Memphis in May adds some new 'cue to fest with junior pitmasters, steak competition & more
If the second day of the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest had a theme, it would be "New 'Cue."
The 2025 competition at Liberty Park featured several new additions including the Jr. Barbecue Cooking Contest and Steak Cookoff Competition.
On May 15, competitors worked to prove their skills in the first junior competition, including 10-year-old Miles O'Guin who said he started cooking when he was just 4 years old.
MEMPHIS IN MAY 2025: Body slams in BBQ sauce? Memphis in May kicks off 2025 contest with in-ring action
Fellow competitors, 13-year-old Rylee and her almost-10-year-old sister Dakoda Smith of Hempstead, Texas, are both already junior world champions. The pair submitted entries early in the day on May 15. Later in the afternoon, the sisters participated in a cooking demonstration at the Future Legends of Barbecue stage, during which they gave out samples of a perfectly cooked blue ribeye.
"We cook it hot and fast over charcoal to get the perfect cook," explained Dakoda, who said she has been cooking since she was 6.
Junior contestants competed in dessert, pork chop, chicken legs/thighs and ribeye steak categories.
But the junior pitmasters weren't the only contestants taking flame to steak. Adults competing in the inaugural steak competition turned in their submissions at 4:30 p.m. May 15, along with teams competing in the best sauce categories.
The Memphis in May barbecue contest runs through May 17.
Competition teams also gave away plenty of food to passers-by, unlike in years past when food was reserved for judges. Mexico BBQ Team gave away birria tacos along with a choice of salsa and toppings to anyone walking by their tent. The team is competing this year in the Shoulder and Sauce categories.
2025 Grand Champion Brad Orrison of The Shed BBQ found himself with extra ribeye, which his teammate Jeff Fritz dusted with his Chef Fritz seasoning, combined it with peppers and cheese, and sandwiched it between large, round, sesame-crusted bread sourced directly from New Orleans to make Philly steak muffulettas.
BEST BBQ TEAM NAMES: 10 of our favorites from Memphis in May and SmokeSlam
And 2025 World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest Tour Guide Rasheed Philips even made a friend who supplied him with a grill, charcoal and chicken thighs so he could scratch the itch to cook and not simply host the day's festivities.
"I've got a smoking addiction," Philips said, adding his to a growing number grill jokes floating around the competition grounds. "Smoke and fire are all I need."
Ellen Chamberlain is the food and dining reporter at The Commercial Appeal. Email her at Ellen.Chamberlain@commercialappeal.com and follow her on Instagram @esaidshesaid.
To keep up with the latest news from the Memphis food and dining scene, sign up here for our Eat Drink Memphis weekly newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis in May BBQ contest lets junior pitmasters show off skills
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