Harlingen griller’s brisket is tops at Smokin’ on the Rio

MERCEDES – The perfection of the practice has finally brought victory to some avid cooks.

“Buschwhacked” made the best brisket Saturday at the 22nd annual Smokin’ on the Rio Cookoff in Mercedes.

“I’m astonished that we were able to pull off a first place brisket,” said Colton Phillipp, a member of Buschwacked.

The La Feria native and Harlingen resident’s entry took the first place brisket award, beating 181 teams in the event.

Colton took home the first place brisket award at the young age of 32, after only five years of competition grilling.

His wife and fellow Buschwhacked member Heather also did well.

“I am extremely proud of my wife winning first place pan de campo as well,” he said. “We have put together a great family team consisting of me, my wife, two of my sisters and two brothers-in-law, and my cousin and her husband.”

Phillipp, 32, created Buschwhacked only five years ago.

“The team’s name descended from our old chili cookoff team which started at the Chilifest Music Festival during our college years at Texas A&M University,” he said.

Since his first year in Smokin’ on the Rio back in 2020, he has slowly refined his technique, improving his rating each year as he focused on meat quality, the amount of smoke, and the exact temperatures.

“This year we really focused on the presentation of our entries in the turn-in boxes,” he said. “Also, there was lots of practice in the backyard. As you can expect at a competition this large, all teams have excellent entries. I think what made our entry stand out was our attention to detail this year and the right combination of flavors and texture.”

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