Returning to Asheboro

Pigs and Pedals in Asheboro, NC, continues to impress me as a top-notch and well-organized event. Now in its fifth year, it has improved each year and succeeded in bringing crowds into the downtown area on the first weekend in August.

Cooking teams set up in downtown Asheboro near the park stage.

In addition to the barbecue competition, the festival again this year included a show of antique cars that kept the crowds busy looking at the historic vehicles on display before they voted in the people’s choice contest for one of the 20 cooking teams that participated. Music and other entertainment acts were also featured on the park stage.

Judges listen as contest organizers explain procedures.

For the second time, a kids’ barbecue competition was part of the weekend and added a youthful component to the cookoff. In addition, a new event was a “pig” eating contest — the winner ate the most cupcakes decorated with pig “faces” in five minutes.

Judging took place in The Exchange, a banquet facility, while the car show was occurring outside.

For the barbecue cookoff, 48 teams vied for top honors and a share of the $12,000 in prize money. Rather than being a judge this year, I was asked to be a table captain, which means presenting and distributing barbecue entries to the judges at the table where I was assigned and then collecting their scores after they had evaluated the entries. Although I missed being a judge, I did sample several entries and compared my judgments with the scores turned in. I was also shadowed by a “new” table captain who had just been certified after completing the required training and was able to answer her questions as we performed our tasks.

BBQ samples were prepared for the people's choice contest.

In addition to several master judges, the table included the pitmaster for Speaks for Itself, a competition cooking team that enters about eight contest annually. He is certified and judges at about three other events each year to experience how entries are judged and to hone his competitive skills. Because events sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbeque Society use a “blind judging” process, judges do not know which teams they evaluate. However, being both a judge and cook may explain the success that his team achieved at the Jiggy with the Piggy cookoff in Kannapolis in 2017 when it placed third out of 75 teams in the pork category and won fourth place overall.

Pigs and Pedals keeps downtown Asheboro busy during the first weekend in August.

Working with the table of judges and a new table captain was a refreshing change of pace and made Pigs and Pedals an enjoyable experience again this year.

Chillin’ and Grillin’ in Southwest Virginia

Southwest Virginia is a great location to have a barbecue cookoff in the middle of July. On an Appalachian plateau in the lush mountains of this corner of Virginia, the town of Wise seems to enjoy unusually cool breezes while most of the East Coast struggles with hot summer temperatures. With daily low temperatures around 60 degrees and average temps of 72 in July, this area is the perfect place to escape the heat even when the cookers of competitive barbecue teams are smokin’ hot.

Cooking teams set up along Main Street in Wise.

The annual cookoff in Wise is Chillin’ and Grillin’ in the Glades, an appropriate name, particularly the chillin’ part. Begun in 2013 as an amateur event, the contest has grown each year, now is a three-day BBQ and music festival, and is sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbeque Society. Teams compete for the title of Virginia State Champion, and 29 teams competed this year also for prize money totaling $7,500, although a few more teams had registered but were not able to participate.

Big Glades Community Square is the venue for the festival's musical performances.

All judging activities took place in The Inn at Wise, a stately three-story hotel built in 1910 that is on the National Register of Historic Places. Downtown Wise is essentially the same now as it was 100 years ago except a few buildings have been removed. For a century, the Inn served as the cultural hub of the region. It was also the birthplace of Clinch Valley College, which is now the University of Virginia’s College at Wise that serves 2,000 students.

The Inn at Wise is contest central for the cookoff.

In addition to being the scene of a barbecue cookoff in July, Wise draws tourists regularly to its area. The town is a destination on The Crooked Road, which is Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail and connects communities and venues in 19 counties of Southwest Virginia where traditional mountain music is celebrated.

The team Redneck Scientific, across the street from the historic courthouse, won the pork ribs category as well as reserve champion honors.

The hot, smoking cookers in Wise for the barbecue cookoff don’t interfere with the cool, comfortable atmosphere of the mountain town. Even as the event continues to grow, Chillin’ and Grillin’ will continue to merit both parts of its name – the perfect place to chill and grill in July.

The original desk and mahogany mail slots maintain the historic feel at The Inn at Wise.

Eastern N.C. Style Barbecue in the Blue Ridge Mountains

It’s a topsy-turvy world. Now you can travel west to the Blue Ridge Mountains to enjoy eastern North Carolina-style barbecue. Since it opened in Asheville in 2015, Buxton Hall Barbecue has been a destination for barbecue fans.

Could this building have been home to a roller rink?

