Returning to Smoke on the Harbor

Smoke on the Harbor BBQ Throwdown in Mount Pleasant, SC, is a perfect way to close out barbecue judging for a year. Set on the banks of the Cooper River across from historic downtown Charleston, the cookoff is popular among cooking teams vying for final awards and points as the year ends. It is one of the last sanctioned national events with the Kansas City Barbeque Society.

Teams set up near Lookout Pavilion on Patriots Point.

The cookoff is also the last event for determining the champion in the Palmetto BBQ Series, which links six events in South Carolina to select an overall winner. As a result, the cookoff attracts the top cooking teams in the state. For the seventh annual throwdown, 25 teams competed for a share of the prize money that totaled $9,100. In addition, the grand champion is automatically eligible to compete in the American Royal World Series of Barbecue and the Jack Daniel’s World Championship. This year the cooking team Pig on Fire won the grand championship.

The team Pig on Fire took home top honors as grand champion.

The Smokehouse Mafia, which placed fifth overall in the cookoff, scored enough points to win the Palmetto BBQ Series when their score was combined with their points from other events this year. Second place in the series was won by Old Colony Smokehouse, which benefited from the points earned by finishing fourth in the throwdown.

The points won by Old Colony Smokehouse advanced it to second place in the Palmetto BBQ Series.

The throwdown is hosted by the scenic Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina, which creates a large competitor and vendor village centered around Lookout Pavilion in a park-like setting known as Patriots Point. Judging activities were held again on the top floor of The Fish House restaurant that overlooks the harbor.

Several food and beverage vendors set up in Lookout Pavilion.

Schedule conflicts had kept me from attending Smoke on the Harbor after 2015. Because the cookoff this year was rescheduled for the third weekend in November (previously it was the second weekend), I was able to participate and was very happy to be a judge again at this event.

A sign on Patriots Point directs judges to The Fish House where they met.

Smoke on the Harbor is the best place to end the barbecue competition for a year. The scenic location and top-quality cooking teams make this event the place to be in November. I hope to return again next year.

The constant presence of smoke let you know that serious cooking is underway.

A New Experience in Mount Pleasant, NC

Town leaders of Mount Pleasant combine
a pig cookoff with a fall festival.

A barbecue cookoff has high expectations – for the cooks, judges, organizers, and public. Each year that an event is held, everyone expects it to be better than the last one. Because an inaugural event can’t build on past experiences, a first-time event is sometimes entered with apprehension – about what will go right and what will go wrong.

The Town of Mount Pleasant, NC, joined the barbecue circuit when it held its first Polar Pig Cookoff, appropriately named for an event near the end of the year. For the inaugural event, 25 teams completed in the pro competition and another eight in the backyard category. The town plans to make the event annual because, as the Mayor Del Eudy says, “there’s a lot of cookers here.”

At an inaugural event, popuptents of novice cooks set up next to plush trailers and campers of experienced teams.

An event that is the first one of a hoped-for continuation often produces surprisingly good results as happened in Mount Pleasant because organizers are so determined to be successful. The barbecue entries that I judged were just as competitive as those turned in at established cookoffs. Although many judges were from the region, others had traveled a long distance, such as from Ohio, to participate in this inaugural event.

Some teams set up on the infield of the ball field of town park at Mount Pleasant.

An important part of a fall event is weather, which was perfect for the inaugural Polar Pig Cookoff. Although “polar” is part of the cookoff’s name, the area was far removed from any polar conditions. The balmy fall weather benefited the cooking teams and also enticed local residents to check out the festival and enjoy live music, craft vendors, and children activities.

Very creative trophies await the winners.

Even though the cookoff was Mount Pleasant’s first, it attracted more than the usual number of cooking teams for an inaugural event, which guaranteed its success for this year and also projects even better success in the future. For a small town of only 1,700 residents, Mount Pleasant can be proud of its inaugural cookoff. 

Smoke on the Harbor Again

Being a judge at the Smoke on the Harbor BBQ Throwdown in Mount Pleasant, SC, for the third year in a row was just as enjoyable as being at my first two events there. The contest is superbly organized, and its location attracts a great crowd in the Charleston area.

Smoke on the Harbor has become a premier event for the Charleston, SC, area.

Hosted by the Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina, the throwdown takes place at the scenic Lookout Pavilion on Patriots Point across Cooper River from historic downtown Charleston. At the pavilion, a virtual village is created with the cooking teams, vendors, and displays. The village comes complete with even a kid drop-off zone that lets parents enjoy food, music and drink while someone else watches their children.

The kid zone was popular with parents.

Unusual for a barbecue cookoff is the cocktail competition that is part of the throwdown – the barbecue scene continues to change with a younger generation that wants to enjoy more than simply smoked meat. George Dickel Tennessee Whiskey is a sponsor of the throwdown, and its presence is very prominent.

A member of the Coastal Smoke team prepares garnish for its entries.

The throwdown also raises awareness of hunger in the area and includes a food drive that benefits the East Cooper Meals on Wheels. A donation of five canned goods cuts the admission price of $10 in half.

The cooking team Fire and Smoke Shak sets up early.

