Holding a Summit for Whole Hog Contest Training

When the N.C. Pork Council began the Whole Hog Barbecue Series in 1985, it established the procedures for sanctioning contests and certifying judges. For each contest, all judges must be trained and approved by the NCPC. To enhance how the series is conducted, the NCPC held its first Whole Hog Barbecue Summit, what promises to be an annual event, in 2018.

The summit was initially planned as a refresher for currently certified judges as well as an opportunity for anyone interested in becoming a sanctioned judge. Previously a judge could be certified by shadowing a training judge during a contest to observe the judging process and learn how the scoring criteria are applied. Now attending a summit is a requirement for initial certification as is the requirement to shadow cooks during a contest to understand the cooking process from a competitor’s perspective. To maintain certification, a judge also needs to attend a summit every five years (a new requirement). In addition, attending a summit is a prerequisite for becoming a master judge, a new category being created by the NCPC.

Brownie Futrell, a veteran judge, explains several rule changes being implemented in 2018.

Held in the spacious Lenoir County Livestock Arena in Kinston, NC, the 2018 summit was attended by cooks, judges, and contest organizers. What was started as an opportunity to train judges expanded into an opportunity to help cooks and event organizers in preparing for contests because the NCPC realized that all participants could benefit from receiving the same information. The summit also provided an opportunity to announce several rule changes and changes to the scoring criteria being implemented this year.

A panel of training judges -- Brownie Futrell, Dave Cowley, Lubin Prevatt and Charlie Martin -- answer questions asked by attendees.

A major component of the summit was a chance to observe veteran judges as they evaluated pigs cooked for demonstration purposes by four competitors and listen as they discussed their reasons for determining the scores that they assigned. To make the judging activities at the summit as realistic as possible, the cooks included past winners of the Whole Hog Barbecue Championship, the culmination of the series each year. In the series, winners of regional contests advance to the championship and compete for the honor of being proclaimed the state champion and admitted into the Whole Hog Hall of Fame.

Kevin Peterson (Showtime Legit BBQ), winner of the 2017 state championship, was one of the competitors cooking at the Summit.

The day of learning at the summit included ample time for fellowship. The camaraderie evident at the summit shows the close bond that the Whole Hog Barbecue Series has developed among cooks and judges. I enjoyed the chance to talk informally with cooks whom I’ve judged at contests but didn’t have adequate time to talk to because the judging schedule follows a very tight timeline. I also was able to talk to judges whom I’ve worked with and others that I hope to meet soon at future contests.

Chris Fineman, 2016 Whole Hog Barbecue Champion, shows off the pig that he cooked for the Summit before the judges arrive to evaluate.

No one left the summit empty-handed. Judges received an official nametag to wear at contests, and everyone received a Whole Hog Series apron. The best part of the summit was that everyone also left with a better understanding of the scoring criteria and judging process.

Summit attendees watch judging activities on a large screen as others crowd around a cooker as veteran judges explain the scoring criteria.

Polar Pig BBQ Cookoff Grows in a New Location

The inaugural Polar Pig BBQ Cookoff, held last year in Mt. Pleasant, NC, successfully started a new fall tradition of barbecue competition in an area northeast of Charlotte. To give the event more space, the new organizers moved the contest five miles from the original site to the spacious property of the Cabarrus Arena and Events Center in Concord.

Even as the center was hosting a cheerleading competition and a gun show in other facilities on the same day, it was a better location than being behind the Mt. Pleasant Town Hall and provided more than adequate space for the contest. In the inaugural event, 25 teams competed. With the additional space of the new venue, the organizers accommodated almost twice that many – 47 teams cooked this year.

Trophies await the winners of the Polar Pig BBQ competition.

Because the event is held on the second Saturday in November, teams interested in earning points in the final weeks of the year’s competition conducted by Kansas City Barbeque Society were eager to participate. The overall winner and grand champion was perennial favorite Redneck Scientific, which last year placed second and won reserve champion honors. 

Judges assemble before the competition begins.