The food is made right in front of you in a wide-open kitchen. Whole hogs are smoked low and slow for 18 hours over hardwood coals in the traditional eastern N.C. style and basted with a vinegar mop based on a family recipe of chef Elliott Moss, who grew up in Florence, S.C. True to eastern N.C., the menu lists “BBQ mop,” not sauce, as the baste that moistens and flavors the meat.

The wide-open kitchen adjoins the dining area.

Loyal to its region, Buxton Hall sources its pasture-raised hogs, produce and other ingredients from area farms. Although pulled pork is the reason many customers visit Buxton Hall, fried chicken and catfish are also popular, and South Carolina-style “hash” is served in a combo plate with barbecue. In addition to plates that come with cornbread and pickles, sandwich options include barbecue, chicken and catfish, and the sandwiches are as good as the plates. In fact, the “Fried Chicken Sandwich of the Year” as proclaimed by Bon Appétit in 2016 is the one made at Buxton Hall.

A cooked whole hog has just been taken out of a smoker.

The dozen sides at Buxton Hall deserve special mention and are very appealing. Narrowing down to the two that come with a plate is difficult. The collard greens, which has flavors of sweet and sour, are worth taking home to serve to company if any are left over. The green beans are good but have a spicy kick that need to be calmed down with a sip of a cold beverage. Next time I will try the chicken bog -- a combination of rice, sausage and peas. The spiced peaches with fromage blanc also are tempting.

The sauce bar satisfies more than one regional preference.

The hushpuppies are crispy and convey buttermilk and jalapeño flavors. Other appetizers include mussels cooked under the pig (not the typical menu offering of a barbecue pitmaster) and smoky pimento cheese.

My pulled pork plate with collard greens, green beans and cornbread is ready to be enjoyed.

Because Buxton Hall has an in-house bakery, all desserts are homemade. I couldn’t leave with trying the banana pudding pie, which was delicious. With a wafer crumb crust and a brown sugar meringue top, it was the perfect end to the peppery and vinegary entrée. Although I’d order the same dessert on another visit, the nectarine poundcake and black forest cake were also top contenders on the dessert list. On the day I visited, the black raspberry pie wasn’t available. If it had been, I would have taken home a serving.

Banana pudding pie is a clear favorite.

Buxton Hall represents the “new” style of barbecue establishments, as explained by food writer Kathleen Purvis. Traditional barbecue fare is offered in a large restaurant with meat sourced locally and cooked over wood by an owner whose reputation was made in fine dining, a long and interesting list of sides, creative appetizers and craft beer. Buxton Hall not only has craft beer but also the “world famous” Buxton Slushie, a frozen concoction of bourbon and Cheerwine, along with several creative cocktails. An extensive list of beer and wine is available as is the traditional iced tea (sweet or unsweet).

The Buxton Slushie (bourbon and Cheerwine) is "world famous" (well, it's becoming better known).

The restaurant’s historic location is on Asheville’s South Slope. The enormous space has been a boat showroom, the site of auto shops and even a wood-floored roller rink. Along the walls are several murals, well worth preserving, that date to 1936.

A skier in a mural on a side wall seems to be airborne over wood cut for the kitchen.

The steady stream of customers who arrive each day don’t seem perplexed at finding whole hog barbecue prepared in the style of eastern North Carolina in western Asheville. Moss and his partner Meherwan Iran (both are James Beard nominees) say that they are “revitalizing Carolina barbecue history,” and the customers enjoy experiencing that renaissance.

The menu includes plates, sandwiches and an extensive list of sides.

Whole Hog Cookoff in an Urban Park

Music played throughout the day on the stage of Midtown Park at North Hills.

Imagine green space encircled by cooking teams competing in a whole hog cookoff. Now place that scene in a dense urban area with high-rise commercial and residential buildings towering over the teams. You are now in Raleigh, NC, for the Fourth Annual Kickin’ It Country Whole Hog Cookoff in Midtown Park at North Hills.

Cooking teams set up between Midtown Park and the commercial and residential buildings of North Hills.

If I was much younger, North Hills would be the place where I would spend time (and money), and many younger people do just that. It’s an innovative hub of activities that offers many ways to shop, eat, play, work, and live.

High-rise residential buildings surrounding Midtown Park overlook the cooking teams.

A mixed-used development, North Hills includes stores, restaurants, entertainment, commercial offices, residential units, and even a continuing care retirement community. For one day each year, the play area of Midtown Park is the home to a popular whole hog cookoff.

Lee Meeks (left), John Gibbons (obscured), and I evaluate skin crispness at a cooker.

