It was a lively night in Mount Airy, North Carolina as twenty-four top barbecue teams competed for bragging rights at the 2010 NC State Championship Barbecue Cookoff sponsored by the North Carolina Pork Council (NCPC) on September 24th and 25th, 2010.
The annual contest which comes of age, legally speaking, with this marking the 21st year rotates around the state from year to year. This year the contest was held in Mount Airy, NC in conjunction with Mayberry Days, the yearly festival celebrating the Andy Griffith TV show.
Ready, Set Up, Get Your Game Snout On
The pick up trucks and pull behind smokers started rolling in early on Friday, September 24th as contestants began setting up for the all night barbecue smoke off and decorating for the showmanship competition.
Team members began hamming it up early on as they pulled out all manner of pig paraphernalia to deck out the barbecue tents.
Haulin Hog, the showmanship winner, pulled out all the stops by decorating their tent as a playhouse theater featuring Mayberry RFD/Andy Griffith shows inside. The front of the tent looked like an old time movie house complete with a ticket salespig and a hot lady pig buying a ticket. Rows of seats provided competition visitors with a space to take a load off, get out of the sun, and enjoy some reruns of the classic television show.
Joe Peterson of Down Home Smokers proved that pig can fly with his pigs on a blanket tent set up and took second in showmanship. The bed of pigs conveniently provided the team with a place to sack out for part of the night as well.
Third on barbecue showmanship went to Buddy Moore with a rollicking birthday party to mark the 50th anniversary of the start of the Andy Griffith TV show. The bbq guys decked out in clown outfits and ballooned the area. After all, what’s a party without helium balloons?
Beep! Beep! The Pig Truck Pulls Up
It was all business when the pig truck rolled in. Pitmasters rolled up their sleeves and wrestled 120 pound plus pigs off to prep, primp, and put on the barbecue smokers. Tent by tent, teams sprang into action as the clock started ticking.
Each team played it a little different with various rubs, mops, and sauces throughout the night. Smoking a pig is a little like bringing home a new baby from the hospital. You’re up and down and worrying a bit, but it’s all good and everyone is sure that their bundle of pork goodness is the very tops.
Here Comes the Sun and the Judges
After a night of good fun and good food, the judges taste test tent to tent and then gather for a second blind taste test inside. It’s a tough job, but somebody has to do it. There’s nothing like good old North Carolina barbecue for breakfast.
The teams get to sweat it out the rest of the day as they pack up to head home and wait for the final results on site. That’s an afternoon announcement and follows the pork chopping and festival visitors getting to check out NC chopped pork on buns or by the pound.
Drum Roll . . . And the Winners of the 2010 NC Barbecue Championship
The showmanship winners get to high five it for creativity first, and then the skin winner, Raymond Miles with the Whole Hog cooking team, takes a bow for nailing the tricky business of getting pig skin perfectly crispy.
Then, it’s time to separate the pigs from the piglets with Charlie Meeks in 4th place, Edgar Hargis in 3rd, and Danny Blackmon in 2nd.
Then comes the stunner.
Carla Sweet sweeps the top spot as the only female in the NC State Championship contest. And, to beat all, she went head to head against her husband, Larry, who took second last year in the same contest. Looks like Larry may get to do the clean up while Carla polishes her trophy.
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Enjoy behind the scenes coverage of the NC barbecue championship for the lighter side of the serious business of smoking up pig.
Cyndi Allison - Southern born and fed, Cyndi Allison is a college lecturer and newspaper advisor as well as being a freelance writer. She writes on ...
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