Rocky Mount: Continuing After a Hurricane

The Eastern Carolina BBQ ThrowDown, held annually in October in Rocky Mount, NC, is a favorite event for many cooking teams and judges. However, October is also in the midst of hurricane season for areas near the Atlantic coast.

Cooking teams set up near the train station in the historic district.

Last year the event couldn’t be held because Hurricane Matthew brought devastating flooding and strong winds as the ThrowDown was scheduled to begin. After waiting patiently a year to return to Rocky Mount, 50 cooking teams were ready for intense competition. Muttley CrewBBQ, a team that I have visited, won top honors as grand champion as well as top place in the categories of chicken and ribs.

A festive crowd enjoys live music in front of the train station. 

The competition is held on the grounds of the Helen P. Gay Historic Rocky Mount Train Station, one of the most attractive sites for cookoffs sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbeque Society. It and more than 100 other distinctive buildings form the national historic district of the city. The station, built in 1893, is still active and is served by four passenger trains. Judges met in the adjacent Rocky Mount Senior Center.

The turn-in table is set up in advance.

The ThrowDown is organized by Rocky Mount’s Downtown Development Office, which seeks to keep the historic downtown area vibrant with retail shops, restaurants, antique stores, and other businesses. This year a new activity was added to the ThrowDown – a cruise-in of classic cars. For the third year, the ThrowDown also included a home brewing competition, which was judged by representatives of local breweries.

Judges wait for the first meat category to be turned in.

However, the prime attraction of the event was the cooking competition and the successful talents proven by each team that won a trophy. The ThrowDown trophies, hand-blown glass on a marble base and commissioned especially for this event, are some of the most attractive that cooking teams can win.

The contest awards very distinctive trophies.

The Eastern Carolina BBQ ThrowDown continues to be a popular event in October for cooking teams and judges. The distinctive setting by the famous train station in the historic district creates an enjoyable ambiance. Having beautiful, dry fall weather is also important.