For the fourth annual rendition of the cookoff, 15 teams registered. They included past annual state champions, winners at other regional events, and even a newcomer or two. All showed the superior skills needed to compete in a whole hog contest, and judging their pigs accurately required concentration and diligence.

John Gibbons (left), Lee Meeks (right), and I finish our evaluation at a site.

For the judging, I worked with John Gibbons of Holly Springs and Lee Meeks of Newport. They both brought to the cookoff a deep appreciation for the skills that a successful cooking team must possess as well as an thorough understanding of the scoring criteria established by the North Carolina Pork Council, which sanctions this and all other whole hog cookoffs that culminate in the Whole Hog Barbecue Championship each year.

Lee Meeks (right) and I evaluate moisture as pitmaster Chris Fineran (left) looks on.

The top three winners in the Fourth Annual Kickin’ It Country Cookoff were Kevin and Dana Peterson of Showtime’s Legit BBQ (first place); Chris Fineran and Steve Sumner of Beach Boys BBQ (second); and Ernest Twisdale, Stephen Twisdale, and George Collins of Grill Father Cooking Team. Each is now qualified to advance to the championship cookoff next fall and compete for the honor of being proclaimed the state champion and admitted into the Whole Hog Hall of Fame.

John Gibbons (right) and I complete our scoring sheets at a site.

However, the Hall of Fame already includes the lead pitmasters of these three teams. Kevin Peterson was the 2017 state champion; Chris Fineran, 2016; and Ernest Twisdale, 2015. In addition, Roy Parker, pitmaster of Old Hickory, the fourth place team, was admitted in 2006 when he won the state championship that year. These credentials and the high scores they earned this year show how very competitive the cookoff was.

John Gibbons (left), Lee Meeks (center), and I relax after all the scoring sheets have been completed.

In fact, the scores for the top three winners were exceptionally high. The highest score that a team can earn from one judge is 360 points. The top team scored 1,010 out of a possible 1,080 points. Only 10 points separated the top three teams, and the fourth and fifth place teams themselves were only a few points behind the leaders.

Kevin Peterson of Showtime's Legit BBQ accepts the first-place trophy from Ashley Stallings, cookoff organizer.

Midtown Park at North Hills is the place to be on the first Saturday each June. The barbecue cookoff competition is superior, and after the judging is over, the barbecue is served as a fundraiser for a major local charity. For the other 364 days of the year, North Hills is still the place to be for shopping, eating, playing, working, and living.

Proceeds from BBQ plates sold after judging activities ended benefit the Raleigh Police Memorial Foundation.

Surviving the Wind and Rain in Ayden

Ayden is a classic Southern barbecue town. Because it is the home of two BBQ kings of North Carolina: Bum’s and Skylight Inn, it has earned a well-deserved spot on the N.C. Historic Barbecue Trail. It is also home to one of my favorite cookoffs, the Kings of Q, held each May.

Cooking teams set up in open spaces in downtown Ayden.

For 2018, the enthusiasm was high, but the weather was less than favorable. For the third annual rendition of Kings of Q, appropriately named to honor the city’s two regal pit master families and the legacy of their BBQ restaurants, 38 teams competed for a total of $10,000 in prize money in less than ideal conditions. The night before the judging took place, a major storm arrived and dumped several inches of rain, and heavy rain continued throughout the day of the festival, significantly reducing the turnout of the crowd.

As Stephen Tripp, the mayor of Ayden, welcomes judges, he points to the locations of the town's two BBQ kings. 

However, because the People’s Choice contest was conducted indoors, it offered a brief respite from the rain and was more popular than usual. The awards ceremony had to be moved indoors, and the festival was closed early because of rain. The team Muttley Crew, which won the cookoff, had high scores in all meat categories – chicken, ribs, pork, and brisket – and even earned a perfect score for its chicken entry.

Voters in the People's Choice contest appreciate the indoor space and avoid the rainy weather.

When all the judging activities were over and the judges were dismissed, I returned to my car only to find that the heavy rain had made the unpaved parking lot treacherous. My car immediately was trapped by mud when I started driving. Fortunately, a festival volunteer saw my trouble and paged town employees to pull me to safety. After a delay of about 45 minutes, I was out of the mud and carefully on my way home (but had to stop at The Collard Patch before leaving town).

Gray clouds that bring heavy rains hover over the cooking throughout the festival.

I look forward to returning to Ayden for another cookoff. However, next time, if it is raining, I’ll look for a safer parking area while I participate in the judging activities. Ayden is a fabulous place to be even in inclement weather, but it’s more enjoyable when the sun is shining.

The public works truck that pulled me out of the mud stays safely near the edge of the parking area.

