Another Whole Hog Cookoff in Fuquay-Varina, NC

A whole hog cooked just before the judges inspected it.

Like many small towns in North Carolina, Fuquay-Varina began as a center for tobacco trade and agriculture. As early as 1990, its population was just 4,500. Since then, the population has doubled every decade. It seems that how much Fuquay-Varina appreciates barbecue has grown just as fast.  

The hog after the judges had inspected it.

One of its main community organizations has been the American Legion post, which was founded more than 100 years ago.  Although it took almost that much time for it to organize its first whole hog cookoff, the post has been quite successful in having one annually since 2019.

Teams set up at the American Legion post in Fuquay-Varina.

I was fortunate to return again this year as a judge at the American Legion Whole Hog Cookoff where 11 teams competed for top honors (first-place trophy and $500) as well as the opportunity to be eligible to compete in the Whole Hog Barbecue Championship held at the end of the competition season. 

The winning team takes home the biggest trophy. Photo: American Legion Post 116 via Facebook.

For each site, each judge completed a culinary scoresheet. The criteria include appearance, color, skin crispness, moisture, meat and sauce taste, and completeness of the cooking site. In addition, the judges verify that each pig is fully cooked and the meat can be served to the public.

Some teams added Halloween decorations to their tables.

The cookoff was sanctioned by the N.C. Pork Council and is part of the Whole Hog Barbecue Series. Each year more than 130,000 people attend cooking contests in the series and enjoy the barbecue prepared by the cooking teams. At the Fuquay-Varina cookoff, plates of chopped barbecue were sold to the public for $10 each as a fundraiser after all the judging activities had been completed. Proceeds from the sale are used to fund scholarships for children, aid and assistance to local needy veterans and their families, and financial support for community programs and projects.

Teams chop their barbecue for sale to the public.

Returning to the Fuquay-Varina cookoff was a special privilege. I appreciate being a judge in the Whole Hog Barbecue Series, and seeing the teams in action as they show off their cooking talents is a great way to spend a Saturday morning.

N.C. Companies Cook Barbecue To Raise Money For Charities

 

A table of trophies is ready for the awards ceremony.

The general contracting company Brasfield & Gorrie does amazing work as they envision, build, and manage construction projects. It also does amazing work with rallying interest by corporate teams in cooking barbecue to benefit local charities.

Cooking teams stay busy for hours preparing their entries.

Pork Ribs and Pork Barbecue

For the sixth consecutive year, Brasfield & Gorrie held its annual charity cookoff known as Brew-B-Q that included two meat categories: pork ribs and pork barbecue. Boston butts and ribs were provided to each cooking team for the sanctioned judging, and extra butts were cooked as well for a people’s choice contest. In addition to the BBQ cookoff, the charity event included a chicken wing competition. Additional events added for this year included a ribeye cooking competition and poker tournament.

A full schedule of activities.

Cooking Teams

Brew-B-Q has increased in popularity as a successful charity fundraiser, and about 40 teams participated. Subcontractors, business contacts, and other companies and friends in Brasfield & Gorrie’s professional network sponsored the cooking teams. The cookoff was held in three divisions: Boss Hog, Hog, and Piglet. Cooking teams contribute $5,000; $4,000; and $2,000 respectively to register in a division.

The High Caliber Cue team, which won second place in the pork category of the 10 teams in the Boss Hog Division, unwraps and cuts ribs for their entry. Photo: Chad Farmer via Facebook.

Although the entry fees are high, impressive trophies awaited winners of each division plus a winner in each meat category for each division, and proceeds of the event—expected to be about $100,000—are contributed to The Salvation Army and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Blind Judging

Although the event wasn’t sanctioned by the N.C. Pork Council, the judges used its blind judging rules and scoresheets of its Whole Hog Barbecue Series. The judges didn’t know which teams had cooked the samples that they were evaluating. Each judge received a single sample box from each team in the division. Each box contained a Boston butt pork sample and a pork rib sample, and a separate scoresheet was used for each sample.

Scoresheets are ready for the judges.

Brasfield & Gorrie has created a great tradition of raising money while having a great time as cooking teams showcase their best talents for preparing pork ribs and pork barbecue. The cooking teams obviously enjoyed each other’s company as they seriously competed for top honors. For the judges, it was an honor to participate in this event.

Rocky Mount, NC, Recovers From Tornado To Host Barbecue Competition

The Twisted Pair BBQ team earned a perfect score of 180 points for their beef brisket entry. Photo: Twisted Pair BBQ via Facebook. 

Imagine planning to hold a barbecue cookoff on a pleasant fall weekend when an EF3 tornado arrives just days before the competition is to be held. As final planning for the Eastern Carolina BBQ Throwdown was underway, Rocky Mount, NC, received significant damage from a tornado that rolled through the city with winds of 140 mph.

Damaged by a tornado only days earlier, the city of Rocky Mount, NC, recovered to have another successful BBQ cookoff. Photo: Fox Weather.

Tornado In Rocky Mount

The tornado was on the ground in the city for the length of about five football fields. It was associated with the remnants of Hurricane Helene, which had made landfall along Florida’s Big Bend two days earlier as a Category 4. It was the strongest tornado from the hurricane.

High winds associated with the hurricane caused extensive damage in Rocky Mount. Image: Fox Weather.

Barbecue Competition After Tornado

Nevertheless, Rocky Mount overcame the shock from having the tornado, and several days later the city again hosted Eastern Carolina BBQ Throwdown, which has been a superior barbecue competition for many years. I was first a judge in this cookoff in 2017 and have returned several times. It continues to be one of the best events of the year. The huge cheesecake (that has 12 slices) that each judge receives for participating clearly has not prejudiced my view. 

Chicken by Smokin’ Skullies, which was the grand champion at the last event that I judged, scored a perfect 180. Photo: Smokin’ Skullies via Facebook. 

Previously the competition had been held in the Rocky Mount Senior Center. This year brought about a change in the venue. For the first time, judges met in the Rocky Mount Event Center on Main Street. The new location provided more space for the judges as well as the cooking teams, which set up in the parking lot next to the center.

 

Smoke Central BBQ uses Heath Riles Rub for its chicken entry. Is that their secret? Photo: Smoke Central BBQ via Facebook.

Smoke Central BBQ Takes Top Honors

With $18,900 in prize money this year, the cookoff attracted many top times that compete in events sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbeque Society. This year 26 teams competed. The top team was Smoke Central BBQ from Lake City, SC. It also won first place in the chicken and pork ribs categories. In fact, it got a perfect score (180 points) for both entries—a rare achievement.

Smoke Central BBQ took for more than the grand championship honors. Photo: Smoke Central BBQ via Facebook. 

Entertainment At Cookoff

Because the event includes live music, inflatables, food trucks, and other entertainment, it's as popular for the community as the cooking teams and judges. Hopefully Rocky Mount will be spared from any more tornado damage in the future. However, the city will always be ready to host a superior barbecue cookoff.

The Rocky Mount Fire Department was on hand just to make sure that no flameups got out of hand.