For the first time ever – Smokin' TITAN will be fully utilized and put to the test during a cooking competition in Pigeon Forge, Tenn.
by Staff
April 20, 2018
3 min to read
Nissan's Smokin' TITAN is fired up and ready to roll. The ultimate tailgating and barbecuing pickup truck, unveiled at The Work Truck Show 2018, has officially departed for a four-city tour en route to The Great TITAN Meat Up, where – for the first time ever – Smokin' TITAN will be fully utilized and put to the test during a cooking competition among media members and Nissan executives in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., April 27-28.
"Beginning as a TITAN XD King Cab straight from the Nissan Canton, Miss. Assembly Plant – where every TITAN and TITAN XD is assembled – Smokin' TITAN is a dream project vehicle for tailgating and barbecuing enthusiasts like myself, and I can't think of a better way to showcase it than at – and along the way to – The Great TITAN Meat Up," said Billy Hayes, division vice president, Nissan Regional Operations, and a brainchild behind the vehicle. "I am very excited to get out there and show the world what this truck can do!"
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Following its departure from Idaho City, Smokin' TITAN will visit the following cities and locations along the way to the Great TITAN Meat Up:
April 21, 11 a.m. MDT – Roaming Buffalo BBQ, Denver
April 22, Noon CDT – Q39 BBQ, Kansas City, MO
April 23, 3 p.m. CDT – Salt + Smoke BBQ (Delmar location), St. Louis
April 24, Noon CDT – Central BBQ, Memphis
Check out a video all about the Smokin' Titan below:
On April 28 in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., the heat will be turned up a notch at the Great TITAN Meat Up. With celebrity chefs, Cory Bahr and David Rose, serving as official judges, each of the competing teams will be challenged to out-cook a Nissan executive team led by Hayes, an outdoor cooking enthusiast. Hayes will be joined on his team by Brian Maragno, director, EV Marketing & Sales; Tiago Castro, director, Light Commercial Vehicles Sales & Marketing; and Kevin Yeoh, senior manager, Truck and Light Commercial Vehicles, Nissan Canada.
Competing against Hayes and his team will be five different media organizations, as well as a team from Nissan Canton Assembly – where Smokin' TITAN and all TITAN and TITAN XD vehicles are assembled. Teams include:
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Team Nissan – Billy Hayes, Brian Maragno, Tiago Castro, Kevin Yeoh
Team Nissan-Canton (Chicken) – Randall Jenkins, Jerome Staten
Internet Brands (Turkey) – Aaron Cole, Charles Dyas, and Robert Yarbrough
Truck Trend (Brisket) – Sean Holman, Jason Gonderman, Brett Evans
PickupTrucks.com (Lamb chops) – Aaron Bragman, Christian Lantry
AutoGuide.com (Pork) – Craig Cole, Stephen Elmer, Ben Sanders
Annie A to Z, healthyfatchick.com (Ribs) – Annie Alvarez, Michelle Rosenberg
Following a day of off-roading in the Tennessee hills in a fleet of Nissan TITAN and TITAN XD PRO-4X vehicles on Friday, April 27, competitors will attempt to smoke the meat of their choice to perfection in an all-day cooking competition on Saturday April 28. Competitors will be judged on a 100-point scale in categories such as Presentation, Creativity, Composition of Ingredients, Preparation and Flavor.
"Smokin' TITAN is the perfect vehicle for this one-of-a-kind event and I can't wait to get out to Pigeon Forge," said Bahr, who is Food Network's "Chopped!" champion, among a laundry list of other accolades. "But have no doubt about it – David (Rose) and I will show no mercy when it comes to judging this competition. Only the best will be crowned the Great TITAN Meat Up champion!"
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