This is knowledge that has been gained by us through the years of competing…hopefully it helps.

For those of you teams that have not been in MIM before…

The “Crap they don’t tell you about Competing in Memphis in May” list…

Let’s start with the planning, since getting in is a matter of turning in the application…and I assume that has already happened

1. Cooks meeting – first timers – go if you can…great way to network

You can add ancillaries, wed. night tickets, and 3 day wristbands up until cooks meeting in april

2. Patio Porkers get 5 – 24 hour bands

3. Regular Teams get 15-24 Hour bands

Larger teams (like ours) will buy your extra 24 hour bands…(good way to recoup some costs or to get your kegs or a case of pork paid for)

4. 3 day wristbands are only for gate hours Thurs-Sat

5. Big hog package is a waste of money for a small team…

6. Cattlemans offers free sauce to teams…sign up for it, get the maximium amount…free stuff is good stuff, and if you sign up for the max, that’s like 200 dollars worth of free bbq supplies.

The Contest

1. If you have a large trailer you want in your team booth get there the Saturday before the contest starts because once the fences go up it is dang near impossible to get that hoss into a muddy rutted out spot.

2. Put up your fence as soon as you get there – If you do not, then your empty spot will be used as a parking lot, a turn around, and a way to put a trailer into the spot behind yours. THIS SUX. The booth gets all rutted out and very nasty with mud. So prevention is the best policy

3. BRING some kind of floor. You will thank me for this. They don’t call it Memphis in Mud for nothing. It has to sit above the ground. No wood chips, plywood directly on the ground, etc. We use pallets then hammer plywood over em…cheap and easy. I say bring b/c the rental company charges 28 bucks per 4ftx4ft square of flooring.

4. Get the Fire Marshall permit tag as soon as you can on Monday or Tues…DO NOT FORGET…it will be absolute HELL trying to track these guys down come Wednesday

5. Bring your own grounding wire kit for your tent, if you don’t the electricians will charge you for a kit..AND INSTALLATION…if you bring your own they will hook you in no charge

6. WATCH your team boundaries…there are some teams that will move paint and stakes to get a bigger area. I won’t name names, but it is rude and sh**ty to do. Measure your spot, then drive BIG stakes into the ground at the corners…

7. Count on electric to not be hooked up until Tuesday…it usually gets hooked up before, but there have been snafu’s in the past. Make sure you have an

alternative plan for meat, tools, light, etc

8. RENT A PORT-O-JOHN, and put it in the BACK of your booth. You can thank me later for this. If your crapper is in the front people will just walk into your booth and use it without permission…not cool. If you don’t have one you will regret it when you go to relive yourself only to find overflowing crappers from the 100,000 people that used them before you. Plus all the drunks= PUKE in the public ones…NASTY

9. Beer sales end early by 9pm everyday…PLAN FOR THIS. Wed is like 6pm and Sat is 7 pm…Remember to stock up or you will be SOL…

10. Wednesday is the last day to load in…7am – NOON Vehicles must leave by 3pm…those of you driving in from points unknown This is the ABSOLUTE LAST time to load big stuff in…otherwise you will be hoofing it in from ½ a mile away…that is no exageration…½ a mile at least carrying stuff.

11. GET A WAGON – this will save you LOTS of heartache. From kegs to meat, to the 2 kids you can haul everything you need in them. A must for MIM.

12. You will need to have Blockers and runners for your entries. The crowds are thick and you will need 2 or 3 person teams to get your stuff to the judging quickly and safely.

13. You need to bring a fire extinguisher with a CURRENT INSPECTION TAG ATTACHED. They will not give you a fire permit without one.

14. All propane tanks must have a holder…a milk crate is perfect for this, without a holder…no permit

AND THE BIGGEST RULE

If things go wrong with your pork entry put the beautiful portions in the blind box. (remember pork entries can have NO garnish) You have to learn to B.S. and sell your onsite judge on your product. You can talk your way out of a burnt looking rib or shoulder to an onsite judge, you can’t explain anything to the blind judges….

I think that’s all our tips…anyone else got anything?

While it is too late to guarantee you a team t-shirt or park ticket, we are still taking memberships to the team. While we are taking memberships until May 6th, we urge you to hurry as membership slots are filling up fast. We will likely fill up before the May 6th deadline. You can find out how many slots we have left by looking to the right below our countdown to BBQ Fest.

Once we are full, we will start taking names for a waiting list if we have any cancellations, so even if there are no slots left, click Join Us to the right and submit your contact information. Don’t miss another great year with Too Sauced to Pork at the Memphis in May World Championship BBQ Cooking Contest. This year promises to be a great year, with a great river view booth. Contact us today!