Wednesday, March 25, 2026

🔥🎸🤠 Welcome to Nashville!  🔥🎸🤠

 Day 1

The National Barbecue & Grilling Association welcomes everyone to Music City for the start of our 35th Anniversary Celebration!  Enjoy a relaxed day of tours, food, and fellowship before the learning and competition begin.

10:00 AM – Restaurant Bus Tour

Climb aboard for a delicious Nashville adventure!
We’ll visit four of the city’s most iconic barbecue restaurants:
🍖 Jack’s Bar-B-Que
🔥 Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint
🍽️ Edley’s Bar-B-Que
🥃 Peg Leg Porker – ending the tour with a bourbon tasting hosted by Carey Bringle.

Separate Ticket.  Transportation provided. Advance registration required.  Bus leaves from Host Hotel - Hilton Garden Inn

5:00 PM – Happy Hour at Travellers Rest

Join friends new and old for a casual Happy Hour on the grounds of historic Travellers Rest.
Enjoy light appetizers, cold drinks, and Southern hospitality as we kick off the conference together.

6:00 PM – Prairie Fresh Welcome Reception

Presented by Prairie Fresh Pork, this reception officially opens the 2026 NBBQA Celebration!
Meet your fellow pitmasters, sponsors, and speakers while enjoying delicious bites and live music under the Tennessee stars.

Thursday, March 26, 2026

💰📈🔥 Grow the Business You Love 💰📈🔥 

Track A – Business & Branding

(for sauce & rub makers, co-packers, retailers, and marketers)

Track B – Operations & Growth

(for restaurants, caterers, competitors, and event hosts)

9:00 – 10:15 AM

Track A: Show Me the Money – How to Fund Your BBQ Dream
• Panel Discussion: Explore funding options from loans to crowdfunding.

Track B: From Kitchen to Co-Packer
• Panel Discussion: Real steps for taking your recipes to retail production.

10:30 – 12:00 PM

Track A: Profit First for Pitmasters (Workshop)
• Learn how to manage cash flow and profit smartly.

Track B: Save While You Smoke (Panel)
• Discover ways to lower costs and control waste.

12:00 – 1:15 PM – Networking Lunch: Pitmaster Power Hour

• Roundtable discussions by topic: Funding, Marketing, AI, and Scaling.

1:30 – 3:00 PM

Track A: Brand Smoke – Digital Marketing That Converts (Workshop)
• Build your brand using Canva, Meta, and AI tools.

Track B: Menu Engineering & Pricing for Profit (Workshop)
• Learn to price your food for profit while maintaining quality.

3:15 – 4:45 PM

Track A: BBQ Business Lifecycles – From First Flame to Final Sale (Mainstage Panel)
• Moderator: Kell Phelps
• Pros share their journeys from startup to success and beyond.

Track B: Hiring, Training & Keeping a Great Pit Crew (Panel)
• Build and retain a strong, motivated team.

5:00 – 6:30 PM (All Attendees)

Faith, Family & Fire – Building a Legacy That Lasts (Panel)
• A heartfelt conversation about BBQ, faith, and legacy.

7:00 PM – Awards of Excellence Dinner & Presentation

Join us for the NBBQA Awards of Excellence, honoring the best in barbecue and grilling.
Buffet dinner served at 6:00 PM; awards presentation begins promptly at 7:00 PM.
Evening concludes by 9:00 PM.

Friday, March 27, 2026

🔥💡🚀 Scaling & Marketing Smarter 🔥💡🚀

Track A – Business & Branding

Track B – Operations & Growth

9:00 – 10:30 AM

Track A: Scaling Without Losing Your Smoke (Panel)
• Learn to grow your brand while keeping your authenticity.

Track B: Retail Ready – Getting Your Product on Store Shelves (Panel)
• Step-by-step insights for getting your rubs, sauces, or products into stores.

10:45 – 12:15 PM

Track A: Social Media & Sales Funnels for BBQ Brands (Workshop)
• Turn your followers into loyal customers.

Track B: Smart Systems – Automating Your Daily Grind (Workshop)
• Simplify your business using AI and automation tools.

12:15 – 1:45 PM (All Attendees)

Meet the Masters Luncheon
• Hear success stories and lessons learned from industry trailblazers.

2:00 – 3:30 PM

Track A: Reel Results – Creating Short-Form Video That Sells (Hands-On Lab)
• Create engaging short videos with your phone.

Track B: Partnerships That Work (Panel)
• Learn from successful BBQ business partners and families.

3:45 – 4:15 PM

Track A: Cash Out or Pass It Down (Panel)
• How to sell or hand down your BBQ business.

Track B: Next Gen BBQ – Inspiring Youth & Family Involvement (Panel)
• Bring the next generation into the world of BBQ.

4:30 PM – Rhinestone Cowboy Steak Cookoff

• 4:30 PM: Cooks’ Meeting
• 6:00 PM: Judges’ Meeting
• 7:00 – 7:30 PM: Turn-Ins
• 8:30 PM: Awards Presentation
Celebrate as we crown the 2026 NBBQA Rhinestone Cowboy Champion!

Saturday, March 28, 2026 

🔥🥩🐖🏆 NBBQA Championship Saturday 🔥🥩🐖🏆

7:00 – 8:00 AM – Team Check-In & Setup

Competitors for the Rib Cookoff, Steak Cookoff, and Live Fire Invitational arrive and set up.

8:00 AM – Cooks’ Meetings

Combined safety meeting, then breakout sessions for each event.

8:30 – 10:30 AM – Fire-Up & Prep Period

Teams fire up their pits, and the public gates open at 9:00 AM.
Enjoy demos, tastings, and live music throughout the day!

11:00 AM – Live Fire Invitational: People’s Choice Round

Public tasting and first judging session.

12:00 – 1:30 PM – Rib Cookoff Judging

Judges’ panel begins. People’s Choice results tallied.

1:30 – 3:00 PM – Steak Cookoff Judging

Run in partnership with the Steak Cookoff Association (SCA).

3:00 PM – Live Fire Invitational: Pork Round

Second round of judging begins.

5:00 PM – Live Fire Invitational: Beef Round

Final competition round with live music and crowd activities.

6:30 PM – Dinner & Live Music Social

Buffet dinner for all attendees, teams, and sponsors.

7:30 – 8:30 PM – Awards Presentations

Celebrate the weekend’s champions!
🏆 Rib Cookoff Winners
🥩 Steak Cookoff Winners
🔥 Live Fire Invitational World Champion
🎖️ Special sponsor and grand champion awards

8:30 – 9:00 PM – Closing Toast & Farewell Celebration

Final remarks from Kell & Janet Phelps, thank-yous to all sponsors, and a farewell toast to 35 years of BBQ excellence!