The Beast Feast

Put some South in your mouth at barbecue contest in Chattanooga Market Sunday

Seven pitmasters put their butts on the line this Sunday, Aug. 27, when Chattanooga Market hosts its annual Beast Feast.

Beast Feast — t he search for the best barbecue pork and beef — will feature seven companies vying for top honors. The seven include returning contestants, new pitmasters and local chefs from the American Federation of Chefs.

Whether you like your meat slathered or rubbed, your sauce spicy or mild, there will be flavorful choices for all tastes at the market.

A new f i nale cookoff has been added this year, according to market spokeswoman Melissa Siragusa. It’s the Main Street Steak Competition, designed to single out the best pitmaster in the region.

Beast Feast contestants and the Main Street Steak championship have been organized by Steve Ray of Owl’s Nest BBQ — a regular competitor in the upcoming Scenic City Wings event at Chattanoo- ga Market and pitmaster in his own right.

Here’s how Sunday’s contest will work: Each of the seven barbecue teams will sell plates of their meat, unique sauces and tasty sides in hopes of earning marketgoers’ votes for People’s Choice. Some teams will offer free samples as well, encouraging patrons to try their barbecue in hopes of obtaining their fan-favorite votes.

Voting costs j ust $1 and all proceeds will benefit Ooltewah High School’s culinary class. Some of those students will be at Chattanooga Market to staff the voting boxes. Once fan votes are counted, one of the seven teams will be named People’s Choice winner for 2017.

There will also be a Judges’ Choice winner — which allows advancement into the final steak round. The AFC chefs will offer up one of their own to compete head-to-head against the judges’ winner for the inaugural Main Street Steak Championship title.

In that final round at 3:30 p.m., contestants will each cook a thick, juicy rib-eye steak on identical equipment heated to 500 degrees. The winner will receive a cash prize, trophy and, of course, bragging rights.

While pigging out on pork and beef barbecue, marketgoers can enjoy the blues music of Dr. B & The Ease at 12:30 p.m. and Nashville singer-songwriter Martin Rodriguez at 2 p.m.

STAFF FILE PHOTO Dallas Williams went hog wild at last year’s Beast Feast, cooking an entire pig on the spit.