Time for Pork in the Park

By Carson Lambert

clambert@civitasmedia.com

Blue Suede Que took home second place in the chicken category at last year’s competition.
https://www.newberryobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_Pork.jpgBlue Suede Que took home second place in the chicken category at last year’s competition. File photo | The Newberry Observer

NEWBERRY — The 10th edition of Pork in the Park hits Newberry this Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in Memorial Park and will feature 13 meat-smoking competitors vying for this year’s grand champion title.

Additionally the event boasts live bluegrass from The Carolina Rebels, who have been performing together for nearly 40 years, as well as inflatables for children in front of Community Hall.

The competition, sanctioned by the Southern BBQ Network, is broken down into three categories — chicken, ribs and Boston Butt — with each division’s winner receiving $400.

The top prize of $600 will be awarded to a grand champion who fares the best in all three categories combined.

But just because the prize money is sizable don’t expect the competition to get too ugly.

“From what I’ve learned from my short stint in the barbecue world is barbecue people are incredibly nice,” said Mary Alex Kopp of the city’s parks and recreation department. “They’re just happy to be out there cooking yummy meat.”

Tickets to sample all competitors’ barbecue can be purchased for $5 at the city’s event tent. Proceeds will be donated to Relay for Life.

The majority of the participants hail from the Midlands but one individual, who calls his team Skinny Rick’s BBQ, will be travelling all the way from Candler, N.C.

“He travels the SBN circuit during barbecue season,” Kopp said.

Over the course of the barbecue season, which is a real thing, competitors rack up points from various competitions culminating in regional champions being named when the season comes to a close.

With the exception of Steelhorse Smokehouse, a Pomaria restaurant, all participants this year are hobbyists.

“These are all people who just do this for fun,” Kopp said. “They pour their heart and soul into what they’re cooking.”

Cookers will arrive Friday afternoon to beginning smoking, a process that takes all night with team members often taking shifts to sleep.

“We actually have a picture from two years ago of one of the cookers who fell asleep during the event because he stayed up the entire night before,” Kopp said.

In addition to simply competing, eight of the 13 participants are slated to vend their meat offerings to the public complete with fixings.

Reach Carson Lambert at 803-276-0625, ext. 1868, or on Twitter @TheNBOnews.