A bonkers barbecue festival returns to Raleigh with a star-studded lineup
Now that the Triangle is one of the South’s barbecue hotbeds, the festivals keep getting better.
Gettin’ Piggy With It, now in its third year, will return May 18 with a lineup of some of the South’s premier pitmasters, chefs and bakers.
Organized by Jake Wood of Lawrence Barbecue and Chris Powers of Trophy Brewing, Gettin’ Piggy With It raises money for the Frankie Lemmon School & Developmental Center.
Festival & ticket details
The festival will be held May 18 from 1 to 5 p.m. at Trophy Brewing’s Maywood Hall & Garden at 622 Maywood Ave. in Raleigh. Tickets are $150 per person and include all food and drinks. VIP tickets are $200 and offer an early entry at 12 p.m. Kids 12 and under are free.
Barbecue bonanza
This year’s event will be a one-day extravaganza featuring some of the most glittering names in North Carolina’s food scene and some of the top talents in New School Barbecue.
The festival includes pitmasters Christopher Prieto of Prime BBQ and Garren and Kelly Kirkman of Jon G’s Barbecue, and chef Ashleigh Shanti, whose Good Hot Fish in Asheville was named by the New York Times as one of the best places to eat in the country right now.
In all there are 17 top pitmasters, including out-of-staters Brandon Olson of King BBQ in Charleston and Elliott Moss of the new Elliott’s in Florence, SC, the follow-up whole hog restaurant to his pioneering Buxton Hall in Asheville.
Here’s the line up.
Barbecue pitmasters
▪ Adam Hughes of Old Colony Smokehouse – Edenton
▪ Adam Bauer/Thomas VonCannon of Sam Jones BBQ – Winterville and Raleigh
▪ Brandon Olson of King BBQ – Charleston, SC
▪ Brandon and Elizabeth Shepard of Shepard Barbecue – Emerald Isle
▪ Christopher Prieto of Prime Barbecue – Knightdale
▪ Cody Sperry of Hoodoo Brown BBQ – Ridgefield, CT
▪ Dave Mitchell of Longleaf Swine – Raleigh
▪ Dylan Cooke of Fork Grove BBQ – Anderson, SC
▪ Elliott Moss of Elliott’s – Florence, SC
▪ Garren and Kelly Kirkman of Jon G’s Barbecue – Peachland
▪ Jake Wood of Lawrence Barbecue – Raleigh
▪ Leonard Botello of Truth BBQ – Houston, TX
▪ Lewis Donald of Sweet Lew’s BBQ – Charlotte
▪ Matthew Register of Southern Smoke BBQ – Garland
▪ Mike De Los Santos of Mike D’s BBQ – Durham
▪ Logan Sandoval of Zef BBQ – Simi Valley, CA
▪ Rashad and Saadia Smith of The Smitty Experience – Raleigh
Chefs, bakers & sweets makers
▪ Adé Carrena of Dounou Cuisine – Raleigh
▪ Allison Vick of Little Blue Macaroon – Raleigh
▪ Andia Xouris of Andia’s Homemade Ice Cream – Raleigh
▪ Andrew Ullom of Union Special Bread - Raleigh
▪ Ashleigh Shanti of Good Hot Fish – Asheville
▪ Blake Gotliffe of Under the Oak Catering – Raleigh
▪ Bobby McFarland of Wye Hill – Raleigh
▪ Matt Fern of Ish delicatessen – Raleigh
▪ Justin Webster/Heff’s Burger Club - Winston-Salem
▪ Joe Olson of Kuya Bear Food - Winston-Salem
▪ Kevin Ruiz of Oro – Raleigh
▪ Locals Seafood – Raleigh
▪ Luke Owens of Native Fine Diner – Greenville
▪ N. Sea Oyster Co. – Hampstead
▪ Roberto Diaz/Berto’s Chimi’s – Raleigh
This story was originally published March 14, 2025 at 9:46 AM with the headline "A bonkers barbecue festival returns to Raleigh with a star-studded lineup."
