BBQ Pitmasters on TLC: Episode 07

Big Pig Jig

The seventh episode was filmed in Vienna, Georgia (pronounced Vi-Anna) for the Big Pig Jig. 128 teams will compete for a huge pot of over $12,000. This is a Memphis Barbecue Network event, so whole hog is one of the main categories, and there will not be blind judging. Neither brisket or Harry Soo make an appearance on this episode.

Tuffy seeks some assistance for the whole hog category from a friend who's a hog expert. He suggests not to wrap the meat, which is popular for competition hog. There's plenty of gratuitous raw pig shots, so the butchers will like this.

Myron's in his own backyard, so he's feeling good about his chances (go figure). He also gets invited to the hog kissing the night before the competition where he gets a mouthful of hog manure.

Jamie Geer, the founder of Jambo Pits gets plenty of time to plug his product, and many of the contestants peak the praises as well. Tuffy on the other hand, bought a new hog cooker from Jack's Old South, so he's cooking with the competitor's equipment. Once he finally gets his pig in the smoker, I noticed that he had wrapped it in foil against the advice of his hog specialist friend.

Paul arrived to the contest late an unprepared with a fire extinguisher that's too small. He's also showing off his new fancy pit that Jamie Geer let him borrow.

Johnny Trigg opts not to compete in the whole hog category, but he makes up for with 15 slabs of ribs. He just wants to make sure he gets the best ribs in the most competitive category.

Come judging time, the contestants have to talk up their food, and Tuffy tries his best with a long-winded approach. Johnny improves his presentation method from the last MBN competition in Murphyboro, and it gets him into the finals for ribs, but he's going head to head with his buddy Jaime Geer. Johnny shows a nervous streak when he drops a rack of ribs on the ground in front of the finals judges, but he recovers quickly since he has so many extra racks.

In the end, Myron doesn't make it to the finals in his favorite category, whole hog, and Paul doesn't get last place in any category. Ribs come down to Johnny and Jaime, and Jaime takes first in his second MBN competition with Myron's recipe. Myron is the only other one with a call, and it's for sixth place in ribs.

The final episode will take us to Texas for Johnny Trigg's shootout.

- BBQ Snob