Hall of Flame BBQ Battle: The Ultimate Super Bowl Tailgating Experience
Super Bowl week is loud by design. Brands fight for attention. Activations appear overnight and disappear just as fast. And somewhere along the way, tailgate culture—the real thing—got rented out, packaged up, and resold as a theme.
We’ve rented it out long enough.
For years, “tailgate” has been used to describe catered corporate buffet luncheons, polished networking events with a smoker parked out front for optics, and promoters chasing a quick dollar with football graphics and buffet lines. It’s the name without the substance. The aesthetic without the earned smoke.
This year, Live Fire Republic showed up at the Super Bowl to take back ownership of the tailgate mantle—and we did it the only way that counts: with real fire, real competition, and real people who live this craft.
Welcome to the inaugural Hall of Flame BBQ Battle—a true Super Bowl BBQ Battle built on charcoal, hardwood, pressure, and pride. No gas. No shortcuts. No fluff. Just flames and execution, in public, on the San Francisco waterfront.
What is the Hall of Flame BBQ Battle?
The Hall of Flame BBQ Battle isn’t a “tailgate-themed event.” It’s a live-fire cooking competition—and a long-term platform—created and produced by Live Fire Republic to restore authenticity to Super Bowl-week tailgate experiences.
This is what makes it different: it’s designed around constraints that force craft.
No kitchen safety net. No catered shortcuts. No hiding behind production value. Just a pit, a coal bed, a clock, and a crowd close enough to feel the heat.
How the Super Bowl’s Hall of Flame BBQ Battle Competition Worked:
A real Super Bowl BBQ Battle needs more than good food—it needs stakes and structure. Here’s how the Hall of Flame BBQ Battle worked:
A strict 90-minute cook window.
Ninety minutes is ruthless in the best way. It’s long enough to create something great, and short enough that timing mistakes show instantly. Competitors had to manage sequence, heat, rest time, slicing, and finishes with discipline. No overthinking. No “we’ll fix it later.”
All cooking over a live fire.
This competition ran on charcoal briquette embers and hardwood smoke with open flame. No gas. No cheats. The fire told the truth: clean heat produced clean flavor, and sloppy fire management showed up in every bite.
A secret-ingredient challenge with Ember Craft.
Every competitor had to creatively integrate Ember Craft sauces into their cook. Not as a garnish—as a required ingredient. That forced originality and restraint: the sauce had to elevate the dish, not mask mistakes.
Cooking in full view.
Guests watched the entire process—coal management, sear timing, glazing, slicing, plating. When a team landed a perfect finish, you could feel the crowd react. That’s what happens when food is earned in public.
The Lineup: Legacy at the Pits
A Super Bowl BBQ Battle is only as credible as the chefs willing to step into the fire. The inaugural Hall of Flame BBQ Battlefield delivered—serious authority, real resumes, and people who understand that smoke tells the truth.
Chef Matt Horn (@MattHornX)
James Beard–recognized and Michelin-awarded, Matt brought West Coast barbecue authority with smoked and fire-finished ribs lacquered in a house-built Ember Craft glaze. His approach blended discipline and depth—smoke-forward, controlled, layered. Not backyard barbecue—restaurant-level firepower.
Pitmaster Lee Ann Whippen (@LeeAnnWhippen)
A BBQ Hall of Famer with decades deep in competition, Lee Ann stepped into the pits with calm confidence. Skirt steak tacos with pineapple salsa. Santa Maria steak crostini finished in chimichurri. Clean, balanced, intentional. When Lee Ann competes, the standard isn’t raised—it’s defined.
Steven Raichlen (@StevenRaichlen)
Global live-fire authority and Barbecue Hall of Famer, Steven rolled out flame-kissed game-day fare featuring his signature rubs—elevated with Ember Craft barrel-aged sauces. Watching Steven cook is like watching someone speak a second language fluently: fire is simply part of his vocabulary.
Chef Mark “Mighty Mouse” McMillan (@McMillian29)
NFL Legend turned pitmaster, Mighty Mouse proved competitive edge translates. From locking down receivers to breaking down tri-tip, his smoked-and-seared steak and grilled stuffed avocados were among the most talked-about bites of the day. Championship mindset carries.
Chef Chris Ricketts (@RickossySaucy)
From The Flamingo Resort (Santa Rosa, CA), Chris delivered bold, hospitality-driven flavors built for big energy and big crowds—exactly the kind of cooking that belongs on a Super Bowl stage.
Chef Francisco (@theramprestaurant)
Representing our host venue, Chef Francisco brought Bay Area pride and waterfront fire—local hospitality backed by real heat.
Chef David W. Olson (@LiveFireRepublic)
Founder of Live Fire Republic and Ember Craft, Chef Olson stepped into the competition alongside the very chefs he invited to compete—not as a flex, but as a demonstration of the mission: built by the family, for the family. Shoulder to shoulder at the pits, cooking the same fire, under the same clock, in front of the same crowd.
The Secret Ingredient and Core Sponsor: Ember Craft
At the heart of the Hall of Flame BBQ Battle—and as the core sponsor—was Ember Craft, the outdoor-inspired sauce line developed by Live Fire Republic.
