With a knack for invention and love of barbeque, Troy Black has gained an impressive reputation as an award-winning, competitive barbeque chef, and educator. His zeal for both barbeque and the industry has taken Troy on an incredible journey from the Southern Living editorial staff to full-time competitive barbeque chef.
He discovered the world of professional barbeque competition while on assignment for Southern Living. From that moment on he was hooked and immediately went home and began preparing for competition on the Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) circuit. In 2006, Troy made the decision to commit full-time to the world of competitive barbeque and he’s been burning up the road ever since, competing all across the country.
Few teams can claim the immediate success on the highly competitive KCBS circuit that Troy has enjoyed. He consistently finishes in the Top 10, week in and week out, and has been featured on The Food Network, The Travel Channel and numerous other national television and radio shows. His awards to date include four state barbeque championships, 120 Top 10 awards, competing in the American Royal Invitational barbeque Contest (world’s largest), and the prestigious Jack Daniel’s World Invitational barbeque Championship. In addition, this past year, Troy’s ribs finished second place and his pork eighth place in the KCBS year-end national rankings out of hundreds of teams.
In keeping with his passion for barbeque education, Troy is currently a member of the board of directors for the KCBS, the nation’s largest competitive barbeque-sanctioning body, where he serves as chairman of marketing and public relations. He also provides insight and leadership as the founding president and board member of the Alabama Barbeque Association, which oversees eight barbeque festivals that attract more than 250,000 people each year.
Troy’s wife Jan shares his intense passion for barbeque as do his daughters Taylor and Darby. You can often find them on the road with Troy – cooking up winners under the team name learn2Q.com, taking home top prizes, and educating the public about one of America’s greatest traditions… barbeque.