Iron Station, NC: First BBQ Contest of the New Year

Ribs prepared by Off The Rack BBQ team look almost perfect. Photo: Off The Rack BBQ/Facebook.

The barbecue contest in Iron Station, NC, is relatively new. It was first held in 2022. This year was my first opportunity to attend as a judge. 

Judges settle into the new barn of Mission Farm before their meeting begins.

Named for its history as an iron mining town with a train station, Iron Station is a small, rural community about 40 miles northwest of Charlotte. One of the local attractions is Mission Farm, a 90-acre property with breathtaking views. A main feature is a 1923 farmhouse that has been turned into a forever home by the Shank family, who have transformed the sprawling acreage into a wedding and event venue. 

Nothing makes a view more breathtaking than a rustic, well-used farm truck.

Known as Mission Farm’s King of the Farm, the contest is popular because it is now an early contest sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbecue Society and not too far for many cooking teams in several states to travel to.

Cooking teams stake out their spaces early at Mission Farm. Swine 'N' Roses BBQ, in the photo, placed high in the pork category.

For this year’s event, 26 teams competed for the $6,520 in prize money. The first-place winner, known as grand champion, was Casual Smokers. In second place as the reserve champion was Off The Rack BBQ, which posted on Facebook that this event is one that it will never miss because it is so well organized. 

In the covered pavilion area of the new barn, members of the Off The Rack BBQ show off their overall trophy plus trophies for each meat category: chicken, ribs, pork, and brisket.

The weather for the contest was perfect. The cooking teams upheld the best traditions of barbecue competition. As the first event of the year for many teams and judges, the King of the Farm contest was a remarkable success.

   

The beginnings of the contest winner in the brisket category. Photo: Off The Rack BBQ/Facebook.