FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEMay 6, 2008

Local Team Triumphant in Nationally Ranked Cook-Off

Wamac, Illinois - No doubt you have seen some of them on Food Network or The Travel Channel, and with names like Quau (rhymes with Luau), It's Swine O'clock Somewhere, All Day Smoke, and Ulcer Acres, you are likely to not forget some of them. These are not the names of restaurants, floofy cocktails, or comedy teams, but well known, serious competition barbeque teams who travel throughout the United States competing for bragging rights, fame and, for a small few, money.

The Southwestern Illinois Spring Festival, heldMay 2nd3rd, was the battle ground as twenty teams from four states converged on the otherwise quite town of Wamac, Illinois to test their skills and cooking towards a total prize package of more than $3,000.

Though money is not the driving force behind one local team, Bandit BBQ Crew, of SalemCarlyle, Illinois, made their second appearance in this nationally ranked contestand claimed quite a triumph in the name of Bandit BBQ’s signature 'Slap Ya Mama Good BBQ'.

"I don't know about slaying dragons," says crew chief Jim Reincke, "but in only our second major contest we took a lot of people by surprise...including ourselves. We went into the event full of ideas, new techniques, and a hope that we might get lucky enough to have our name called in just one of the four categories. Our goal was to simply not get last place" jokes Reincke. Mission accomplished, and then some.

When all the smoke had settled, and little more left beyond the clean-up, awards began pouring in for Bandit BBQ. Stiff competition in four meat categories was no deterrent as Bandit BBQ's name rang out for each and every category. "Beef Brisket - 9th Place; Pork - 6th Place; Pork Ribs - 4th Place; Chicken - 3rd Place...our team just couldn't believe it! For a team to get their name called once in contest of this magnitude is a big thing, but in all four categories is an amazing feeling" continued Reincke. "Our team, consisting of Rod Rodawald of Carlyle and Jenny Niemann of Carlyle, just kept looking at one another in amazement that this was happening. Here were teams coming in from as far away as Michigan, Indiana, and Missouri to stake their claim in Illinois,and we're just a local team out to have fun and cook some great food, and we end up walking away as the 7th ranked team for this Illinois State Championship contest...amazing."

Asked about their winning technique, Rodawald would only say that the team works well together, makes all of their own spice blends, referred to as Mojo Rub, and prepare the meat with great consideration for appearance, taste, and tenderness. “The only secrets are those we’re not telling, but if you hang around long enough we just might share; you never know,” quips Rodawald, “and the next time to find out is this weekend at Orchard View Winery (Alma, Illinois) as we will be doing all the food for their Blues, BBQ & 5K Run/Walk. We’ll be there on Saturday from 1pm until 10pm; or until the food runs out.”

In the spirit of full disclosure, Reincke does admit that he has a slightly more than moderate interest in barbeque. “Though this was only our second ‘big’ contest, we are also getting into catering and vending special events. I have been the organizer of the KCBS Salem contest the past two years; am the organizer of the upcoming The BBQ Throwdown & Jam this September in Salem; organizer of a couple of smaller ‘backyard’ contests; and President of the Illinois BBQ Society. Barbeque is a full time passion and hobby for me. I couldn’t do it without my teammates, or without our sponsors. I would like to thank Max Dye Auto Dealership in Salem, WebPagePlus.com Internet Consultants, and Ace of Hearts BBQ Specialties who is the distributor of our smoker called The Good-One…they have all made it possible to compete at this level.”

For those interested to find out more about Bandit BBQ’s Award Winning ‘Slap Ya Mama Good BBQ’, their Mojo Rub, catering services, or where they’re appearing next, a visit to their internet website at deliver all the smoky goodness.

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For additional Information, contact:

Jim Reincke
Bandit BBQ Competition Crew
Post Office Box 924
Salem, Illinois62881

Phone: 618-407-3300
Email:

Pictured: (L to R) Wamac Mayor Butch Mathis, Contest Organizer Shane Swartzlander, Bandit BBQ Crew Jim Reincke of Salem, Jenny Niemannof Carlyle, Rod Rodawald of Carlyle