Imagine entering a BBQ competition with zero BBQ experience… Only an enthusiastic, fearless, confident person would do it, right? That’s the spirit of Raelyn ‘Rae’ Barker, a 13-year-old national BBQ champion. No, that’s not a typo. Yes, she’s a competitive, honored young teenager demolishing live-fire competitions on a national level.
Rae Barker has been barbecuing for over half her life — if you can believe it. At just five years old, a friend invited her to compete in the Buckaroo Que competition at the San Antonio Stock Show. Having never worked with live-fire before, she was happy to “just wing it” through her pork chop recipe, and though she didn’t win, it ignited a passion inside her.
The tenacious, eager young lady doesn’t remember much of the details surrounding that first competition, and rightly so. She was only five years old. But she does remember how excited she was to compete again.
“When it was over, I got in the truck and asked when we were going to our next competition.”
Over the next few years, Rae would learn the ins and outs of her traditional grill through backyard-style practice, cooking for family and friends, and local competitions. When asked if she has more fun in competitions or backyard BBQing, she answers with true ambition. “I consider it all fun, and I enjoy it a lot. Even practicing is fun!”
But it’s when she gets to talk about her proudest moment when she really lights up. And get this — it’s not a memory of your standard BBQ hog. Rae’s favorite live-fire memory was barbecuing an entire alligator with a whole pineapple in its mouth. As if the alligator wasn’t enough of an animal for the spitfire young lady, the same BBQ event had her breaking down a flank that was half her size.
She may be young, but she’s a fierce competitor. And humble, too. She breezes over being crowned the winner of MasterChef Junior: Home for the Holidays, a Fox competition series hosted by Gordon Ramsey. Such a huge accomplishment wouldn’t have been possible without the help of her mentors in life, some of whom she takes the time to mention. “God first; He’s the one who started this. My parents, too, because they taught me the things they know.”
And the first influential woman in the BBQ space to come to her mind? Miss Tootsie.
“Miss Tootsie is a lady pitmaster in Texas. I want to do stuff like that. I want to be a pitmaster, too. I want to do it when I’m 90—hopefully longer!”
Rae has many to thank for their mentorship, even inspiring her to do some mentorship of her own. Since she started competing years ago, she’s inspired her younger brother and cousin to follow in her footsteps. Both competed in BBQ events of their own, and her brother even won the American Royal when he was six. Rae made it a point to mention, humbly, that she was the Reserve (or 2nd place) Champion.
For aspiring female pitmasters, Rae has warm advice.
“Don’t be intimidated by the men. We can rock it! We can do it! Don’t be intimidated by the flames, either. It’s supposed to be fun and exciting, with a little bit of adrenaline rush (just a little bit). Don’t be scared, and go for it! Sometimes, I even burn a few things, but other than that, it’s just supposed to be fun. It seems scary, but overall, it's just… I guess you could say it’s God giving you an adrenaline rush. A little push with those flames.”
Up next, Rae continues to hone her craft by challenging herself to learn new ways of smoking and grilling on the Big Green Egg, something that’s “totally different and new” than what she’s used to on a traditional BBQ grill. This year, she’s scheduled to attend American Royal in Kansas City, SmokeSlam BBQ Festival in Memphis, and Open Fire Meat Up in Hondo.
But she hopes to find inspiration outside of the American BBQ world when she takes a family trip to Italy later this year — a girl’s trip, to be exact — to try out all kinds of new foods and get to enjoy pure Italian cuisine. A welcome break from the typical will surely be the experience of a lifetime and a new opportunity to appreciate BBQ culture across the globe.
You can follow along with Rae’s BBQ adventures from her home state of Texas on Instagram at @thelilgringa.
Meet the Women of Fire
Rae is part of an extraordinary movement in the world of live-fire. Women all over the country are blazing their own trails in front of the flames — and we’re showcasing a few of the special ones. Meet the other inspirational grillers, pitmasters, and live-fire chefs of our Women of Fire series.
