Best of the best: Top barbecue cooks named
Cool Smoke took home the title of 2019 Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest Grand Champion.
This year, 226 teams competed for this coveted title that went to this competition team from Richmond, Virginia. The awards were presented Saturday evening.
Led by pitmaster Tuffy Stone, Cool Smoke competed in the Shoulder Category. They won the first-place trophy for this division for the second time. They previously won first place in 2010 and placed second in shoulder last year.
“I have all my mentors here — Mike Mills, Myron Mixon, Chris Lilly, Melissa Cookston,” Stone said. “These are people I have admired all my life.
“Just to get in the finals blows you away. To win is unbelievable. I know I’ll wake up tomorrow and wonder if it really happened.”
The awards ceremony
This year’s awards ceremony was one for the books.
At the scheduled start time of 6:30 p.m., the stage at Tom Lee Park in Downtown Memphis was cleared due to a threat of a severe storm. The crowd stayed put, patiently waiting to hear the results of four days of hard work. Each time emcee Ron Childers stepped on the stage, the crowd cheered to get the show on the road. After an almost 30-minute delay, Childers did just that, starting with a check presentation to Operation BBQ Relief.
Operation BBQ Relief is a group of pitmasters from eight states who volunteer to help feed disaster victims. To date, they have responded in 25 states feeding 1.2 million barbecue meals to those in need.
Pitmasters from dozens of teams that competed in this year’s contest were gathered on the stage. Childers presented the group a $15,000 donation from Cattlemen’s.
After announcing a couple ancillary competition awards from earlier in the week, Childers got into the big awards of the night.
As the threat of bad weather continued, the awards ceremony was put in “fast forward” mode. Boos came from the crowd as Childers announced that only those placing first through fourth would be invited on stage. Traditionally, the top 10 in each category are announced and invited on stage.
Kingsford Tour of Champions
Big Bob Gibson BAR-B-Q was voted first place in this people’s choice award. Participants in the Kingsford Tour of Champions tours rated their favorite teams at the conclusion of each tour.
“It’s one thing to be judged by judges. It’s another thing for the people to love what you do,” pitmaster Chris Lilly said. “Memphis is a special place for Big Bob Gibson’s. For the people here to accept us means so much.”
Big Bob Gibson also took home the second-place trophy for the shoulder category.
Patio Porkers
First-time participants Southern Smoke won the Patio Porker division.
“This means so much to us,” team member Mike Kimbrell said. “We were two steak teams that came together to make a barbecue team. We studied and worked hard – and we won.”
Patio Porkers is an amateur category that allows backyard grillers the opportunity to test their skills against best in barbecue.
Whole Hog
Hometown BBQ took home the trophy for Whole Hog. It was the first time for this team from the Mississippi Gulf Coast to compete at WCBCC. This team is a group of pitmasters who joined forces to create a now award-winning competition barbecue team.
“We all came together as a family,” team member Jeff Rollins said.
Ribs
From down the road in Selmer, Tennessee, Nutt’s N Butts was awarded first place in the Ribs Category.
“It’s what we prayed for and we worked hard for,” Jamie Durbin said. Her husband, Jay, is the pitmaster for the team.
It was their fifth year to compete at WCBCC, having placed 10th last year in Ribs.
As teams rushed off the stage due to the evacuation notice, Cool Smoke stopped backstage to take a photo with their two new trophies.
“I am the luckiest dad in the world,” said George Stone, pitmaster Tuffy Stone’s father. “He has worked so hard for this.”
Jennifer Chandler is the Food & Dining Reporter at The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at jennifer.chandler@commercialappeal. com and you can follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @cookwjennifer.