Team History

The Texas Social Club was started in 1984 by Bill J. Felder in Houston, Texas. While growing up, Bill spent most of his young life in the country where he learned at a very early age, how to cook from his parents and grandparents. At the age of six, each weekend he could be found helping the working cowhands prepare large slabs of fresh beef and pork for the Saturday night gatherings. Large brick ovens were dug into the ground where a fire was started using Oak or Pecan wood. When the fire had died down to white ash coals, the meat was then laid onto steel rods, then covered and left to slowly smoke creating the magic we all call BBQ. Family members and cowhands alike would then spend the night around a campfire trading stories, swapping lies and partaking of sips of honest to goodness moonshine. If Bill was lucky, he was always allowed a small thimble of whiskey to drink, until his grandmother would catch him and send him to bed. In the morning, the ovens were uncovered to reflect perfectly cooked slabs of meat.

Beef, pork, chicken and wild game were always the main fare and Bill was fortunate enough to learn how to BBQ from a mixture of individuals who make up our Texas heritage.

In the early 1980's, Bill attended a Chili cook-off where he was asked to fill in for the cook who was too hung-over to start the competition. While not winning it, his competitive nature took over and he has been competing ever since. It was at this time that Bill decided a name was needed for the new BBQ Team. While at the old Cattle Guard restaurant in downtown Houston, Bill and several friends were enjoying a few drinks and started bouncing names back and forth. A few hours and several drinks later, no name had come up that everyone could agree on. It was at this time that Bill was quoted as saying "Look, this is a type of social club and we are all from Texas. Let's just call it the Texas Social Club". And the Texas Social Club became a reality and history has never been the same.

From BBQ to wild game or seafood, the Texas Social Club can be found in the thick of things. As of today's date, the Texas Social Club has competed all over the United States along with Mexico, Jamaica, Africa and Europe while winning numerous World titles.

No matter where a cook-off is located, the Texas Social Club is known World wide for their independent spirit and Texas hospitality. The following reflects the Texas Social Club's competition win history: