Barbecue events across the country

Although it’s one of the newer events on the barbecue circuit, the Kentucky State BBQ Festival is able to welcome top barbecue talent every year thanks to its prime location. The event is held in historic Constitution Square, where pitmasters serve up pork shoulder, beef brisket, pork butts and more.

Attendees can enjoy free cooking demos and samples from some of the country's top barbecue personalities. Those who want to see how their skills stack up can enter the Backyard BBQ Competition.

In May, Rochester, N.Y., holds Roc City Rib Fest. This rib-focused food event is one of the only of its kind in the USA.

Visitors can sample secret recipes and observe unique preparation styles from select rib masters. Ballots are available so you can cast your vote when you pick a favorite. Admission is only $5 and a portion of the proceeds supports local charities.

Every October, about 25,000 spectators travel to Lynchburg, Tenn. for the Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue.

The competition draws in nearly 100 master barbecue teams from all over the world to compete in seven categories: chicken, pork ribs, pork shoulder/butts, beef brisket, dessert, cook's choice and Jack Daniel's sauce.

Visitors can enjoy barbecue and pie, as well as all types of games and a petting zoo for kids. Tours of the distillery are available from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Parking costs $10, but admission is free.

The Windy City Smokeout festival in Chicago draws an impressive lineup of respected barbecue chefs, craft brewers and award-winning country stars.

The three-day jamboree takes place in July and draws more than 40,000 visitors to listen to music, sample barbecue and have a few beers. For a hefty $500 price tag, those interested in the craft of barbecue can attend a class taught by world barbecue champion Myron Mixon. The eight-hour session covers how to cook ribs and a whole chicken over a real barbecue pit.

Weekend passes start at $110 and day passes are $30 for Friday, $40 for Saturday and $45 for Sunday.

There's more to Twin City RibFest than ribs. Visitors to the Winston-Salem, N.C. festival have the opportunity to chow down on chopped or sliced pork, beef ribs, brisket, chicken and more. Pitmasters serve their ‘cue Memphis-, Kansas City-, and Texas-style.

A $7 ticket will get you in the door. Once you're there, you can check out the menus and prices from world-renowned barbecue teams. For an extra $12, you can purchase a Rib Sampling Ticket Book and use coupons to get different "bone" samples.

The W.C. Handy Blues & Barbecue Festival in Henderson, Ky. offers the perfect pairing of great music and great barbecue. The festival takes place for four days in June each year. On opening night, the Taste of Henderson BBQ event features a series of competitions and a good old-fashioned pig roast. Admission is free.

Every year in June, Washington, D.C.'s Pennsylvania Avenue transforms into a venue for the Giant National Capital Barbecue Battle. This is one of the largest barbecue festivals in the nation, with a series of competitions including the National Pork Barbecue Contest, American Beef Cook-Off, Smithfield Rib Competition and the biggest one of all: The Kansas City Barbecue Society Sanctioned Giant National Capital BBQ Battle.

General admission starts at $15 and includes food samples, cooking demonstrations and musical entertainment on three stages. Vendors will be selling mouth-watering plates of brisket, pork, lamb and more.

A $5 ticket will get you admission to the I Love Barbecue Festival in Lake Placid, N.Y. (kids 10 and under get in free). The three-day event is held around the Fourth of July each year.

Highlights of the I Love Barbecue Festival include a $3 pulled pork tasting, $3 rib tasting, and entertainment such as live music, a motocross show, mechanical bull rides and more. The main event is a barbecue competition sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbecue Society.

The second week of May, Owensboro, Ky. comes to life as thousands of barbecue lovers descend on the riverfront for the International Barbecue Festival. Teams of barbecue experts compete for the title of best chicken, burgoo and mutton.

Typically, teams cook extra food, which can be purchased by the pound starting at 3 p.m. Saturday. Get in line early to snag your favorite dish! In all, more than 80,000 people attend the festival, where 10 tons of mutton, 1,500 gallons of burgoo and 5,000 chickens are prepared and sold.

Admission to the Barbecue Festival in Lexington, N.C. is free, and every October, more than 100,000 people attend.

At the Barbecue Festival, attendees can sample signature "Lexington-style" barbecue -- tender, chopped pork shoulder basted and served with a mixture of vinegar, water, salt and pepper. For an extra $15 fee, visitors can access the Barbecue Festival Wine Garden for tastings and glasses from area wineries.

More than 400 exhibitors sell goods, rides and games entertain kids, and live performances take place.

The weekend-long Big Apple Barbecue Block Party takes place in the heart of New York City every June.

The festival draws in pitmasters and renowned barbecue chefs from all over the country to create a lineup of regional barbecue types in the Flatiron District. Guests can sample an array of barbecue styles and flavors for just $10 a plate.

The Big Pig Jig in Vienna, Ga. claims to be the largest official barbecue cooking contest in the southeast. The festival started as a whole-hog cooking competition, but it’s evolved to include a variety of entries. The first weekend in November, more than 100 teams enter hog, shoulder and rib dishes, as well as kettles of Brunswick stew, barbecue sauce and barbecued chicken. Admission to the four-day event is free Thursday, $10 Friday, and $5 Saturday before 3 p.m., or $10 after 3 p.m.

