Gibbstown Barbecue Pit Wins State Barbecue Championship

By Syma Chowdhry

GIBBSTOWN, N.J., (CBS) -- A family that grills together wins together -- and that's the attitude for the Chila family.

They won a state barbecue championship over the weekend.

The recipes that took the top prize - stem from a little sibling rivalry.

"My barbecue life has changed," said Ercole Chila, a barbecue master, but don't call him a pig, that's his brother's nickname.

"He was out there grilling and I said, 'look it is Uncle Pig!' And it kind of stuck."

Uncle Pig is also the name of Chila's restaurant in Gibbstown.

It's fitting to name it after his brother. Their sibling rivalry is what sparked his interest in grilling.

Ercole said, "He has this idea that it's better to boil ribs than to smoke them."

His brother, Alex Chila, added, "Come to find out, the way he is doing it is better, but me personally I still like to boil them."

Ercole was determined to be better than his brother.

He owns an auto body shop and practiced making his recipes in the garage.

One day -- a customer asked to buy some ribs for lunch. "'Hey how much for a rack of ribs?' I said, 'uh, $15.' He said, 'I will take it.' That was that, then next week, another Friday, came back again," Ercole explained.

He started to sell food out of a trailer parked at the body shop.

Six years ago, he decided to take his recipes to a barbecue competition. Chola said, "We bombed the first time..."

His wife, Sarah Chila, added, "He was so upset in that first loss, that he immediately went right home and was scouring the internet looking for another competition."

And after six years filled with contests, Chila and his family finally "smoked" the competition, earning first place at the New Jersey Barbecue Championship in North Wildwood Sunday.

Ercole said "Unlike my meat, I was tough, that's right."

The whole family was there when they announced the winner.

"He started saying, 'Uncle Pigs,' and as soon as he started we just erupted," said Sara. "I wish we had video of it because it was just a moment."

Ercole's nephew, Nicholas Doumenis, explained, "I jumped up and screamed as loud as possible."

"I'm very excited, very happy for my brother," said Alex. "He came a long ways."

Ercole said New Jerseyans know "how sink their teeth into" grilling competitions. "We New Jersey people got the barbecue thing down pretty good."

But don't ask Ercole what's his secret... Like his recipe -- his attitude has become a little "saucy."

"Can't tell you that. You will put it on the news!"

Now -- Uncle Pig's will head to a national competition in Missouri next year.