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COLUMBIA, S.C. (WACH) – The Commissioner's Cup BBQ Cook-off winners were announced Tuesday.

Competitors cooked up some of the best barbecue around last Friday and Saturday. Teams from five states vied for the title of Grand Champion.

The South Carolina State Grand Champion winner of the Commissioner’s Cup was Ultimate Tailgaters BBQ and the Reserve Champion of the event was Palmetto Smokehouse.

Palmetto Smokehouse of Okatie, S.C. was the top winner in the “Butts” competition followed by Ultimate Tailgaters BBQ of Aiken, S.C. and Pickin' Porkers of Clemmons, N.C.

Pot Belly Cookers of Summerville, S.C. took the first place prize in the "Ribs" category, while Nards Barkyard BBQ of Piedmont, S.C. earned second place honors and Some-R-Swine of Summerville, S.C. brought home the third place prize.

Hugh Weathers, Commissioner of Agriculture, presented the awards.

Teams participating in the competition on Saturday had the opportunity to prepare and serve “anything but” barbecue Friday night.

To the visiting tasters, everything in the “Anything But” category was delicious, but shrimp and grits beat out the other non-barbecue entries like chili, BBQ wings, cheeseburger soup, and chicken cakes (a variation of crab cakes).

The big “Anything But” winner was No Pig Left Behind, a team of cooks from Goose Creek, S.C.

“This is a great way to celebrate Spring and the beginning of the harvest season. If you joined us for the Commissioner’s Cup, we invite you to come back for the peak produce season and enjoy all the fresh flavors of a South Carolina summer,” said Weathers.
 
For more information, visit the State Farmers Market Website.