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WE SAW YOU: SmokeSlam and the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest

Both barbecue contests, held on the same weekend, celebrate their successes.

Ben Colar, Denzel Alexander, and Michael Butler Jr. at SmokeSlam

Two barbecue contests held at the same time in the same city.

Only in Memphis. Right?

Ryan Marsh and Elizabeth Sullivan at World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest
Nick Black at World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest
John Montgomery and Carol Coletta at SmokeSlam

Fifty-seven teams participated in the inaugural SmokeSlam in Tom Lee Park, May 16th through 18th. And 16,697 people (not counting teams) attended, says Lindsay Stevens, public relations for SmokeSlam.“We were just overwhelmed with the positivity we had from so many people,” she says. “I don’t think we could have been happier with the outcome.”

Mia Townsend and Abby Neal at SmokeSlam
Colin Ross, John McArthur, Cannon Smith, and Clark Schifani at World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest
Dudley Knowlton, Trenten McCarty, and Drew Ybos at SmokeSlam

The 46th edition of the Memphis in May (MIM) World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest, held May 15th through May 18th in Liberty Park, also was a success, says Randy Blevins with MIM. He had no estimate yet about attendance, but a total of 129 competition cooking teams from 22 states and four foreign countries took part. “Yet again during the third weekend in May, the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest became the biggest backyard in Memphis right in the heart of the city at Liberty Park,” Blevins says.

Both competitions are slated to return to their same locations in 2025.

By Michael Donahue

Michael Donahue began his career in 1975 at the now-defunct Memphis Press-Scimitar and moved to The Commercial Appeal in 1984, where he wrote about food and dining, music, and covered social events until early 2017, when he joined Contemporary Media.