This wasn’t passive branding. It was built into the rules. Competitors were required to integrate Ember Craft in a way that made sense—finishing, glazing, layering, balancing smoke and heat with intention.
If you’re new to the brand, here’s the quick read: Ember Craft is a lineup of barrel-aged, live-fire–driven sauces designed to elevate proteins over flame—built for depth, not distraction.
Featured sauces included:
- Ember Craft Black Truffled Steak Sauce — deep, savory finishing sauce built for seared beef
- Ember Craft Barrel-Aged Hot Sauce — oak-rested heat with roundness and depth
- Ember Craft Oakwood-Smoked Yamato Soy — umami-forward finishing and glazing
- Ember Craft Northern Michigan Maple Syrup — clean sweetness to balance smoke and spice
Explore the full lineup: https://embercraft.com/
VIP Experience: Michelin-Grade Tastings Over Live Fire
Most Super Bowl activations define VIP as better liquor and nicer lounge seating.
At the Hall of Flame BBQ Battle, VIP meant access to Michelin-grade tastings prepared entirely over open flame and live fire—happening all around the venue in real time.
In addition to the competition, VIP guests had access to Michelin-grade tastings being prepared all over open flame and live fire by Chef Chris Ricketts of The Flamingo Resort (Santa Rosa, CA), the team from Horn Barbecue, and Team Live Fire Republic.
Team Live Fire Republic—led by Chef Shawn Kohlhaas and Chef Brett Attkinson (@Brettski70)—executed a standout menu built to feel elevated but still unmistakably tailgate:
A smoked and beer-braised pork belly taco with red chimichurri, avocado crema, cotija cheese, and cilantro—finished with Ember Craft Barrel-Aged Hot Sauce. Beer feature: Garage Beer.
And ribeye crostini with blue cheese cream, microgreens, and Ember Craft Black Truffled Steak Sauce—steakhouse precision with tailgate soul.
No steam trays. No chafing dishes. Just fire.
The Backbone: The People Who Made It Real
Big public experiences don’t succeed because of headlines. They succeed because of backbone.
On the ground, Team Live Fire Republic was led by Chef Shawn Kohlhaas, alongside Chef Brett Attkinson (@Brettski70), Chef Aaron Riley (@BeardedSkullBBQ), Nick Keith (@HeatstrokeBBQ), and Chad Vautour (@Central_Valley_Sauce_Works)—the crew managing heat, timing, station flow, and standards when the stakes are high.
On the mic, Bonnie-Jill Laflin (@BonnieJill) and Casey Webb (@IamHusky4Life) kept the rhythm clean and the energy tight—turning live cooking into an experience that stayed moving and stayed fun.
Behind the lens, Ember Craft Studios captured the proof-of-life that makes this platform scalable: Chan Tray Kay (@InnerView_MediaProd), Samson Phommabout (@WutupSamson), and Ernest Valdez (@LifewithErns).
And major respect to Jeffrey De Ponte (@ExhibitSupply)—whose production infrastructure helped turn vision into physical reality at Super Bowl scale.
The Ramp Restaurant: A Waterfront Stage That Let the Smoke Breathe
Even the strongest concept needs a stage that feels authentic.
The Ramp Restaurant delivered exactly that—open waterfront views, Bay air, skyline energy, and enough space for real smoke to rise naturally. The environment wasn’t manufactured. It was alive.
Learn more: https://rampsf.com/
Charity That Carries Weight
The charitable partner for the inaugural Hall of Flame BBQ Battle was Mike Ditka’s Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund (@DitkasGridironGreats).
Gridiron Greats supports retired NFL players facing physical, mental, and financial hardship as a result of their careers in the game. Super Bowl week celebrates the sport. Gridiron Greats supports the men who paid its price—and that alignment gave this platform depth beyond competition.
Super Bowl Legacy — Built by Fire. Built by Family. Built to Last.
The goal was never to throw another “event.” The goal was to launch an owned property—an authentic, repeatable, scalable Super Bowl BBQ Battle that respects the culture it’s built on and has the backbone to return year after year.
That’s why the Hall of Flame BBQ Battle was designed around a few non-negotiables: a strict 90-minute cook window, live fire cooking fueled by charcoal and hardwood, and a talent roster whose credibility can’t be manufactured. The fire was real. The clock was real. The pressure made the craft visible. There was nowhere to hide—and that was the point.
Most Super Bowl activations borrow tailgate culture. They rent the word, outsource the food, and call it “authentic.” But tailgating isn’t a décor package. It’s early mornings and coal beds are managed by hand. It’s meat seasoned with intent. It’s smoke in your jacket and heat on your face. It’s pride, rivalry, community, and food that carries weight because it was earned.
Live Fire Republic didn’t come to the Super Bowl to rent a theme. We came to reclaim it—by building a platform that puts the cooks, the fire, and the competition back at the center of the story.
Built by fire. Built by family. Built to last. And we’re just getting started.
Join The Fire
Follow along and subscribe at livefirerepublic.com for hundreds of our favorite live fire recipes, grilling techniques and outdoor cooking adventures from around the world. Better yet, pull up a chair and join us at a Live Fire Republic experiential event—where the fires burn hot, the tables run long and everyone leaves well fed. -Cheers, and long live the adventure, David @LiveFireRepublic
