Who'd of thought barbecuing would become a professional sport? Probably not your average Joe flipping ribs in his backyard. But for hundreds of teams competing professionally around the United States this year, barbecuing is as much a sport as football, and they've got the Inaugural Sam's Club National BBQ Tour to prove it.

“We cook throughout the year,” said Ron Lewen, who teamed up with his wife, Amy, two-and-a-half years ago. The Lewens go by the name Captain Ron's Brew-n-Que, and they've been traveling across the country for competitions since they first realized they could.

“We started barbequing a long time ago,” Lewen said. “Now we have so many friends around the country [from competing]. They're our barbecue brethren.”

Along with the Lewens, 30 teams from across Illinois came out for the local qualifier Saturday afternoon at Sam's Club in Evergreen Park. Seven teams took home winnings from the $10,000 pot. Each team will head to Indianapolis in August for the Midwest regional competition, worth $20,000.

The national competition, which will take place in Bentonville, AK, is worth $100,000. All of these events are sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbeque Society.

"Sam's Club is trying to let people know that they're very involved in barbecue and you can get all your barbecue needs at Sam's Club," said Mike Lake, who organized the Evergreen Park event. The tour kicked off on April 8 in Gilbert, Ariz., but Lake said he's been involved in national barbecuing competitions since 1992.

Pit-master Troy Black, who sampled off his nationally renowned barbecue from a grill alongside competitors' tents, said the circuit gets bigger every year.

Anyone who doesn't think this is a sport, Black said, “hasn't been to a pro-barbecue contest.”

“They pour a massive amount of money into this sport,” he said of sponsors, barbecue companies and grocers, such as Sam's Club. “It's like that show Bass Master. Twenty years ago, no one could make a living fishing. Now there are guys fishing professionally.”

What's the real mission of barbecue competitors? To cook authentic southern-style barbecue, Black noted, and make a living doing it. Many of teams are sponsored by sauce companies, like Great Lakes BBQ, Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ and Plow Boys BBQ. And their recipes – many of which are a mixture of homemade ingredients and other companies' sauces – are top secret because of their sponsorship.

“It's an expensive sport,” he stressed. “At [Saturday's] competition, many teams are just looking to break even. I mean, just a weekend can cost competitors up to $1,000 in travel, food expenses and other things.”

As for the perfect sauce, that tender juicy meat that slides off the bone – competitors left the taste-testing for six judges who made sure the plates were tried anonymously.

Black let Patch in on some barbecue secrets, however, that only the pros know. For example, when you bite through the skin of a piece of barbecued chicken, it shouldn't slide off. That means the meat isn't cooked properly.

“A good balance is a little spice and sweetness on the meat,” Black continued, “that isn't overpowered by the sauce. It's [after all] a meat competition, not a sauce competition.”

Moreover, barbecuing is the art of slow cooking or using indirect heat, he said, with a wood or coal fire.

As for the notion that barbecue is only prevalent in rural areas, he said it's a topic you wouldn't hear a reporter bring up in the South.

“Most professional barbecuing teams are city dwellers,” he said. “It's not just prevalent in the South or Southwest U.S.”

 Check out the KCBBBQS website for official rankings for Saturday's competition, national scores or competition dates.

An earlier version of this article misstated the official name of Captain Ron's Brew-n-Que.