PIGS & SWIGS
BBQ Competition Team  •  Northwest Arkansas
Pigs and Swigs badge logo — script lettering in cream and red with a red Arkansas outline and star

Pigs on the pit. Swigs in hand.

Competition barbecue out of Fayetteville, Arkansas — chasing perfect ribs, clean smoke, and a box that shines when the lid comes off. This is home base for the team: where we're cooking next, and the first merch drop when it lands.

See upcoming comps ↓ Merch — coming soon
FAYETTEVILLE, AR
Home base
BBQ
Competition
RIBS FIRST
Fall 2026 focus
3 COMPS
On the books
Gloved hands lifting a dark, bark-covered rack of ribs out of a smoker

That color, that bark — the window is short, and when it's right, you know it.

NEXT UP  TULSA • NOV 14  —
The team

Our story

A new name, the same fire. Pigs & Swigs became the official team name in fall 2026 — and November is where the season really starts.

Pigs & Swigs is Rich Howard and Matt Guthrie's competition BBQ team, based in the Fayetteville area in Northwest Arkansas. The red star on the badge isn't decoration — it sits right over home, in the northwest corner of Arkansas.

The name tells you how a comp weekend works around here. The pigs are serious: trimming on the cutting board, fire management, watching for that five-to-seven-minute window when ribs go from ready to perfect. The swigs are everything around it — the people, the parking-lot hangs, the reason you load the trailer again next weekend.

In October 2026 the KCBS team name was switched from MR BBQ to Pigs & Swigs, with a new badge to match. The first chapter under the new name is a rib run: a one-meat shootout in Tulsa, then a shot at the big stage in Las Vegas.

Quick facts

  • The team: Rich Howard & Matt Guthrie — Rich is also behind @richbbque
  • Home: Fayetteville / Northwest Arkansas
  • Name change: MR BBQ → Pigs & Swigs, KCBS membership updated Oct 8, 2026
  • Right now: Ribs are the focus heading into Tulsa
TeamRich Howard@richbbque
TeamMatt Guthrie@matt_guthrie114
Open firebox of an offset smoker with burning logs and orange flames
Clean fire first. Everything good that happens later starts in the firebox.
Glazed competition ribs arranged in a turn-in box on a bed of greens
The goal on turn-in day: glossy, even, and sliced clean — a box that looks as good as it bites.
What we cook

Four boxes. One standard.

Focus now
01 — KCBS

Ribs

The fall campaign is built on ribs — trim, rub order, wrap, and a glaze strained hot so it sets like glass.

02 — KCBS

Pork

Shoulder done right: bark, money muscle, and pulled pork that still tastes like the pit.

03 — KCBS

Brisket

The long cook. Patience, probe-tender, and slices that bend without breaking.

04 — KCBS

Chicken

Bite-through skin and juicy meat — the box that humbles everybody at least once.

On the road

Upcoming comps

Two Saturdays, back to back, to close out November — then a KCBS double in March to kick off 2027. Come say hello if you're there — we're the Arkansas badge.

Nov14Sat

Tulsa Tailgate
Rib Cook-Off

Chapman Commons • Tulsa, OK

● Entered
  • WhenSat, Nov 14, 2026 • 6:00 AM – 1:30 PM
  • Where800 S Tucker Dr, Tulsa
  • FormatKCBS One-Meat — Ribs only
  • Entry / Prize$50 entry • $500 Grand Prize
The plan: We're running our rib playbook — start on the drum for color, wrap tight, then finish and dunk in the glaze. No shortcuts on the cutting board.
— Map to Chapman Commons ↗
Nov21Sat

BBQ Jackpot
3rd Annual

Silverton Casino Lot • Las Vegas, NV

◐ Waitlist
  • WhenSat, Nov 21, 2026
  • WhereSilverton Casino / Bass Pro Shops lot
  • FormatKCBS Master Series + LFCA Live-Fire
  • Purse$20,000
What's at stake: The Grand Champion earns a qualifier for the 2027 $1M BBQ World Cup. Master Series sites sold out — our waitlist request is in and we're watching for a spot to open.
— Map to Silverton ↗
Mar13Sat

Boots, Brews
& BBQ Double

KCBS Double • 2027 Season Kickoff

● Upcoming
  • WhenSat, Mar 13, 2027
  • FormatKCBS Double — two contests, one weekend
  • SeasonFirst comp on the books for 2027
What's a double? Two full KCBS contests back-to-back in the same weekend — two cooks, two sets of turn-ins, and two chances to hear your name called. A big way to open the 2027 season.
— See results as they post ↓
After March: More of the 2027 calendar is still coming together. If you run a comp within driving distance of Northwest Arkansas — sanctioned, backyard, or festival-style — we'd love to hear about it at a comp or over on Instagram.
Scoreboard

Comp results

Where the boxes landed. The 2026 season already put seven podium finishes on the board — and as each upcoming comp is judged, its calls and standings will be posted here too.

7 finishes in 2026.
Three 2026 events are on the board below — Boots, Brews & BBQ, Decatur BBQ Fest, and Bikes, Blues & BBQ — with Tulsa up next on Nov 14.

Past results — 2026

Boots, Brews & BBQ

2026

Past result
  • 2nd PlacePeople’s Choice

Decatur BBQ Fest

2026

Past result
  • 2nd PlaceRibs
  • 3rd PlaceChicken

Bikes, Blues & BBQ

2026

Past result
  • 1st PlaceChicken
  • 1st PlaceSauce
  • 1st PlacePeople’s Choice Pulled Pork
  • 1st PlacePeople’s Choice Chicken

Coming up — awaiting results

Tulsa Tailgate Rib Cook-Off

Sat, Nov 14, 2026 • Chapman Commons, Tulsa, OK • KCBS One-Meat — Ribs

Awaiting results
Ribs—
Overall—

First comp under the new name. Rib finish and overall placing will go here as soon as awards are announced.

BBQ Jackpot — 3rd Annual

Sat, Nov 21, 2026 • Silverton Casino Lot, Las Vegas, NV • KCBS Master Series

Waitlist — awaiting results
Chicken—
Ribs—
Pork—
Brisket—
Overall—

On the waitlist for a Master Series spot. If we cook, full category and overall results will be posted here.

Boots, Brews & BBQ Double

Sat, Mar 13, 2027 • KCBS Double

Upcoming — Mar 2027
Chicken—
Ribs—
Pork—
Brisket—
Overall—

A double means two contests in one weekend — Day 1 and Day 2 results will each get their own line here after the comp.

Merch teaser

Merch is firing up

No shop yet — the first drop is in the works. Here's what's on the table for Drop 01, built around the badge. Tell us what you'd grab first.

Coming soonPigs and Swigs badge that will appear on the black tee

The Badge Tee

Black tee, big cream-and-red badge front and center. The one you wear to the comp and everywhere after.

DROP 01  • First up

Coming soonPigs and Swigs badge that will appear on the hoodie

Early-Morning Hoodie

Heavyweight black hoodie for 5 AM fire starts and cold turn-in mornings. Badge on the chest, nothing fussy.

DROP 01  • In the works

Coming soon

Hat + Koozie Pack

A team hat for sun and smoke, plus a koozie for the swigs side of the name. Sold as a pack to start.

DROP 01  • In the works

What should drop first?

Tap one — it helps us decide what to order first. This just counts on this page visit; for drop news, follow along on Instagram.