5 Sizzlin' BBQ Events in Early 2024

These five festivals and competitions are a great fit for both barbecue lovers and pro cookers.

If you love barbecue, one of the best ways to experience it is at events. At festivals and competitions, you can see some of the greatest chefs and pitmasters at work and often try some of their smoked meats. It’s fun to brush shoulders with some of the biggest names in the game, and maybe they’ll even give you tips on improving your craft (if you smoke or grill).

We try to keep track of the biggest and most interesting events in the barbecue world, so be sure to check out our events calendar. Also, let us know if you have an awesome event and it’s not listed there!

Without further adieu, now’s a good time to mark your calendars for these five events in the first half of 2024.

Saturday, March 9, 2024: Iowa BBQ Bash in Ottumwa, Iowa

The Iowa BBQ Store opened its doors on January 1, 2020, but the timing (as you all know) turned out poorly, with the world shutting down shortly thereafter. The business had a goal of hosting a BBQ Bash back then, so it’s making up for lost time with a huge Inaugural BBQ Bash featuring several top names in BBQ, including Darren Warth, Sterling Smith, Brad Leighninger, and Robert Jacob Lerma.

Sunday, April 14, 2024: 11th Annual Houston Barbecue Festival in Humble, Texas

This annual bash brings together many of the best barbecue joints from the Houston area and beyond. Some of the best joints in the area are back in 2024, as well as several new and up-and-coming places that will be making their first festival appearance. The lineup includes Bar-A-BBQ, Blood Bros BBQ, Brett’s BBQ Shop, Brotherton's Black Iron Barbecue, Feges BBQ, Harlem Road Texas BBQ, Kimchi Smoke, Mimsy's Craft Barbecue, Reveille Barbecue Co, Roegels Barbecue Co., Truth BBQ, and more. We expect this will be a blast, and if you live anywhere near it, you should go.

Wednesday, April 17, 2024: 13th Annual Brisket NYC in Queens, New York

Get ready for the 13th smoking hot Brisket King NYC at Pig Beach BBQ in Queens. This event shows off some of the best barbecue talent in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. As you can read from previous write-ups, this is an exceptionally fun event where you can try incredible brisket dishes while also sampling craft beer, hard cider, wine, and spirits. (And come say hi to Sean if you attend!)

May 15-18, 2024: Memphis in May Championship Barbecue Contest in Memphis, Tennessee

This year is going to be a weird one in Memphis. An upstart barbecue contest is scheduled at the same time as the famed Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest. (More on that below.) Regardless, Memphis in May continues to be one of the most prestigious barbecue contests in the country, attracting top teams and barbecue fans from all over the U.S. Teams will compete for more than $150,000 in prize money, and the event will be held again at Liberty Park after trouble at Tom Lee Park. Fans should expect a fun time, but going to both major events might be fun.

May 16-18, 2024: SmokeSlam: The World’s Ultimate BBQ Showdown in Memphis, Tennessee

Directly challenging Memphis in May in the most aggressive way possible is the new upstart event SmokeSlam. This competition is being held in Tom Lee Park, former home of Memphis in May, and it is putting up a purse of $250,000, the largest in pork BBQ competition history. The money will certainly attract some talented teams, despite the bigger event being held across town. SmokeSlam will be a Memphis BBQ Network-sanctioned event, with teams competing in all three major categories. Category winners are also eligible for a ‘Golden Ticket’ to compete in the World Food Championships in the fall. There are many question marks if this event will be a success or a trainwreck, but either way, there will be quite a story happening in Memphis that weekend.

Sean Ludwig
Co-Founder, The Smoke Sheet