| — In Lynchburg, Tenn., for the past 22 years, the Annual Jack Daniel’s World Championship Invitational Barbecue has been held. On Oct. 22, at the 23rd annual event, Moultrie and the state of Georgia will be represented by Foy Whatley of Barbeque Crew.

“It was on the bucket list. Now I can check it off,” said Whatley.

According to the Jack Daniels’ website, the event, held in Jack Daniel’s Hollow, will draw more than 25,000 visitors from around the world not including the judges and barbecue teams. United States and international teams from as far away as Switzerland, Germany and Australia will compete in seven categories.

“The Jack Daniel’s World Championship Barbecue is a combination of culinary expertise and friendly, but serious, competition that is known the world over,” said Lynn Tolley, a Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) certified barbecue judge and great-grandniece of Jack Daniel, in a press release.

To qualify, Whatley had to win a state championship and then a drawing was held for the slots in the competition. His name was drawn out of about 15 or 20 teams from Georgia, he said.

Whatley said that this was the third time that his name has been in the drawing for this competition and the first time that his name was drawn.

“No guarantees. There’s definitely no guarantees,” he said.

He added that just because he made this year, it didn’t mean he would make it in next year’s event.

Whatley has been competing in barbecue competitions for 12 years in the “pro division” and about three years in local events, he said. He said the competitions were just as competitive as football games, plus they were 24-hour long events.

“By the time the awards ceremony happens at about 5 or 6 p.m., you’re dead,” he said.

Whatley said that he participates mostly in competitions sanctioned by the Florida Bar-B-Que Association and competes, on an average, in about ten events a year. He said he would like to participate in more but the inherent costs can be rather high. He said the entry fees alone can be $200 to $300 and he usually spends about $500 on the meat.

“You get nervous right before ‘turn-ins’. You got alot of money on the line,” he said.

Whatley said that he usually prepares for each competition a week in advance and this was not an easy task.

“You want to have a routine. The main thing is you don’t want to fall behind. You get behind in your schedule and it throws your whole weekend,” he said.

He also said that in these barbecue competitions there are trends in the way the meat is cooked and sometimes the judges like it one way and then the next time they don’t.

“It’s a crap shoot. It’s almost like going to Vegas and rolling dice,” he said.

He said that usually there were six judges per category and they judge on appearance, tenderness and taste — and it’s all subjective.

“There’s no wrong way to do barbecue,” he said. “You cook it the way you like it and hope everybody else likes it, too.”

In all the years combined, he said, he’s probably won the most money with his chicken and ribs and he feels really confident in his brisket, which he cooks anywhere between eight and ten hours during competitions.

He said over the years he has learned much from just listening to the other teams talk during the competitions and he learns something new every year. He said he felt like he has a bigger family because of the friends he’s made. He said the competitors were nice and were glad to help each other out.

“It’s like a big family. I guess you can say it’s like a circus,” he said laughing.

He said his phone rang for two hours with other teams calling to congratulate him on being chosen to participate in the Annual Jack Daniel’s World Championship Invitational, which will be sanctioned by KCBS.

Whatley said he expects it to be a highly publicized event and that there will be television cameras at the competition and celebrity judges. He said he believes that these competitions are becoming more noticed because of the popularity of shows like TLC’s Pit Masters.

He said that he would be bringing more meat to this competition than any other he has competed in and with gas, and the entry fees, this will easily add up to about $800 or $900. He added that many teams will have sponsors for the competitions, and in return, they are able to offer good advertising opportunities at these highly attended events. Whatley said that he would definitely be willing to promote any business that wanted to sponsor Barbeque Crew or even trade his award-winning barbecue skills for a sponsorship.

“Our teams continue to amaze the judges and me, bringing different flavors and techniques to the competition and constantly raising the bar in barbecuing. They have spent thousands of dollars and countless hours perfecting their trade, and this competition is truly the best of the best in barbecuing,” said Jack Daniel’s master distiller Jeff Arnett on the company’s website.

“I’m real excited about it. I’ve heard big things about it,” said Whatley.