#87 Aaron Huentelman - Go Big or Go BBQ | From Last Place to Competition BBQ Leader

What do you learn when your first competition barbecue contest ends with you near the bottom of the results?

For Aaron Huentelman, you come back and get better.

On this episode of BBQ Therapy, Tavis Bryant sits down with Aaron Huentelman, a competition pitmaster, founder of Go Big or Go BBQ, Competition Meat Director for Mister Brisket, and Great Lakes BBQ Association board member.

Aaron's barbecue journey has taken him through nearly every side of the competition BBQ world.

He started with family influences, professional restaurant experience, and a Christmas pork shoulder cooked on a charcoal grill. Then came his first KCBS competition in 2014—and a finish that could have convinced him to walk away.

Instead, he came back.

That journey eventually led to major competition finishes, a Grand Championship at the Dayton BBQ Rodeo, the creation of Go Big or Go BBQ, and his current role helping competition teams find and select the meat they rely on before they ever fire up their smokers.

In this conversation, Aaron takes us through the entire journey.

We talk about his grandparents and the story behind “Go Big,” the lessons he learned from professional kitchens, what his first competition taught him, and what changed between finishing near the bottom and eventually finding success on the competition circuit.

Then we go deep into the business side.

How do you turn a sauce or rub idea into an actual product? What does it take to launch a food brand? And what happens when you launch a new business just before the world changes?

Aaron also breaks down his work with Mister Brisket and what it means to serve as Competition Meat Director.

What makes a competition brisket different? What are teams looking for in chicken? How important is consistency? And what should cooks understand about selecting their meat before the cook ever begins?

This conversation is about more than meat.

It’s about learning from failure, building something from the ground up, understanding the details that matter, and finding new ways to contribute to the barbecue community.

From the smoker to the business side to the meat sitting on the cutting board, Aaron Huentelman has experienced competition barbecue from just about every angle.

This is BBQ Therapy.

Listen. Learn. Get Inspired.

🎙️ Hosted by Tavis Bryant
🔥 BBQ Therapy Podcast
🌐 www.bbqtherapypodcast.com

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