Lisa Schwarz and her team from Charlotte’s Rib, 15467 Clayton Road at Kehrs Mill in Ballwin, are on the road today en route to Lynchburg, Tenn., and the 2008 Jack Daniel’s Invitational Barbecue contest.

The Jack, as it’s called, is one of the top barbecue championships in the world. Charlotte’s Rib qualified by winning the 2007 Ballwin Barbecue Bash, which earned it a lottery ticket for a spot in the Jack. The team was picked from that lottery in September, making it the first St. Louis-area team to compete in the Jack in recent memory.

The Charlotte’s Rib team cooks at competitions with the smoker from the restaurant’s long-time location on Manchester Road. They’ll be competing in the regular chicken, pork ribs, pork butts and beef brisket categories, but also in sauce, dessert and “chef’s open.” Charlotte’s Rib gets its name from mid-20th Century local TV personality Charlotte Peters, Schwarz’s grandmother. The team will be wearing shirts designed by Charlotte’s son Mike Peters, the renowned cartoonist.

“And what we won with to get into this championship, you can get right here” at the local restaurant, Schwarz says. The team will begin cooking tomorrow, with the champions named on Saturday. I’ll try to update over the weekend with information on how they did.