In North Carolina it is understood that barbecue is a noun and represents pork proudly cooked on a smoker and served to a crowd. It is our state that created the debate, as well as divided a state, between vinegar-based and tomato-based sauce and established the pig pickin’ as the classic Southern get together that everyone hopes they’re lucky enough to get invited.
The Whole Hog Barbecue Series sponsored by the N.C. Pork Council elevates barbecue by placing pit masters in competition throughout a series of events held statewide each year. This year, the series kicked off in January at the Franklin County Partnering for the People event in Bunn and culminates in December with the Bill Gray Memorial Whole Hog Cook-Off in Deep Run.
In 2025, more than 40 barbecue competitions are scheduled. Cooks that place in the top three of one of the N.C. Pork Council’s sanctioned events are eligible to compete in the Whole Hog Barbecue Championship Cook Off. This year’s championship was held at the N.C. State Fairgrounds in May.
Travis Stafford has competed in the Whole Hog Barbecue Series for 15 years, winning the state championship title for 2024. Stafford has been a master judge for the last four years. He is one of seven master barbecue judges in the state.
“Since about 2015 we have really seen the level of competition in North Carolina grow,” said Stafford. “Cook teams, along with younger cooks, have really raised the bar in competition. You have to be on your game to win since sometimes only a few points separate the top contenders.”
Barbecue is judged based on color, skin crispiness, moisture, taste and sauce. A scoresheet provides a point scoring system for each judging category. “No two judges will judge the same,’ said Stafford. “There are low scoring judges and high scoring judges.” It is a process to become a master judge, one that starts with an interested individual willing to shadow another master judge, complete interviews with cook teams, and being recommended for judging by other master judges in the state.
“When a judge comes to a cook site, the first thing he is going to ask about is any discrepancies with the pig,” said Stafford. “Were there any bad spots or gouges or a broken back bone on the pig. The cook will typically take photos of any problems precooking to show the judges.”
You will often hear the judges call out the temperature of the pig. The cook should have at least two, sometimes four, meat thermometers in the shoulder and ham of the hog.
The judges will look at the appearance of the pig, turning it over to observe both sides. “The judges are looking at every aspect of the pig,” said Stafford. “If there is anything that takes away from the appeal like unnecessary cutting from trimming the pig or foreign objects, such as tin foil, left on the pig.”
The NC Pork Council has a color guide to provide guidance for the proper color for a pig. For natural source heat, a pig should range from golden brown to mahogany and for gas heat the pig should be a lighter golden brown.
Skin crispiness, moisture, taste and sauce account for the largest portion of a team’s scoresheet in the competition. The judges are looking for skin that is the proper crispy texture and meat that is moist and tender throughout, not dry or tough. “I can look at a pig and tell how it has cooked,” said Stafford. “I can tell if a cook got behind in the cooking process and had to turn the heat up at some point to catch up. It creates changes to the skin and color.”
Cooks are not allowed to use any seasonings or inject anything into the meat during the cooking process. Only salt and baking soda can be used. The baking soda helps in the cook process by keeping the meat from turning dark.
“When judging the meat, I prefer it to have the clean, natural taste of pork where the cooking process has advanced the flavor,” said Stafford. “Judges will take two bites, one with sauce and one without. This means your sauce needs to be memorable as well and stick to the bite of meat. The best sauces are usually middle of the road for spice, vinegar based with a little sweet and a little heat.”
Sauce can be very important for a team. In some cases, it can be used as a tie breaker for two teams that score the same in competition.
Winning a barbecue competition doesn’t just bring bragging rights, it also brings prize money. While the average prize money varies per competition, some like Smoke on the Water in Washington award $2,500 for grand prize, with an additional $2,500 if you cook over natural source.
“Cookers do it for the love of barbecue,” said Stafford. “It is an expensive hobby as many of the teams have custom cookers that sell for $15,000 and up.”
Stafford, who lives in Greene County, works full time in industrial maintenance and is a certified welder, built his own cooker that he won the state championship on in 2024. “I have also built cookers for a few others on the circuit,” said Stafford, “including one competitor in a wheelchair that needed an accessible cooker.”
Nearly all the competitions on the N.C. Whole Hog Barbecue Competition circuit allow the public to sample the entries. It is a great way to determine how good you would be at judging what makes a winner when cooking a pig. More information on North Carolina’s Whole Hog Barbecue Series and a complete schedule of events can be found online at www.wholehogbarbecue.com.