Inaugural Barbecue Competition in Pinehurst, NC

Historic hangars were part of the scenery for the event.

Finally, a barbecue contest about ten minutes from my home! For years, I have been traveling several hundred miles for the enjoyment of judging at events sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbecue Society. Less than a third have been within a few hours of my home in North Carolina. Most have required overnight stays near the location of the contest, particularly when I have judged at events in Florida, Minnesota, Missouri, and New York.

Judges met in a conference room at the airport.

Smokin' in the Pines

Traveling to events is fun and often takes me to places that I wouldn’t ordinarily visit. I never thought that judging in my hometown would be possible and was surprised when KCBS announced plans for the inaugural Smokin’ in the Pines in Pinehurst, NC. The contest site at the county airport is less than seven miles from my home. 

Cooking teams set up on the airport tarmac near parked aircraft.

I immediately applied to judge. Because Bob Johanns, the contest organizer, confirmed early that I would participate, I was able to look forward to this contest several weeks in advance. In the event, 24 teams competed for the $15,000 in prize money, a sizeable sum for an inaugural event. One Eyed Pig BBQ from South Carolina was the grand champion. Placing in second and capturing reserve grand champions honors was Redneck Scientific.

Bob Johanns, contest organizer, with Doug Reid and Alan Rockroth, KCBS representatives. Photo: Smokin' in the Pines via Facebook.

First Tee—Sandhills

Typical for many KCBS contests, this event raised funds for a charity relevant to the local community. Pinehurst is known for its golf culture, and proceeds from the contest benefited First Tee—Sandhills, a youth development organization that empowers kids and teens through the game of golf. It creates learning experiences that build their inner strength, self-confidence, and resilience through its junior golf programs. 

Joe Frye and his band entertain the crowd.

A large crowd enjoyed the music, other entertainment, and being part of the scene with barbecue as its main focus. Because this year’s Smokin’ in the Pines was so successful, the organizers should bring it back again next year, and I hope can participate. The easy drive was just what I needed.

Prizes before being presented to the winners at the award ceremony. Photo: Smokin' in the Pines via Facebook.

Grand champion was the One Eyed Pig BBQ Team. Photo: Smokin' in the Pines via Facebook.

Another Pig Fest in Apex, NC

The Mcaddo Heights BBQ team celebrates being the grand champion of the 2023 Peak City Pig Fest. Photo: Peak City Pig Fest via Facebook.

Being in Apex, NC, again for barbecue judging means that another rendition of the Peak City Pig Fest is being held. The event is a great weekend for the local area to celebrate their community spirit and enjoy food and drink with barbecue as the unifying ingredient.

Crowds begin to congregate around the food vendors as lunchtime arrives.

Peak City Pig Fest

The first Pig Fest that I attended as a judge was in 2015. Since that year, the organizers have contributed more than $100,000 to charities. The 2023 event attracted another sizeable crowd as it did last year.

Before the crowds arrived, the cooking team area was extremely quiet early on Saturday morning as they prepared their meat entries.

For this event, I was a table captain and coordinated the scoring at a table of six judges where I presented samples of all four meat categories chicken, ribs, pork, and brisket initially for appearance scores. Then the judges scored them for taste and tenderness, which is the format of an event sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbecue Society. Our table had some of the best ribs and pork entries. Because all judging at a KCBS event is “blind,” we don’t know which teams were judged at our table.

The critical part of the contest begins when the cooking teams turn in their meat samples.

The key to being a successful cooking team in Apex was finally disclosed by the town’s mayor in his welcoming remarks to the judges before their meeting began. He said that it’s important to take into account the town’s elevation (which he pointed out with pride is 499 feet above sea level). It has enjoyed in being known as the Peak City since its early days. The nickname derives from 1867 when a train depot was built on the highest point on the old Chatham Railroad. For that reason, Apex is known as the “Peak of Good Living.”

Apex Mayor Jacques K. Gilbert discloses how a cooking team can be successful in Apex

Top Teams at Pig Fest

With more than $10,000 in prize money, the event attracted 32 cooking teams. Throughout the weekend, crowds walked among the teams and watched them at work. Although most teams were from North Carolina, one traveled from as far away as Illinois. 

The crowds arrived early and were not eager to leave ... at least from the beer garden.

They included Hold Your Horses BBQ from Georgia, the top international team so far in 2023. Also competing was Uncle Pig's Barbecue of New Jersey that was the top team in 2022. In this year’s Pig Fest, it placed second and was edged out of first place by Mcadoo Heights of North Carolina by just 0.0116 points out of 720 possible points.

The top trophies await the winners.

With such a rich history and excellent organization, the Pig Fest will continue to attract top teams to its annual event, which means many judges will be eager to participate.

The beer garden stage featured five bands that played live music for seven hours.