Another Barbecue Cookoff in Apex, NC

A banner high over the historic downtown area welcomes visitors.

The Peak City Pigfest continues to attract top cooking teams, and when they compete you can find a room full of judges. With “Peak City” in the cookoff’s title, few people have to ask where it’s being held because Apex, NC, is known for being “The Peak of Good Living.” 

Live music plays continually during the festival.

Barbecue Traditions

The nickname derives from 1867 when a train depot was built on the highest point on the old Chatham Railroad. Just seven years later, the town (never a city as implied by the contest’s name) was incorporated and began waiting for its first barbecue cookoff. Although historical records shed little light on how barbecue traditions developed in Apex, we do know that the Peak City Pigfest now celebrates its 10th year of bringing teams together to compete. 

An early crowd on Saturday morning enjoys listening to music and eating food sold at the festival.

Prize Money

For a total of $12,000 in prize money, 35 teams competed, which was five more than at the cookout last year. The event, which is sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbeque Society, is organized by the Apex Sunrise Rotary Club, and proceeds from the event have provided $100,000 to local charities. 

Teams set up near the center of the historic downtown area.

Festival Activities

During the weekend, activities including a beer garden, live music, food trucks, and a kids' play zone make the event popular with the local community. The festival typically brings several thousand visitors to the downtown area. 

Food vendors started early and stayed late.

Cookoff Judging

For the event, out-of-state judges often attend, but several were as far away as Indiana and Florida. Many have judged extensively, and one judge was participating in his 100th cookoff. However, contests are always welcoming new judges, and the judge that I sat next to was at just her second cookoff. Judges usually wear an assortment of barbecue-related apparel. The best T-shirt worn by a judge says: “A chicken, pig, and cow walk into a KCBS contest…. The End.” 

Judges chat informally before their meeting begins. 

Next Year

The contest continues to be a favorite of the teams, judges, and local community. With a well-established tradition of being an outstanding festival and cookoff for 10 years, the Peak City Pigfest will be where the barbecue community will be next summer.

Judging Hash in South Carolina

One of 11 heads used in traditional Lowcountry hogshead hash being made in Camp Branch, SC. Image: Carolina Hash / Folkstreams.

A special experience in barbecue judging is the opportunity to judge a youth contest or an ancillary dish. Sometimes young, aspiring pitmasters compete in “Kids Que” contests. In “Anything Butt” (or “Anything Goes”) and deserts-only contests, family favorites compete for special recognition and prizes. Barbecue cookoffs often have contests for side dishes like the one for hash at the BBQ and Blues Festival of Discovery in Greenwood, SC. You might ask, What is hash?

 

The Festival of Discovery features BBQ & Blues — and hash.

What Is South Carolina Hash? 

Hash is a traditional stew in South Carolina that dates back to the early 1800s, according to barbecue writer and historian Robert Moss. When hogs were slaughtered for barbecuing, parts such as the head, liver, and other organ meats that didn’t make it onto the pit were used to make hash and to make sure during a rural hog-killin’ that every last scrap of a hog wasn’t wasted. 

These items were cooked in a pot with water over an open fire for many hours until they had broken down and become a thick, gravy-like substance. Items such as red pepper, potatoes, and onions were often added, but the hash depends on the slowly cooked meat items for its hearty flavor.

 

Hash being made in The Hash House in Greenwood, SC. Image: Carolina Hash / Folkstreams.

  

Moss describes hash as a cross between a thick gravy and a stew. It’s typically a side dish that accompanies barbecue and not a meal by itself. Outside of South Carolina, nothing resembles this dish. Hash recipes have also been included in issues of food magazines such as Food & Wine, Bon Appetit, and The Local Palate. The name may come from “haslet,” an Old English word for the entrails of a butchered animal but other accounts also attribute the name to the French Huguenot population in early Charleston. 

When barbecue moved “indoors” as restaurants opened, hash was a standard side dish with the stew ladled over a bed of cooked white rice (or bread). When restaurants shifted from cooking whole hog to just shoulders and hams, many began making hash from the barbecue left over from the previous day, and about half of the S.C. barbecue restaurants surveyed by the (Charleston) Post & Courier no longer today include liver in their hash. 

Legendary in its time, The Hash House in Greenwood, SC, has closed. Image: Stan Woodward / Folkstreams.

The S.C. Office of Tourism describes hash as “a stewlike concoction of ground meats flavored with vegetables, condiments, and spices.” Most people are ready to sample it until they learn more about the history of hash and realize that many recipes rely on liver and other organ meats for the pungent flavor of hash. 

What Makes Hash Popular? 

Hash remains popular in South Carolina because it’s rooted in the state’s barbecue traditions. It is a typical side dish that usually accompanies a barbecue order. Definitely comfort food, it also commemorates the humble lifestyles of the past, and many people have developed a fondness for it because of family traditions. At one time “hash houses” were located throughout South Carolina with the largest concentration in the Upstate region, although many such as this one in Troy that closed in 2014 are no longer open. 

The Hash House in Troy, S.C., closed more than a decade ago. Photo: Hash House / Facebook.

The city of Greenwood was one of the most active hash-making places in the state, according to the folklife documentary Carolina Hash on the history of South Carolina hash. (Learn more by watching the documentary.) Today many barbecue restaurants have hash on their menus as the map below illustrates. 

At least 160 S.C. barbecue restaurants serve hash. Image: Southern Living.

How Do You Judge Hash? 

For events such as judging hash, there are no national standards or guidelines like for contests sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbecue Society. Sometimes a contest specifies only turn-in times; however, several guidelines were announced for the Greenwood event. 

This entry has a dominant tomato flavor.

