Croatian nine-year-old wins world burger title at American Royal

A young Croatian barbecue enthusiast has become a world champion after taking first place in the Kids Que burger competition at the prestigious American Royal World Series of Barbecue in Kansas City. The nine-year-old, whose father Davor Šušković leads the BBQ Hot Yard team, achieved a perfect score of 180 points in the 6–10 age group.

According to Šušković, the children had only one practice session before the event. His daughter chose her own ingredients: lettuce, pickles, fried onions and bacon pieces. She used two sauces and made a double smash burger, though she pressed the patties before cooking rather than on the griddle due to the physical effort required.

Her brother also competed in the 11–15 age group, preparing a steak, but the burger category offered more room for creativity, Šušković noted.

The main BBQ Hot Yard team also competed at the American Royal, placing 207th out of 360 teams, with ribs as their best category at 120th.

The following weekend, the team became the first Croatian team to compete at the invitation-only Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue in Lynchburg, Tennessee. They finished 73rd overall out of 99 teams but shone in pork, taking fourth place. Šušković described the event as a huge American family picnic with strict rules, including no alcohol consumption.

The team hopes to be invited again next year and continues to promote barbecue culture in Croatia through workshops that are often fully booked.