DRHS Smokin' Rams BBQ Team "Blue Flame" Heading to Nationals

DRHS Smokin BBQ Blue Flame team heads to National Competition following their success at State Qualifiers.

Last weekend, the Del Rio High School Smokin’ Rams BBQ Club traveled to Burnet, Texas to compete in the Texas High School State Competition where 3 teams: The Smokin’ Rams, The Blue Flame, and Certified Delicious, represented DRHS in the competition, showcasing the skills and recipes they have been practicing under the guidance of their instructor, Chef Adan Cortez for the last few months. “We started the season learning the basics, then slowly built up our skills through practices and regional competitions,” Lucinda Roman, Junior and member of the Smokin’ Rams shared about the team’s journey to state. “Each cook-off helped us improve and grow as a team. Earning a spot at state felt like everything we worked for finally came together and it was exciting, a little nerve-wracking but mostly just a proud moment for all of us.” 

The team previously competed at two regional competitions, Del Rio High School Regionals and St. Gregory the Great San Antonio Regionals, qualifying for State on May 2nd, and 3rd. “Being on the grill, competing with my teammates felt really cool, each member studied the meats and recipes that they were responsible for preparing, and then getting to execute it at this competition, even with struggles, we were always able to rely on each other to help,” Leonardo Rogel, Senior and member of the Blue Flame team, told us about the regional competitions that led them to state. “Despite it being a very busy and challenging day of competition, we were successful in the end and placed very high and that qualified us for state,” Ariana Martinez, Junior, and Blue Flame team member added. 

The team faced some unexpected challenges over the weekend, sudden weather changes causing them to pivot and prepare for all scenarios, including rain and high winds as they hit the grills during the State Competition. “As the sun rose on Saturday morning and the clouds cleared, each team executed their gameplans and turned in all items in the 6 competition categories: Grilled Cheese, Ribeye, Chicken Lollipops, Chili, Ribs, and Brisket,” SFDR-CISD shared via their social media. “As the last horn sounded, the smoke cleared, scores rolled in, and the announcement was made, “San Felipe Del Rio’s ‘The Blue Flame’ takes Grand Champion in Ribeye!” 

Photo Courtesy of SFDR-CISD social media.

“I was tasked with actually cooking the Ribeye and when it came time, I used the way my dad has cooked steak at our own house, and tried my hardest to be even slightly as good of a cook as him,” Ella Jensen, Junior and Blue Flame team member told us about the moment her ribeye took the grand champion prize. “I actually wasn’t even allowed to taste the steak before I turned it in, so I had no way of telling how it actually tasted. When they started announcing the higher places like 3rd and 2nd, I was disappointed because I did not think they would call our name. I had never felt that immense amount of shock and happiness, knowing that all of my practice and hard work paid off and I actually made the State Championship steak. Blue Flame’s win shows that even though my teammates and I weren’t born with the ability to grill or even the most high tech equipment, we were able to open up opportunities for ourselves and others in our community.” 

This win also led The Blue Flame to a National’s qualifying position, with an 8th place overall finish at the State of Texas High School BBQ Competition. This is the DRHS BBQ team’s second year in the Texas High School BBQ Association and their first ever bid to the Nationals Competition which will be held in Kansas City at the Great Wolf Lodge from June 3-6th. “It’s inspiring to see Blue Flame earn a Nationals qualifying position, as a first year competitor in high school BBQ, it’s amazing to witness our hard work and dedication pay off. I’m beyond proud of my team and their tireless efforts and massive thanks to Chef Cortez for believing in us and providing the guidance to succeed,” Ariana Martinez, Junior, Blue Flame added. 

As the team prepares for Nationals, the Rams BBQ Club is also planning to expand the club into the local middle schools, as the Texas High School BBQ Association is expanding their competition field to middle school teams with 2025 being their inaugural competition season. DRHS BBQ club members expressed how exciting it was to see middle school students compete in BBQ and cannot wait for the same age group in Del Rio to have the same opportunities to start their BBQ journey earlier than they did.