LINESVILLE – Russell’s Dam Good BBQ of Linesville, Pa., took home seven awards from the National Barbecue & Grilling Association’s annual Awards of Excellence competition in Nashville, Tennessee.
Competing against top barbecue brands from across the country, Russell’s Dam Good BBQ was recognized for excellence in both sauces and rubs, continuing to build its reputation as a standout name in the BBQ industry.
“This competition was a nationwide for any barbecue producer, company, competition team or even backyard person to enter,” Jon York, one of the founders of Russell’s Dam Good BBQ, said. “There were over 600 entries with some very big names in the barbecue world. This was our first time entering this contest and (we) were shocked with how many awards we had received. We were notified as a top-five candidate and invited to the conference and awards dinner in Nashville. Our sauces and rubs have won awards before, but – again – never this many at one event.”
Russell’s Dam Good BBQ won the following Awards of Excellence:
• First place, fruit barbecue: Berry Garcia
• First place, mustard barbecue: Carolina
• Third place, fruit barbecue: Dark Side of the Moonshine
• Third place, original barbecue: Smokey
• Third place, tomato mild: Sasquatch
• Fifth place, vinegar spicy barbecue: Memphis
• Fifth place, original rub: Maple
“We put a ton of time into developing flavors that stand out, while still staying true to traditional barbecue roots especially while maintaining our values of having all natural products. To be recognized on a national stage like this is incredibly rewarding,” York said.
Russell’s Dam Good BBQ produces a full line of barbecue sauces and rubs, many of which are available for purchase both in-store and online.
Russell’s Restaurant was started by Russell York, Jon’s father, Russell’s Brother Donnie York and Jon’s sister Janna York in 2007.
“Janna had a culinary degree and my dad wanted her to have a restaurant,” York said.
Janna ran Russell’s Restaurant for many years and was successful, but she started a family and the Yorks leasing out the space for a few years. Afterward, they family reopened the restaurant, with an emphasis on barbecue. Laura York, Jon’s mother, was the owner this time around.
Jon said he started out working for his sister at age 15, then moved around and spent some time in South Carolina before moving back to help out.
“The emphasis had always been on a family-friendly environment with home-cooked meals,” York said. “Everything from scratch.”
York took over as owner in 2020, and then COVID happened.
“We ditched half the menu and breakfast and focused on feeding families during that crazy time, started catering, built a food trailer – since sold, as I don’t have time to run it,” York said. “We started doing competitions in 2023 and when you come home with the world’s best chicken wings, it changed our lives and how much business we were getting.”
All of the winning sauces are favorites at Russell’s Dam Good BBQ.
“Berry Garcia may be one of our favorite sauces that we have,” York said. “It’s gotten a top 10 in a similar contest. It was also used on our top 10 ribs in 2023 at Memphis in May. So, for it to get crowned the first-place fruit-flavored barbecue sauce was pretty awesome,” York said. “We also took a third place in this category with our Dark Side of the Moonshine sauce, blackberries and moonshine.”
“Carolina is the second flavor I ever came up with back in 2018,” York said. “It’s a honey mustard barbecue sauce and an ode to my time living in South Carolina. It took first place in the mustard category; it has also finished third and fifth at the American Royal, which is large Kansas City-based competition.”
Smokey is the house sauce at Russell’s Dam Good BBQ, Sasquatch is the top-selling maple garlic sauce. Memphis and the maple rub got both took fifth place.
“We take pride in the all-natural products we make so to get awards for them makes everyone proud about the product we make, use and sell to the public,” York said.
Russell’s Dam Good BBQ will be featuring lots of the winning products in special food items over the next few weeks, as well as selling special packs of sauce that include some of the winners.
For more information, to purchase products, or to learn more about Russell’s Dam Good BBQ, visit eatatrussells.com.
