Georgia’s Big Pig Jig Showcased the South’s Best BBQ

Nov 12, 2021

This week’s guest article is written by Ed Reilly, a self-described “BBQ-ologist” who has been studying barbecue for 25 years. He’s worked in the industry for 35 years, including in sales for Weber, Char-Broil, Sunbeam, Old World Spices, and B&B Charcoal. He’s also a certified judge in five different sanctioning bodies. In today’s article, Ed writes about this past weekend’s Big Pig Jig event in Vienna, GA. You can reach Ed on Instagram and Facebook. If you would like to write a guest article for The Smoke Sheet, please get in touch.

The Big Pig Jig barbecue event was held this past weekend. (Photo by Ed Reilly)

If you are heading down Interstate 75 in southern Georgia during the late fall, be sure to stop by “BBQ City, USA.” You never know who you’ll bump into there. Is that really the Governor of Georgia sitting at the corner of Greasy Grill Road and Spicy Rib Parkway?

No, this isn’t a conceptional outdoor cooking city and it’s not an imaginary BBQ mecca. It is the Big Pig Jig in the city of Vienna, Georgia. It’s a very real city, complete with addresses and street names you won’t see anywhere else, including Brunswick Stew Boulevard and Boston Butt Boulevard.

Vienna, Georgia has streets named after barbecue. (Photo by Ed Reilly)

Vienna hosted the Big Pig Jig again this past weekend, with more than 80 competition barbecue teams. The Big Pig Jig was created in 1982 with just 20 teams with one goal -- to see who can cook the best hog. Since then, the event has grown and celebrates Southern treasures including original music acts, a livestock contest, the Miss Pig Jig pageant, a 5K “Hog Jog,” and of course great barbecue.

One of the most unique aspects of the festival is the public is invited to sample some of the award-winning barbecue from the top chefs in the country. The “Taste of the Jig” gives visitors the opportunity to taste for themselves some of the best barbecue in the South. The event typically attracts more than 10,000 attendees and is listed as one of 1,000 Places to See Before You Die, according to author Patricia Shultz.

Hundreds of people came out to attend this year’s Big Pig Jig. Here some of them are waiting for the awards ceremony. (Photo by Ed Reilly)

At an open area at the end of Brunswick Stew Blvd, vendors assembled to sell crafts, handmade wooden furniture, and homemade barbecue sauce and rubs. You also had several eating and drinking options including barbecue popcorn, wine slushies, snow cones, and the run of usual fair favorites. An especially popular item was a 3-bone rib sandwich topped with local barbecue sauce.

This year’s barbecue competition hosted 81 teams in events including whole hog, shoulder, ribs, chicken, sauce, Brunswick stew, and more. (See full results here.) Among the teams, there were plenty of celebrity sightings including Myron Mixon (the “winningest man in barbecue”), Tina Cannon (winner of Netflix’s The American Barbecue Showdown), and Robby Royal (two-time Georgia state champion), and others.

The Great Pig in the Sky from Mississippi won the top prize at the Big Pig Jig. (Photo via The Great Pig in the Sky / Facebook)

Rhonda Lamb-Heath of the Dooly County Chamber of Commerce officiated the 2021 awards ceremony and was excited to be able to put on the event after having to take 2020 off due to COVID-19 restrictions. Each year the organizers choose a theme, and this year was no different. The 2021 Big Pig Jig was dedicated to “The Memory of Lives Lost” and “In Honor of Frontline Heroes.”

Lamb-Heath announced many winners at the ceremony, but when all the smoke cleared, Mississippi-based team The Great Pig in the Sky was named the 2021 Grand Champion. The team is led by talented pitmaster Nick Woolfolk, who is also the manager of culinary operations for the nonprofit Operation BBQ Relief. The Great Pig in the Sky placed first in whole hog, first in ribs, and fourth place in pork shoulder. This was only the fourth time in the event’s 39-year history that an out-of-state team took the trophy home.

These delicious-looking ribs from The Great Pig in the Sky team won first place. (Photo via The Great Pig in the Sky / Facebook)

“Yesterday was like a dream,” the team wrote on Facebook. “The Big Pig Jig is one of the toughest contests out there, especially if you’re not from Georgia. Only 3 teams outside of the state of Georgia have taken home the cup. [Now there are 4.] The Great Pig in the Sky took a small crew down to Vienna, GA and shocked the world.”

Congratulations to The Great Pig in the Sky and everyone else who took part in this historic event. Often imitated but never duplicated, the Big Pig Jig remains Georgia’s oldest barbecue cooking contest and one that continues to be a southeastern staple for the community.

