At Memphis BBQ contest, pitmasters sweat through the smoke to be best in pork
Memphis, Tenn. — Hundreds of dedicated pitmasters sweat through the smoke as they compete to see who will be crowned “best in pork” at this year’s World Championship Barbecue Cooking Competition in Memphis, Tennessee.
The competition is considered one of the most important cooking competitions in the US and dates back to the 1970s. But as the so-called culinary sports expand beyond local home chefs, competition is fiercer than ever.
This year’s competition started on Wednesday and runs through Saturday, when an overall champion will be named. With more than $150,000 in prize money awarded, 129 cooking teams from 22 states and four foreign countries compete in one of three main categories: ribs, shoulder and whole pig. There are also additional competitions such as hot wings, poultry, beef and seafood.
But in Memphis, pork is always the main event.
Brad Orrison and Brooke Lewis, siblings from Ocean Springs, Mississippi, have competed for 17 years as a team named after their restaurant: The Shed BBQ and Blues Joint. They have won the major championship twice.
“It’s the Super Bowl of pigs. This is the trophy everyone wants,” Orrison said.
Orrison, Lewis and their team were preparing two Duroc pigs for competition on Friday, each carefully injected with marinades and placed on a bed of butter and bacon.
They come back every year for the cooking competition, which is part of the annual Memphis in May festival. It’s like a family reunion where they see friends from all over the country with a shared passion for barbecue.
“It’s like fierce friends and fiercer on the competitive side. Right? So we all support each other, but it stops on Saturday,” said Lewis. “On Saturday you will hear a pinprick in the park.”
“What makes Memphis in May so hard to judge is that everyone is cooking the best food in the world, and they’re all here,” Orrison said. “So a jury could come across three teams that have created the most ultimate dreamy bite. barbecue.”