The Big Pig Jig (official name Slosheye Trail Big Pig Jig) was created in Southern Georgia in a small town called Vienna, Georgia. A small group of self-proclaimed pig cookers decided to start a barbecue competition in their hometown of Marietta, Georgia in 1982. Their idea was to mix a barbecue competition with an arts and crafts fair into one big event. It was named the "Big Pig Jig", because the main type of meat that was cooked was pork. After the competition was over, the competitors packed their supplies, and went home. Soon after, the men bought some land by I-75 on Highway 215 in Vienna, and began building from the ground up. In 1999, it was recognized as one of the top five hundred in America’s Top Festivals. Starting off with just twenty teams in 1982, it now has over one hundred competing for the top prize. Each team is allowed to cook with any type of wood or charcoal that they can provide, and electricity or gas can ONLY be used to start the fire. Once the fire is started, only wood or charcoal can be used to cook the meat. All preparation of the meat must be done during the competition. Any team using meat in which was pre-prepared will be eliminated. The only thing that the teams are all provided with is a 20 x 20 cooking area and access to water. All other equipment and necessities are provided by the team. Judging starts at 10:00 a.m. the first morning of the Pig Jig. Judges first try the team’s whole hog. Starting at 11:30, Judges then go around sampling the team’s shoulder meat. Finally, at 1:00 the ribs are tested by all of the judges for deliberation. The judges have all day to tally up the votes for the winners and at about 9:00 that night, the winner is announced on the main stage to everyone. The winning team of each category gets an additional two thousand dollars plus paid entry to the Memphis in May Cook-off in Memphis, Tennessee.
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