Lenoir County natives Chuck Register and Tommy Swinson entered their first cook-off event as the Sandy Bottom Bandits Cooking Team in 2019 at the Rockahock Steak Cook-off in Virginia. Their success in the event advanced them to the World Championship Steak Cook-off event in Fort Worth Texas. After that, they were hooked.

“Most SCA cook-off events average around 30-50 teams with a 1st place prize of $1000,” said Chuck Register. “To date, the Sandy Bottom Bandits Cook Team has placed in several top ten, as well as obtained a total of three Golden Tickets, in which one of them came from an SCA event held here at the Lenoir County Fair Grounds in April 2021.”

Along with an additional member who joined the team in 2019, Darrin Cink has traveled across several states, including two trips to the World Finals in Texas in 2019 where they finished 46 out of 300 teams. The cook-offs led to the creation of the Sandy Bottom Bandits BBQ Rubs.

“Both rubs, Low Ground Grit and Backwoods Heat have been very successful and can now be purchased through just about any Piggly Wiggly in Lenoir, Pitt, Onslow, Duplin, Craven, and Carteret County, as well as many others,” said Register. “If they don’t carry these rubs in your local Piggly Wiggly, reach out to the manager and tell them you want it.”

The Sandy Bottom Bandits are grateful for their sponsors including Crossroad’s Grill & Bar of Seven Springs, FatBaby’s Country Cooking in Kinston, and Canady’s Heavy Truck Parts Inc in La Grange.

“We would love nothing more than to win this next great event and bring back the bragging rights along with the $10,000 cash prize to Lenoir County and our hometown of Sandy Bottom, NC,” said Register.

Sandy Bottom Bandits’ sponsors also include E&J Farms in Kenansville, Fred Rouse/Shaun Lamm/Justin Rouse, and Jerry Hill from the Beach Boogie & Blues radio station, R.D. Jones Packing from Faison, Hobbs Flooring in Richlands, Right-On Signs here in Kinston, and Townsend Spice & Supply in Melbourne Arkansas.