"Smoking by the Creek"

Smyrna Tennessee just gained an average of 4 pounds per person this fine weekend due to the culinary skills of the BBQ greats. The third annual Tennessee Heritage Barbecue Festival ended today at the Sam Davis home.

The Tennessee Heritage Barbecue Festival is a community event sponsored by the Sam Davis Home to celebrate the culturally diverse and rich heritage of Tennessee. The Festival will host an annual barbecue cook-off to celebrate the cuisine of fine barbecued meat. The categories of meat will include: Chicken, Pork Rib, Beef Brisket and Pork.

Out of those four categories I had my fill of three of them. Somehow I shamefully missed having brisket.

This BBQ festival was well attended by amateur and professional BBQ cooks from the south. I was not even trying to and I saw Tennessee, Georgia and Kentucky represented.

Each stand had it's own "flavor" in layout and taste.





Dana and Judy Andrews kept my wife and I well fed while waiting the judges ruling. As they are our friends we rooted for them.



Of course no activity on a historical site like this can occur without civil war re-enactors. With public displays of skills, wares, and music they were one of the big draws.





I think what I liked the best was the setting. Most BBQ festivals are set in some sun blasted place with no shade or reprieve from the heat. Sam Davis home offered nice benches and shade to relax and take a moment to breathe, as I am doing in this picture.

all pictures enlarge when clicked.