by Leah Justice
leah.justice@tryondailybulletin.com

The 2016 Blue Ridge Barbecue and Music Festival may have had record heat but that didn’t stop the crowds from pouring in as usual.

The festival was held on Friday, June 10 and Saturday, June 11 at Harmon Field in Tryon by the Carolina Foothills Chamber of Commerce. The festival has been known to draw up to 25,000 visitors and seems to grow every year since it began in 1994.  The festival includes many activities, with the main event being the barbecue and was once again named the North Carolina State Barbecue Competition. Other activities included music on two stages, children’s rides, food vendors, the Foothills Craft’s Fair, a car show and the grand finale fireworks display ending the event on Saturday night.

This year’s overall champion was Brickhead BBQ from Linn Creek, Mo. Taking second overall was Hambones by the Fire from Yorktown, Va.

Brickhead BBQ placed in several judging events to take the top prize, including second in pork ribs, second in pork and fourth in brisket.

Fired Up Smokers, out of Freemont, N.C. won this year’s Governor’s Cup award.

Locally, Josh McEntire, with Pork County BBQ, won fifth place in the dessert category.

Following are the top five winners in each category:

Overall:

Brickhead BBQ, Joe Loth, Linn Creek, Mo.

Hambones by the Fire, Rick Hamilton, Yorktown, Va.

Rocky Top Barbeque, Walt Moulton, Jonesborough, Tenn.

Smokin’ Blue Q, Timothy Durno, Sewall’s Point, Fla.

Contagious Q, Sean Mikel, Kingsport, Tenn.

Chicken: 

Rocky Top Barbeque, Walt Moulton, Jonesborough, Tenn.

Smoke This, Scott Jarrett, Hickory, N.C.

Checkered Pig, Tommy Houston, Martinsville, Va.

Sue E. Pigg, Steve Wainscott, Clemson, S.C.

Contagious Q, Sean Mikel, Kingsport, Tenn.

Pork Ribs:

Smoking Butt Heads, Todd Smith, Wellford, S.C.

Brickhead BBQ, Joe Loth, Linn Creek, Mo.

Butt Rub.com, Byron Chism, Santa Rosa Beach, Fla.

Contagious Q, Sean Mikel, Kingsport, Tenn.

Rocky Top Barbeque, Walt Moulton, Jonesborough, Tenn.

Pork: 

Smokin’ Blue Q, Timothy Durno, Sewall’s Point, Fla.

Brickhead BBQ, Joe Loth, Linn Creek, Mo.

Redneck Scientific, Jerry Stephenson, Clayton, N.C.

The Smokehouse Mafia, Andrew Rasmussenm Taylorsville, N.C.

Contagious Q, Sean Mikel, Kingsport, Tenn.

Brisket: 

Hamoflague, Greg Forderhase, Pigeon Forge, Tenn.

Hambones by the Fire, Rick Hamilton, Yorktown, Va.

Fired Up Smokers, Fred Woodard, Freemont, N.C. (also won Governor’s Cup)

Brickhead BBQ, Joe Loth, Linn Creek, Mo.

Midnight Burn, Kim Hicks, Hendersonville N.C.

Whole Hog:

Bubba Jacks, Jack Chavis, Jr., Indian Trail, N.C.

Mack’s Smoke Shop Texas Rib Rangers, Bill Milroy, Denton, Texas

Kings Cooking, Chip Davis, Shelby, N.C.

Smoke This, Scott Jarrett, Hickory, N.C.

Anything But: 

Crow Creek BBQ, Jim Loggins, Pickins, S.C.

Pit Boss BBQ, Robert Haynes, Hendersonville, N.C.

Drew’s Where Pit Happens, Andy Black, Smithfield, Tenn.

Wild Bunch Butt Burners, John Swift, Atmore, Ala.

Stella and Crew BBQ, Mark Wolf, Bradenton, Fla.

Dessert: 

Crow Creek BBQ, Jim Loggins, Pickins, S.C.

Sweet Daddy’s Smokehouse, Lewis Moore, Taylors, S.C.

Sir Edmund Halley’s, Svend Deal, Charlotte, N.C.

Drew’s Where Pit Happens, Andy Black, Smithfield, Tenn.

Pork County BBQ, Josh McEntire, Tryon, N.C.