How did Carson City BBQ take its name to "smokin" fame?

It all started when Duane and I would go camping at Lake Lahontan.  I had a little yellow Toyota that we would fill up with lots of barbecues, stoves and grills.  Friends and family would pack up food and camping gear to come join us at the lake, and we would cook for the entire group. 

One time in the early 90’s, Lake Lahontan was dried up and we decided to go to a rib cook off.  At the rib cook off we walked around tasting stuff at the different booths, and that’s when Duane and I got to talking and came to the conclusion that our ribs were better than anything at the cook off. 

Duane and I then bought a smoker and entered our first contest at the Arizona Rib Round Up.  I have never had to work so hard to lose so much money in my life, and we didn’t even make enough to pay the entry fee. So we pulled the cooker home and put it on the side of the house and did not look at it for months. 

When a friend of ours was getting married he asked us to cater it.  We agreed and put together a barbecue feast. We offered Cattlemen’s barbecue sauce that no one even touched.  They used our special home made sauce and were screaming for more.  From there we did a top off party for Metcalf Builders and we made $500.00.  Duane and I came to the conclusion that we should start catering. 

We tried our luck again at The Best on the Mountain Horizon Rib Cook Off, and won best sauce.  Following this, we won first or second place for sauce and first place for ribs for 5 consecutive years. 

Winning the sauce award initially is what made us continue to work hard to continue winning.  In 1998 we entered the “John Asquaga’s Best in the West Rib Cook Off" for the first time and took fourth  place with our ribs. Since then, we have gone on to win five more trophies at the Best of the West Rib Cook Off.  We now cater anywhere from 250 to 300 events a year with clients as far as 500 miles away!!