Pork meets poultry at Pig in the Park
By Joey Pitchford
Published in News on September 10, 2017 1:45 AM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Chris Sykes with Blue Pig BBQ prepares his barbecue pig for the Pig in the Park competition Saturday in downtown Goldsboro.
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Competitors cooked throughout the night Friday for Saturday's judging. Money raised during the event will benefit the Boys and Girl's Club of Wayne County.
The annual Pig in the Park barbecue competition took on a different look this year, but the competition was no less fierce.
Eleven teams took part in the competition, a fundraising event for the Goldsboro Boys and Girls Club. They split into two categories -- five in the North Carolina Pork Council category and six in the "Backyard" category. This year for the first time, Pig in the Park was part of the annual Beak Week festival, and each team also cooked a turkey to stay on theme.
In the NCPC division, there was a rare tie between two Goldsboro cooks for first place. Law Dawgs Cooking Company, with head cook Owen Jackson, exactly matched the score of Blue Pig BBQ and head cook Chris Sykes in all three categories -- taste, tenderness and appearance. Both were awarded first place.
First place in the backyard division went to Smokin Black Jack BBQ out of Pikeville, with head cook Ashley Wheeler.
Hogs Under the Hood took first prize in the turkey competition, with head cook Lynn Bryant hailing from, of all places, Turkey, N.C.
Boys and Girls Club executive director Mary Ann Dudley said that the competition had brought around $20,000 in sponsorship money, with more to come from barbecue sales. Dudley said her hope was to raise around $30,000, but she was pleased with how the event turned out. Becoming part of Beak Week was a help, she said.
"It has been excellent, the partnership with parks and recreation has been phenomenal," she said. "We asked to be a part of Beak Week this year, and they graciously accepted us."