BBQ PitMaster: Justin Coffini

Justin Coffini - Pitmaster

Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Justin Coffini moved to the Valley of the Sun looking for a change in life… and in the weather! Always a foodie at heart with a penchant for cooking, he stumbled into BBQ by happenstance. In 2009, Justin and his wife Sharon were considering purchasing an Italian restaurant, but life had other plans. On the way home from a meeting during which the restaurant deal fell through, the Coffinis happened upon a BBQ competition taking place in Tempe. On a whim (or perhaps due to a whiff of BBQ in the air), they decided to stop and see what it was all about.

 

The couple started chatting with the promoter, Mike Reimann, and the various teams that were cooking their meats for the competition. Justin was immediately intrigued and met with Mike the next week to learn more about competition BBQ. He spent the rest of 2009 purchasing the equipment needed and practicing the meats to compete — and he entered his first competition the following year.

 

Since then, Justin has competed all over the nation and earned some top accolades at some of the most prestigious competitions in the world, including 1st place in pork at the 2016 Jack Daniel’s World Championship Invitational BBQ competition in Lynchburg, Tennessee, and 3rd place overall at the American Royal World Series of BBQ Invitational in 2021. He has also segued into other food competitions with the likes of the Steak Cookoff Association. In 2021, Justin earned the opportunity to cook at the World Food Championships in Dallas, Texas, where he placed 9th overall in the steak category.

 

Justin prides himself on cooking the “big meats” — pork shoulder and brisket in particular are his specialties. But beyond cooking, becoming involved in the competitive BBQ circuit has given Justin the opportunity to travel the country, visiting small towns of America that he might not otherwise have seen; to make friends on the circuit that have become his family; to challenge himself to think on the fly; and to meet some of the top BBQ competitors in the world.

 

And as he has become an expert in this field, he has also had the opportunity to share his love of cooking not only with his family and friends, but through teaching backyard cooking classes around the state. Justin sees this element of his craft as a chance to share his passion and to get others excited about cooking at home and competing — just as he was when he first discovered competition BBQ back in 2009.