Ed Reilly
BBQ-ologist

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—William “Bill” Arnold of Blues Hog passed away this past week.—

HOT OFF THE PRESS

William “Bill” Arnold, the founder of Blue Hog Barbecue Sauce and a staple of the national barbecue community, passed away last week from brain cancer. “Words cannot describe what this man did for his friends and family, country, and the world of BBQ,” writes Tim Scheer, who bought the rights to Blues Hog Sauce from Arnold in 2015 but kept in close contact. “Bill was many things… loving father, mentor, veteran, and true BBQ legend! Bill Arnold had a warm, vibrant personality that made everyone who encountered him feel as though they were a part of his family. His charisma, ingenuity, and generosity set the tone for what the BBQ community is all about: embracing family and friends and promoting the enjoyment of barbecue. ... Blues Hog Barbecue Sauce is a dominant flavor, not only within the competition barbecue circuit but throughout backyard barbecue. The sauce created in his garage now spans shelves across the world. Blues Hog would not exist without Bill Arnold.” READ MORE HERE AND LISTEN TO THE BBQ CENTRAL SHOW'S REMEMBERENCE OF BILL HERE.

Mary Everett, the longtime owner of the Berkeley, California location of barbecue joint Everett and Jones, passed away recently, reports Berkeleyside. Everett’s passing sadly comes just a few months after the death of her sister, fellow barbecue restaurateur Dorothy King. Everett and Jones has been a popular choice for Bay Area barbecue fans for decades, and it even appeared in a Raiders-focused episode of the HBO show Ballers. Mary’s family plans to keep serving up barbecue at the restaurant. “We’re going to keep that legacy going and keep that same authentic food, keep that same taste,” Shamar Cotton, Mary’s son, said. READ MORE HERE.

Heim Barbecue’s Dallas location is closed temporarily after a small fire this past Sunday. The restaurant was evacuated after a manager noticed dark-colored smoke billowing from an air-conditioning vent, co-owner Travis Heim told the Dallas Morning-News. The fire was accidental and no one was hurt. Heim said he expects the restaurant will be closed for at least a few weeks to repair the fire damage and the water damage from things being sprayed. Heim Barbecue’s locations in Fort Worth remain open. READ MORE HERE.

In his most recent column, J.C. Reid of the Houston Chronicle wonders if barbecue lines are becoming a thing of the past due to the pandemic. Barbecue lines have been popularized at joints like Franklin Barbecue in Austin and Snow’s BBQ in Lexington but only a handful of joints today can get people excited enough to wait for hours. READ MORE HERE.

If you would rather not cook on Thanksgiving, Kevin’s BBQ Joints has created a great list of BBQ joints in nearly every state that will be offering smoked turkey, sides, and more. More than 185 BBQ joints are featured on this comprehensive list. READ MORE HERE.

ADDITIONAL READS

Pho Cue, an Atlanta-area pop-up blending Vietnamese flavors and dishes with central Texas barbecue, opened a full-fledged restaurant this past Wednesday.

In Memphis last weekend, young adults from Georgia, Mississippi, and Tennessee competed in the first World Junior BBQ Championship started by pitmaster Melissa Cookston.

Speaking of Melissa Cookston, she will soon be opening the new BBQ Allstars barbecue store in Southaven, Mississippi.

The highly anticipated Holy Smokes BBQ Festival will merge three cooking styles in North Charleston this weekend.

Austin’s Micklethwait Meats will soon be opening a market and beer garden next to their barbecue trailer called Saddle Up.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Navin’s BBQ is a new barbecue destination worth checking out.

Citing COVID-19 pandemic, popular Columbia, SC barbecue restaurant Pot Smoker BBQ closed for good last week.

Prestonsburg, KY barbecue restaurant Pig in a Poke suffered a terrible fire this week.

New Tennessee-style barbecue restaurant Atwood Hwy BBQ Company will open in South Milwaukee this January.

Use the code BBQTOURIST10 to save 10% off your order of DennyMike's seasonings. Learn more about DennyMike's here.

our video of the week, Erica Blaire Roby learns about how Gatlin’s BBQ became one of the most acclaimed BBQ restaurants in Houston.—

WATCH

Gatlin's BBQ Is Building a Legacy as One of Houston's Best BBQ Joints — The Smoke Sheet

Pitmaster Erica Blaire Roby (otherwise known as Blue Smoke Blaire) was recently crowned Master of Cue on Season 2 of the Food Network show BBQ Brawl. In this episode of her new web series Behind the Pit, she visits with Greg Gatlin and Michelle Wallace of Gatlin's BBQ, one of Houston's most highly-acclaimed BBQ joints. They discuss their journey from the corporate world into the world of BBQ and how they are building a lasting legacy in their community. Special thanks to Conor Moran of On3Media for producing this video on behalf of The Smoke Sheet. WATCH HERE.

