Chris Lytle knows his way around a grill. Born and raised in Columbus, he’s been barbecuing competitively for years. In early 2018, however, he added another challenge to his plate — turning out perfect medium-rare rib-eyes at Steak Cookoff Association (SCA) contests. His efforts Saturday at the Alcorn County Steak Cookoff in Corinth garnered a Golden Ticket to the 2018 SCA World Championship in Fort Worth, Texas, Oct. 4-7. The first-place winner there will bring home $10,000. Corinth was only Lytle’s fourth steak competition.
For the Vernon, Alabama-resident who works in Columbus, it’s a goal he intended to accomplish — next year.
“I’d told everybody that this year I’m playing, studying and practicing — and next year I’ll be in Fort Worth at the World Championship,” the 36-year-old said. The Golden Ticket fast forwards everything.
“Oh, yes ma’am, we’re gong to be there!” said the enthused competitor, one of only 200 invited to participate. “I’ve already registered and booked my hotel room. … I think I read that there’ll be contestants from eight different countries.”
But first
Lytle has some barbecuing to do before he loads up his steak-cooking Weber charcoal grill for Texas in two weeks. First, his 180 Proof BBQ Team will compete in the Roast ‘n’ Boast Mississippi State BBQ Championship this Friday and Saturday at the Columbus Fairgrounds. (He’s even developed his own 180 Proof BBQ Sauce, which he’s bottling and beginning to market.) The contest requires a commitment of several days. Teams will begin setting up Thursday for the long cook required for barbecue worthy of the judges.
Steak contests, on the other hand, are one-day events. For a guy accustomed to devoting entire weekends to some competitions, the shorter format makes a nice break.
“Barbecue can be a three-day affair, whereas with steaks, Saturday we left the house at 7:30 a.m. and I got home right after Alabama scored their first touchdown, so I was able to watch almost the whole game,” Lytle said with a laugh.
His longtime girlfriend, Trish Rowe, confirmed it. “That’s the grand thing about the steaks: You take your grill, your tent and seasoning, your cooler and chairs. We get up that morning, we get there, sign in, get our steaks, and by 4 p.m. we’re ready for awards.”
Steak contests are double blind-judged; steaks are provided. SCA also offers ancillary categories for foods from ribs and pork chops to chili, jambalaya and frog legs.
It was actually Rowe who lit the steak contest fire. It happened as the couple traveled to Tennessee for an earlier barbecue cooking competition.
“He was this big barbecue competitor, and we were headed up to the contest and stopped by some friends’ where some guys were going over (cooking) for a steak contest. I said, ‘I want to do that,’ and they showed me everything,” she said. “We got into it, and from that moment on, we’ve been going.”
Rowe, in fact, also entered Saturday’s steak contest in Corinth, separately from Lytle.
Lytle and Rowe were already geared up for this weekend’s Roast ‘n’ Boast, but Saturday’s Golden Ticket to the World Championship of steaks filled their calendars into October in short order. But Lytle is eager for it.
“I love cooking everything!” he said.
Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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