What a weekend to remember! With 31 Pro Teams and 9 IAW Teams, Blackshear was full of smoke, flavor, laughter—and some incredible hot air balloons lighting up the sky. A huge thank you to Linda Hawkins and the Veterans State Park crew at Georgia Veterans State Park for hosting such a fantastic event. From the beautiful balloon displays to a …

The GBA was proud to be in Eatonton, GA for the Whoo Wants Smoke BBQ Competition benefiting The Table Foundation, Inc. — and what an incredible event it turned out to be! Thank you Organizer Otis Harrison! Hosted at St. John AME Church, the day was packed with: 2 Church Teams8 IAW TeamsA couple hundred enthusiastic community supporters Great musicFree health …

The Fire Ant Festival is in the books! Congratulations to Off the Chain on winning back to back Grand Champions, and Big Baer’s BBQ for winning Reserve Champion. We had 9 different teams making finals. Congratulations to all who walked. Grand Champion: Off the Chain – (Cooking with Off the Chain -accepting the award Ewa …

GBA BRINGS THE HEAT TO HAWKINSVILLE!  What a weekend at the Hawkinsville BBQ Cook-Off & Karaoke Contest! The Georgia BBQ Association rolled into the Harness Training Center ready to cook, laugh, and make memories—and that’s exactly what happened. We may have only been five teams strong under the arena, but don’t let the numbers fool you… …

The 2026 Firehouse BBQ Festival is in the books. Thank you to Keith Bowen and Torrie with the Donalsonville Downtown Development Authority for always hosting a great event and the awesome Fish Fry for the teams and judges on Friday night. If you have never cooked this event it is worth the drive. Congratulations to …

The Georgia Barbecue Association had a fantastic time at Party in the Pines during the Tifton Rhythm & Ribs Festival! Our Contest Rep Team for the weekend was Greg Hoyt, Greg Sebastian, Lois Sebastian, and Warren Abrams, and they kept the smoke rolling and the competition running smoothly all day. A huge thanks to the City of Tifton and all who …