Heath Riles BBQ wins WCBCC Grand Championship
May 18, 2025 – Leave it to someone from DeSoto County to be the best BBQer at this year’s Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest. Heath Riles BBQ won the Ribs category and was named the Grand Champion of the annual contest held this weekend at Liberty Park near Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis.
Heath Riles BBQ is the business venture of Heath Riles, a highly accomplished pitmaster from Olive Branch who began his BBQ journey at the young age of 18, joining a competition BBQ team in Ashland, Mississippi. Over the years, he has established himself as a leading expert in both competition BBQ and grilling.
Heath Riles has achieved significant recognition in the competitive BBQ world, boasting over 75 Grand Championship wins across various organizations like the Memphis BBQ Network (MBN), Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS), and the Steak Cookoff Association (SCA). Notably, he is the only person to have twice won dual MBN and KCBS Grand Championships on the same day at a double event. His team, Victory Lane BBQ, has also earned multiple “Team of the Year” titles from the MBN. By winning the Rib category, Heath Riles BBQ claimed that title for the third time in four years.
Here is the list of winners from this year’s contest.
Junior Awards
- Pork Chop: KB’s Outdoor Kitchen- Kaiden Blake
- Steak: Give ‘em hell – Karley Aleksines
- Chicken: KB’s Outdoor Kitchen- Kaiden Blake
- Dessert: XTOWNQ- Francis
Sauce/Hot Wing Awards
- Tomato: Boar’s Night Out
- Vinegar: Woods Custom Cookers
- Mustard: Smoke BBQ Team
- Hot Wing: Cotton Pickin’ Porkers
Anything But Awards
- Exotic: Crosstown Neighborhood BBQ Cooking Team
- Poultry: Wicker’s
- Seafood: Redneck BBQ Express
- Beef: Come and Eat it
Turkey Smoke and Patio Porker Awards
- Turkey Smoke Champions: Swine & Dine
- Patio Porker Champions: Tri-Star Porkers
Meat Categories
- Whole Hog: Will Be Que
- Shoulder: Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q
- Rib: Health Riles BBQ
Grand Champion
- Heath Riles BBQ