For this contest, hash can consist of potatoes, onions, spices, and other seasonings with shredded pork or beef, or both. Because contest rules prohibited the presentation of the hash with side dishes or with any else such as rice or bread, each entry was simply the hash. (At KCBS events, barbecue is typically presented with a garnish.) 

Diced potatoes are the main component in this hash.

Each entry was judged on appearance, taste, and tenderness (the three criteria of a KCBS contest) and could have earned a maximum of 180 points. The winning team was Chicka-Piga-Moo that outdistanced K&E’s Little Smokers, which finished second, by only three points. Incidentally, Chicka-Piga-Moo is a top competitor in the S.C. Barbecue Association and routinely places high in barbecue contests. 

Mustard could be clearly detected in this hash.

How Different Were the Entries? 

Nineteen teams competed, and every entry had its own distinguishing characteristics, although the ingredients and presentation were limited. The entries varied in color, consistency, taste (some were pungent; some were sweet), texture (from stringy to clumpy), ingredients (from meat items only to all permitted ingredients), and moisture content (some were soupy, some had little moisture). One surprise of the judging activity happened when an entry being shown to a judge was tipped too low and about half a cup of hash “liquid” spilled onto the scoresheet and pants of the judge. How he scored this entry wasn't disclosed!

This hash seemed to have all permitted ingredients.

What Were the Rewards? 

The hash contest had a total of $1,200 in prizes that was divided among the top three places: $500 for first place, $400 for second, and $300 for third. However, more important than the money are the bragging rights for placing among the top three, particularly for the first-place winner. Imagine claiming that you are the state champion for South Carolina, which is known for its barbecue and hash traditions. 

Chicka-Piga-Moo took home $500 for placing first in the hash contest. Photo: Festival of Discovery / Facebook.

What Were the Other Side Contests? 

At the Festival of Discovery, contests were also held for Anything Goes with 29 entries and Desserts with 26 entries. Two Kids Que contests were held; one for kids 10 and under (with five participants) and another for ages 11 and older (three participants). 

The festival conducted two Kids Que contests. Photo: Festival of Discovery / Facebook.

Because teams competing in the hash contest were also permitted to sell their hash to the public during the festival, appreciation for the hash wasn’t limited to only the judges. 

Wrap Up 

The next time you are in South Carolina, find a barbecue restaurant with hash on its menu. See if you don’t agree with the state’s traditions that it belongs on a plate with barbecue.

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Finally, the following video shows hash being made:

Returning to Greenwood, SC, for BBQ

Ari the Lion is one of the distinctive topiaries in Greenwood.

When barbecue is smoking on Main Street and the musicians at the center stage are playing the blues, Greenwood, SC, must be the scene. The city has played host to the BBQ and Blues Festival of Discovery every July since it began in 2000 (except when canceled by the coronavirus pandemic). 

BBQ and Blues Festival of Discovery 

The festival has a lively street scene throughout the weekend as the region celebrates culture, history, food, arts, crafts, and music. The downtown area vibrates with the sounds of the blues as musicians perform on stages and at other restaurants. To recognize the region’s food traditions, a barbecue cookoff sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbecue Society is also held. In addition, the festival holds a separate contest for hash, a South Carolina specialty. 

Blues music is continually played at several locations during the festival.

Perhaps the total of $19,850 in prize money attracted so many cooking teams to compete—92 teams vied for top honors. The prize money is the largest amount of any tournament that I’ve participated in recently and almost double that of the last event where I judged. Because so many teams were competing, about 100 judges were needed. 

A long line of judges forms as they wait on the start time to sign in.

A part of the prize money was reserved for the people’s choice contest. Rather than certified judges picking the winners, the festival attendees were in charge, and their tastebuds determined the best BBQ. More than 20 teams competed. 

This team was ready to smoke its meats.

Barbecue Cookoff Judging 

The five other judges at the table where I was sitting were the most light-hearted group that I’ve been associated with. Perhaps being at a cookoff again after the pandemic has mostly ended has improved everyone’s spirits and the comradery is appreciated even more. In addition to South Carolina, these judges were from Georgia and Florida. 

Judges mingle in the Arts Center before the judging activities begin.

One of the big surprises at the table where I was judging is that we had to disqualify an entry for pork. At KCBS contests, one reason to disqualify an entry is “incorrect meat.” After we had judged ribs, the second category scored, we received entries for the next category, which is pork. To our amazement, in the box of one entry was … ribs. Although ribs are obviously from a hog, at a sanctioned contest they don’t constitute “pork,” which is defined as “Boston butt, Boston roast, picnic, collar (aka cellar), or whole shoulder.” How disappointing for the team because the ribs looked wonderful. 

Teams set up along Main Street in downtown Greenwood.

Later I learned that five entries had been disqualified – three ribs and two pork. I have observed disqualifications before, but five at one event is very surprising. However, some teams may have been participating in their first competitive event. Being disqualified has to be very upsetting for a team, but each contest is a learning experience. 

The center stage is on Main Street among the cooking teams.

Greenwood, SC, As Contest Venue 

Greenwood continues to be a superior contest venue, and the city’s extensive support of the cookoff makes sure that everything happens on time and perfectly. After judging pork, the judges were treated to small servings of lemon sherbet to cleanse our palates. Such a simple touch is typical of the extra effort that the Greenwood organizers make. 

Greenwood is a fun place to be during its festivals.

The downtown area of Greenwood was adorned with 30 topiary displays. Although they were initially designed as the centerpiece attraction of the Festival of Flowers, an event held a month earlier, they still are still show-quality and are very much admired by the BBQ and Blues Festival attendees. My favorite is Barbie-Q the Pig, but so many others are also very creative.

Barbie-Q the Pig is one of the creative topiaries.

This year’s contest is the first one that I was able to attend since 2019, when I judged in Greenwood for the first time. The Festival of Discovery is such a great event that I hope to attend again.