Good Southern barbecue and a safe harbor from the storm

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USA TODAY: Good Southern barbecue and a safe harbor from the storm

Thursday, July 1

Barbecued ribs prepared by Team GCC during the Jack Daniel's Smokin' Grills 2017 BBQ Competition at Guam International Raceway on April 9, 2017.

Good Southern barbecue and a safe harbor from the storm

The inside scoop on what it takes to win at competition barbecue. Plus, boat owners share stories about hurricane holes.

Welcome to The American South!

If you're new here, thank you for subscribing and becoming a part of our community where we focus on producing revelatory journalism about the South.

Since a holiday weekend is upon us, let me start off by saying Happy 4th of July! I hope you're able to celebrate it in a way that is meaningful to you.

I don't have a fun fireworks story to share but I do have a great piece on competition barbecue. Have you ever been curious about what it takes to become, let's say, the undisputed champion of the grill? We take you inside biggest barbecue events where top pitmasters give us the inside scoop on barbecue circuits and what it takes to win big.

We also visit the coast to understand more about hurricane holes, a section of river further inland where boat captains can hideaway from storm surges. In the story, boat owner Sharon Watkins recalls riding out one of the worst storms and living to tell the day. "It was a day I will never forget and would never want to relive," she said.

Also, is it just me or is masking getting confusing again? Here is what the experts are saying. Finally, any Reese Witherspoon fans?! I'm so excited she's in Louisiana filming the movie Where the Crawdad Sings. I may just drive to Houma myself to check it out.

Thank you for reading.

Take good care!

Ashley Hopkinson (Editor, The American South)

P.S. Planning a BBQ? Here are 14 tips and 5 popsicle recipes to stay cool.

What does it take to win big on the barbecue circuit?

Chris Lilly (right) and members of Big Bob Gibson team celebrate after winning the shoulder division at the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest at Tom Lee Park.

Jim Weber/The Commercial Appeal

Competition barbecue over the years has taken on a life of its own. For insiders it's viewed like a sport. Some people golf or build fantasy football teams. These men and women tend fires and concoct secret sauces.

This year, Memphis in May (among the big four barbecue competitions) doled out $142,350 in prize money, making a win there about way more than bragging rights.

"It's like winning the Grand Slam in tennis. If you can win in all those venues, then you're the undisputed world champion," said Robert F. Moss, author of "Barbecue: The History of an American Institution."

Click here to read the full story

MORE STORIES ON BARBECUE

•	Black Southern Pitmasters claim their rightful place
•	Grill like a pro : Memphis barbecue experts share tips
•	South Carolina's 10 best BBQ restaurants to try this summer

'They save a lot of boats': Inside hurricane holes, the South's semi-secret safe harbors

Sharon Watkins' sailboat The Landfall makes its way up Big Briar Creek toward a hurricane hole as Hurricane Katrina approaches the Gulf Coast in 2005.

Contributed by Sharon Watkins

When a hurricane is headed for the Gulf Coast, captains and boat owners will inevitably scramble to either haul their boat inland on a trailer or secure it at a marina.

But for those who need to quickly escape a storm or lack the means to tow their boats elsewhere, hurricane holes have long provided sanctuary. That is, if you know where to find them.

Click here to read the full story