‘Big Pig Jig’ tradition always high on the hog

BY JACK CARTWRIGHT

Autumn has arrived in the South with cool and clear mornings, comfortable afternoons, and … smoke!   

Is that burning scent from hickory, red or white oak, applewood, pecan, peach, cherry, mesquite or a combination? Does that fire come from coals of dried hardwood, charcoal chunks or briquets, or pellets?

And is that aroma from slow-roasting pork or chicken or beef or sausage on your neighbor’s backyard kettle grill, smoker, ceramic cooker, hibachi grill, brick pit or chicken wire set on concrete blocks?

The last 50 years have seen the origin and proliferation of barbecue cooking contests throughout the South and the entire country, often combined with county fairs and annual festivals.

Several dozen sanctioning organizations have set rules and guidelines and taken charge of cooking contests with differing meat categories, types of cookers and fuel, and judging criteria. Not only do the grand champions of these contests earn their bragging rights but also receive large shiny trophies (usually with a pig on top) and monetary awards and may qualify or be invited to compete in other prestigious BBQ contests.

Numerous state contests are run by the 600-member Georgia Barbecue Association, which held their annual Doc Holliday BBQ & GBA Championship in Griffin in early September.

Their cooking competitions include categories of pork ribs, pork loin, and bone-in pork shoulder or bone-in ham. Trained and certified judges can earn “master” status, which includes judging at least 24 GBA-sanctioned contests.

The Kansas City Barbecue Society is the world’s largest organization of barbeque and grilling enthusiasts — with over 16,000 members worldwide — and sponsors contests, including one in Georgia, with various meat categories. The next KCBS World Invitational Barbeque Championship will be held in Lebanon, Tennessee, in May 2026.

Since 1982, hundreds of cooking teams have converged on Vienna, Georgia, in early November for the annual Big Pig Jig with the goal of becoming the grand champion of what is known as Georgia’s State BBQ Championship. This year’s cooking contest will be held on Nov. 7-8 with the main judging on Saturday.

The Big Pig Jig is a sanctioned contest through the Memphis Barbecue Network with judged meat categories that are pork only (that’s oink — not moo nor cluck!). Three cuts of pork are judged: whole hog, pulled pork and ribs.

I recently spoke to Rhonda Lamb, president and CEO of the Dooly County Chamber of Commerce. Since 1989, she has been the tireless organizer of the Big Pig Jig. She said that this year’s contest will include more than 32 cooking teams entering the “Whole Hog” category. Each will be judged on a sample which includes three sections of the hog:  1) the pork shoulder, which includes the Boston butt and picnic, 2) the loin and 3) the ham.

Teams cooking a whole hog are challenged by keeping the coals under different parts of the hog at differing temperatures to ensure each section is not overcooked or undercooked through many hours of a slow-cooking process to achieve a flavorful, tender product.

The “pulled pork” category includes almost 80 teams who will enter samples of bone-in cuts from the shoulder (Boston butt and/or picnic) or bone-in ham.

The “rib” category at the Big Pig Jig will draw almost 90 team entries to be judged with samples of either spare ribs or loin-back ribs (often known as baby-back ribs). Spare ribs generally take a little longer to cook since they are larger, meatier and fatter.

The term “St. Louis Cut” refers to a rack of spare ribs that have been trimmed of end flap, sternum and excess cartilage to be a more uniform rectangular size. Loin back ribs (“baby-backs”) are “high on the hog,” where the rib cage comes close to the spine. They have a curved shape and are smaller, a little leaner and more tender than spare ribs.

With more than 90 cooking teams entering one or more pork categories, the Big Pig Jig has signed up 100 judges, with an extended waiting list. These judges have trained for “certified” or “master” status through training courses and judging at previous contests.

Judging at the Big Pig Jig consists of two divisions: the preliminary blind round and onsite finals for each of the three pork categories of whole hog, pulled pork and ribs. In the preliminary round, cooking teams will bring their meat sample in a Styrofoam clamshell container to the judging check-in area, and it will be marked on top with a code number, so there is no identification of the team known to the judges.

Judges will be seated six to a table, and up to six entries will be set at each table. Judges will sample each entry at their table and give a numeric score on their score card for appearance, tenderness, flavor and overall impression.

The highest scoring three entries of each meat category will qualify for the onsite final round.

The final round judging will be judged by four judges, going together to each team’s cook site of the top nine entries: three whole hog, three pulled pork and three rib teams. There are six criteria for judging the final round: area and personal appearance and a verbal presentation are added to the appearances of entry, tenderness, flavor and overall impression. The judges are responsible for ranking the nine teams without regard to the meat category and choosing the grand champion.

It has been 43 years since the late Stan Gambrell, longtime Vienna city manager, joined friends in founding a local barbecue cooking contest. The Big Pig Jig has grown and become a beloved annual festival, with teams and champions well known throughout the BBQ world.

Although the focus is the cooking contest, free samples are available Saturday from 2-4 p.m. or until it runs out to everyone at the “Taste of the Jig” pavilion. A tray of half-pound competition BBQ is for sale there for just $5.

Coca-Cola BBQ Sauce

— 1 12-ounce can of Coca-Cola Classic.

— 1/4 cup of Worcestershire sauce.

— 1 1/2 cups of ketchup.

— 1 teaspoon of chili powder.

— 1 cup of finely chopped onion.

— 1 teaspoon of salt.

— 1/4 cup of cider vinegar.

— Hot pepper sauce (to taste).

In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, for 30-45 minutes or until sauce is thickened, stirring occasionally. Strain, if desired. Season with hot pepper sauce. Refrigerate unused sauce for up to several weeks. It makes about 3 cups. Use it as a finishing sauce for ribs, chicken and hamburgers.

The recipe comes from “The Ultimate Barbecue Sauce Cookbook” by Jim Auchmutey and Susan Puckett, former food writers and editors for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.