Memphis in May: Meet the winners of the 2023 World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest
After days of cooking, winners of the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest were announced during a ceremony Saturday at Tom Lee Park in Downtown Memphis.
Ribdiculous Bar-B-Krew earned the coveted title of Grand Champion.
“We did it!” team captain Shane McBride said.
McBride said the team is “from all over the place — New York City, Austin, Birmingham, Charleston.”
The common denominator is that the team members used to work together in New York City. “This is our family reunion,” he said.
McBride said their secret weapon this year was pitmaster John David Wheeler of former team Natural Born Grillers and his son, John Dalton Wheeler.
Ribdiculous Bar-B-Krew competed in the Memphis in May contest for the first time in 2008.
The team's win marks the first time in 21 years that a Rib team has won Grand Champion.
Here is a look at all of this year's barbecue contest winners.
Memphis BBQ: Skip the ribs and pulled pork: 5 unique Memphis barbecue dishes you need to try
Grand Champion
Ribdiculous Bar-B-Krew
Whole Hog
Hometown BBQ
Barbeque Republic
Blues Hog
Rusty’s Smoke BBQ
Yazoo’s Delta Q
Boars Night Out
Come and Eat It
Bubba Grill
Hog Addiction
Ubons
Ribs
Ribdiculous Bar-B-Krew
Team Best Damn BBQ Sauce
Too Sauced To Pork
Swinefeld
Slabs A Smokin’
Porkin’ The Park
Russell’s Dam Good BBQ
Burnt Finger BBQ
Heath Riles BBQ
Ribbed For Your Pleasure
Shoulder
Sweet Cheeks
The People's Republic of Swina
Moe Cason BBQ
Smoked N’ Spiced
My Swine Championship BBQ Team
Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q
Shine & Swine
Cadillac Grills
Prescott Porkers
Lillie’s Q
Kingford Tour of Champions
Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q
Swine & Dine
The Shed BBQ Has Gone Loco
WCBCC 2023: Tacos at Memphis in May? Meet the crowd favorite Mexico BBQ Team
Green Grilling Award
Sweet Cheeks
Best Turkey Smoke
Auto Be Grillin
Smoke Masters
Team Best Damn BBQ Sauce
Al Frugoni Openfire
The Peoples Republic of Swina
The Pig Diamonds
Blues Hog
Wolf's Revenge BBQ
Meat Drink and Be Merry
Robinson Smokehouse
Best Wings
Russell's Dam Good BBQ
Wolf's Revenge BBQ
Nutts N' Butts
Sweet Swine O'Mine
Smokin with an Attitude
Hog Addiction
Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q
Team Waterdog
Hog Wild Competition Team
Heath Riles BBQ
Beef
Nutts N' Butts
Come and Eat It
Pure Pleasure Porkers
Blues Hog
The Usual Saucepects
Heath Riles BBQ
Bluff City Smokers
Smoked N Spiced
New Wing Order
The Hogfather
Best Poultry
Team Best Damn BBQ Sauce
Redneck BBQ Express
Blues Hog
Shoats and Skins
Pigs in Gin
Page's Pig Pen
Moe Cason BBQ
TippyQ
Swinos
Ribbed for Your Pleasure
From John Beifuss: A day at the Memphis in May barbecue contest: the Pink, the Pork, the Presley
Best Seafood
Annesdale Pork
Burnt Finger BBQ
Killer Hogs
Smoke Masters
Wolf's Revenge BBQ
JonesyQ
Al Frugoni Openfire
New Wing Order
Smokin with an Attitude
Southern Hoggers BBQ Co.
Best Exotic
The Norwegian National Barbeque Team
The Pig Diamonds
Party Q
Planet Barbeque, Inc.
Nutts N' Butts
Page's Pig Pen
Smoke BBQ Team
Fat Side Up
Crosstown Neighborhood BBQ Cooking Team
Bubba Grill
Best Tomato Sauce
Ribbed for Your Pleasure
JonesyQ
The Beef N The Chicken
Dirty Old Basters
Lillie's Q
Boardellos
Hog Express
British Bulldog BBQ
Barbeque Republic
Team Waterdog
Best Mustard Sauce
Shoats and Skins
Pigs in Gin
Riberty
Page's Pig Pen
Brown Chicken Brown Cow
Lillie's Q
Crosstown Neighborhood BBQ Cooking Team
No Name Smokers
Boar's Night Out
Barbeque Republic
Preserve the Pit: Memphis pitmaster part of program to invest in future of Black barbecue culture
Best Vinegar Sauce
Auto Be Grillin
Smokin with an Attitude
Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q
Sow Luau
M&W Smokers
Bluff City Smokers
Sweet Swine O'Mine
Hometown BBQ
Mexico BBQ Team
Hog Addiction
Barbecue contest: 'It’s not Memphis in May unless it's here': BBQ teams celebrate return to the river
Best Booth
Love Meat Tender
All Star Ten Pin Porkers
Bluff City Smokers
Shavano Valley Ranch Smokers
Willingham's
The Shed BBQ Has Gone Loco
Sweet Cheeks
Dirty Old Basters
Best T-Shirt
Love Meat Tender
Aporkalypse Now
The Pig Diamonds
Boardellos
Sweet Cheeks
Shavano Valley Ranch Smokers
Don't Stop Porkin'
M&W Smokers
I Only Smoke When I Drink
Bluff City Smokers
Ms. Piggie Idol
Pigs Gone Wild
Swinos
Swine & Dine
Grill and Grind
Mississippi Meat Mafia
Jennifer Chandler is the Food & Dining reporter at The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at [email protected] and you can follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @cookwjennifer.
If you want to keep up with the tastiest news in the Bluff City — like the story above, sign up for our Eat Drink Memphis weekly newsletter for a hearty serving of stories on everything from restaurants to recipes. You can sign up here.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis in May barbecue contest: Here are the winners from WCBCC 2023
