Pro Competition
The 2008 Hog Happenin' BBQ Cook-Off Winners:
Professional Grand Champion: Cool Smoke (Richmond, VA)
Professional Reserve Grand Champion: B.S. Pitmeisters (Boiling Springs, SC)
Professional Chicken
1st Place--Cool Smoke (Richmond, VA)
2nd Place--Chef Herb Productions/Mac's (Fort Mill, SC)
3rd Place--B.S Pitmeisters (Boiling Springs, SC)
4th Place--B4 BBQ (Tryon, NC)
5th Place--Big Mo & The AHO BBQ'n Outlaws (Blowing Rock, NC)
Professional Pork Ribs
1st Place--Big E BBQ (Kings Mountain, NC)
2nd Place--Cool Smoke (Richmond, VA)
3rd Place--Good Ole boys Country BBQ (Lincolnton, NC)
4th Place--Rubba Butta Que (Granite Falls, NC)
5th Place--Smoke This (Hickory, NC)
Professional Pork
1st Place--Cool Smoke (Richmond, VA)
2nd Place--B.S. Pitmeisters (Boiling Springs, SC)
3rd Place--Bubba & Son (Shelby, NC)
4th Place--ME BBQ (Grover, NC)
5th Place--Old School BBQ (Hickory, NC)
Professional Brisket
1st Place--Cool Smoke (Richmond, VA)
2nd Place--Tarheel Smokers (Hertford, NC)
3rd Place--B.S. Pitmeisters (Boiling Springs, SC)
4th Place--Bubba & Son (Shelby, NC)
5th Place--Catchafire for Q (Fort Mill, SC)
AnythingButt
1st Place--M.R. Biggins BBQ (Monroe, NC)
Dessert
1st Place--Bubba's Backyard BBQ (Alexis, NC)
In its inaugural year the Hog Happenin' was named the Best Downtown Special Event in North Carolina by the North Carolina Department of Commerce and we've only gotten better with age!
In our eighth year, we're still a small competition providing lots of opportunities to win. We are a Kansas City Barbeque Society Sanctioned Event. We award plaques and prize money through 5th place in each category. This year we are awarding over $8,000 in prize money.
Awards
$1,000 Grand Champion
Free entry to the 2009 Hog Happenin'
$750 Reserve Grand Champion
$500 First Place Category Winners
$400 Second Place Category Winners
$300 Third Place Category Winners
$200 Fourth Place Category Winners
$100 Fifth Place Category Winners
Tailgate Challenge & Anything Butt Competitions
$100 1st Place Anything But--Meat Category
$100 1st Place Anything But--Dessert Category
Tailgate Challenge Grand Champion
Free entry to the 2009 Pro Competition
$100 1st Place Chicken/Amateur
$100 1st Place Pork Ribs/Amateur
$100 1st Place Pork/Amateur
$100 1st Place Beef Brisket/Amateur
Sanctioning & Rules
Our contest is sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbeque Society. We follow the Rules and Regulations as defined in the Cooks Handbook (KCBS Cooks Handbook/Contest Rules)
Entry Fee
Our entry fee is a modest $175 for early birds and $200 until the contest deadline Friday, May 16th. After the deadline the fee is $225 if space is available.
For a limited time, if you sign-up a cooking team (that has not participated in a past Hog Happenin') at the regular entry fee, your own entry fee is waived.
Pay securely online. (We must receive your application too.)
Cooking Spaces
We provide a 40X20 cooking space, electric and water hookup. Spaces are on asphalt around our tree lined courthouse square (A few new spaces are available on grass. Read on for more information)
New Extended Stay Sites
Our extended stay sites were a hit last year! They're a bit off the beaten path and on grass but they're only a little over 300 feet from the judging. Now you can come on Thursday or earlier and stay 'till Sunday or later. Call or email for Details!
Setup/Meat Inspections
Teams are able to begin set-up after 4pm on Friday. (except for vending teams which must be set-up by 12:00pm Friday and extended stay teams which can set up as early as Thursday and stay as late as Sunday) Our Contest is on Main Street and Courtsquare so we can't close the streets any sooner
Teams that arrive before 4pm are able to wait in our staging area in the parking lot of the Lincoln Campus of Gaston College on South Aspen Street in downtown Lincolnton.
Contest reps will be available starting at 1:00pm Friday in the college parking area for meat inspection if desired.
Registration
The BBQ Team Registration will be at Gaston College (S. Aspen Street Entrance--511 S Aspen St, Lincolnton, NC 28092 ) Registration starts at 2:00pm. A registration packet with contest information, cooking space number, schedule of events, map of the Hog Happenin' area, event pins and other giveaways will be provided.
Cooks' Meeting
The cooks meeting is at 6:00pm Friday in the lobby of the Citizens Center (115 West Main Street Lincolnton, NC 28092)
Judging
100% of the judges are KCBS certified. The judging area is in the lobby of the James W. Warren Citizens Center on West Main Street . The judging times are standard to KCBS competitions. Chicken 12:00pm; Pork Ribs 12:30; Pork 1:00pm; Brisket 1:30pm on Saturday. Juging for 'Anything Butt' is Friday at 8:00pm for meat and 8:30pm for dessert.
KCBS Representatives
Mickey and Sybil Williams
Award Presentations
Winners are announced at 4:00 pm Saturday on the National Guard Eating Tent Stage
KCBS Cooks Handbook/Contest Rules
