Fandemonium: BBQ World Championship Pictures
Memphis in May holds one of the largest and most prestigious barbecue competitions in the world, and Adam dives in headfirst for a taste of the award-winning barbecue.
Episode:
The 2013 BBQ World Championship
Related To:
Adam Richman finds out that barbecue isn’t the only food on the menu at the Memphis in May barbecue competition.
More than 250 teams compete for over $110,000 in prizes each year at the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest in Memphis, TN.
Fans drop tens of thousands of dollars to participate in one of the 3 main competitions: ribs, whole hogs and pork shoulders.
Smoked sausage is just one of the many ways these barbecue aficionados cook their pig.
This giant pig head, created by a team named Porkosaurus, catches Adam off guard when it blows smoke out of his nose.
The barbecue masters aren’t the only ones who take over Memphis in May. Fans come from all 50 states for a taste of the action.
If pig isn’t your meat of choice, some of the teams serve a mean barbecue chicken, as well.
If you ask any barbecue competitor, they’ll tell you: the sauce is just as important as the meat.
The Shed BBQ team spent $30,000 to customize a 1952 Willys Jeep that can smoke 2 whole hogs at once.
The dishes found at the Memphis in May barbecue competition range from smoked cheese to pistachio-encrusted lamb, but it’s hard to beat a classic rack of ribs.
Adam finds a group of superfans whose main objective is to cheer the teams on.
Numerous plates of barbecue prepared in different ways are presented for judging.
Adam gathers the fans around and serves them a different side of Memphis: the Elvis side.
The barbecue competition is only one part of the Memphis in May celebration. Throughout the month, music, exhibits and performances take over this southern city.