#84 Todd Johns - Plowboys BBQ | He Won the American Royal. Then the Real Work Began

Todd Johns didn’t just win the American Royal. He built a legacy.

In 2009, Todd Johns and Pork Pullin’ Plowboys won the American Royal Open Grand Championship—one of the defining moments of his competition BBQ career.

But winning the trophy was only part of the story.

Todd went on to build Plowboys BBQ, create some of the most recognized rubs in barbecue, enter the restaurant business, cook at Arrowhead Stadium, work with Yoder Smokers, and help shape the barbecue industry in ways that extend far beyond the competition circuit.

On this episode of the BBQ Therapy Podcast, we go behind the trophies and the products to talk about what it actually takes to build something that lasts.

Todd takes us back to his early days after moving to Kansas City, discovering barbecue, competing with Pork Pullin’ Plowboys, and learning through the losses that eventually prepared him for the American Royal.

We talk about the moment he became the 2009 American Royal Open Grand Champion, what winning actually changed, and why success can create an entirely new set of challenges.

Then we get into the business behind Plowboys BBQ.

Todd explains how a competition BBQ side project became a legitimate business, how Yardbird came to life, the development of Bovine Bold, Sweet 180, Jerk, and Fin & Feather, and what he learned about building a brand that people trust.

We also explore the restaurant chapter, including what it was like taking Plowboys BBQ from competition tables into the restaurant world and eventually into Arrowhead Stadium.

And then comes reinvention.

After years of competition, product development, and entrepreneurship, Todd found another path with Yoder Smokers. We discuss how his perspective on barbecue has changed, where he sees the industry going, and what today's younger pitmasters can learn from someone who has spent more than two decades inside the business.

But ultimately, this conversation isn't about rubs, smokers, restaurants, or trophies.

It's about obsession, risk, reinvention, failure, success, and legacy.

If you've ever wondered what happens after you win, this is the conversation.

Because the championship may be the moment everybody remembers.

But building something that lasts is the real test.

🔥 This is BBQ Therapy.

Everything BBQ. The smoke. The stories. The people. And the lessons behind the pit.

Subscribe to BBQ Therapy Podcast for more conversations with the people shaping the world of barbecue.

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