How did Memphis get famous for barbecue?

Memphis barbecue has always been delicious, differentiated by its pit-based slow cooking process. But what brought it to the world stage (and table)?

The answer is pretty cut and dry (no pun intended). Memphis barbecue can trace its fame back to the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest (WCBCC). First held in 1978, the event has become the world’s largest barbecue contest, attracting 100,000 visitors and global coverage by Food Network and BBC.

When WCBCC officials discovered that someone else held the record for world’s largest barbecue, they seized the title in 1990, when 55,297 pounds were consumed.

– Chris Butsch