The Rib Cookoff Association (RCOA) was born from a simple yet powerful idea: transform the age-old tradition of barbecue into a sport that unites communities, fuels philanthropy, and creates lasting economic and social impact. What began as weekend contests among passionate pitmasters has grown into one of the fastest-rising sanctioning bodies in the world anchored in our #1 rule: Have Fun.
RCOA treats barbecue as more than food, it’s competition, culture, and community rolled into one. By establishing a fair, accessible, and engaging sports structure, we give cooks of all levels, from backyard grillers to world champions, with a platform to showcase skill and passion. This sports-driven model provides excitement for participants and spectators alike while legitimizing barbecue as a competitive arena on par with other major culinary sports.
Yet competition is only part of our mission. RCOA has raised over $170,000 for causes including veterans’ programs, youth initiatives, organ transplant funds, and wildfire relief. Each contest typically becomes a fundraiser, a rallying point where food fuels hope. Our multi-cause initiative ensures that the impact extends far beyond the judging tent, touching lives in measurable ways.
Finally, RCOA champions community engagement by bringing people together around smoke and fire. Small towns see tourism spikes, local businesses thrive, and families create shared memories. Volunteers, judges, and cooks become a network of support, proving that food is one of the most powerful tools for building connection.
Our goal is simple yet ambitious: make barbecue a sport by transforming lives and communities worldwide.
The Rib Cookoff Association (RCOA) was brought to life by reimagining barbecue not simply as a pastime or a culinary event, but as a sport with purpose designed to build community, raise funds for causes, and create lasting impact.
Plan of Action
Our plan started with a vision: develop a fair, accessible, and engaging competition structure centered on one category, ribs, that any cook could master. By simplifying entry while maintaining professionalism, we lowered barriers to participation and ensured that families, backyard cooks, and seasoned pitmasters could compete on the same stage. We paired this with a philosophy that every event must serve its host community. Instead of just trophies, each contest would raise funds for local causes, support small businesses, and give back in tangible ways.
Execution and Key Features
From the start, RCOA introduced clear rules, an automated points system, and a transparent judging structure that emphasized good barbecue over rigid, unattainable standards. We built events that were fun, fast paced, and family friendly. To grow reach, we leveraged digital tools: our website for sign ups, merchandise, and score tracking; social media for storytelling; and livestreaming to connect with fans globally. We recruited volunteers and judges not just as officials, but as ambassadors of a shared culture.
Each contest became an experiential event blending sport, entertainment, and purpose. Crowds cheered winners, while local nonprofits and charities benefited from funds raised on site. To date, RCOA contests have helped raise over $170,000 for veterans, youth programs, transplant patients, and disaster relief efforts, proving that competitive barbecue can be a vehicle for real change.
Challenges and How We Overcame Them
We faced challenges typical of new sanctioning bodies: skepticism from traditionalists, limited resources, and the need to quickly scale across regions and even into Europe and New Zealand. Many doubted whether barbecue could be treated as a sport or whether communities would rally behind a new format.
We overcame these challenges by leaning into authenticity. Our leadership team, including veteran pitmasters and economic development professionals, drew on decades of experience to demonstrate credibility. We built trust by putting fairness and community impact first, never losing sight of our #1 rule: Have Fun. To solve resource constraints, we created low cost but scalable systems, such as automated points tracking, fillable forms, and volunteer driven judging. Instead of resisting technology, we embraced it, ensuring contests could be tracked and shared in real time.
What Makes RCOA Unique
Unlike other sanctioning bodies, RCOA is not just about trophies, it is about transformation. Every rib turned in at the judging table fuels a larger mission: raising funds, strengthening community ties, and giving small towns and local businesses an economic boost. We are also pioneering inclusivity, encouraging women pitmasters, backyard teams, and international cooks to step into the spotlight.
By turning barbecue into a sport with heart, RCOA has created a model that entertains, inspires, and serves. Our work is unique because it shows that food is more than sustenance or spectacle, it is a global language of connection, competition, and community impact.
From the beginning, the Rib Cookoff Association (RCOA) was built with a global vision: to create a sport that unites people across borders through the shared language of barbecue. Our objective was twofold: grow competitive barbecue as an accessible sport and ensure that every contest delivered measurable community and charitable impact.
We achieved this by expanding rapidly beyond the United States into Europe and New Zealand, proving that barbecue has universal appeal. Our model of simplified rules, a single core category, and an automated points system translated easily across cultures, lowering barriers and encouraging both backyard enthusiasts and seasoned pitmasters to join. This global reach created a network of cooks, judges, and fans who engage with one another across time zones and continents, while maintaining the same values of fairness, fun, and giving back.
In terms of results, RCOA has sanctioned dozens of events worldwide, raising more than $170,000 for causes ranging from youth programs to disaster relief. Communities that hosted contests saw boosts in tourism, local business sales, and volunteer engagement, directly meeting our objective of economic and social impact. Most importantly, we built a community where competitors become collaborators, united by the joy of cooking and the mission of service.
We consider our efforts a success because RCOA has redefined what a sport can achieve. By blending competition, culture, and community impact, we have proven that barbecue is not only a global sport but also a global force for good.
