The Kansas City Barbeque Society, the nation’s largest member and sanctioning society for all things barbeque, is launching the first Great American BBQ Tour, a cross-country excursion of some of the nation’s top barbecue and family-friendly food festivals.

The first stop on the tour is Rio Rancho’s Pork ‘n Brew BBQ Cookoff on March 28 and 29.

This national tour will be on display at 23 premiere events and also make numerous stops at retail locations across the country, including the Wal-Mart on NM 528 in Bernalillo on March 27 at 5:30 p.m. KCBS wants backyard barbequers to meet barbeque pros, taste authentic barbeque samples and receive world-class culinary tips, and then apply what they’ve learned to their own outdoor cooking at home. “2008 will be a very exciting year for the KCBS, with enthusiasm for competitive barbeque spreading from coast to coast,” said KCBS executive director Carolyn Wells. “This is about as fun and delicious as a professional sport can be.“

Residents in Rio Rancho are invited to take barbequing to the next level by stopping at the Great American BBQ Tour trailer and interactive display located at the festival.

The tour will also demonstrate quality products that go hand-in-hand and with classic American barbeque, including some products from the tour’s sponsors: Tabasco-brand Chipotle Pepper Sauce, Weber Grill Creations, Royal Oak charcoal and Chinet tableware.

It’s estimated that several thousand teams compete on the KCBS barbeque circuit, with nearly 9,000 members nationwide, KCBS has been sanctioning events and training certified barbeque judges for more than 20 years.

Using an objective, blind judging process, the society sanctions nearly 300 barbeque competitions throughout the nation each year. For more information about KCBS and The Great American BBQ Tour, visit www.kcbs.us/tour.php.