An Air National Guardsman from Robins Air Force Base, Georgia won the service’s first-ever “High Flyin’ BBQ Challenge.”
Tech. Sgt. Todd Houghton, an aircraft structural mechanic with the 116th Air Control Wing, told Airman magazine he brought the same quest for perfection to barbecuing as he does to his job.
“Growing up, my dad put it simply, ‘Anything that is worth doing, do it well and do it right on the first time,’” Houghton told the magazine in a story posted online this week.
“When I go do a job on an aircraft, I ask myself, ‘Would I let my family fly on this plane?’ If the answer is no, then I’m not done, because it’s not perfect … yet,” Houghton said.
The barbecue challenge was conceived by Air Force Personnel Center to involve airmen in their communities and display their barbecuing skills. Applicants were required to submit a short written or video essay describing their passion for the food and what makes their grilling techniques superior.
AFPC judges picked the top two from each of three U.S. regions — west, central and east. Those six went on to compete in a regional community competition.
The final cook-off was in San Antonio in September.
You can read more about Houghton and the second and third place winners here.
