Memphis - May 14th, 2022

As the crowd slowly drifted away into the early Memphis night, one team was left standing on top of the BBQ World. What started as the legendary Bill Arnold’s flavor inspiration nearly 30 years ago, had culminated with a Whole Hog and an Overall World Championship as Blues Hog won it all on barbecue's biggest stage.

After winning the world title in pork shoulder and third overall in their first attempt in 2021, Blues Hog owner, Tim Scheer, left the river happy, but wanting more. He knew he had to bring more Blues Hog attitude to next year’s contest. He knew it was time to get to work.

You can enter one of three categories at the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest in Memphis. Ribs, pork shoulder, or whole hog. The top 3 in each category battle it out in the “finals” to be crowned as the next world champ. In theory, all 3 can win a championship. In practice, whole hog category wins more than any other category. By far.

Deciding to cook whole hog in the 2022 contest was the easy part. Making it happen was hard. At his Marble Ridge Farms, Scheer set out to create the perfect hog. Combining the best characteristics from heritage breeds mangolista, berkshire, and duroc produced a large, marbled animal, with soft fat and an unrivaled flavor. The 250 pound hogs are perfectly suited for cooking hot & fast.

The 2021 championship shoulders were cooked hot & fast on 55 gallon Gateway Drum Smokers. The team knew a bigger drum was needed. Scheer created the "Megadrum" hog cooker, a custom rolled 500 gallon Gateway Drum Smoker with 4 fire baskets and an electric winch. By accident or providence, this new drum mimics an old school block fire pit. The exact kind of pit the late Bill Arnold cut his teeth on while learning how to smoke hogs in Jackson, Tennessee. 

Joined by a cooking "dream team" headed up by Scheer and World Championship winning pitmaster, Brad Leighninger, of Gettin' Basted fame, it was time to take the show on the road and head to Memphis. Using only Blues Hog products straight off the shelf, The team fired up the Megadrums, cooking the whole hogs in an unheard of 8 hours. 

When the dust had settled and the judging was done, Blues Hog emerged as World Champions doing things their way. Hot & fast with the best sauces, rubs, charcoal and marinades on the planet. Bill, this one was for you!

You can find the entire World Championship winning line of Blues Hog products at blueshog.com and at your local Ace Hardware.

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