The Freestone County Go-Texan board held its 4th Annual BBQ Cook-Off this past weekend, April 25th-26th at the W.L. Moody Reunion Fairgrounds in Fairfield.

This fundraising event is an IBCA Sanctioned event which includes competition in ½ Chicken, Pork Spareribs, and Brisket. Jackpot competition was had for Cooks Choice, Desserts, and Beans.

Performing for the late crowd were Kevin Ellis, Steve Murray, and Texas Unlimited Band.

Kids were treated to free Face Painting, Bounce Houses, Snow Cones, Raffles, Crafts & More.

And last, but not least, there were competitions in Horseshoes and Cornhole.

Participating BBQ Teams were Circle H, Spanky Deep BBQ, BFE & Buddies, MD Construction, Misfits, Hide-A-Way Ranch, Burnin’ Money, High Proof Cookers, Smokin’ Hot, East Texas Smokers, Bad Dawg BBQ, Stabbin’ Waggin’, Leftover Cookers, Redneck Cookers, Meat Head BBQ, Big Salinas BBQ, Cash Money Services, Smoke Patrol, and Whisk Takers.

TAKING THE GRAND CHAMPION title at the 2025 Freestone County Go-Texan BBQ Cook-Off on Saturday, April 26, was Meat Head BBQ, consisting of team members Ryan Mathison, Blake West, Kenneth Morris, and Clayton Turner. (Courtesy Photo)

–This year’s Grand Champion team was Meat Heads BBQ, who took home a $1,000 prize; followed by the Grand Reserve team, East Texas Smokers, who left with $500.

–Sweeping the Jackpot competitions was Circle H BBQ, who left with a combined prize of $750.

–Results for the ½ Chicken: First – Stabbin’ Waggin’, Second – Bad Dawg BBQ, Third – East Texas Smokers, Fourth – Smokin’ Hot, Fifth – High Proof Cookers, Sixth – Burnin’ Money, Seventh – Hide-A-Way Ranch, Eighth – MD Construction, Nineth – Circle H BBQ, and Tenth – Spanky Deep BBQ

–Taking home prizes for their Pork Spareribs: First – Mead Head BBQ, Second – Burnin’ Money, Third – East Texas Smokers, Fourth – Whisk Takers, Sixth – Smoke Patrol, Seventh – Big Salinas, Seventh – Cash Money Services, Eighth – Stabbin’ Waggin’, Nineth – Hide-A-Way Ranch, and Tenth – BFE & Buddies.

–Brisket winners include: First – Cash Money Services, Second – Big Salinas, Third – Meat Heads BBQ, Fourth – East Texas Smokers, Fifth – Redneck Cookers, Sixth – Burnin’ Money, Seventh – Misfits, Eighth – Bad Dawg BBQ, Nineth – Stabbin’ Waggin’, and Tenth – Leftover Cookers.

–Cornhole First Place Team was Rick Gollnisch and Sameer Zaver.

–Horseshoe First Place Team was AJ Sandlin and Coleman Walthall.

 

(at top):  PART OF THE BOARD working hard to put on a successful event are (l-r): Kyle Williams, Kenny Bulger, Sutton Jones, Chuck Lopez, & Michael Grissett. Other board members not photographed, but working just as hard, include Clayton Turner, Jessica Corley-Rieves, Mika Scott, Brittany Kennedy, Shelby Griffin, Jay Jeffress, and John Blackwell. (Photo by Scott W. Marsters, Sr.)

 

A Note from the Freestone County Go-Texan board…

“Overall, this weekend was a success, even considering we lacked teams; the FREECO community more than made up for it. THANK YOU to our supporters. The money raised goes to scholarships, local sponsors, fair add-ons, and many other local organizations.

Special thanks to Mike Daniel with MD Construction, The Ashford and Solis families, and Freestone Power Consulting.

Music: Duffy Douglas Music and The Texas Unlimited Band

Thank you to the folks that donated their winnings back to the organization: MD Construction, Ben Bonner, Mike Stamper, and Mika Scott.

Our next event is the Freestone County Fair: Monday, June 16 – Horseshoes, Tuesday, June 17 – Washers, Wednesday, June 18 – Cornhole.
Sponsorships for 2026 will open in November.”

You can find the group online at www.freecogotexan.com and on Facebook. You can reach them my emailing to freestoneareagotexan@gmail.com.