Memphis' new barbecue contest: Questions (and answers) about what organizers have planned

Memphis is about to have two barbecue cooking contests — at the same time.

Forward Momentum, the producer of Mempho Music Festival and Mempho Presents, will host a yet-to-be-named barbecue cooking contest in Tom Lee Park on the same weekend of 46th Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest, which will be held at Liberty Park. The Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest will be May 15-18, and the new barbecue contest will be May 16-18

The Nov. 22 announcement of the new barbecue contest has left both contestants and attendees full of questions.

We reached out to the organizers of the new contest for answers.

Why did Forward Momentum want to create a new barbecue contest in Memphis?

“We are very excited about the new park and wanting to do events there,” said Forward Momentum spokesperson Milton Lovell, adding the goal is to create a world class cooking contest that also offers guests a memorable experience.

“There was a strong desire from the business community to have a barbecue event on the river. Memphis in May started as an event to bring people Downtown. We are committed to creating a safe and comfortable event that brings tourists and residents Downtown.”

In October, Memphis in May announced it would move the barbecue contest to Liberty Park in 2024. In an email to barbecue teams on Sept. 26, Memphis in May President and CEO Jim Holt said the move was due to the "difficulties" Memphis in May experienced with the current park manager, Memphis River Parks Partnership.Memphis in May’s 2023 events at Tom Lee resulted in $1,425,366 damages to the park, which park officials said was largely caused by the barbecue contest. In September, Memphis River Parks filed a lawsuit against Memphis in May, seeking to collect an outstanding balance of $675,000 for the damages to Tom Lee.

Who is organizing this new barbecue contest?

Forward Momentum is in the process of putting together a steering committee to spearhead the event.

“We want a diverse group of stakeholders involved,” Lovell said. “It will include teams, Downtown businesses and Memphis leaders.”

Mempho Presents co-producer Mike Smith said they are "allowing the barbecue teams to drive this event and have input."

"It will be a three-way partnership between Forward Momentum, the festival organizers and the barbecue teams," he said.

As of Tuesday, Nov. 28, award-winning pitmaster and restaurateur Carey Bringle is the only announced committee member. Bringle is the owner of Nashville-based barbecue restaurant Peg Legged Porker and has competed in the Memphis in May contest for more than 30 years. While he lives in Nashville, Bringle said he has strong roots in the Memphis area as his family is originally from Covington.

Why did Forward Momentum announce a contest with limited information?

Lovell said plans for the new contest have been in the works for awhile and organizers originally hoped to roll out the announcement with more details. When they saw Memphis in May open team applications on Nov. 21, they wanted to let people know that this new contest would be happening as well.

More specific details about the contest are expected to be finalized and shared with the public in the coming weeks.

What do barbecue teams think?

Multiple teams contacted by The CA declined to comment and posed multiple questions about the new competition. Teams expressed frustration over both events happening on the same weekend and the dilemma of having to make a choice without all the information on the new contest.

“Was anyone thinking about us? The teams?” said Van Raby, a founding member of the team Barbecue Republic. The Memphis-based team has competed in the Memphis in May contest for 30 years and placed second in Whole Hog in 2023. “There is a lot of emotion, blood, sweat and tears teams put into this contest.”

What does Memphis in May have to say about the competing contest?

“While we were surprised and disappointed by the announcement, our mission has not changed,” Memphis in May President and CEO Jim Holt said in a letter to barbecue teams on Nov. 27.

Randy Blevins, Memphis in May Vice President of Marketing and Programming, said they had received a record number of team applications in the opening week, including many of the “heavy hitters” and several international teams. "It's been a robust response and we are historically on par with what we have always done, even in pre-pandemic times."

The contest also plans to return to its normal size contest now that there are not the space constraints they faced this year in the newly renovated Tom Lee Park.

“In 2024, the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest will be returning to a full-scale world championship contest in the scope and scale that has made it the barbecue cooking contest it is today,” Blevins said.

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What are the competition categories in the new barbecue contest?

Expect the main categories of Whole Hog, Shoulder and Ribs at the new festival.

What about the ancillary Anything But and Sauce contests or the Patio Porkers division?

Smith said they will be adding categories in collaboration with the advisory committee.

Where will the barbecue contest be held in Tom Lee Park?

Smith said the layout is still in the works, but the design of the contest grounds will include riverfront-facing booths and scaffolding structures.

“We will be keeping the park in mind, as well as the guest,” he said.

Both Lovell and Smith said they believe having a fresh perspective will allow them to create an event that is a better fit for the renovated park.

“We know that there will need to be changes for this contest to be successful,” Smith said. “A brand-new set of eyes looking at the issues will enable us to manage this event better.”

How can there be two contests in the same weekend? Isn’t there a governing body that prevents this?

The answer is no.

Memphis in May is its own sanctioning body, setting its own unique judging rules and scoring.

The new festival will also set its own rules and be its own sanctioning body.

Neither is associated with the Kansas City Barbecue Society.

Who are the judges?

While the judging body has yet to be announced, Bringle said they are talking with experienced judging groups.

Bringle said many longtime competitors have become frustrated with the judging process at Memphis in May as first-time, unexperienced judges are now judging finals. He said the goal for the new festival is to have qualified judges in finals rounds.

What are the fees for participating teams?

Fees for participating teams have yet to be announced.

“We are going to work with the steering committee to ensure fair fees. We are going to lean on our barbecue partners to make sure we are charging fair prices,” said Smith, adding he anticipates their fee structure will make this contest more inclusive to all types of teams.

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What about volunteers?

The Memphis in May contest has a large network of volunteers, helping out in various aspects from communications to judging.

Smith said the new festival will have small roles for volunteers, but they will hire staff for most positions for the events.

Will the prize money be the same?

Smith said they will be increasing the prize money offered in the major categories.

“We are committed to a substantial award,” Lovell added. “We want to be rewarding teams for their efforts.”

The Memphis in May contest will offer $150,000 in prize money in the 2024 contest.

What about events like Piggy Idol and sauce wrestling?

“We are going to put on an event around the competition that is the caliber of what we do,” Smith said.

He said they will focus on creating unique signature experiences for the new contest and will be steering away from Memphis in May’s signature events.

“We will have lots of different activities to bring people Downtown,” said Smith, explaining the new interactive activities will utilize the park space differently than Memphis in May had. “Tom Lee Park has a ton of infrastructure that will make it fun. We are excited.”

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.

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This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis' new BBQ contest: What we know about Forward Momentum event