Having the contest at the Cabarrus Arena and Events Center brought out a larger crowd than had attended at the inaugural event. In addition to observing the contest participants, the crowd could enjoy a zone of vendor tents, a beer garden, live music, and a kid’s play area. This year, the event also included a people’s choice award, and spectators could taste samples prepared by cooking teams.

Cooking teams set up inside the track of the 11-acre midway of the Cabarrus Arena and Events Center.

The future for the Polar Pig BBQ Cookoff looks promising. The significant improvements in event planning and the major increase in the number of cooking teams are encouraging signs that the competition will be even better in 2018. I hope to return again next year.

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.

Rocky Mount: Continuing After a Hurricane

The Eastern Carolina BBQ ThrowDown, held annually in October in Rocky Mount, NC, is a favorite event for many cooking teams and judges. However, October is also in the midst of hurricane season for areas near the Atlantic coast.

Cooking teams set up near the train station in the historic district.

Last year the event couldn’t be held because Hurricane Matthew brought devastating flooding and strong winds as the ThrowDown was scheduled to begin. After waiting patiently a year to return to Rocky Mount, 50 cooking teams were ready for intense competition. Muttley CrewBBQ, a team that I have visited, won top honors as grand champion as well as top place in the categories of chicken and ribs.

A festive crowd enjoys live music in front of the train station. 

The competition is held on the grounds of the Helen P. Gay Historic Rocky Mount Train Station, one of the most attractive sites for cookoffs sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbeque Society. It and more than 100 other distinctive buildings form the national historic district of the city. The station, built in 1893, is still active and is served by four passenger trains. Judges met in the adjacent Rocky Mount Senior Center.

The turn-in table is set up in advance.

The ThrowDown is organized by Rocky Mount’s Downtown Development Office, which seeks to keep the historic downtown area vibrant with retail shops, restaurants, antique stores, and other businesses. This year a new activity was added to the ThrowDown – a cruise-in of classic cars. For the third year, the ThrowDown also included a home brewing competition, which was judged by representatives of local breweries.

Judges wait for the first meat category to be turned in.

However, the prime attraction of the event was the cooking competition and the successful talents proven by each team that won a trophy. The ThrowDown trophies, hand-blown glass on a marble base and commissioned especially for this event, are some of the most attractive that cooking teams can win.

The contest awards very distinctive trophies.

The Eastern Carolina BBQ ThrowDown continues to be a popular event in October for cooking teams and judges. The distinctive setting by the famous train station in the historic district creates an enjoyable ambiance. Having beautiful, dry fall weather is also important.

Cookoff at a Harley-Davidson Dealership

Have you ever attended a barbecue cookoff at a Harley-Davidson dealership? Neither had I before being a judge at Biker Blues & BBQ in Salisbury, NC.

Judges line up to sign in for the contest.

The event’s full name -- Tilley Harley-Davidson’s Biker Blues BBQ Rally and BBQ Classic – clearly indicates that much more than barbecue is on the schedule. Motorcycles, specifically Harley-Davidsons, are everywhere: new ones on the showroom floor and lots of others brought to the rally that look so good that they could pass for new.

Many new motorcycles are on display on the showroom floor.

Although the event starts with music the night before any barbecue is judged, Saturday is the main day. The rally, a “poker run” that lasts more than five hours, begins well before the cooking teams turn in chicken, their first entries, for the contest. When I saw all the motorcycles parked before the rally began, I was surprised -- more than 100 riders were participating.

The motorcycle rally was a popular part of the weekend.

The cookoff, part of the Old North State Barbecue Series, drew 63 teams, making it one of the largest contests in the Southeast. The large number of teams was attracted by more than $15,000 in prize money. Sauced BBQ! Team from Denver, NC, took home $3,000 as the grand champion – a return to the top and a big improvement from the week before in Goldsboro, NC, when low brisket scores dropped the team to 19th out of 39 teams. (The team incidentally also won the cookoff in Lakeland, Florida, my first event this year, and was the reserve champion in Asheboro, NC, where I judged last month, so it usually is successful.)

