238 teams, 88 tons of pork, one big Memphis in May barbecue contest
Every year a small city rises from Tom Lee Park for three days to cook some 88 tons of pork and put on one whole hog of a party.
Photo by Nikki Boertman
Jamie Baker of Sons of Bacchus performs in the Ms. Piggy Idol contest at the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest Thursday.
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- Memphis in May Web site
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This year’s Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest lit the ceremonial grill late Thursday afternoon, the official start for 238 teams to fire up their cookers and grab a piece of the $97,850 in prize money.
But before the serious part of the event — Saturday’s judging — came the frolic in the form of the Ms. Piggie Idol Contest. This year, 11 teams prettied up and put on a porky pageant of song and dance.
The 2009 winner was Pig Stars from Arlington, who presented the message “Memphis is Barbecue.” It was worth $3,000 to the team headed by Bill Fuller and Arron Civets.
The team’s singer, Danny Jones, who has been on “Star Search” and won at the Mid-South Fair, energized the crowd with a song that was specially arranged for the competition by Civets.
Although it was announced that last year’s winner, Sons of Bacchus, came in second, and the Swine and Dine team came in third, Memphis in May officials later said those results were not official. They did not disclose a reason but said results for second and third place would be announced today.
But it was a lively contest this year, with talent ranging from cringe-worthy to the Sons of Bacchus’ precisely choreographed and classily costumed presentation. Last year, only two teams competed, which brought some concerns, but those worries were swept away Thursday.
A couple of changes piqued interest. Adding the word “Idol” to the contest was one and the other was requiring the main singer to warble live. Everyone had lip-synched in the past, but now the contest requires some real vocal chops.
There are some other changes this year in the barbecue contest.
Like the Beale Street Music Festival earlier in the month, the barbecue contest has gone green. Containers and sauce cups used to turn in samples to the judges are now biodegradable. Vendors are also using environmentally friendly products as well.
On Thursday, Diane Hampton, MIM executive vice president, said that each team gets a recycling container for glass and aluminum and it’s picked up each night. “At the music fest, we saved 3.8 tons from landfills and we hope the barbecue contest will be about the same.”
The wet weather has been a continuing headache for MIM. It started raining in earnest on the second day of the music festival, but it scarcely let up in the days after, complicating efforts to get the park ready for the barbecue contest.
“It was a really difficult setup,” Hampton said, “but we brought in loads of sand.”
Early Thursday morning, the rains came again, but Hampton said that by 2:30 p.m., it was barely a memory. The rest of the day was mild and pleasant.
The forecast for the weekend is sketchy, she said, but she hopes any precipitation they get might be limited to overnight rains.
Because of construction on the Beale Street Landing Project, the park is a bit smaller, meaning the number of teams is down from 250 last year.
What to know
-- The Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest continues through Saturday at Tom Lee Park. Gates are open 11 a.m.-midnight today and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday.
-- Tickets may be purchased online through Ticketmaster or by calling 525-1515. Tickets also will be sold at the north and south gates at Tom Lee Park.
-- Single-day tickets are $7 online and $8 at the gate. Children 6 and under get in free.
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