What does a pool engineer, a mechanical engineer, a part-time funeral director and a high school lad all have in common? They comprise the squad of men known as Da Snapper Crew who claimed the 3rd Annual Smokin' Hot BBQ title.

Dwayne Murray, the team manager; Al Fernander, assistant manager; Garner Dawkins, the chief griller; Don McDonald, the second griller; Stephen Beneby, the seasoning technician; Jeffrey Moncur, the sauce technician and his son Jaylen, a high school student who helps them out and Rodney "Red Snapper" Russell, the group's coordinator, describe themselves as a bunch of guys who come together daily at Red Snapper at Arawak Cay to have meaningful competition, eat conch salad, enjoy a few cocktails, indulge in a few cigars and maybe throw some pork, chicken and ribs on the grill when they want something to eat.

Boy, do they like to talk, especially about their grill, which they think is the best on the island, and that they could enter a competition with it. If the judging is anything to go by, they've twice been judged the best grillers on the island having won the Bahamas Fire and Welding title, then turning around and claiming the grand champion title at last weekend's Smokin' Hot BBQ competition.

"We must give credit to Rodney "Red Snapper" Russell who we actually sit and talk with everyday," said Moncur. "He actually pushed us into doing it. He told us to stop talking and go out there," so he deserves the credit. "

With Russell's words in his ear, Murray put his money where his mouth was and entered the team they called Da Snapper Crew in the Bahamas Fire and Welding Competition. The win there gave them the confidence to enter their second grilling competition in as many weeks, a title they now have under their belt as well.

In winning the competition, Da Snapper Crew claimed the title in the toughest category -- brisket, a cut of meat they had never even cooked before. Their weekend grill usually just has the staples of the Bahamian BBQ scene -- pork, chicken and ribs.

"We were all shocked when we won brisket because we had never done it, but it feels good," said Moncur of the division win and the overall title.

"We went in expecting to do our best, and at a certain point we knew that we had a good shot at winning. It was a feeling we all had. Initially we went out there just to have fun ... we didn't take it serious, and I think that was the key component to the whole competition, having fun with it," he said.

He believes it was their flavors that put them over the top, and like Kentucky Fried Chicken, they refuse to share the secrets to their recipes.

Da Snapper team will go on to compete in San Juan, Puerto Rico, February 2016, and also compete in either Memphis in May or the Jack Daniels World Invitational competitions to which they intend to take the flavors of The Bahamas.

Starting on July 17, the public will be able to get a taste of Da Snapper Crew's BBQ, as they will be grilling at Red Snapper every Friday and Saturday to raise money to defray the cost of their travel expenses to the international competitions they will be traveling to. On one of those fundraising days he says they just may surprise people with their award-winning brisket.

Smokin' Hot BBQ
Competition overall results
Da Snapper Crew
Da Pit Boys
K and J
EZ Like Mudder Sic Grillers
Da Gone Fishin' Group
Pirates Pub
Meat Police
Star Grillers
Smoking Hot Ventures
The Bootleggers
Sun Pigs
Flaming Hot Boys
Bahama Bar B King
Crazy Ques
Charlie & Da Boys
Hot Grillers
CHMI Student Jr. Team

Chicken (top three)
Da Gone Fishin' Group
CHMI Student Jr. Team
Meat Police
Pork Ribs (top three)
Star Grillers
Pirates Pub
Hot Grillers
Pork (top three)
Flaming Hot Boys
K and J
Da Snapper Crew
Brisket (top three)
Da Snapper Crew
Da Pit Boys
The Bootleggers
Hamburger (top three)
The Bootleggers
Smoking Hot Ventures
Pirates Pub

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