At a glance
Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest When: May 15-18 Where: Tom Lee Park
first in the Anything But — Exotic category. Five years later, they placed fifth in the same category.
The past few years, it’s been all about the sauce for the Barbecue Republic team, placing second in BBQ Sauce in Hours: 5-11 p.m. May 15; 11 a.m.-midnight May 16 and 17; 10 a.m.-10 p.m. May 18 Tickets: $10 Online: memphisinmay.org 2017 and third place in Vinegar Sauce last year.
The team members are proud of their accomplishments since they now only cook a whole pig about twice a year.
“We are supposed to lose,” Williams said. “The people who cook a whole pig 22 times a year are supposed to win.”
“So when we do well, it makes it even sweeter," Raby added.
You lose some …
So let’s talk about the aforementioned “gravity pig.”
The team members said as they were pulling the pig out to baste, the entire thing fell to the ground.
Good times
For the first decade or so, the team members competed in every category, including showmanship and the Miss Piggy contest.
“We would spend months practicing, and we had some fun,” Williams said. Williams met his wife, Debbie, thanks to one of those skits. She had been recruited to help choreograph and direct the team.
With laughter, the team members reminisced about the year Canada was honored by Memphis in May. The team dressed as lumberjacks. When the honored country was Thailand, they donned monk costumes and performed what sounds like an unforgettable dance.
Raby said one of his favorite memories happened the year Barbecue Republic placed in the Sauce category.
“Our neighbors, the Rib Ticklers, had won first place in the T-shirt category," he said. "We took down the wall and celebrated together in one big party. It was a throwdown.”
Williams’ favorite part of the contest each year is Thursday night. “You have a crowd, but no one has the pressure of cooking overnight like on Friday.”
Raby said he likes dragging a chair out in front of the booth and people watching, especially at sunset.
“We claim to be one of the first booths to be two stories,” Starks said. “The river is the reason to be down here. There is nothing like the view and having the wind in your hair.”
In the beginning years, the team wanted to be known as the first to light its grill. As they would be pulling into Tom Lee Park, they would fire up the smoker and have smoke billowing out as they drove to their booth.
“We may not have been the smartest team at times like that,” Williams said. “But we had the most fun.”
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.