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Two-hundred and fifty teams converged on Memphis, Tennessee’s Tom Lee Park on May 13, armed and ready to show off what it takes to be a world champion pit master at what is considered “The Super Bowl of Swine.”
The park, situated on the bank of the Mississippi River, served as the backdrop for 2015 Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest and Ocean Springs, Miss.-based The Shed BBQ team was determined to get noticed in a crowd of experts from across the country.
Among the team members was Big Mike’s BBQ Smokehouse owner Mike Lewis, a first-timer to the competition but certainly prepared for the challenge with nearly 22 years’ experience behind the grill and eight years experience as a business owner.
Lewis’ beloved Houma eatery has done business with the Mississippi restaurant for years and Lewis and a handful of other experts in the business from as far west as California came together to create a barbecue team that would ultimately walk away with the title of Grand Champion.
Festivities for the 37-year competition began on May 13 with a friends and family day, followed by a host of other events to keep crowds entertained. The contest has become one of the three biggest barbecue competitions in the nation and for The Shed BBQ Team, it became an ideal platform to show off their curated culinary skills.
“It’s a big event,” Lewis said. “By Thursday, it was everybody with their nose to the grindstone to make sure that we prepared the food well for the competition.”
After countless hours perfecting the ideal bite, submissions were packed into styrofoam boxes and presented for blind-box judging. Submissions, which can ring up a hefty tab, making it a huge investment for each team, were then rated on everything from appearance to tenderness.
“It’s a lot of work,” Lewis explained. “It costs a lot of money, too. Typically, the guys that are out there get sponsorships because just a hog alone could cost you $1,000 to $1,500. We had three of them because often, when you cook in a barbecue competition, you want to cook multiple items of the same item so that you can pick the best of the three or four that you cook. You could overcook one and if you only have one, you’re probably not going to win. Your chances are much better if you cook multiple items.”
Those selected by the restaurant, which is constructed from owner Brad Orrison’s dumpster-diving treasures, worked to put their own spin on everything from shrimp to chicken wings, but it was the team’s 247-pound whole hog, cooked overnight for maximum flavor, that reigned supreme. The succulent selection garnered a first-place win in the individual category and also earned the team enough points to sweep the competition.
“It felt awesome to work with a group of guys that all have the same goal and have the same passion about barbecue that I have,” Lewis said of the experience. “Being in the barbecue business is like a special club. If you do well in it and you stay in it long enough, you get to meet people who have done things that maybe you aspire to do. They may have been in it longer than you and being in that club kind of helps you get better at what you do.”
Back at home, Lewis and his staff are now setting their sights on the next challenge: the Bayou Country Barbecue Cook-Off set to take over the Houma Airbase on Aug. 21-22. With each competition, Lewis continues to hone his skills and looks forward to make an appearance at many Memphis cooking contests to come.
“Of course we won, so I’m officially on the team,” he laughed. “Unless something takes me away from it, I’ll be at every Memphis in May with The Shed team.”
Big Mike’s Barbecue Smokehouse owner and The Shed BBQ Team member Mike Lewis prepares for the Memphis in May World Championship Cooking Contest at Tom Lee Park in Memphis, Tenn.
