Mallard Creek, the Granddaddy of All Barbecue Events

For years I’ve wanted to attend the granddaddy barbecue festival of all, the long-running event organized by Mallard Creek Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, NC. Finally, in its 88th year, I got to see why it’s so famous.

Now in its 88th year, Mallard Creek is the place for BBQ in October.

More than 20,000 people attend the latest incarnation of an event begun in 1929 when the nation fell into the Great Depression. That year the church cooked two hogs and a goat, and sold its first barbecue to pay a contractor who was constructing Sunday school rooms. Now proceeds raised support local and world missions and supplement the church’s building fund. The food -- chopped pork barbecue, Brunswick stew, coleslaw, and applesauce -- continues to please each new generation.

The annual event is a reunion of church members and community residents.

The crowd includes plenty of politicians eager to campaign before elections are held in only 12 days and greet voters as they move through the waiting line. A lot of food is needed to feed the crowd. This year more than 13,000 pounds of pork barbecue, 25,000 gallons of Brunswick stew, 2 tons of coleslaw, and 400 gallons of coffee were prepared. Each plate costs $10, and a sandwich only is $4. (If you call ahead, the church can accommodate group orders of 50 plates or more – but no deliveries.) Barbecue is also sold by the pound, and stew and slaw by the quart.

The BBQ plate costs $10.

While applesauce on a barbecue plate may not be usual, the biggest surprise is the Brunswick stew, which is made with rice, not potatoes. In addition, instead of shredded chicken and other meat such as beef, it has ground-up chicken, pork, and beef; instead of lima beans, it has only tomatoes and corn.  Rebecca McLaughlin, who died in 2004 at age 93, is responsible for the stew recipe. According to her son Dale, she began overseeing its preparation in the 1940s and continued for about 40 years. Because she thought potatoes were too mushy, she swapped them out for rice. She stopped using lima beans because she thought they were too strong.

Four drive-through takeout lines serve customers until all the food is sold.

Always on the fourth Thursday of October, the sale requires much more effort than is obvious and begins in earnest early in the month when the Community House, where the event is held and that is located two miles from the church, is cleaned up and checked for general repairs. A week in advance, equipment for cooking the meat is set up and the seasoning room is prepared.

Politicians greet customers as they walk through the waiting line to the serving area.

On the Thursday before the event, the first meat comes off the cooker, and the chopping and seasoning process begins. Next the barbecue is weighed and bagged in one-pound packages. Then the equipment and area are cleaned and prepared for another day of cooking on Friday. On Saturday, the slaw – cabbage, onions, carrots, and celery – is made. More cleanup is needed on Saturday as well as Sunday afternoon.

Barbecue, Brunswick stew (made with rice), and coleslaw can also be bought in bulk quantities.

On Monday as early as 2 a.m., church members start cooking chickens to make the Brunswick stew. On Tuesday, the ingredients for the stew are mixed, and then the stew is dipped into containers. Additional site preparation continues on Wednesday so that the area is ready for the big day on Thursday.

The serving line never rests.

Customers begin arriving as early as 9:30 a.m. (although the publicized start time is 10 a.m.) and keep coming until the barbecue is sold out. On some years, it’s gone by late afternoon. Then the final cleanup begins as tables and chairs are taken down and paper goods are consolidated and stored.

Local neighbors, the only paid workers at the event, stir stew with long paddles. 

The event is a major undertaking. It seems each church member has an important task, and many work countless hours. Their joy and camaraderie are obvious as they work together and serve the crowd. So much good-tasting food is prepared for so many customers, and they keep coming back year after year.

Huge trailers keep prepared food refrigerated until the day of sale.