'Summertime' barbecue cook-off

McCray's secret ingredient is a basting sauce he insists is "better than sex"

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (CNN) -- Nothing says hot competition like a barbecue cook-off. At the Nashville Shores event, Wiley McCrary, owner of The Q Co., an Atlanta-based barbecue caterer, thinks his ‘cue sizzles.

McCrary and his wife, Janet, have high hopes for a top cash prize, not to mention the prestige of a win among the intelligentsia of juicy, slow-roasted meats.

The challenge is no small commitment. It takes hours of sweaty work over hand-selected cuts of meat, "secret rubs" and a sauce that McCray boasts is "better than sex."

	VIDEO
CNN Newsstand's Bruce Burkhardt explains the ins and outs of a real barbeque cookoff Real 28K 80K Windows Media 28K 80K

Whatever the outcome, The Q Co. team won’t be satisfied with anything less than the best barbecue around.

The trouble is, everybody else feels the same. The Q Co. is up against teams like "Smokin’ in the Boy’s Room," "Oink, Cackle and Moo," "Swine Crazy," and "Two Fat Larrys."

Catchy names are one thing. But it’s the taste that tells the tale.

The first place prize is worth $1,000. Check out this video to see how the contestants fared.

Grilling basics -- Tips for a cookout done well
June 29, 2000

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