In some sense, barbecue has always been a competitive sport. You’ve probably experienced it this way yourself. Think back to the last backyard picnic you attended and how you stared down your grandmother before you took off like Barry Sanders—how both of you hurdled over picnic tables, through friends and family, to get your hands on that last juicy rib. What you might not know is that competition in barbecue has moved beyond the kind of chop block you applied to grandma. In recent years it has become a professional, high-stakes team sport.