New Division for 2011

MBN NEWS ANNOUNCEMENT

MEMPHIS BBQ NETWORK WORKS TO CREATE A NEW DIVISION FOR 2011!

The MBN is exploring the start of a new tailgater style Division called the PICK-UP PORKERS. Although this division will not officially begin until 2011, we will be doing two trial contests this year.

The first new contest for this division will be a Pickup Porker only contest that will be held in conjunction with the Watermelon Carnival in Water Valley, MS on August 6^th & 7^th.

In late September we will be working with Covington, TN. “WORLDS OLDEST BBQ CONTEST” group to add this as a second division to their MBN contest, held Sept 30-Oct 2.

Below is a summary of what the new MBN PICK-UP PORKERS divisions would look like.

1. The Pickup Porkers would be a “starter” division within the framework of rules from the MBN.

2. The judging for this division will be blind and may include blind finals as designated by the contest.

3. The categories for this division have the possibility to be pork ribs, pulled pork, chicken or other entries. This will be designated by the contest.

4. Judges will be able to discuss judging aspects of the entries during judging, but scoring will still be an individual responsibility not a group activity.

5. Water or electricity normally would not be provided by the contest. Space normally will be limited to the size of two parking places.

6. This division is not intended as a replacement to backyard teams at contests but could be a division in addition to existing backyard teams.

7. Pickup Porker teams would be able to participate in ancillary (anything but) competitions.

8. Pickup Porker teams cooking surface would be limited to home charcoal or wood recreational cookers/ smokers. Trailer type commercial/ professional smokers are not allowed. If you have any questions please contact the contest organizer before entering this division.

9. A team of the year award would be determined by the team with the highest average score using scores from the team’s three highest scoring contests.

We will post further information regarding this new division through the end of the 2010 contest year.

Check out the PHOTOS from the 2010 Brenau BBQ Contest!

Judges Training Seminar...Become a BBQ JUDGE!!

Click HERE to see the current training seminar schedule.

Upcoming Events at a Glance

August 6 - 7, 2010 Watermelon Carnival & Pickup Porkers BBQ Cooking Contest Water Valley, MS This is a Pickup Porkers Event

August 7 - 8, 2010 Whole Hog BBQ & Music Festival N Haverhill, NH

August 20 - 21, 2010 Creed Summerfest BBQ Cook Off Southaven, MS

QUE BALL PHOTOS ARE UP!!

July 16 - 17, 2010 - Mississippi Barbecue Championship, Jackson MS

CONGRATS TO
BUBBA GRILLS!!!

Grand Champion of the
2^nd Annual MBN Championship!

WANT TO JOIN THE MBN OR RENEW MEMBERSHIP???

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To RENEW your membership online, just fill out the renewal application and pay using Paypal.

If you do not have a Paypal account OR wish to mail a check, print and fill out the downloadable renewal application and mail with your check to:

Memphis Barbecue Network
Membership Renewal
7636 Ivy Hollow Drive
Memphis TN 38133

If you are not currently a MBN member and would like to JOIN, or if you are a Memphis in May certified or trained judge and would like to become a MBN judge, please email Lori and I will be happy to help!

We thank all of the teams for the 2009 contest season. Congratulations to Jack's Old South as 2009 Team Of The Year.

Jack's Old South won TEAM OF THE YEAR and along the way they won Top Team in HOG, SHOULDER and RIB categories. An awesome achievement!!! Way to go!!!!

Welcome to the Memphis Barbecue Network...

The Memphis Barbecue Network (MBN) seeks to promote, educate and enhance the aspects of pork barbecue cooking and competition that define the unique style of Memphis barbecue.

The mission of the MBN is to ensure organization and support for new and existing contests; provide the contest network with knowledgeable and experienced judges; and maintain the integrity of judging procedures. Currently, there are MBN sanctioned contests throughout the country in more than 12 states, and each year over 500 different teams will compete in these cooking competitions.

The MBN holds judging classes and educational weekends, such as the yearly Que Ball event, generally slated during February each year. This specific weekend typically attracts 300+ barbecue aficionados and includes judging classes, a contest organizers’ meeting and the Que Ball, a celebration of the contest season and recognition to the top MBN teams.

The MBN’s Invitational Championship

The MBN holds it’s Invitational Championship each year for teams that meet qualifying standards during the contest year.

Following the strict guidelines of Memphis-style barbecue contests, the Invitational Championship will be judged according to MBN rules with both on-site and blind tastings and feature the barbecue categories: Whole Hog, Rib, and Shoulder. This particular judging style is exclusive to Memphis type barbeque events and allows an all-encompassing view of the team’s submissions. MBN judges have the opportunity to sit face to face with some of the best BBQ cooks and teams on the planet and see and learn how these Championship teams operate.