World Championship Barbeque Cooking Contest

Every year Memphis throws a big party - Memphis in May. The first weekend is the three day Beale Street Music Festival (or should I say Mud Festival, since it ALWAYS rains that weekend). The fourth weekend is the Sunset Symphony where they play on a stage at the river and people come with their picnics to listen to the music and enjoy the fireworks. But by far the craziest weekend is Barbeque Weekend.



Some of the team names:
Greaseland Porkers * Notorious P.I.G. * Pork Illustrated *
Wasted "n" Basted * Three Pigs to the Wind * Four Pork Harmony *
Adribbers * Aporkalyps Now * Barefoot in the Pork *




When we first went years ago, we walked around and saw the crazy booths and smelled the good smells, and watched everyone having a party, but since each party is private we could only watch. This year we knew 4 people who had booths and were invited to stop by each. So we got to party and eat great barbeque. Here's Tim, Armando and Margie at the Rebel Roaster Revue booth - they came in 6th in the shoulder contest. They have winners in three categories: ribs, shoulder and whole hog. From those three winners they select the grand champion.





Oinking on the River * Pork Fiction * Rib Ticklers * Serial Grillers *
South Pork * Swine-o-mite * Swinebucks *



It's billed as the World Championship Contest - 240 teams competing for big prize money and bragging rights - there were teams from Denmark and Norway to make it truly international. But most of the teams are from Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas with a few from Georgia, Alabama, N.Carolina, Ohio, Illinois, Missouri, Wisconsin and Indiana. Texas thinks real barbeque is beef, and Kansas City seems to think they are the #1 Barbeque capital in the US but we know better.

This booth belongs to Sow Luau. Every year they add a new head.



Any Pork in a Storm * The Hogfather * Holy Sow *
Not Ready for Swine Time Porkers * Parrothead Porkers of Hogaritaville *
Pit and the Pigulum * The Ques Brothers *










On Thursday at 5:30 they have the "Official Lighting of the Grill" - sort of like the Olympic Torch I suppose, but more like NASCAR -"Ladies and Gentlemen, light your fires!" They have the Miss Piggie Idol Contest - mostly guys dressed in pig noses and tutus. Friday night on the stage we watcged Ralph Stanley & Clinch Mountain perform - an OLD bluegrass band. If you saw "O Brother Where Art Thou?" it was that kind of bluegrass - in fact Ralph Stanley is featured singing in that movie.



Every year Memphis in May picks a country to honor. This year was Chile. We saw lots of Easter Island heads at booths. Some of them had pig noses.



We got invited to one party where they had a three story space. We went up to the top and got some great photos.



See the houses in the background up on the bluff? Cybill Shepperd has a house up there overlooking the river. What a view, but I'll bet they get no sleep during Music Festival or Barbeque Weekends.







Armando's cousin Magda and her husband Pepe are here visiting from Peru and they got to enjoy the 'Que experience with us. Pepe is the photographer for this blog entry.



Great food, great fun, great silliness.