Hess's Barbecue Catering has been winning awards for the last thirty years, as they have developed into a thriving catering service and two competition teams. Although already famous in Lancaster County for their BBQ, the Hess brothers decided to branch out and try their hand at "competition BBQ" in 2000. Each brother has his own team and has won at least one award in every single Kansas City Barbecue Society (KCBS) competition they've entered. Although they never compete against each other, the brothers still have the drive to be the best in what they do; and what they do is barbecue.

Lloyd competes under the name of the "Flying Porkers". His team has scored awards in every KCBS category (Chicken, Pork Ribs, Beef Brisket and Pulled Pork), Including an award in the "Elk" category at Cabela's competition in Harrisburg, PA in 2005. Lloyd's first place finish in the pulled pork category at the same competition placed him among the best of the best in pulled pork for 2005. In 2006 at the Bel Air BBQ Bash, Lloyd decided to make barbecue even more of a family affair. He allowed his children Eric and Kim to compete instead of competing himself. They scored a 7th place ribbon in the brisket category.

Lloyd Hess along with his son Eric also got a chance to compete in 2007. They are known by many as the Flying Porkers, and did very well at the 6th annual Maryland BBQ Championship cook-off. One of only a few vendors as well as competing, it took a lot of panning and focus to serve the thousands, plus deliver a winning entry to the judges. Lloyd and Eric brought home a third place brisket trophy out of the 70 teams, which they were both very excited about. The Flying Porkers are looking forward to getting out and competing at several more competitions in 2008.

Paul and his wife Brenda enter competitions as the "Midnite Smokers". Their successes have included 31 top ten finishes in the KCBS categories and 19 top ten finishes in the ancillary contests. The ancillary contests include anything from Seafood to Dessert to Chef's Choice. Besides enjoying what they do, the Midnite Smoker team made it their goal to gain the title of "Grand Champion". They came close in 2005 at the "Pork in the Park" contest held in Salisburg, MD. There they received Reserve Grand Champions while competing against 37 other teams. In that contest, they placed in the top three in every main category except chicken. Their Whole Hog and "Anything Butt" entries both placed 2nd and their sausage landed a 6th place ribbon.

In August of 2006, the "Midnite Smokers" had an exceptional month of success in competition. They met their goal and became Grand Champions of the Cabela's Competition in Hamburg, PA. The scored 1st place trophies in the Pulled Pork and Brisket categories. They also tied 6th in the Ribs category. Their success continued as they entered the New Holland Summer Fest. There they won the Whole Hog competition and walked away with the prestigious Pennsylvania Cup. This award is presented to the Pennsylvania team with the highest amount of points earned in the competitions held in the state.

Midnite Smokers continued their tradition of competition excellence in 2007, bringing home a variety of trophies and honors. Paul and Brenda won the prestigious Pennsylvania Cup for the second year in a row, and have made their presence known in the Barbecue World with a number of Grand Champion finishes!

They started off the year in Salisbury, Maryland with a sixth place overall finish, including first place Whole Hog and second place Pulled Pork. In May they competed at Yardley On the Farm, finishing as Grand Champions! At Yardley they scored second in the Pork category and first in Brisket. Their run as Grand Champion continued at the Berks BBQ Bash in July, and the momentum carried into the Summer Fest Cook-off at New Holland. They scored consistently high in all categories, including a first place finish in Whole Hog, second in Ribs, fifth in Pork and Brisket, and a first place perfect score in Chef's Choice. Paul and Brenda proved that they are the team to beat - they are on fire!

In October they competed at the Diamond State BBQ in Dover, Delaware, and finished third out of eighty-three teams. Once again, their Pork and Brisket earned high regards from the judges. Their 2007 competition season ended on a high note - an invitation to the prestigious 18th Annual Jack Daniel's World Championship invitational Barbecue in Lynchburg, Tennessee! Midnite Smokers qualified for "The Jack" by winning Grand Champion at the New Holland Summer Fest (a state championship contest). They enjoyed competing against some of the best in the world - and finished 15th overall! As another memorable competition year wraps up, Midnite smokers are looking ahead to 2008 in hopes of continuing their successful run!

After being judged by certified KCBS judges, it shows that the Hess brothers know how to make some "mean" barbeque! The public and their customers agree - Hess's Barbeque knows how to make your tasted buds happy! Stop by their shop for a visit to check out their trophy wall and get some of their award-winning barbecue for yourself! You'll see why they were voted "The Best Barbeque Caterers" in Lancaster County.