Kurt Upton, who operates Liberty St. Lunch, finished in the top ten multiple times in an event held last weekend in Lancaster.

That performance punched his ticket – golden tickets, at that – to Worlds next March in Fort Worth, Texas.

The SCA holds these events across the country.

This marked Upton’s third SCA event and he took a top ten in all four categories he entered.

Kurt Upton shows off the golden tickets that have him set to go to the Steak Cookers Association World Championships next March in Texas.

While Upton is the cook, he’s part of a competition team – the Skintown Smoke Stacks – along with Matt Perrin, Eric Sproveri and Michael Archuleta.

“The four of us have been friends since elementary school, all from Youngsville,” he said. “It’s just a great way to spend time with friends.”

Upton said they entered an event in Righway last year and were surprised when they arrived – competitors brought trailers and jerseys. It was serious business.

“We were like ‘Uh, oh,” he said. “It really attracted us.”

Until last weekend, they had never been in the top 20 in an event.

Photo provided to the Times Observer A look at the awards that Upton and the Skintown Smoke Stack competition team brought back from a weekend event in Lancaster.

Each event includes the preparation of two steaks. There are then a side or “ancillary” category (last weekend’s was pumpkin and pork roll).

There are competitions where people have to provide their own food. That can create obvious inequities depending on the cut of meat people bring.

The SCA competitions level that playing field by providing the steaks and then setting up a steak selection – it works like a snake draft where the people that pick first in the first round will pick last in the second and vice versa.

Then it’s time to get to work.

Upton said cookers can prepare the steak anyway they want – gas, charcoal or, jokingly, “solar with a magnifying glass. They leave it open.”

Upton and the team use charcoal which is “definitely pretty popular with most of the cooks.”

The four major phases of the process are trimming, marinading, seasoning and then grilling.

“There are all kinds of little tricks in between them,” he said.

The goal going into last weekend?

“We want to win,” he said. “I had a really good feeling” based on the practice he had done with the ancillary theme, developing recipes.

They finished last weekend in fourth and sixth.

If the first place winner already has the golden ticket to worlds, it goes to second place and can keep moving town.

When those tickets worked down and came to Upton’s place – and he heard his ticket numbers called – he was “baffled and floored.”

What started as a hobby is growing into more.

Upton said they’ve now got several important sponsors – Liberty St. Lunch, badlarryBBQ.com (a barbeque tool sponsor) and Straight Off The Block in Sheffield.

They’re also practicing at least once a week.

“We try to do exactly what we’re doing at the event,” Upton said.

The competition is timed so Upton says practice focuses on hitting the “timeline” so they can “make that mark at the event when the nerves are there.”

“You really learn a lot because every steak is different,” Upton said. “We do all the steps the same way in practice. It becomes muscle memory almost.”

There are expected to be over 600 teams that descend on Texas in March.

Upton said they don’t really have expectations but do have a goal – to make it into the final 94 which would put them in the finals.

Given that there will be cookers from all 50 states and 17 countries including Japan, New Zealand and Germany, that would be quite the accomplishment.

“We would be really, really happy,” he said. “I know other people that have maybe 10 years experience that are going to really bring it. I wouldn’t be surprised if we could make it to 94.”

From there, he knows that they “would have a shot to win it.”

As great as the accolades are, it’s clear there’s a reward in the journey.

“We’re really proud of this,” Upton said. “It shows our passion for this.

“I’ve been in the business 30 years,” he said. “It started as a hobby…. I’m passionate about what I do. What I do is food. I literally live it 24 hours a day.

I’ve been in the business for 30 years – just something not only to – started as a hobby – helping me learn every day – passionate about what I do – (will go home and study food) – what I do is food – literally live it 24

hours a day.”

And there’s certainly hope that will pay off come March.

“What else can you do (where you) can say you were the world champion?”