First time Memphis in May participant Pork Barrel BBQ takes home great BBQ memories and wins
Competition team debuts Iberico Pork at Memphis in May BBQ Festival
By Heath Hall and Brett Thompson
Co-founders of Pork Barrel BBQ
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Submitted photo
Pork Barrel BBQ at Memphis in May World Championship BBQ Cooking Contest: Brett Thompson, co-founder Pork Barrel BBQ; Mike Richter, chief cook Chix, Swine & Bovine; Jamie Geer, owner of Jambo Pits; Pat Burke, leader of Tower Rock BBQ's team; Tuffy Stone, owner of Q Barbecue and TLC BBQ Pitmaster of Cool Smoke; Rex Holmes, member of Pork Barrel BBQ Competition BBQ Team; Heath Hall, co-founder of Pork Barrel BBQ. |
Pork Barrel BBQ founders Heath Hall and Brett Thompson, didn’t know what to expect as first time Memphis in May participants, and could never have imagined getting a spot next to BBQ legend Pat Burke, of the Apple City and Tower Rock BBQ Team fame. Over the 4 day competition, the Pork Barrel BBQ team had the chance to learn from Burke about his approach to award winning BBQ, and more importantly, his successful approach to life. “We felt like we had already won from the moment we arrived and found out that we were next to Pat Burke and his Tower Rock BBQ Team,” said Brett Thompson, co-founder Pork Barrel BBQ.
Pork Barrel BBQ was founded in December 2008 during the peak of the economic crisis to prove that a company not owned or operated by the federal government could succeed, and that if you had a good idea, it was still possible to grab a piece of the American Dream. Pork Barrel BBQ founders, Heath Hall and Brett Thompson, ran the company out of the basement of their houses, selling their award winning BBQ one bottle at a time. One year later, their Pork Barrel BBQ Sauces and Spice Rub are on pace to be carried in over 1,000 stores in 40 states by summer 2010, including Whole Foods, Harris Teeter, Schnucks, Ukrops, Bloom, and Balducci’s Food Lover’s Market. Throughout their journey, they have stayed true to their mission – to unite the nation through the great tradition of BBQ, and bring bipartisan flavor to your next meal.
The bbq team enjoyed the sharing their inaugural Memphis in May experience with over 250 friendly competitors and several of their bbq friends and followers from Facebook and Twitter. The team kept busy turning in several entries throughout the competition, but were able to catch up with Randy McGee about the Memphis Barbecue Network and the 30-year history of Memphis in May.
Pork Barrel BBQ took fourth place in the Beef contest for their brisket and won over the taste buds of judges with their new Pork Barrel BBQ Mustard Sauce, which placed seventh in the Mustard Sauce contest. The team’s grilled seafood gumbo entry placed 14th in the Seafood contest. All of the team’s entries were prepared using Pork Barrel BBQ products including their All American Spice Rub and Pork Barrel BBQ Sauces. Folks will soon be able to sample Pork Barrel BBQ’s award winning barbeque at the first Pork Barrel BBQ Restaurant, currently under construction in the Del Ray neighborhood of Alexandria, Virginia and scheduled to open later this summer.
The Pork Barrel BBQ Competition Team is the first BBQ competitor to use Iberico de Bellota pork, a premium and unique meat from purebred Spanish heritage swine. Wagshal’s (http://www.wagshals.com), the exclusive distributor of Iberico in the United States, sponsors the competition team and supplies them with meat and seafood for BBQ contests throughout the year. For the recent Memphis in May competition, the team submitted a venison loin wrapped in Iberico that placed 12th in the Exotic contest.
“It was a tremendous honor to have been selected to participate in Memphis in May, the world championship of BBQ competitions,” said Heath Hall, co-founder of Pork Barrel BBQ. “Placing in the top 15 in four categories at our first Memphis in May is something beyond our wildest dreams. The Memphis format provided a great way to showcase our BBQ Sauces and Dry Rubs. Our greatest honor was being in the site next to three time World Champion Pat Burke and talking BBQ with folks like Randy McGee of MBN, and Tuffy Stone, of the Cool Smoke Team and BBQ Pitmasters fame.”
To learn more about Pork Barrel BBQ, get their recipes, or find a store near you that carries their sauces and rub, visit their website: www.PorkBarrelBBQ.com. The team will be sharing their videos and pictures from Memphis in May on their blog at www.porkbarrelbbq.com/blog.
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