Dining
Vegetarians, stay away. Despite rival claims from Cincinnati, Kansas City and any number of cities in Texas, Memphis is the barbecue capital of the world. It’s the city where pigs go to die as baby back ribs and pork shoulder are on the menu of most restaurants.
However, never ask for the recipe as the sauces and preparation procedures are top secret. You can choose either sauced or dry rub meats (barbecued meat with all the spices of sauce without the sauce). For two of the area’s best bbq experiences, visit Rendevouz on 2nd St. and Corky’s off Beale St. on Poplar.
The city’s orgy of BBQ comes to full boil during the Annual Memphis in May an the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest. According to the event’s promotional information, the event is “three stuffed days of smoked heaven where contestants eat, sleep, and live pig. All oink wildly, trying to win more than $61,050 in prizes.
Grillmasters descend on Tom Lee Park in downtown Memphis for serious competition that's se-riously fun. Even the grills dress up for this party like fire trucks, airplanes, piggy banks, pot bel-lied stoves; you name it, it's probably here.
More than 90,000 pork lovers from Australia, Russia, Morocco, Ivory Coast, Estonia, Canada, France, Japan, New Zealand, Thailand and the United Kingdom gather together to testify about their special sauces, rubs, ribs, and whatnot in Pig-dom.”
And, city officials are quick to point out that Memphis in May International Festival is more than its events. It's also a 501 not-for-profit, community-based organization that contributes to the economic growth of the community, fosters civic pride, promotes awareness of Memphis heri-tage and builds international relationships.
The event generates more than $30 million in economic impact, improves the quality of life in the region, promotes tourism, develops diversity and cultural pluralism, and remains Memphis' largest and most dynamic consumer event.