Big Pig Jig

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The Big Pig Jig (official name Slosheye Trail Big Pig Jig[1]) is a barbecue cooking competition held annually in Vienna, Georgia.[2][3] It is the state pork cook-off of Georgia.[1]

A small group of self-proclaimed pig cookers decided to start a barbecue competition in their hometown of Marietta, Georgia in 1982.[4] Their idea was to mix a barbecue competition with an arts and crafts fair into one big event. It was named the "Big Pig Jig", because the main type of meat that was cooked was pork. After the competition was over, the competitors packed their supplies, and went home. Soon after, the men bought some land by I-75 on Highway 215 in Vienna, and began building from the ground up.[4] The competition gained respect from all over Georgia and was featured on The Food Network as one of the top barbecue competitions in the United States, and listed on The Travel Channel as one of the world's top 10 barbecue contests.[4][5] In 1999, it was recognized as one of the top five hundred in America’s Top Festivals.[citation needed] Starting off with just twenty teams in 1982, it now has over one hundred competing for the top prize.[4] The winner of the competition gets to compete in the Memphis, Tennessee in the world’s largest barbecue cook off and a cash prize of twelve thousand dollars. More than twenty-five other small town barbecue competitions have risen since 1982 when the Big Pig Jig first started. Vienna, Georgia is now known as BBQ City, U.S.A.[citation needed]

Contents

[edit] Competitors

In 1982, there were only about 20 teams competing in the Big Pig Jig. The teams competed in whole hog only and the winner was awarded one thousand dollars as a cash prize. After a few years, the Pig Jig gained some interest from all over and soon the cash prize was raised up to ten thousand dollars. The up in prize money brought in more and more cooking teams from all over. The festival then, had enough money to expand from just a cook-off to an arts and crafts exhibit, academic quiz bowl, A 5K Hog Jog, and even a golf scholarship tournament. Twenty five years, one hundred and fifty teams, five hundred entries of ribs, shoulders, Brunswick stew, barbecue chickens, and hogs later, the competition has attracted over twenty-five thousand spectators and requires over three-hundred and fifty judges to try all of the good barbecue dishes. Mike Mitchell, a former competitor, said that it was easy to place in the top three with only about fifty judges, but now with over three hundred, he hasn’t seen a top-ten finish in a decade. Mitchell stated, "I wish it would be like it used to be about ten years ago…. not too many people, little noise, and you knew everyone’s name."[citation needed] Mitchell also stated that he was glad that his small town, which no one had ever noticed, was finally getting some recognition for its potential though.[citation needed]

[edit] Judging and rules

Following the rules, and impressing the judges are the two key factors in winning the title of best barbecuers.[6] Each team is allowed to cook with any type of wood or charcoal that they can provide, and electricity or gas can ONLY be used to start the fire. Once the fire is started, only wood or charcoal can be used to cook the meat. All preparation of the meat must be done during the competition.[7] Any team using meat in which was pre-prepared will be eliminated. The only thing that the teams are all provided with is a 20 x 20 cooking area and access to water. All other equipment and necessities are provided by the team. Judging starts at 10:00 a.m. the first morning of the Pig Jig. Judges first try the team’s whole hog. Starting at 11:30, Judges then go around sampling the team’s shoulder meat. Finally, at 1:00 the ribs are tested by all of the judges for deliberation. The judges have all day to tally up the votes for the winners and at about 9:00 that night, the winner is announced on the main stage to everyone. The winning team of each category gets an additional two thousand dollars plus paid entry to the Memphis in May Cook-off in Memphis, Tennessee.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Office of Georgia Secretary of State (2007). State Pork Cook-Off. Office of Georgia Secretary of State Karen C. Handel. Retrieved on November 20, 2007.
  2. ^ The Associated Press (2003). Fall Festival Season Begins. WXIA-TV Atlanta. Retrieved on November 20, 2007.
  3. ^ Mandi Albright (2005). Lace up your blogging shoes. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved on November 20, 2007.
  4. ^ a b c d Philip Scher (2007). World's Best Barbecue Contests. The Travel Channel. Retrieved on November 20, 2007.
  5. ^ The Food Network]]. All American Festivals. Episode FE1B09. The Food Network. Retrieved on November 20, 2007.
  6. ^ Ashley Hungerford (2007). Big Pig Jig 2007 to take place in October. The Marietta Daily Journal. Retrieved on November 20, 2007.
  7. ^ The Macon Telegraph (2006). Big Pig Jig cooking in Vienna. Competition Preparation Image Gallery. macon.com. Retrieved on November 20, 2007.

[edit] Sources

  • Jimesnes, John. "Pig Jig Time", Cordele Dispatch, 2005-11-15. 
  • Minor, Elliott. "Barbecue Lovers are in Hog Heaven", The Associated Press, 2003-09-22. 
  • The Associated Press. "Record Turnout Simmering for Big Pig Jig", 2005-09-18. 

[edit] External links