We got up early this morning to travel to Memphis. Not that I don’t love baseball (which you know I do) and not to say that visiting New York isn’t always a blast (weather permitting) but the main focal point of this trip is about to begin. Yes, we are in Memphis, the home of the WCBCC, the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest. Patrice and I were judges at the WCBCC last year and had so much fun we decided to come back.
In November 2015 we became certified to be “Memphis in May” barbecue judges. The first thing they told us was “In Memphis we are all about pork”. At lunch today that message was reinforced. Notice what they say about their veggie plate.
One of the traditions at the Festival is the “Big Hog Run”. This is a 0.2K run (yes about 200 yards) and is mostly downhill. There is also a mandatory hydration station. The winner is based only partly on time. They also factor in age, body weight, gender and BMI (body mass index). Here is a picture of the start of the “race”.
And as I mentioned there is a mandatory hydration station at about the half way point of the race.
After the Big Hog Run we walked around the festival grounds. We saw some old friends such as one of the teams I judged last year. They eventually made it to the finals. The head cook didn’t remember me (but did a good job pretending he did) but one other team member remembered we were from California and that I am a doctor. I was impressed because I thought the whole team was drunk. I guess at least one guy was sober.
We also saw some of our fellow judges from last year. Here is one reviewing the strict judging criteria.
Robert Reiss Travel Blog and Other Ramblings 