After conducting the inaugural event in 2012, the organizers have sought KCBS sanctioning, which significantly raises the competitive level of the cooking teams. Because I’ve been a judge at each of the subsequent events that have been sanctioned, I’ve observed how important sanctioning is to the throwdown’s success. At the opening meeting of the judges with the KCBS contest representative before the competition begins, the organizers specifically mention the value of sanctioning.

Judges (including Joyce Gardner, judge coordinator of the Hog Happnin' event
in Shelby, NC) take their seats to be ready for the first entries.

Cooking teams are looking for the slightest advantage to leave as winners. For the 2015 event, 28 teams competed for the total prize purse of $6,150. In addition, an official proclamation by the South Carolina governor declares that the cooking teams are vying for the winning designation as a S.C. State Barbecue Champion.

A remote-control hog entertained several spectators during the afternoon.

Returning to the throwdown in Mount Pleasant again was like visiting a favorite place. It’s a great venue, and I hope to return for a fourth time next year.

Another Throwdown on the Charleston Harbor

Charleston is such a favorite place that I returned for another Smoke on the Harbor BBQ Throwdown. My experience in 2013 created many fond memories, and last year’s event continued to be unsurpassed throughout 2014 as I participated as a judge at other events.

Perfect weather drew a large crowd again to the Throwdown.

The competition this year was again a great event: superior location, large crowd, perfect weather, excellent organization, superior cooking teams and tasty meat. The only surprise: No team could surpass Killer B’s again this year. The winner of the 2013 contest repeated as grand champion, and its score this year was even higher than in 2013.

Cooking teams certainly know how to travel in style.

The public again showed up in droves and lingered for hours. A huge crowd enjoyed the music, food, and sampling. In addition to admission fee (which was cut in half with a donation to the local food bank), sampling tickets sold for $1. Sampling of pork butts cooked by teams was available after 1 p.m. However, for hours well before the public began arriving at 11 a.m., spirals of smoke rose from the cooking area.

No Throwdown can be planned without signs pointing to BBQ.

Although each team had received eight butts to prepare barbecue for the public, several teams ran out of samples by mid-afternoon – an indication of everyone’s interest in evaluating the skills of the cooking teams and voting for a favorite in the People’s Choice Award.

Samples of cooked pork are served to the public who vote for the People's Choice Award.

After all the votes were counted, the favorite barbecue team and the winner of the People’s Choice Award was Swig & Swine, a team from Charleston. Because it’s a full-service catering company as well as a restaurant, name recognition may have helped it in garnering the most votes.

Winner of the People's Choice was the appropriately named Swig & Swine team.

Dates for the fourth annual throwdown, which again will be sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbeque Society, have already been set for 2015 (the weekend of Nov. 12-14), and several cooking teams were discussing plans to return. With a total cash prize purse of $6,150, this event will continue to be popular in the Southeast. I hope to be with them again as a judge.

I hope to see this sign again next year.

Barbecue on the Charleston Harbor

Imagine planning a party. What setting would you want? When a barbecue competition was planned in South Carolina, the organizers took advantage of the spacious scenery of Lookout Pavilion that is part of the Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina, a fashionable property that proclaims itself a “waterfront sanctuary.” Charleston, “known as the place where history lives,” is a great venue for a barbecue throwdown.

Rows of cooking teams were quiet until the gates opened for the public.

On the banks of the Charleston Harbor at Patriots Point in Mount Pleasant, the pavilion is a great venue for cooking teams, judges, musicians, vendors, and the general public. It’s the best setting and most scenic location of any barbecue competition that I’ve attended. The area where the judges meet overlooks Cooper River (which forms the Charleston peninsula with Ashley River), the ferry to Fort Sumter, and several U.S. Navy warships.

Even the judges got a sign showing where to report.

Appropriately named Smoke on the Harbor BBQ Throwdown, the event attracts competitive cooking teams from throughout the Southeast, although most are from South Carolina. The governor even issues a state proclamation that the throwdown celebrates the barbecue traditions of the Palmetto State and that competitors are vying to be designated the S.C. state barbecue champion.

Begun in 2012, the event each year also hosts a food drive with the Lowcountry Food Bank. As the public observes the teams competing for prizes, the local food bank gains extra attention and recognition. For the 2013 event, the contest was sanctioned for the first time by the Kansas City Barbeque Society, which requires the categories of beef brisket, pork, pork ribs, and chicken. KCBS sanctioning also attracts judges (and is the reason that I applied to judge), and the 2013 event appealed more widely to cooking teams compared to the 2012 event, which was sanctioned by the smaller Southern BBQ Network, and the competition categories were limited to pork butts, pork ribs, and chicken wings.

Killer B's won as the overall champion and received designation as the state champion,

The size of the crowd that attends is almost overwhelming for the space, and almost everyone brings a donation of canned goods because it cuts in half the price for public admission. The public begins arriving as early as 11 a.m. on Saturday as the teams are finalizing preparations to turn in cooked meats for judging. As usual for a KCBS-sanctioned event, the first category of chicken is due at noon, and the other categories are turned in at 30-minute intervals.

Teams were well-prepared before turn-in times.

The staff of the resort and marina did a superb job in organizing the event. They have been planning special events since 1997, and challenges of hosting events such as the Charleston Wine and Food Festival have certainly honed their planning skills. Because the throwdown is so well organized and the location so scenic, I hope to return next year.

Tables were set up to garner votes in the people's choice category.