Victory was so close that chef “BBQ” Bob Haselbach could taste it.

The year was 2006 and Haselbach and his team were tied for first place at the Canadian National BBQ Championships here in Whistler. But the judges chose the other frontrunner in the tiebreaker and Haselbach was named Reserve Grand Champion — missing top honours by just one point.

Even though he’s won barbecue competitions before and since, Haselbach is hungry for a win on home soil. So he’ll be bringing his A-game to Creekside this weekend, gunning to finally take the overall title.

The ninth annual Canadian National BBQ Championships hit Dusty’s Bar and BBQ Friday through Sunday (July 30 to Aug. 1), featuring 50 teams, eight competition categories, live entertainment and samples of the some of the best barbecue in the world.

“There’s so much pressure on home court,” Haselbach said. “There are so many teams; it’s ridiculous.”

Because Haselbach runs his own local restaurant, aptly named BBQ Bob’s, he gets a chance to experiment with different sauces and rubs all the time. But he said when competition time hits, it’s not the time to try something new.

Despite the pressure to succeed at home, Haselbach is even adding more motivation to do well by sponsoring two teams from his restaurant to enter the competition.

“It motivates me because I don’t want to lose to them,” he said.

While the other teams have access to the same cuts of meat and the same sauces and rubs Haselbach does, they still have to work in the restaurant through the weekend and they won’t get any tips from Haselbach once Friday hits. If all goes as planned, they might win a category or two but he’ll still place higher overall.

“It’s all about consistency,” he said.

Barbecue teams from all over North America come to Whistler for the national championships each year. This year features the most Canadian representation with 25 pre-registered Canuck teams, Joshua Kearns, Dusty’s manager, wrote in an email to The Question.

Teams are coming from as far as Barrie, Ont., and Saskatchewan will be represented for the first time with two teams, he said.

“Barbecue in Canada is growing like wildfire,” he said.

Haselbach said Whistler’s annual event has become the most popular in the Pacific Northwest, which includes almost 60 annual competitions. Many teams consider the weekend “their barbecue vacation,” he said.

“We all compete against each other but it’s probably some of my best friends,” he said. “It’s our barbecue kin.”

The barbecue weekend in Creekside is an exciting, interesting, family-friendly time with lots going on, Haselbach said.

Whether you’d like to learn more about authentic Southern barbecue, try your hand at one or more of the competitions or just sample the food of the pros, there’s something for everyone.

Everything gets underway on Friday at 7 p.m. when barbecue champion Jim Ericson will teach spectators the secrets of slowly cooking a whole hog over 24 hours. Saturday is locals’ barbecue day with the Backyard Burger cook-off and the Budweiser King of the Grill competition, plus the C.A.S.I. International Chili Championship.

More than $20,000 in cash and prizes will be awarded during the weekend.

The best times to eat are Saturday night for the whole hog feed, and Sunday when the teams in the main event start turning in their tender, slow-cooked meat. Sampling passes are $5 each, which is donated to the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of Canada. Last year $6,000 was raised for the charity, Kearns said.

Check out whistlerblackcomb.com and click on the events calendar under Things To Do for a list of turn-in times. “Use these turn-in times to gauge what items you want to sample,” Kearns advised.

Entertainment includes a concert by The Hip Show, a Tragically Hip tribute band, on Friday night, music by local band Brother Twang on Saturday afternoon, Guitar Doug Sunday afternoon and Whole Lotta Led Sunday night. A Kids’ Zone features face painting, balloon animals and more from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Check out The Question’s Canadian National BBQ Championships special section for a full schedule of the weekend’s events.