Joy Harris
Hartselle Enquirer

The 4th annual Cotton Pickin BBQ Cook-off will be held Friday and Saturday in downtown Hartselle.

This Hartselle Area Chamber of Commerce event is a Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) sanctioned competition for professional and backyard barbecuers. Artists, crafters, non-profit and food vendors will join the barbecuers on Saturday starting at 9 a.m. and continuing through 6 p.m.

Categories include chicken, pork ribs (loin or spare), pork (shoulder or butt), beef brisket and sauce and dessert to be judged by certified KCBS judges.

The Professional Grand Champion winner will receive $1,500 and the Professional Reserve Grand Champion winner will receive $750. First through fifth place overall winners in the backyard competition will receive cash prizes.

Twenty-five professional teams have already reserved a spot in the competition, including 16 teams from Alabama and five teams from Tennessee. They will be located near the Depot. So far, 18 Back Yard competitors are confirmed. The Back Yard “Jungle” will be situated at the Farmer’s Market and in the lot behind Tillman Plumbing & Gas.

Alabama teams entering the competition have the chance to earn points for the Governors Cup. Gov. Robert Bentley named the Cotton Pickin BBQ Cook-off an Alabama Championship event in 2011.

For those who would rather sample barbecue than cook it, people will be able to sample competitor’s wings Friday at 5:30 p.m. Wing samplers will pay $5 for a total of 10 wings from competitors. Samplers will conduct a blind taste test to give each sample a one through five score. The highest scoring wings will earn the title of People’s Choice, which will be awarded Saturday night.

Competitors will not serve barbecue to the public on Saturday, but the Freight House Restaurant will sell barbecue. Other food vendors at this time include Little Red Lunch Box, Little Caesars Pizza and Lee & Pam’s Lil’ Orbits.

On Saturday the Chamber will host the Spring Fling Giveaway. They will have a tent at the Depot to exchange drawing tickets for receipts of purchases made during Spring Fling. People can present receipts for purchases made anywhere in Hartselle from May 4 through 18 at the tent and earn one ticket for every $10 spent. These tickets will be used in a drawing for numerous prizes to be held at the Depot at 6:30 p.m. Winners must be present to claim their prize.

Due to the event, the Farmer’s Market will be closed Friday and Saturday. The intersections of Railroad and Main streets, Railroad and Hickory streets and Hickory and Sparkman streetswill also be closed for the duration of the event.

Applications for vendors and competitors will be accepted until Thursday.

Professional barbecuers must pay a $250 entry fee, and Back Yard barbecuers must pay a $150 entry fee.