Let the barbecue wars begin! Memphis will play host to not one, but two (!!), barbecue competitions in May — on the same weekend. Our May barbecue newsletter series will preview both the new SmokeSlam BBQ Festival and the longtime Memphis in May Barbecue Cooking Contest. Plus, we’ll share a guide to Memphis barbecue restaurants and recipes you can make at home.

Smoke will still be on the water this year, even if Memphis in May International Festival won’t. The folks behind the annual Mempho Music Festival are getting into the barbecue business this year with the inaugural SmokeSlam BBQ Festival in Tom Lee Park. 

It’s planned for May 16-18 in the riverfront park. The three-day festival will be open Thursday through Saturday from 2-11 p.m. each day. Here’s what else you need to know before you go.

SmokeSlam will take place at Tom Lee Park from May 16-18. (Ziggy Mack/Special to The Daily Memphian file)

What’s cooking? SmokeSlam is, first and foremost, a barbecue cooking competition, and 59 teams will compete for $250,000 in prize money, which the fest’s organizers say is the biggest purse in barbecue contest history.

The teams, a combination of local participants and barbecue chefs from 11 states, will compete in SmokeSlam’s three categories: whole hog, ribs and pulled pork. The Memphis BBQ Network will handle the judging, and in addition to prize money, winners are eligible for a “golden ticket” to the World Food Championships in the fall. The award ceremony on Saturday night will be hosted by Michelle Buteau, host of Netflix’s “BBQ Showdown.” 

General admission tickets to SmokeSlam come with barbecue samples from the B&B Charcoal live fire demo area. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)

How to eat barbecue: Just like with the annual Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest (which will be happening concurrently in Liberty Park), you must know someone on a barbecue team to sample their ’cue. But the organizers say you’ll find plenty to eat without any personal connections. 

General admission tickets to the overall festival include samples from The B&B Charcoal: Live Fire Extravaganza, a demo area where barbecue pros, such as Al Frugroni of Open Fire Cooking and John Lindsey of All Q’ed Up, will be cooking everything from salmon and pork to steak and desserts throughout the weekend. Those tickets will run you $24.99 for one-day or $65 for a three-day pass. “We’ll also have food vendors selling some great Memphis-based barbecue. I’ll be honest with you: You’re going to be stuffed,” said organizer Melzie Wilson of SmokeSlam.

St. Paul and The Broken Bones, seen here at the Bourbon and Beyond Music Festival in 2022, will headline the SmokeSlam barbecue contest. (Amy Harris/Invision/AP file)

What to do once you’re stuffed: If Wilson is right, it sounds like you’ll need some activities to keep you busy while your food settles. But SmokeSlam is more than a food fest. “We’ll have a great music lineup where people can go and chill out on the lawn and enjoy the music,” said Wilson. Thursday brings a “Mixtape” night with vintage rappers Tone Loc, Rob Base, Young MC, DJ M. Walk and Mustache the Band, plus a performance by local act Noisy Cats are We. Friday’s lineup will be headlined by “Low Rider” funk band War, with opening shows by Memphis’ The Bar-Kays and Hope Clayburn’s Soul Scrimmage. And on Saturday, Birmingham-based soul band St. Paul and the Broken Bones will close out the fest. 

There are also two retail areas. The National Barbecue & Grilling Association BBQ Bazaar will feature products endorsed by celebrity chefs, and you can catch Q&As and demos there from barbecue influencers like Thyron Matthews, Melissa Cookston and others. The Smokeslam Market will offer barbecue products from local businesses, such as Memphis Flavor. And if music and shopping aren’t enough, there will also be a Ferris wheel, a carousel, arcade games and pickleball.

Melissa Cookston’s World Junior BBQ League will host a competition for kids during SmokeSlam. (Brad Vest/The Daily Memphian file)

For the children: Bringing your kids? The fest will be family-friendly with a barbecue boot camp for teens ages 14 to 18. And there will be a World Junior BBQ League competition where junior chefs will compete for $25,000 in prize money. The junior league was founded by Cookston, aka the “winningest woman in barbecue,” (She won the whole hog division at Memphis in May five times and was grand champion twice.)

Where to park: There is no designated parking for SmokeSlam. But you can find plenty of garages and street parking Downtown. See a map of Premium Parking options and other parking areas. Do expect to pay more for parking during these festivals — or any sporting event or big concert — especially if you’re closer to the venue.

A map of the SmokeSlam barbecue festival. (Courtesy SmokeSlam)

Premium Parking street spaces may be free after certain times every night, though times vary depending on where you park, so you may luck into a zero-cost parallel parking spot just a few blocks from Tom Lee Park.

Parking pro tip: Downloading an app like Premium Parking or ParkMobile, adding your credit card and loading in your vehicle info before you head out to the festival will help save you time when you’re leaving the garage.

Finally, there are always ride share apps like Uber and Lyft if you don’t want to bother with parking or may be imbibing while at the event. With parking fees hitting $20-$40 during events, it might be worth the cost.

Because you deserve it … you might consider treating yourself to a VIP ticket. For $240 for one day or $599 for all three days, you’ll get access to a lounge with free Wi-Fi, air-conditioned restrooms, a cash bar, free water stations and exclusive barbecue treats from B&B Charcoal and famed Open Fire pit master Al Frugoni.

And speaking of pit masters, a Pitmaster Pass can be added onto your VIP ticket for $125, and that will allow you to mingle with select barbecue teams, watch in-tent judging and sample some of their barbecue. The pass also includes meet-and-greets with celebrity chefs and pit masters. Limited quantities of the Pitmaster Pass are available.

Editor’s note: Kevin McEniry — a member of the board of Memphis Fourth Estate, the nonprofit that owns and operates The Daily Memphian — is founder and master producer of the Mempho Festival and Mempho Presents.

.....