Over $275,000 in
Prize Money Awarded; Smokeslam Announces $5,000 Donations to World Junior BBQ League and
Project Greenfork
Riverbeat to Return May
2-4, 2025 and SmokeSlam to Return May
15-17th, 2025 at Tom Lee Park
MEMPHIS,
Tenn., May 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- SmokeSlam,
the world's ultimate BBQ festival with the richest prize in the
sport's history, named "SmokeMaster BBQ" the Grand Champion
of the inaugural three-day festival judged by Memphis Barbecue
Network (MBN).
SmokeSlam, the world's ultimate BBQ
festival named "SmokeMaster BBQ" the Grand Champion
"We're so proud of the MBN for making this happen and getting
through this with all the mud-slinging that's happened. I can't
describe it. I really can't. I'm a little lost for words. We've
made a lot of large changes to our process in the last two months
and they're finally paying off, and I'm thrilled. I'm absolutely
thrilled," said Pitmaster Will "Uncle Woo" Hair of SmokeMaster
BBQ
SmokeMasters BBQ also took home first prize in Ribs winning a
total of $90,000 over the weekend.
Earlier in the day Hair exclaimed, "This is the best birthday
present ever!" when he found out they qualified in all three
categories. (It was his 50th birthday). Hog Addiction came in first
in Whole Hog, and Poker Porkers came in first in Pulled Pork. Each
first-place winner also received a Golden Ticket to the World Food
Championships.
In each category the winners received:
- 5th Place - $5,000
- 4th Place - $7,500
- 3rd Place - $10,000
- 2nd Place - $12,500
- 1st Place - $15,000
Whole Hog
- 5th Place - High Hog BBQ
- 4th Place - Fat Head BBQ
- 3rd Place - Rescue Smokers
- 2nd Place - SmokeMasters BBQ
- 1st Place - Hog Addiction
Pulled Pork
- 5th Place - 10 Bones BBQ
- 4th Place – Rescue Smokers
- 3rd Place - Fat Head BBQ
- 2nd Place - SmokeMasters BBQ
- 1st Place - Poker Porkers
Ribs
- 5th Place - Robinson Smokehouse
- 4th Place - Poker Porkers
- 3rd Place - Grind City BBQ Company
- 2nd Place - Grind City Smokers
- 1st Place - SmokeMasters BBQ
"The teams that decided to come to SmokeSlam are all excellent
teams. It was very hard to distinguish my scores because the teams
were all high caliber and they were all happy to be here and
excited about the opportunity to try something new here at the
river," said Neysa Rhodes, MBN
on-site judge for Pulled Pork. "SmokeSlam just ran very smoothly
the whole weekend."
Melissa Cookston's World Junior
Barbecue League (WJBL) impressed even the most seasoned chefs and
took home a total of $25,000 in cash
prizes. Steak Princess was awarded the Grand Prize of $5,000.
Pork
- 3rd Place - BBQ Bugsy
- 2nd Place - Steak Princess
- 1st Place - Pit Vipers
Brisket
- 3rd Place - BBQ Bugsy
- 2nd Place - Steak Princess
- 1st Place - Pit Vipers
Ribs
- 3rd Place - BBQ Bugsy
- 2nd Place - Pit Vipers
- 1st Place - Steak Princess
Chicken
- 3rd Place - Team Chupacabra
- 2nd Place - Pit Vipers
- 1st Place - Steak Princess
SmokeSlam also announced a $5,000
donation to the WJBL to continue to ignite the passion for barbecue
in our youth.
From Wagyu gyros and beef empanadas to sausage with chimichurri
sliders and ribs and wings of various flavors, visitors were able
to sample bites from some of the world's most famous pitmasters
including the only black female Pitmaster Erica Roby, and the
master of Argentinian-style live-fire cooking, Al Frugoni. Families enjoyed pickleball,
cornhole, carnival games, and a ferris wheel, all along the
backdrop of the Mississippi River. Each night ended with live music
from bands including War and St.
Paul and the Broken Bones and a fireworks display that
rivaled the 4th of July.
SmokeSlam organizers also announced a $5,000 donation to Project Green Fork for their
commitment to making the mid-south a more sustainable place by
reducing food waste and strengthening community restaurants.
Friday night's ancillary category winners judged by World Food
Competitions were Rebel Roaster Review (Bacon), Smokemasters BBQ
(Beef), Fire Dancer BBQ (Dessert), Shotgun House Smokers (Duck),
Team Croix Valley (Poultry), Phil the Grill (Wings), Swineantology
(Wings). Each took home $1,500 in
prize money in addition to the coveted Golden Ticket to the World
Food Championships in September and a custom trophy from Memphis
Metal Museum.
Memphians and visitors alike were able to enjoy Mempho Presents'
month-long residency at Tom Lee Park which began with the RiverBeat
Music Festival which took place May 3rd -
5th and ended with Smokeslam.
"The Mempho Presents team was able to pull off the incredible
feat of producing two very large-scale events of different calibers
in a very short period of time, and we are so proud of what we
brought to Tom Lee Park and the City of
Memphis. The feedback has been nothing short of amazing and
we look forward to returning next year in May and for many years to
come," said Mempho Presents Producer Mike Smith.
You can view photos from the event here.
About SmokeSlam
SmokeSlam is a new BBQ festival organized by Mempho Presents, a
group with deep roots in Memphis,
music, and barbecue. SmokeSlam's inaugural competition will occur
May 16 - 18, 2024, at Tom Lee Park in
Memphis, TN. SmokeSlam is putting
up a purse of $275,000, the largest
in pork BBQ competition history, and has partnered with the Memphis
BBQ Network (MBN) to run the pork championship judging for the
competition. SmokeSlam will be an MBN-sanctioned event where teams
can compete in all three major categories, and category winners are
also eligible for a 'Golden Ticket' to compete in the World Food
Championships (WFC) in the fall. The WFC will be sanctioning all
ancillary competitions on Thursday and Friday. For more information
visit www.smokeslam.com.
About Mempho Presents
Mempho Presents, a division of Forward Momentum, is an
independent promotion company that crafts world-class live events
and fan experiences. The group produces shows and events
year-round, primarily at venues in Memphis, TN, and the Mid-South. For more
information, visit https://memphopresents.com/.
Media Contact
Lindsay
Stevens
213-200-9638
lindsay.stevens@ubuntu-one.com
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SOURCE SmokeSlam