Revisiting Shelby, NC, For A Two-Day BBQ Cookoff

Few events have cookoffs for two days. Most contests begin with team arrivals on Friday and a serious day of competition on Saturday. However, the Shelby (N.C.) BBQ Extravaganza took the opportunity to have two cookoffs on successive days after the teams had arrived on Friday — the first on Saturday and the second on Sunday. Both events crowned winners and awarded points for the very important annual team championship.

Teams set up for two days of competition.

Shelby BBQ Extravaganza

The Extravaganza was the first cookoff sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbecue Society in Shelby that I had attended since 2015, a very long time for a judge. Hog Happenin’, the previous contest, ended when the organizers ran out of energy. A new energetic, younger team is heading up the current event, and they have a lot of enthusiasm.

Judges relax in a fairground building before the first entries are turned in.

Hog Happenin’ had been held for 25 years. Its end saddened more than a few faces. The inaugural Extravaganza was held last year, and the event this year continued to build interest in holding an annual cookoff in Shelby, the home of the legendary Red Bridges Barbecue Lodge.

Artistic prizes for the winning teams await the judging results.

Two Days of Winners

Held at the Cleveland County Fairgrounds, the event actually produced winners on both days. Fortunately, I was able to judge each day. The entries that we judged were superior — indicative of the many quality teams participating in the competition.

Several historic buildings are part of the fairgrounds scene.

Many top cooks in KCBS were competing because the event occurs on the last weekend that teams can earn points for the annual KCBS team championship. Because each day produced winners, teams could double the points they typically can earn in a competition on a weekend. In fact, points earned on both days of the contest could determine the number-one team in KCBS for the year. The top team for day one was Rooter-N-Tooters; on day two, the top team was Off the Rack BBQ.

The turn-in table gets ready for the first samples.

Judging in Shelby was even more rewarding than you might expect. On the way home, I stopped at Tony’s Ice Cream on Gastonia. What a way to end a BBQ weekend!

Rooters-N-Tooters won the competition on the first day.

Whole Hog Cookoff in Fuquay-Varina, NC

A perfectly cooked whole hog is in shambles after the judges complete their evaluations.

A small whole hog cookoff sometimes can be a great format. Judges can allocate all the time needed to fully evaluate each site and not be in a rush, and each team knows that their participation is vital. With just seven teams competing, the American Legion Whole Hog Cookoff in Fuquay-Varina, NC, was the smallest event where I have judged.

The site of a cooking team waits for the judges to arrive.

American Legion Cookoff 

The cookoff was the fourth competition conducted by American Legion Post 166. Its previous events had a few more competitors, but this one still was helpful for building community interest in the event and supporting local programs. After judging activities were completed, plates of chopped barbecue plates were sold to the public for $10 each as a fundraiser. With music playing throughout the afternoon, the scene was quite festive.

Because the cookoff was only days before Halloween, spooky decorations decorate several cooking sites.

Sanctioned by N.C. Pork Council, the event is part of the Whole Hog Barbecue Series that celebrates the history and artistry of whole hog cooking and supports communities and nonprofits. Each year more than 130,000 people attend cooking contests in the series and enjoy the barbecue prepared by the cooking teams. 

After the judging is over, each team prepares their barbecue for the fundraiser. 

Judging at Whole Hog Cookoffs

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. Although at some contests a team is often disqualified for undercooked meat, at this contest all teams successfully met this requirement. 

Scoresheets are prepared before the judging activities begin.

Unfortunately for the teams, at least 10 cooks need to participate for the winner in the contest to be eligible to compete in the Whole Hog Barbecue Championship held in Raleigh at the end of the competition season. If the minimum participates, then the winner qualifies for the next state championship. 

Cooking teams set up the night before the day of the contest.

I was able to judge because I was the replacement for a judge who was recovering from COVID, another sign that the pandemic still has not subsided. I was eager to judge because my last whole hog cookoff had been more than three years ago; the pandemic caused the cancellation of several cookoffs and even one state championship.

Sauces are judged with the meat.

Cookoff Sponsor

Chartered in 1922, the post has a significant legacy that stretches over a century of being a supportive member of the community. With an energetic membership base, the post was already looking forward to a chili cookoff only a week away before the whole hog contest had ended. 

All the funds raised by the post are given back to the community. Its projects include scholarships for children, aid and assistance to local needy veterans and their families, and financial support for community programs and projects.

 

 A table of trophies is ready for the awards ceremony.

Because American Legion Post 166 contributes so much to its local community, being involved in one of its programs is an honor for me. I hope to return again.