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'Bama Jammin' Barbeque

products. STAFF photo ROBERT BURKE / Tampa Tribune

Jason Levine drove from Oralndo to Plant City's fifth annual Pig Jam and eat ribs. He was among the thousands who saw 81 teams from around the state and country smoked, cooked, or baked their favorite BBQ recipes for winnings as sampled.

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By PAUL CATALA, Tribune correspondent

Published: November 24, 2007

Updated: 11/21/2007 08:13 pm

Additional Photos

PLANT CITY - There was no talking, not much eye-to-eye contact and little smiling.

There was, however, plenty of expert smelling, crafted chewing and keen senses of taste - plus, a lot of napkins.

Although it was a fun, festive, lively atmosphere outside, there was serious work going on underneath the judging tent at the fifth annual Plant City Pig Jam State BBQ Championship.

A record 81 barbecue teams from across the United States, including 54 professionally sponsored teams, brought their smokin' best to the festival Nov. 17 at the Randy L. Larson Softball Four-Plex.

Forget about the mass-produced bottles of Kraft barbecue, or even what chain stores consider "specialty" sauces. At the Pig Jam, each team had what it considered the golden touch for its recipes.

"I give mine a little extra tender love and care, and I'm picky about the meat and how it's trimmed," said Rob "Rub" Bagby of Swamp Boys Championship BBQ Team from Winter Haven. "They all have theirs, but this is Florida Cracker-style - absolutely the best."

Throughout the day, to find out who did, in fact, have the best barbecue, 90 judges with Kansas City Barbeque Society certifications graded the contestants' fare. Divided into chicken, ribs, pork, brisket and sausage categories, they were graded from 1 to 9 on appearance, taste and tenderness. Each was smothered in various styles of barbecue, with each Southern style a little different, from mustard-based sauces, to vinegar-based, to brown sugar mixtures.

Considered the international authority for professional barbecue, the Kansas City Barbeque Society is a nonprofit organization that promotes barbecue and is the world's largest organization for barbecuing, with more than 8,000 members worldwide.

By the day's end, barbecue society judges proclaimed Ed Magnusson of EJ's Bar-B-Que team of Madison, Ala., as having the best heated meat, awarding the Pig Jam overall Grand Champion honors and a $3,000 prize. Behind him, Johnny Trigg of Smokin' Triggers, of Alvarado, Texas, won Reserve Champion and $2,000.

In total, $15,000 in prizes were given out in individual categories, such as appearance and taste.

"When you get here, it's surprising to see how serious they really are about this thing," said Chris Sparkman, a Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce board member and Pig Jam coordinator. "It's a big deal to these people."

Outside, on the festival midway, about 11,000 visitors made their way through enticing aromas and mouth-watering displays of some of the country's finest barbecue. With colorful names and set ups, each team cooked on-site, many of them displaying awards they had racked up over the years.

For instance, there was Tampas Pigilicious BBQ team, whose motto, "Haulin' Pig Butts," adorned the team's mobile cooker, and down from them, a painted boar's head with crossbones behind it greeted guests to Arcadia's "Skin n' Bone" booth.

However, the intimidating Skin n' Bone sign prompted the Evans family of Orlando to step up.

With his wife, Maria, and four children - Rhea, 12, Miyetta, 6, Shyann, 5 and Kahlil, 2 - next to him, Vince Evans said he went to the Pig Jam to pick up some ideas.

A backyard barbecuer, Evans said he was contemplating opening a barbecue business. He was there hoping to gather some inside secrets.

"I like the chipotle sauces, sweet but spicy," he said. "I'm here just to observe, taste and see what everyone else is doing," he said.

The whole day was preserved for posterity by BBQ-TV, a syndicated TV show. Marc Farris, BBQ-TV producer and president of MBF Productions, of Decatur, Ga., said the show, including footage from the Pig Jam, is broadcast at www.youtube.com and can be found by searching "bbqtv."

The Pig Jam was founded after chamber members Mark Poppell and Fred Williams attended a similar event in Georgia. The chamber-sponsored Pig Jam includes entertainment, games for children and, of course, barbecue. It attracts thousands of people each year to the four-plex next to Plant City Stadium.

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