Big Pig BBQ Contest debuts Saturday

The mouthwatering aroma of smoked meat will waft through the Southside on Saturday, May 18, when the Big Pig BBQ Contest makes its debut.

This new barbecue cook-off is the fundraising project of Building Leaders of Chattanooga, a group of construction professionals under age 40, to benefit Boys and Girls Clubs of Chattanooga. The BLOC group is supported in their effort by Associated General Contractors of East Tennessee, a trade association for construction firms.

About a dozen teams have registered to compete for Big Pig honors. They will begin loading in their

If you go

› What: Big Pig BBQ Contest

› Where: 405 E. Main St.

› When: 11 a.m.-5 pm. Saturday, May 18

› Admission: Free; $15 to sample meat

› For more information: www.bigpigchattanooga.com set-ups and grilling Friday evening, May 17. Each team will grill up to two butts for the judging panel in the Boston Butts category. Grillmasters have their choice of meat — chicken, ribs, brisket — in the Anything But Butt division.

Big Pig opens to the public at 11 a.m. Saturday, centered around the area of Architectural Surfaces, 405 E. Main St.

Admission to the festival is free. There is a $15 taster’s ticket if you want to sample the grillers’ work and vote for the People’s Choice Award. Tasting hours are 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Organizers are limiting the People’s Choice tasting to the first 100 visitors to pay $15. So don’t delay arriving past lunch because tickets will most certainly be sold out by then.

The grillmasters will submit their meat to the panel of judges at 1 p.m. Awards will be presented at 3 p.m.

With live music and a beer garden hosted by WanderLinger Brewing and Naked River Brewing, the Big Pig sounds like it’s going to be a fun afternoon of grillin’ and chillin’ in the Southside.