Hogs for the Cause takes place the first Friday and Saturday in April, welcoming dozens of barbecue teams and musical performers. Teams compete in categories including whole hog, ribs, pork shoulder or butt and a category called Porkpourri (for creative pork dishes). There also are awards for best sauce, best booth, best side dish, fan favorite and top fundraiser. Food tends to go fast, so come early and get in line before it’s too late. While attendees chow down, two stages rotate performers both days of the festival. Tickets start at $35 for one-day general admission and go up to $350 for a two-day VIP or “Boss Hog” pass.

Visitors to the Atlanta Bar-B-Q Festival can experience incredible dishes from Atlanta's top restaurants, live cooking demonstrations, live music, a kids' activity village and more. Tickets are $6 in advance or $10 at the door.

Those who purchase tickets to "The Bourbon Experience" ($30 in advance, $40 at the door) at the Atlanta Bar-B-Q Festival can sip from a selection of more than 30 premium bourbons. Participating teams will sell sample-sized portions of their championship-styled barbecue while supplies last. Participating vendors will fly a blue flag so you can spot them easily. The samples are cash only, so come prepared.

Competition is fierce at the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest. The contest is sanctioned by the Memphis Barbecue Network, and pitmasters from all over assemble teams compete in three major categories: ribs, pork shoulders and whole hog.

While visitors can't sample food from the competition, there are several barbecue vendors offering delicious meals -- but keep in mind food and beverage is cash only. Ticket prices range from $5 to $27. Visitors can judge, too, by paying an extra $12 to participate in the Kingsford Tour of Champions and decide who has the best barbecue entries.

The Blue Ridge BBQ & Music Festival is held in Tryon, N.C., every year. The two-day festival is free Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and admission is $8 at all other times. To sample barbecue, you'll have to purchase some Barbecue Bucks, which can be redeemed at the refined selection of barbecue vendors. The Blue Ridge BBQ & Music Festival focuses on quality barbecue, inviting only a select group of restauranteurs and barbecue chefs to join.

Every year the town of Frisco, Colo., holds the Colorado BBQ Challenge, a three-day event featuring more than 70 barbecuers and a Breckenridge Distillery Whiskey Tour (the $100 tour and tasting requires advanced registration).

Barbecue teams compete in the following categories: pork, ribs, chicken, brisket, anything goes, barbecue sauce, side dish, salsa and dessert.

The prize? Bragging rights and the coveted Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion titles. Hogback tickets ($1 each) are the official currency of this festival -- buy a bunch to sample as much as your stomach can hold.

The Wine Country Big Q barbecue competition and festival in Petaluma, Calif. combines wine tasting and a barbecue cook-off. The Big Q is $45 per person to get in the gates and includes over a pound of barbecue samples plus beer, wine and cider sampling.

In addition to a four-meat challenge competition, The Big Q includes the Wine Country Big Beef Challenge in which the wineries compete to see who can create the best tri-tip and wine pairing.

The family-oriented Bloomin’ Barbeque & Bluegrass festival in Sevierville, Tenn., is a celebration of springtime weather and Tennessee barbecue. More than 40 teams gather from all over the southeast to compete in this official barbecue championship of Tennessee. Admission is free for the whole family, and the festival includes arts and crafts, and plenty of kids' activities to keep little ones happy.

Kewanee Hog Days in Illinois claims to be the world’s largest outdoor barbecue, serving more than 30,000 people every year over Labor Day weekend.

This small-town festival hosts a giant barbecue with custom-made 24-foot grills taking over the streets. Volunteer grillmasters serve up pork burgers and butterfly chop sandwiches all weekend. In addition to the barbecue, visitors can enjoy an antique car show, a 64-mile bike ride, carnival rides and more.

Houston has one of the hottest barbecue markets in Texas. Every May, dozens of local barbecue chefs come together at the Houston Barbecue Festival.

Chefs from renowned local barbecue restaurants offer samples of their incredible dishes during the day-long festival.

General Admission is $60 (or $50 with an early bird discount) and includes entry into the festival and unlimited sample portions from each participating Houston barbecue joint.

Davenport, Iowa's River Roots Live festival is the perfect blend of mouth-watering ribs and award-winning country music. Rib vendors come from all over the USA to enter the Ribfest competition and compete for the Ribfest trophy.

Admission to Ribfest is free, but keep in mind that lines can get pretty long. Come hungry and sample ribs from as many teams as possible so you can cast an informed vote for your favorite recipes. Visit any beverage tent to find a ballot or enter your vote.

The Pork & Brew BBQ State Championship is a Kansas City Barbecue Society-sanctioned event in Rio Rancho, N.M. The three-day festival features top barbecue vendors, offerings from local microbreweries, live music and interactive family activities. General admission is $6 for adults and $4 for kids. The winning barbecue teams can go on to participate in larger national competitions.

Every September, Q in the Lou brings award-winning barbecue cooks to St. Louis so they can share their knack for producing mouth-watering ‘cue. Chefs come from all over the country, ensuring that Q in the Lou can offer up several styles of barbecue.

The festival also makes cooking tutorials, a barbecue innovations expo, amateur cooking contests and live local music available to participants. Admission to the festival is free and barbecue and drinks are available for purchase.

Every August, the Hudson Valley Ribfest welcomes 60 barbecue teams and more than 16,000 guests to this New York State Championship event in New Paltz, N.Y.