History of Memphis Barbecue

In May, 1539, Hernando de Soto landed in Florida. He had with him 600 men, 2 women, 327 horses, and a herd of pigs. In 1541 in the middle of the night, there was a surprise Indian attack. The Indians set fire to the camp and killed most of the hogs. It was the first time the smell of barbecue wafted over the Mid-South.

"Little Pigs Barbecue started in 1942," said owner Beverly Musarra. "Pops" Emerson ran the restaurant at 671 South
Highland for 25 years, but never owned it. In 1981, Ms. Musarra bought Little Pigs Barbecue.

James W. Lawson started Tops Barbecue in 1952 next to a store on Macon Road. It's closed now, but the independent
chain has 11 locations across the city.

The Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Contest was first held in a small vacant lot near the Mississippi River
in 1978. Encouraged by numerous serious backyard chefs, and nurtured by their own imaginations, the founders pulled together a few thousand dollars for the first contest on May 5, 1978. The first year twenty teams competed. $1,000 was
the prize money awarded to the winner, Bessie L. Cathey, who attributed her success to "ribs that came from high on the hog." In 1988, eleven years later, the barbecue contest awarded $10,000 prize money, accommodated 175 teams and turned down 50, and sanctioned 40 contests across the US. It used 175 judges in three categories: whole hog, shoulder,
and ribs. Today, this contest is the biggest in the world.

A lot of people think of Memphis as the Pork Barbecue Capital of the World, although a recent survey by the Convention
and Visitors Bureau showed many people "don't think of Memphis much at all." Still, as the home of the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue contest, and as the city known for "Elvis, Blues, and Barbecue," Memphis' title as Barbecue Capital is likely to resist any such challenges.

Sources

Arpe, Christine. "Many Insist Title Deserved by City." Commercial Appeal, 2 May 1979, p. C25+.

"Barbecue Molded Her Life." Commercial Appeal, 2 May 1979, p. C25+.

Ford, Gary D. "Barbecue." In Encyclopedia of Southern Culture, p 676

Magness, Perre. "Past Times." Commercial Appeal, 11 May 1989.

New Yorker, August 1985