Posted by Commercial Appeal, TN on May 18, 2008 at 09:02:44:
As the smoke clears, barbecue kings emerge
By Jennifer Biggs (Contact)
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Barbecuers' moods ranged from jubilant to overcome to astounded on Saturday when they discovered they'd made the cut to the top three finalists.
Mike King of the Ques Brothers shoulder team, his voice hoarse from three days of breathing smoke, was astonished the second-year team was a finalist.
"I've been doing barbecue fest for 12 years and last year we got this team together and we won 12th place. For a first-year team to come in 12th was like coming in second in the Indianapolis 500," he said. "To come in the top three this year, it's like winning the Indianapolis 500."
When it was all over, the team took home the third place trophy, coming in behind Sweet Swine o' Mine at the top and Southeastern Smokers at number two.
Down at Rib Ticklers, team member Chris Beller was overcome with emotion when the judges stopped by to tell the team they'd made the cut. Tears flowed freely as he hugged his teammates and accepted congratulations from neighboring competitors.
"You don't know how big a deal this is," he said.
A few hours later, it was a bigger deal when they sealed a first place victory in the ribs category.
Like all the teams, they were hopeful they'd make it through the first round and were cooking ribs for final judging, which determines who carries home the big prize. But tallying was running late and the Rib Ticklers were nervous.
"We've been sitting on pins and needles because time is so crucial when you get down to finals," he said.
The team has been competing for five years at the contest. "We're all Jaycees from Batesville -- Arkansas, not Mississippi -- and we've done a lot of cooking for charities over there. Everyone liked it and urged us to take it on the road."
Last year they won first place in the People's Choice competition and second place the year before that. This year's People's Choice went to Rhoda Brown's Smokie Fatties of Monroe, La.
Despite declarations on Friday that they never wanted to win the Patio Porkers category and have to move up to the big game next year, Got Pig? took first place in that category.
"We changed our minds!" a jubilant Tim Courts said after the team carried off their trophy in the category aimed at smaller teams or "backyard grillers."
This year's contest attracted 261 teams from around the country and the world. Teams from Estonia, Norway and Belgium were competing, and renowned Turkish chef Musa Dagdeviren -- he's like the Thomas Keller of Istanbul -- joined the rib team Oinking on the River.
"We were just walking down here Thursday night and they offered us food, they welcomed us in," said his assistant, Selin Maldonado.
"They were very hospitable, as if they always knew me," Dagdeviren said through a translator.
Even some of the judges were from out of town. Ronn Thomas of Philadelphia has been judging barbecue for 20 years. At table 21 in the rib blind judging tent, his top choice differed from his table mates. Although judging is done silently, discussion among judges afterward can get heated.
Patricia White of Memphis, who has judged for eight years, didn't like the ribs Thomas liked and gave him a little playful ribbing about it.
"OK, OK," he said. "I'm a Northerner, but don't smack me. You need to be nice to me -- where's all the Southern hospitality?"
-- Jennifer Biggs: 529-5223
Prized pork
Here are the top winners of the 2008 Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest in the main categories. Be sure to go online to commercialappeal.com/mim for Memphis in May's full list of winners:
Grand Champion
Natural Born Grillers, Olive Branch
Whole Hog
First: Natural Born Grillers, Olive Branch
Second: Gwatney Championship BBQ Team, Cordova
Third: Yazoo's Delta Q, Nesbit, Miss.
Shoulder
First: Sweet Swine o' Mine, Olive Branch
Second: Southeastern Smokers, Cumming, Ga.
Third: The Ques Brothers
Ribs
First: Rib Ticklers, Batesville, Ark.
Second: Sassay Sows, Brandon, Miss.
Third: Smokin' Razorbacks, Little Rock, Ark.
People's Choice*
First: Rhoda Brown's Smokie Fatties
(#31), Monroe, La.
Second: Rock 'n' Roll BBQ (#55), Lakeland, Fla.
Third: Wizards of Que (#14), Hot Springs, Ark.
Patio Porkers
First: Got Pig?, Memphis
Second: Smokin Spiders, Memphis
Third: Here for the Beer, Little Rock, Ark.
*The numbers are provided so participants will know whether the barbecue they voted for in the blind tasting, which were numbered and not named, won.