National BBQ Festival rolls into Fort Worth with April 1 “BBQ Bash,” demos, conference

The National Barbecue & Grilling Association (NBBQA) is bringing celebrities, tastings and meat-and-greets to Cowtown next weekend, March 29-April 1, for their annual conference, and that means BBQ for you and me.

The event features hundreds of fans, celebrities, authors and retailers, plus champion postmasters who will be serving samples at an April 1 BBQ Bash. A March 29-31 educational, retailing and networking conference precedes the Bash. All events will be held at the Fort Worth River Ranch Stockyards.

Tickets to the BBQ Bash ($40 now or $50 at entry; kids under 9 are free) include entry plus BBQ samples from Mike Mills & Amy Mills (17th Street BBQ, Myron Mixon (Jack’s Old South BBQ, BBQ Pitmasters TV Show), Tuffy Stone (Cool Smoke Barbecue, BBQ Pitmasters TV Show), Big Moe Cason (Ponderosa BBQ, BBQ Pitmasters TV Show), Danielle Bennett (Diva Q), Kent Black (Black’s Barbecue), Sweet Baby Ray & Duce Raymond (Sweet Baby Ray’s Barbecue), Sam Jones (Sam Jones BBQ), Chris Lilly (Big Bob Gibson BBQ), Brad Orrison (The Shed Barbecue), Craig Kimmel (Firehouse BBQ), John David Wheeler (Natural Born Grillers) . Ray Lampe (Dr. BBQ), Duce Raymond (Sweet Baby Ray’s Barbecue), Eric Hodson (Boars Night Out), John Reeves (Smokin’ X), Michael Mixon (Jack’s Old South), Kendal Adair (Boar’s Night Out), and Ty Machado (Food Network Kids BBQ Challenge Champion – Season 1). Educational demos and samples will also be offered by Cheerwine, Big Green Egg Grills, Smithfield and Traeger Grills.