(Memphis Barbecue TQJ Team Member) Most of us growing up around Memphis have had barbecue that cooked all day in someone's back yard. Those times, family and friends come over, and bring things like cole slaw, potato salad, baked beans, green bean casserole, pasta salad, desserts, and Cokes. The whole yard, and even the whole block smells like barbecue, and you're starving long before anyone will let you eat! But we didn't really know much about the rest of barbecue culture, except that the biggest contest is here in Memphis, and the next biggest is in Kansas City.

When Robert Horvath came to talk to us, he told us that those big contests certify other, smaller contests all around the country. He also told us a lot about Q'ers (people who enter barbecue contests) and their culture. Here is some of what Robert told us in our interview:

How do you get into a big barbecue contest?

"You have to earn your way in, win local contests to get invited to bigger ones-like Jack Daniels in Lynchburg." To win and enter the bigger contests, you have to do a lot of travel.

What's it like to be in a barbecue contest?

Most contests run Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. When you first get there, you see trucks, campers, smokers, and people setting up. It's a big party, with lots of drinking. The behavior is for a crowd of grown-ups; it's not really suitable for children, and there aren't a lot of kids there. The booths are already designated, with a given square footage. You find your place, and set up. Some people have a trailer, cooker, canopy tent, chairs-always a beer cooler, so it can be pretty crowded. They jam you in. You start cooking right away, because you're hungry. It's like a party, and you cook for yourself and your friends. People wear lots of strange costumes, and you see lots of them wearing silly pig noses! Men may wear wigs and skirts. Friday night or Saturday, you start the competitive cooking. Saturday night you'll start the contest meat, or earlier for whole hog. They judge it on Sunday. The contests are fun, but they get kinda serious.

Do women do this too?

Mostly barbecue is male-dominated, but there are more women competing, and even some all-women teams. Southern culture says when you cook out, the man cooks, and it probably comes from that. There's a woman who's a judge at the Memphis Courthouse who was on a Memphis in May barbecue team. A couple generations ago, women weren't allowed into barbecue joints and saloons. Because of that, and because barbecue restaurants wanted to find a way to sell to women, they invented something new: the first drive-in restaurant in the US was a barbecue joint. Barbecue matured along with jazz music in smoky clubs in Memphis and Kansas City.

How are the contests judged? Judging, it's probably personal taste . . . flavor and moistness are the two top criteria. You usually don't get to arrange a really attractive presentation. You use a styrofoam box, lay the meat cuts and sauce out in it, and present it blind. The judges *say* they don't know which is whose. The team's sample is judged on flavor, moistness, and texture. The competitors know the judges, and the judges have pins to identify them, so they can't be impersonated.

What do you get if you win?

The cash prize for Memphis in May is up to $50,000. In the smaller contests, you can win trophies, smaller amounts of cash, and most importantly, the bragging rights. The bragging rights are very important; Q'ers are big braggers. In fact, part of the culture is lie-swapping, one-up-manship, and creative naming. You'll hear lots of tall tales, like the idea that barbecue got its name from the Bar-B ranch in Texas. Storytelling is a big deal in barbecue culture.

Can you also sell barbecue at a contest?

Some contests let entrants set up a selling booth elsewhere, but you can't sell from a contest booth.

Are there any famous Q'ers?

Some people are famous for their Q, like John Willingham. But I also brought a list of famous connoisseurs of BBQ:

Scarlett O'Hara
President Lyndon Johnson hosted parties at his ranch.
President Jimmy Carter served BBQ on the White House lawn.
President Ronald Reagan invited "Honey Monk" of Lexington, KY, to cook for the 1983 Economics Summit.
Bob Carey and Al Gore both competed in contests.

Thank you, Robert Horvath!