BBQ cook-off a big hit

While most people in Warren and Halifax Counties were beginning the last long weekend of the summer a group of cookers arrived in Littleton to compete in the 5th Annual Littleton Lions Club BBQ cook-off.  

One of those competing said the different sauces the cooks use depends in large part upon where the person is from.

In this region, a diner will find barbecue is often made with a vinegar and pepper based sauce, while in the western part of North Carolina you’ll find a red sauce with a tomato base, and in South Carolina the sauce is often mustard-based.

While to many people pig cook-offs may just look like a way to get good food, these men and in some cases their wives and daughters enjoy the comraderie and competition which comes with their hobby. These men put a lot of time into the taste, and the presentation of the pig to the judges and the showmanship of their team. 

Showmanship was the first category judged. These teams put a lot of effort in their showmanship entries. There were waving flags (playing patriotic songs), two little pigs in a hammock, God Bless America in neon lights, pigs attached to the cookers who shot flames from their nose and eyes, pigs eating, sleeping and dancing. 

Everywhere you looked there were porcelain, glass, clay, stuffed or wooden pigs.  Dishes, napkins and napkin rings, glasses, silverware, salt and pepper shakers, all with the picture or in the shape of a pig. 

To gain a full appreciation of what it is like, one has to attend a cook-off or two to see the presentation of the pigs and the cooking area.

Most of the teams competing in Littleton on Saturday were familiar with each other from previous competitions covering areas in South Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland.  Teams help each other to set up their areas, give tips on cooking (sauces, however, are kept top secret), decorating for judging and showmanship and in general act as good neighbors. 

Some of the teams competing this year included:

• Charles Chestnut and “The Three Little Pigs” team which hails from Murfreesboro. Charles likes the fellowship and being a part of fund raising for a bigger cause. His showmanship entry had pigs singing, dancing, and sleeping.

• Joe Peterson and Down Home Cookers of Roanoke Rapids, compete all over the state. This team was started in 1994 and in 2003 they won the Barbecue Cook Off State Championship for North Carolina. More recently the Down Home Cookers Team won the Lake Gaston Chamber of Commerce’s Fifteenth Annual Battle of the Barbecue for the first time over the July 4 weekend.  Joe’s barbecue sauce is well known and sold throughout the state.

• Leslie Deaton Sr., and his Carolina Cookers team out of Roanoke Rapids were also on hand Saturday. They compete all over the state since their start in 1998 and have won many competitions. Their showmanship included the pigs with flames coming out of their nose and eyes.

Judges for the culinary, or taste, portion of the competition are provided by NC Pork Producers Association.

At Saturday’s festival in Littleton, the winners in both categories were crowned.

In the showmanship category, they were:

• First place: Earl Fowler, of Halifax;

• Second place: Thomas Lindsay, from Rocky Point;

The culinary winners were:

• First place: Charles Chestnut, of Murfreesboro;

• Second place: Leslie Deaton, of Roanoke Rapids;

• Third place: Joe Peterson, of Roanoke Rapids;

• Fourth Place:  Danny Clapton, of Roanoke Rapids

Pigs were provided by the Littleton Lions Club and at the end of the competition the pigs are returned fully cooked for sale in sandwiches and plates at the Littleton Lake Gaston Festival.

The cook off and festival are sponsored by the Littleton Lions Club.