LISTEN

LaVaca BBQ — I Crush BBQ Show

In this episode, host Abe Delgado chats with one of Texas Monthly's newest Top 50 Joints, LaVaca BBQ in Port Lavaca, TX. LaVaca BBQ is a family-owned business that was built and is run by Lupe, Christine, and Kelly. Delgado recently had the pleasure of meeting these fine folks at BrettFest a couple of weeks ago and was blown away by the Smoked Tamales. Although they have enjoyed success, they're the new kids on the block and they are really enjoying all of the camaraderie that they've experienced since the release of the Top 50 list last month. Along their journey, they have figured out simpler and smarter ways to do business, in some cases out of necessity due to lack of resources. You're not going to want to miss this one. LISTEN HERE.

READ

Project Smoke — Steven Raichlen

Project Smoke is a complete, step-by-step guide to mastering the art and craft of smoking, plus 100 recipes — every one a game-changer — for smoked food that roars off your plate with flavor. Here’s how to choose the right smoker (or turn the grill you have into an effective smoking machine). Understand the different tools, fuels, and woods. Master all the essential techniques: hot-smoking, cold-smoking, rotisserie-smoking, even smoking with tea and hay — try it with fresh mozzarella. Here are recipes and full-color photos for dishes from Smoked Nachos, Chinatown Spare Ribs, Smoked Salmon, and Smoked Bacon-Bourbon Apple Crisp. ORDER HERE.

—This recipe for Zucchini Burnt Ends will impress even the most ardent carnivores. (Photo by Steven Randazzo)—

Zucchini “Burnt Ends” with Herb Butter and Lemon

By Steven Raichlen

Your first zucchini of the season delights, as does your second, but by the fourth or fifth, you wonder why so many people have planted so much of a vegetable that is mild (almost bland) in flavor, soft in texture, and moist to the point of being watery. Russ Faulk knows why. Russ is the head designer at Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet and, as such, is responsible for some of the most stylish grills on the planet. He has also devised one of the world’s most ingenious ways to grill zucchini. He slices it paper-thin on a mandoline (a necessary tool for this recipe unless you have mad knife skills), then accordions the slices on bamboo skewers. (This recipe was inspired by his stunning cookbook, Food + Fire.) This turns the notoriously limp vegetable into a series of crisp burnt edges. The result looks cool as all get out. Add a lemon herb butter, and you may just find yourself planting extra zucchini next summer.

—The KCBS World Invitational in November will be one of the last big competition barbecue events of the year.—

November 11-14, 2021: KCBS World Invitational — Shawnee, Oklahoma
The Kansas City Barbeque Society’s biggest event for the rest of the year is the third annual KCBS World Invitational Barbeque Competition in Shawnee, Oklahoma. The event will bring together top champion pitmasters to compete for the title of “KCBS World Champion.” This event has been elevated and made bigger, with three full days of contests and events. There will be both an open contest and a Master Series contest. Plus, backyard teams will be eligible to compete in the open against Master Series teams without impacting their Backyard status. MORE INFO HERE.

November 13, 2021: Holy Smokes: Lowcountry BBQ Festival — Charleston, South Carolina
The Holy Smokes BBQ Festival from Home Team BBQ, Swig & Swine, and Robert Moss will be held November 13 in Charleston. The big new event will include pitmasters from around the country including Chris Lilly of Big Bob Gibson BBQ, Patrick Feges and Erin Smith, Feges BBQ, Billy Durney of Hometown BBQ, Matt Horn of Horn Barbecue, and Rodney Scott of Rodney Scott’s BBQ. MORE INFO HERE.

November 20, 2021: Tex Mex BBQ Festival — San Antonio, Texas
This event will be full of the best food, education, and entertainment ever assembled in one spot. The menu will be masterminded by Miguel Vidal of Valentina’s Tex-Mex from Austin, Tx. The food will be executed by some of the most talented pitmasters, chefs, and cooks coming in from all over the nation. Mark your calendar for an amazing experience! MORE INFO HERE.

December 10-12, 2021: Jacksonville BBQ Fest — Jacksonville, Florida
The inaugural Jacksonville BBQ Fest is happening this December at TIAA Bank Field, home of the Jaguars. Don’t miss this chance to grab an ice-cold brew and sample pure smoked bliss from award-winning pitmasters from across the country. MORE INFO HERE.

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