When Seth and Etta Smith of Coon River Farms near Nemaha accepted an offer to provide their beef to a local restaurant, they didn’t expect to find fame. They just wanted to provide consumers with tasty beef and maybe a connection to the farm.

That changed on May 1 when Smokin’ Hereford BBQ of Storm Lake won the 2017 Iowa's Best Burger contest from the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association and the Iowa Beef Industry Council. The annual contest marks the celebration of May as Beef Month.

Owned by Nathan and Nancy Jensen and Chad and Jennifer Hustedt, Smokin’ Hereford BBQ features a menu packed full of barbecue delights, including a smoked prime rib Friday and Saturday special (with house horseradish sauce), the requisite baby-back ribs and the customer favorite brisket burnt ends.

If you think all barbecue sauce is created equal, think again. Smokin’ Hereford BBQ gives a...