Weather Dampens BBQ Enthusiasm in Rocky Mount, NC

The rib entry from Swine 'N' Roses, the grand champion, which placed third in the rib category. Photo: Swine 'n' Roses/Facebook.

Rocky Mount, NC, is known for many things, although barbecue may not be one of them. However, the Eastern Carolina BBQ Throwdown, which is sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbecue Society, has been pushing barbecue to the forefront for several years. I first judged at this event in 2017, returned again in 2018, but had not been able to attend again until this year. 

Judges assemble for the start of their meeting.

Eastern Carolina BBQ Throwdown

For many years it has been a major event for cooking teams as well as judges. This year, however, the weather — steady, hard rain with high winds — significantly dampened everyone’s enthusiasm and kept the usual large crowd of observers away. 

The rainy weather made the contest less enjoyable for the cooking teams..

What had been a popular street scene was barely attended. The cooking teams, nevertheless, rose to the occasion and provided what the judges were looking for: excellent barbecue. 

Entries are ready to be taken to the judges.

Swine 'n' Roses Wins

This year 27 teams competed for the $18,900 in cash prizes. As usual, the contest consisted of the four KCBS categories (chicken, pork ribs, pork, and beef brisket) which are required entries in order to qualify for the Grand Championship, which was won by Swine 'N' Roses BBQ. 

Swine 'n' Roses was not only the grand champion, but they also won trophies for each of the four meat categories plus a trophy for scoring more than 700 points. Photo: Swine 'n' Roses/Facebook.

Prizes are also awarded in individual categories, and an optional category is the People’s Choice. 

The poor weather limited how many voted in the People's Choice contest. 

Although the poor weather reduced how many spectators attended, the event still upheld the best traditions of barbecue competitions. The teams vied for the prizes, and the best one won.

The chicken entry prepared by Swine 'n' Roses, the grand champion. Photo: Swine 'n' Roses/Facebook.

The pork entry prepared by Swine 'n' Roses, the grand champion. Photo: Swine 'n' Roses/Facebook.

The brisket entry prepared by Swine 'n' Roses, the grand champion. Photo: Swine 'n' Roses/Facebook.

Starting a BBQ Tradition in Clayton, NC

Unlimited beer samples were almost as popular as barbecue. Photo: Downtown Clayton NC via Facebook.

Clayton, NC, isn’t known for its barbecue traditions. However, it’s never too late to begin one. Enter the Clayton BBQ Challenge, which had its inaugural event in 2023 with promises of becoming an annual event to celebrate beer, bands, and barbecue. 

Cooking teams set up near the Civitan Center in Clayton.

Clayton Celebrates with Barbecue

With a population of fewer than 25,000, Clayton has successfully preserved a small-town atmosphere, particularly in its downtown historic district. However, it promotes itself as “the fastest growing town in the fastest growing county in North Carolina” — and brags that it’s no longer the “one-stoplight town it was 40 years ago.”

The Off the Rack team scored high in the contest and won first place in the pork category.

Overshadowed by Raleigh, the state capital about 15 miles away, the town seeks to create its own identity. Having a barbecue cookoff is one way to set it apart from its more prominent neighbors as well as to have fun.

Judging plates are ready for the first entries.

Clayton BBQ Challenge: More Than Barbecue

General admission tickets started at $35 and provided access to unlimited beer samples from more than 15 N.C. breweries. In addition to craft beer sampling, the festivities included food trucks, live music, and BBQ-related vendor booths. 

Optimus Swine, grand champion of the cookoff, posted this photo of their chicken entry on their Facebook page. Photo: Optimus Swine.

Held in the town’s municipal park, the event was sponsored by the Downtown Development Association. In the cookoff sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbecue Society, 17 teams competed for the $7,500 in prize money. Many teams were well-known and are perennial finalists for national honors each year.

The Off the Rack BBQ Competition Cooking Team took first place in the pork category. Photo: Ready Roofing Company via Facebook.

From all accounts, the inaugural cookoff sets a great example for future events to duplicate. Let’s hope that Clayton continues to develop a barbecue tradition that it can be proud of.

More Barbecue in Greenwood, SC

A part of the prize money is reserved for the people’s choice contest. Rather than certified judges picking the winners, the festival attendees are in charge. Photo: Laura Brown Photography, 2023 Festival of Discovery album on Facebook.

One of my favorite locations for judging barbecue contests sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbecue Society is Greenwood, SC. The city and its residents fully support this contest, known as the BBQ and Blues Festival of Discovery. It is the premier event sponsored by local development officials, and the music scene and other entertainment activities are amazing. 

Although blues music was playing at several venues during the festival, the big attraction was barbecue. Photo: Laura Brown Photography, 2023 Festival of Discovery album on Facebook.

Begun in 2000, the festival celebrates local history, culture, arts, crafts, music, and food — and barbecue takes over Main Street, the main thoroughfare of the city’s business community, throughout the weekend. 

Food vendors arrive early to prepare for the crowds. Photo: Laura Brown Photography, 2023 Festival of Discovery album on Facebook.

Cooking teams as well as mobile food vendors congregate on this main artery, which is closed for the weekend, as crowds stroll by to observe the cooking teams, enjoy good food available for sale, and listen to groups performing on several stages. 

The winning team was from Pennsylvania. Photo: Laura Brown Photography, 2023 Festival of Discovery album on Facebook.

This year 76 competition teams vied for $19,850 in prize money. Chunky BBQ of Harrisburg, Pa., was the runaway winner and took home the check for $3,000 for being the grand champion. In second place was QMeisters from Evans, Ga., which also easily outdistanced the other competitors. 

The turn-in table was well-staffed with volunteers from the city's Fire Rescue Department. Photo: Laura Brown Photography, 2023 Festival of Discovery album on Facebook.

At the table where I was a judge, we were impressed by all the entries that we sampled, particularly the pork ribs. One of the benefits of being a competition judge is to be able to bite into the best barbecue — whether it’s ribs, pork, chicken, or brisket. 

 

The sound of silence can be heard throughout the room as the judges concentrate on their tasks. Photo: Laura Brown Photography, 2023 Festival of Discovery album on Facebook.  

Although judges are prohibited by KCBS rules from taking pictures during an event when they are judging, evidently those rules don’t apply to the organizers. Several pictures of the judging activities are included in the album of photos taken by Laura Brown Photography for the festival that is on Facebook.

Greenwood is the only event where I've been photographed during judging (third from left). Photo: Laura Brown Photography, 2023 Festival of Discovery album on Facebook. 

This year’s event was the third time that I had judged in Greenwood. The other contests in 2019 and 2022 were equally well organized. Because the festival is such a premier event, it’s easy to understand why teams and judges want to be in Greenwood and participate in the cookoff.

Bubbles the Seahorse is one of the many topiaries that adorned the downtown area of Greenwood. Photo: Laura Brown Photography, 2023 Festival of Discovery album on Facebook.

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.