Poor Piggy’s BBQ and Catering is set to compete against champion pitmasters from around the country this weekend at the second annual Carolina Fireplace Port City RibFest at Battleship North Carolina Memorial Park. The festival is a celebration of great BBQ and great music.

Poor Piggy’s took home the People’s Choice award at the inaugural competition last year which was attended by about 20,000 people.
 
Poor Piggy’s owner Ed Coulbourn said that while his kitchen always strives for the title of Grand Champion, they really prefer to win the People’s Choice Award.

Poor Piggy’s also took the People’s Choice Award in June at the Texas Pete RibFest in Winston-Salem.

“It’s wonderful to win that award in your hometown, but it’s also wonderful to get that kind of accolade when you’re competing out of town,” Coulbourn said.

The Port City RibFest is produced by AKA Entertainment & Media, a Greensboro-based event company that has been producing barbecue and music festivals for the past 10 years. This year AKA has added three new festivals: one each in Raleigh, Charlotte and Asheville.

Event producer Allen McDavid has strong ties to Wilmington. McDavid is a member of the Foy Family who at one time owned Poplar Grove Plantation and Figure Eight Island.

The festival will feature Memphis-style, Chicago-style, Texas-style and North Carolina-style BBQ, and it’s not just ribs on the menu, although that’s what the contestants will be judged on. There will be beef brisket, beef ribs, chopped/sliced pork, chicken and sausage. Beer, wine and whisky will also be available.

Poor Piggy’s will serve pork ribs, pulled pork, beef brisket and chicken tenders as well as sides such as sweet potato fries, slaw, baked beans and hush puppies.

Coulbourn says that the secret to Poor Piggy’s BBQ is the combination of its dry rub and the hickory and pecan wood used during cooking. He feels his smoking method imparts just enough smoke without overpowering the meat. The eatery also serves its meats without sauce, setting Poor Piggy’s apart from many of its competitors. 

“We have a variety of North Carolina-based sauces for customers to choose from, allowing them to choose the sauce they prefer or simply enjoy the flavors of the dry rub,”  Coulbourn said.

Poor Piggy’s got its start in competitions, but now the catering business has grown so much that Coulbourn says it doesn’t compete very often these days.

“The Port City RibFest is a great chance for us to both compete and sell our product,” he said.

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