Another Polar Pig BBQ Cookoff In Concord, NC

Trophies for Polar Pig are creatively designed.

The final contest for many barbecue cooking teams and judges is the Polar Pig BBQ Cookoff, held initially in Mount Pleasant, NC, in 2016 and continuing in Concord, NC, for the past three years. I’ve been fortunate to participate in each year as a judge.

Two Contests

This year the event offered teams the opportunity to compete in two contests as it did last year. The 2018 contest used a double-entry format, which permits teams to turn in entries simultaneously for both contests that are held concurrently. However, this year the two contests (renamed as duels) were held on successive days.

Judges relax in a large room of the Cabarrus Arena and Events Center before their meeting begins.

Each duel awards prizes and points, which appeals to teams trying to increase their point total as a year of competition is ending. Each contest is sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbeque Society and qualifies teams for invitational championships such as the Jack Daniel’s World Championship and American Royal World Series of Barbecue.

Competition teams set up in the midway of the Cabarrus Arena and Events Center.

Popular Format

The duel format is a popular way to finish the competition year for cooking teams, which came from 15 states (one more than last year), and compete in prize money that amounted to $5,350 for Duel A and another $5,350 for Duel B. I judged on only Saturday (Duel A) when 47 teams competed. On the next day, 33 teams competed in Duel B. With the large number of teams competing in Duel A, eight tables of judges were needed, and they came from as far away as Texas.

Uncle Pig's Barbecue Pit won first place in the chicken category (with a perfect score) and third place overall in the cookoff.

Held in the Cabarrus (County) Arena and Events Center, Polar Pig continues to improve each year. Although the warm temperatures in November don’t always match the image of a polar pig, the contest is always enjoyable because so many top teams participate.

Double-Entry Event at Polar Pig Cookoff

The Polar Pig Cookoff has grown in interest and size since it began in 2016. To provide more space, the competition last year was moved from Mount Pleasant, NC, to the Cabarrus Arena and Events Center in nearby Concord, which served as the site again in 2018.

Judges check in for the start of the Polar Pig Cookoff.

This year for the first time the cookoff was a double-entry event, which permits teams to turn in entries simultaneously for two contests. Each contest awards prizes and points, which appeals to teams trying to score points as a year of competition is winding down. Each event is sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbeque Society and qualifies teams for invitational championships such as the Jack Daniel’s World Championship and American Royal World Series of Barbecue.

Prizes await the winning teams. Grand champion for contest A was Rooters-N-Tooters from Tennessee; The Algood Bar-B-Q Pit Crew from Tennessee was the top team for contest B.

Although some teams began signing up as early as May for this competition, several teams waited until immediately before the event to register. Until the total number of teams was known, the contest organizers could not adequately plan on how many judges were needed, and several assignments had to be revised just before the first entries were turned in.

The most interesting cooker was brought by Smoke Me Silly from Alabama, placed third overall in contest A and is currently in third for 2018 KCBS team of the year.

All 56 teams that entered the cookoff competed in contest “A,” and 44 of those teams also competed in contest “B.” For the two contests, 100 entries in each of the four meat categories — chicken, ribs, pork, and brisket — needed judging. As a result, the Fair Contest Office Building, where the judging was held, was overflowing with judges, with six plus a table captain seated at each table.

B-S BBQ Outlaws form South Dakota traveled the farthest of all teams.

Most cooking teams were from North Carolina, but several teams came from neighboring states such as Virginia (8) and Tennessee (5). Teams from states more distant also brought very creative names such as Texas (Boomerang BBQ), Alabama (Smoke Me Silly), Rhode Island (Rhode Hog BBQ), Massachusetts (Insane Swine), Indiana (WeQ4U), and South Dakota (B-S BBQ Outlaws).

Cooking teams, which had set up in the 11-acre midway of the Cabarrus Arena and Events Center, begin the process of disassembly after the cookoff ends.

In all, teams came from 14 states. Polar Pig is one of the few events where competitive teams come from so many distant locations. The high caliber of teams participating made being a judge very rewarding because the barbecue was exceptional.

Polar Pig BBQ Cookoff Grows in a New Location

The inaugural Polar Pig BBQ Cookoff, held last year in Mt. Pleasant, NC, successfully started a new fall tradition of barbecue competition in an area northeast of Charlotte. To give the event more space, the new organizers moved the contest five miles from the original site to the spacious property of the Cabarrus Arena and Events Center in Concord.

Even as the center was hosting a cheerleading competition and a gun show in other facilities on the same day, it was a better location than being behind the Mt. Pleasant Town Hall and provided more than adequate space for the contest. In the inaugural event, 25 teams competed. With the additional space of the new venue, the organizers accommodated almost twice that many – 47 teams cooked this year.

Trophies await the winners of the Polar Pig BBQ competition.

Because the event is held on the second Saturday in November, teams interested in earning points in the final weeks of the year’s competition conducted by Kansas City Barbeque Society were eager to participate. The overall winner and grand champion was perennial favorite Redneck Scientific, which last year placed second and won reserve champion honors. 

Judges assemble before the competition begins.

Having the contest at the Cabarrus Arena and Events Center brought out a larger crowd than had attended at the inaugural event. In addition to observing the contest participants, the crowd could enjoy a zone of vendor tents, a beer garden, live music, and a kid’s play area. This year, the event also included a people’s choice award, and spectators could taste samples prepared by cooking teams.

Cooking teams set up inside the track of the 11-acre midway of the Cabarrus Arena and Events Center.

The future for the Polar Pig BBQ Cookoff looks promising. The significant improvements in event planning and the major increase in the number of cooking teams are encouraging signs that the competition will be even better in 2018. I hope to return again next year.