competition with one old propane smoker and a kettle grill. Some other teams may or may not have made a little fun of our set up. When it was all said and done we got everything turned in and awaited the judging. Not expecting to hear our name we hung in the back behind some of the veteran teams. The first category announced was chicken. And guess what....? WE WON. We took first place in chicken and grabbed second place in pulled pork on our way to a third overall finish. We were absolutely and hopelessly hooked.

From there we got the crew together as much as possible to compete and have been over-achieving ever since. Along the way we have found some tricks of the trade, took home a lot of hardware, and created some pretty damn great sauces and seasonings of our own. That is what we have for you here. What started as a few High School buddies not wanting a tradition to die has turned into a brand name that is trusted everywhere it is known. 

I am happy to report that now, years later, the Heimatfest Backyard BBQ competition is alive and well and is almost all the way back to it's former glory drawing teams from further away and some new local teams taking up the trade. Now we strive to create a new tradition of spreading the BBQ that has brought us so much joy to you. 

                                                                                                        Latest Heimatfest Results: Overall Grand Champions!

                                    Chicken- 3rd Place

                                    Ribs- 2nd Place

                                    Pork Butt- 2nd Place

                                    Brisket- 2nd Place