Judging in an Former Mill Town Being Reinvented

The people's choice trophy for the
pork category awaits the winner.

Kannapolis, NC, has always intrigued me because it once was the home of the world’s largest producer of sheets and towels. As textile jobs have been sent overseas and domestic mills closed, the former mill towns in North Carolina have faced huge economic and social challenges. Kannapolis seems to be one that has an exceptionally bright future.

When I learned that Jiggy with the Piggy, a barbecue cookoff, was held in Kannapolis, I've wanted to participate as a judge and learn more about the city. On the space where mill buildings once stood, a superior barbecue contest is held. Cooking teams set up in downtown Kannapolis on the spacious horseshoe-shaped green space of the North Carolina Research Campus, where eight universities are teaming up to make breakthroughs in health and nutrition research.

Judge activities are held in the Kannapolis Town Hall.

The history of Kannapolis, which did not incorporate until 1984, stretches back to its beginnings as a textile center in 1908 when Cannon Manufacturing, a textile mill, began production. Within six years, it was producing more sheets and towels than any other mill. Although the successor Cannon Mills Company prospered for decades, textile industry changes led to the bankruptcy and then closing of the parent company.

Judges settle in the spacious conference area of the city offices.

The economic harm to Kannapolis was staggering when 4,340 workers lost their jobs in July 2003, the largest one-day layoff in state history. The turnaround of the city began in 2004, when billionaire David Murdock bought the mill at auction and announced plans to create a $1.5-billion project called the North Carolina Research Campus to create discoveries in nutrition, disease prevention, and agriculture. Being part of a barbecue cookoff in the middle of this campus was a special experience.

Cooking set up on the spacious area of the North Carolina Research Campus.

Jiggy with the Piggy this year brought in 70 teams from six states to compete for trophies and prize money totaling $15,400. The large number of teams required almost 100 judges (fortunately I was one) to evaluate the tenderness, taste, and appearance of entries in the categories of chicken, ribs, pork, and brisket. The festival also included concerts, children activities, more than 100 arts and crafts vendors, and two people’s choice contests (wings and pork).

In the heart o Cannon Village, the Dale Earnhardt Plaza celebrates the life and career of the NASCAR legend by his hometown.

Kannapolis is reshaping itself as an innovative community where health, nutrition, education, and science are now its business focus. In early May each year, it’s also the place to be for a great barbecue cookoff.

Returning to the Firehouse BBQ Cookoff

Returning to Kings Mountain, NC, for the annual Firehouse BBQ Cookoff is been a priority since last year. Held in this small suburban city within the Charlotte metropolitan area, the contest has always been well organized as it was again for its 22nd year.

During the third weekend in April, a fire museum becomes the host of a barbecue cookoff.

The cookoff is so respected that the North Carolina governor proclaimed the 2018 contest as the N.C. Firehouse Barbeque State Championship. One benefit of the recognition is that the winner this year receives an invitation to the American Royal Barbecue Contest and is eligible for the Jack Daniels Invitational Contest. With $4,500 in total prize money at stake, 33 teams signed up for the hopes of not only taking home cash and a trophy but also receiving invitations to the other prestigious events as well.

Cooking teams set up on the grassy area of Deal Park.

Before the first entries were turned in and the judges had settled into their chairs to begin serious judging, the atmosphere resembled that of a reunion. One benefit of being a judge is seeing familiar faces at each cookoff. The judges at this year’s event included several who had been at previous Firehouse BBQ Cookoffs.

Before the competition begins, judges who arrive early look over an antique fire engine, which had been moved outdoors.

All judging activities take place in the Kings Mountain Historical Fire Museum, one of only three fire museums in the state. Built more than 40 years ago, the museum houses two vintage fire engines (1930 and a 1938 models), which are moved outside so the judges have adequate room to set up and evaluate the cookoff entries.

Judges wait in the museum for the first barbecue entries to arrive.

The museum has several items of interest, including a 1927 hose cart, the first piece of equipment to fight fires in the city. A soda acid fire extinguisher, which needed two firefighters to move it, is also on display. Other relics — helmets, hoses, nozzles, patches, and other memorabilia — hang from the ceiling and are in display classes. All of these were quietly overlooked when the judges began their task: judging chicken, pork, ribs, and brisket.

Vendors line the walking track at Deal Park as the competition begins.

Once again Kings Mountain has earned its spot on the barbecue competition trail. Teams compete, judges evaluate, prize money is distributed, and trophies are earned – and after everyone has gone home, the museum returns to a state of slumber to protect its collectibles until the third Saturday in April of another year when a new cookoff begins.

Festival activities include a play area for children.