A Lexington pit master notched his fifth Top 5 finish in South Carolina’s Master Barbecue Awards.

Gary Taylor led his cook team, All Smoked Up, to finish fifth in the prestigious competition held Jan. 28 at the Governor’s Mansion in Columbia by the S.C Barbeque Association, adding to Top 5 finishes in 2014, 2015 and 2016 and a first place finish in 2013. Taylor’s team rounded out the Top 10 in 2018.

“Barbecuing is a family event,” said Taylor, whose team has been competing for 13 years. “As a competitor this is me trying to make money and cook better.”

Jim Wellman, president of the Barbeque Association, told the Chronicle the competition has been going since 2004, rotating through different formats. The current format has been in place since 2010, with the competition taking place annually except for 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19.

“The competition is a yearlong process,” Wellman said. “They have to cook multiple events and earn points throughout the year.”

Taylor said he enjoys the competitions, which are both a hobby and an investment for him.

“I have a 30-foot cook trailer. It costs [my team] about $1,000 every competition,” he said, equating barbecue competitions to golfing at a golf club or being a pro-bass fisherman. “It’s not inexpensive but that’s what I do.”

Taylor, whose team consists of family members and friends, started competing in Ridgeway events that were free and a good starting point for him.

“The first couple of years there was no winning or placing,” he recalled. “I was cooking on a grill and the only award I got was when my daughter got some award for most energetic.”

“I was cooking how I wanted it to taste,” he added. “After cooking and talking with judges, I learned I have to cook the way the judges want.”

Taylor explained that when judges are tasting the finished products they “eat with their eyes first,” explaining that it must look appealing. After seeing the barbecue, judges smell the aroma, taste whether it’s tender or tough and then lastly judge for the overall impression.

He started winning in 2013 after changing  his sauce and rub for the competitions.

Taylor loves to talk about his barbecue competitions, but he declines to give away any of his cooking secrets.

“It’s a competition and I want to win,” he said. “If I could just win every other [competition], I’d be happy.”