With the World Cup in full swing, there's plenty of debate about "the GOAT."

But we don't care about soccer. Here in the Dead Meat Society, we're more likely to stand around the pit debating who is on our BBQ Mt. Rushmore.

Myron Mixon, Robert “Big Bob” Gibson & Al Frugoni come to mind.

But it's becoming increasingly difficult to leave one man out of the conversation: Heath Riles.

Why? Because in May, he did the unthinkable. He became just the second back-to-back grand champion in the 48-year history of the Memphis World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest. He’s the first to do so since 1984.

In case you're more of a casual cooker, the Memphis World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest is part of Memphis in May. Think: hundreds of pros trying to impress judges scoring on appearance, taste, and tenderness.

It is, without question, the Super Bowl of competitive BBQ.

Built different

Bon Appétit's Sam Stone had the chance to sit down with this living legend and his wife. His significant other shed some light on the blood, sweat, and tears that go into being the best…

"We used to cook 30 to 40 weekends out of the year. There were weddings we didn’t make it to, birthday parties—all the things, but also all that winning got us to where we are today. You know, the name…”

Those are the sort of quotes you hear from football WAGs.

And that isn't the only thing Heath has in common with top-tier athletes. He's capitalized on his success "off the field."

His rub has turned into a $10M, 18-person business. They've got distribution deals with Walmart. And he’s pretty confident it will cross $15M this year.

Oh, and did I mention he's building a media empire?

So, who’s your GOAT?