Cooking team set up in the back parking area of the dealership.

The contest was flawless in execution, a challenge considering how many cooking teams participated. At the designated intervals for turn-in of the entries, the volunteers smoothly handled the containers to maintain the “blind judging” standards of the Kansas City Barbecue Society, which sanctioned the event.

The People's Choice competition gave the public a chance to vote for their favorite barbecue.

The blend of music, barbecue, and motorcycles attracts a sizable crowd in Salisbury. Begun in 2012, Biker Blues and BBQ is well established among judges and cooking teams as an event to attend. It will continue to be a favorite event each fall for everyone.

The huge Grand Champion trophy was taken home by the Sauced BBQ! Team.

Goldsboro, a City with a Celebrated Barbecue Heritage

Goldsboro, NC, is very proud of its barbecue heritage. It claims to be the home of “the best BBQ,” and its online visitor information brags about its prominence on the N.C. Historic Barbecue Trail. As a result, I’ve wanted to judge here since I was first certified.

Cooking teams set up in the grassy area near Cornerstone Commons in downtown Goldsboro.

However, as the county seat of Wayne County, Goldsboro is more important to me than for barbecue reasons because it’s also the home of my maternal ancestors. I’ve visited the county before to explore the rural areas north of the city where they lived. For this visit, nothing but barbecue was on my mind, and I enjoyed being a judge at the Beak Week Festival.

The stages for music during Beak Week includes several innovative approaches.

Although the festival was begun in 2014 to celebrate the county’s poultry industry, more than chicken is evaluated during the barbecue contest. Ribs, pork, and brisket are also cookoff categories to comply with the requirements of the Kansas City Barbeque Society, which sanctions the event.

Food and crafts vendors along Center Street are ready for the crowd on early Saturday morning.

Poultry is clearly important to the county, and a wing-eating contest, a bird-themed costume fun run, a “fowl play” softball game, and a week-long scavenger hunt for chicken and turkey cutouts in the downtown area add to the festival’s emphasis on poultry. However, the $20,000 in prize money is the main attraction for about 40 cooking teams to compete in the barbecue cookoff.

Judges meet in the gym of the Goldsboro Police Department.

Goldsboro’s reputation for hosting a superb barbecue contest grows each year. Even though the cookoff is part of a poultry festival, the crowd of more than 10,000 knows that barbecue encompasses much more than poultry, although in Wayne County, it’s an indispensable part.

Several photo opportunities are available during Beak Week, which celebrates the local poultry industry.

Pigs and Pedals Again

Judges are directed to their area.

Pigs and Pedals in Asheboro, NC, is a favorite contest of mine, and I enjoyed returning for a third time. The cookoff is well organized, and cooking teams are very competitive. Because Asheboro is in the center of the state and is easy to get to, several judges return each year.

Cooking teams set up on the center of downtown Asheboro.

Judging with friends and judges that I’ve met in past events makes the contest even more enjoyable. The contest offered $12,000 in prize money, and 49 cooking teams competed. The barbecue entries were superior, and many entries earned high scores.

Judges relax before their meeting begins.

New for this year was a kids cooking contest. The inaugural Kids Q competition was divided into two age categories: 6 to 10, and 11 to 15. The younger group grilled hamburger, and the older one cooked steaks. The kids got a taste of real competition because the judging criteria -- taste, tenderness, and appearance -- complied with the standards of Kansas City Barbeque Society.

The Kids Q competition area is ready for the junior competitors.

The barbecue cookoff was also held in conjunction with the annual car show of the Zooland Region (so named because of Asheboro’s close proximity to the N.C. Zoo) of the Antique Automobile Association of America. Although the People’s Choice competition of the barbecue contest was very popular, the car show was clearly a crowd favorite, and many people lingered among the old vehicles parked along several blocks of downtown Asheboro.

The antique car show was very popular.

Asheboro has definitely established itself as the place to be in early August for great barbecue, superior cooking teams, and experienced judges. Pigs and Pedals will continue to be an event where I want to judge.

A table full of trophies is ready for the awards ceremony.