By Lee Quessenberry — continuing Dad’s Arkansas Trav’ler championship recipes
In the early 1980s, competitive barbecue was different. It wasn’t the massive media spectacle it is today. It was smaller, more intimate, and frankly — more authentic. And in those smoke-filled competition pits across the South, my dad Jim Quessenberry wasn’t just cooking barbecue. He was creating history.
The Pioneer Era of Competition BBQ
When Dad formalized the Arkansas Trav’ler Cooking Team in the mid-1980s out of Cross County / Northeast Arkansas, he was entering a frontier era of competitive barbecue. There were no celebrity pitmasters, no reality TV shows, no million-dollar prize purses. There were just passionate cooks, secret recipes, and the undeniable truth that great barbecue speaks for itself.
Dad competed at the very first Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest in 1978 — one of only about 10 teams on the inaugural field. Think about that — today there are hundreds of teams, but back then, the circuit was small. You had to be known. You had to have something special.
The Birth of Championship Recipes
This is where Sauce Beautiful and Spice Beautiful were born — not in a test kitchen, but on the actual competition circuit. Dad wasn’t developing recipes for grocery store shelves. He was creating finishing sauces and rubs that would win world championships.
The philosophy was simple but revolutionary for the time:
- Finishing sauces, not cooking sauces — Dad applied Sauce Beautiful about 30 minutes before pulling ribs or shoulders off the smoker, letting the flavors marry perfectly with the smoke
- Small-batch precision — Every batch was mixed by hand, tasted, and adjusted until it was perfect
- No shortcuts — No store-bought bases, no artificial flavors, just pure ingredients and championship technique
The International Breakthrough
What set Dad apart from other pitmasters wasn’t just his Arkansas roots or his larger-than-life personality. It was his willingness to take Arkansas barbecue to the world stage.
In 1985, the Arkansas Trav’ler team traveled to Lisdoonvarna, Ireland for the Irish Cup International Barbecue Contest. This wasn’t just another competition — this was the world championship of barbecue. And Dad won.
Then he did it again in 1987.
Two-time World Champion.
Those victories weren’t just trophies. They were proof that an Arkansas family recipe, born in Northeast Arkansas and perfected through competition circuit experience, could stand toe-to-toe with the best pitmasters in the world.
The Sauce Beautiful Philosophy
Dad always called himself Ph.B. — Philosopher of Barbecue. But his philosophy went beyond just cooking techniques. He understood that great barbecue was about storytelling, about community, about bringing people together around the fire.
The sauces and rubs he created in the 1980s reflected this philosophy:
- Sauce Beautiful Original: The perfect balance of sweet and tangy, designed to complement smoked meats without overpowering them
- Sauce Beautiful White: Dad’s take on Alabama white sauce, but with extra Arkansas attitude — more horseradish kick, more black pepper bite
- Spice Beautiful Hickory: The rub that built championship rib plates, with the perfect hickory-forward profile that judges loved
- Spice Beautiful Original: The all-purpose blend that worked on everything from pork shoulder to brisket
Passing the Torch
What makes this story special to me and my brother Michael is that we were there. In 1989, at ages 7 and 5, we were already on camera rubbing ribs, learning the craft the old-school way. (We still have the footage — you can watch it on our YouTube channel.)
Dad didn’t just teach us recipes. He taught us philosophy. He taught us that championship barbecue isn’t about fancy techniques or expensive equipment. It’s about respect for the ingredients, respect for the process, and respect for the people you’re feeding.
The Legacy Continues
When Dad passed in 2000, the fire never went out. Michael and I picked up the tongs, resurrected his exact original recipes, and turned his championship legacy into the brand you see today.
The Sauce Beautiful and Spice Beautiful products you can buy right now are the same recipes Dad created on the 1980s competition circuit. Same small-batch approach. Same championship taste. Same Arkansas attitude.
Why This Matters Today
In an era of mass-produced barbecue sauces and celebrity pitmaster brands, Dad’s story from the 1980s circuit matters more than ever. It represents authenticity. It represents the true spirit of competitive barbecue — when it was about the food, not the fame.
When you use Sauce Beautiful or Spice Beautiful, you’re not just using a barbecue sauce. You’re using a piece of championship history. You’re using the same flavors that won the Irish Cup International Barbecue Contest. You’re using the recipes that made the Arkansas Trav’ler team legends.
The Championship Promise
Every bottle of Sauce Beautiful and every container of Spice Beautiful comes with this promise: it’s made the same way Dad made it in the 1980s. Small batches. Hand-mixed. Championship quality.
Because that’s what championship barbecue deserves. That’s what Dad’s legacy deserves.
And that’s what you deserve when you’re cooking for your family and friends.
Ready to taste championship history? Shop the original championship recipes that won the world in the 1980s and are still made exactly the same way today.
By Lee Quessenberry — continuing the exact recipes of two-time World Champion Pitmaster Jim Quessenberry and the Arkansas Trav’ler Cooking Team.
