The Bentonville BBQ Festival celebrates barbecue styles from all over the country as well as its past and future with this inaugural festival on May 31 at The Momentary. Dreamed up by Jordan Wright of Wright’s Barbecue and marketing company Product Connections, the festival invites 15 pitmasters from the Midwest and Southeast to share their talents across three styles of barbecue: traditional, Texas style, and “future,” showing innovation of the form. Featured pitmasters will be separated into “villages” where they can showcase their style alongside contemporaries in the craft:
Heritage Village (traditional)
Alex Glass, Brothers BBQ (Bentonville, Arkansas)
James Beachboard, Beach BBQ (Bentonville, Arkansas)
Zach Parker, B.E. Scott’s (Lexington, Tennessee)
Tyler Ashton, Rodney Scott’s (Nashville, Tennessee)
Anthony DiBernardo, Swig and Swine (Charleston, South Carolina)
Lonestar Village (Texas style)
Jordan Wright, Wright’s Barbecue (Johnson, Arkansas)
Grant Hall, Ridgewood Brothers (Russellville, Arkansas)
Paula Disbrowe, Fire and Smoke (Little Rock, Arkansas)
Esaul Ramos, 2M Smokehouse (San Antonio, Texas)
Blake Stoker, Blake’s at Southern Milling (Martin, Tennessee)
Tomorrow-Q Village (future)
Rick Mace, Tropical Smokehouse (West Palm Beach, Florida)
Philip Moseley and Ronnie Evans, Blue Oak BBQ (New Orleans, Louisiana)
Avery Cottrell, Gene’s BBQ (Atlanta, Georgia)
Mark Hanna, Southern Soul (St. Simons Island, Georgia)
Dave Bonner, Green Street Smoked Meats (Chicago, Illinois)
Admission includes all-you-can-eat barbecue (until it’s gone!) from all three villages. Click here to see the full menu.
In addition to endless barbecue and cold drinks, the day includes live music from Jukebox Confession, Dandelion Heart, Guinevere Goodwin, and Casii Stephan. Special guests also include food and travel writer Paula Disbrowe, author of Thank You for Smoking; David Olsen, an American Culinary Federation chef and television personality; and Kat Robinson, Arkansas food writer and author of The Arkansas Barbecue Traveler.
The festival is open 12-4 p.m. on the grounds of The Momentary (507 SE E St., Bentonville). General admission tickets start at $65 while kids under the age of 10 have free admission with the purchase of a general admission ticket. For VIP entry, enjoy early admission at 11 a.m. as well as access to VIP tent seating, two complimentary drink tickets, and VIP parking. A portion of ticket proceeds support Hogs for the Cause, a nonprofit organization that supports families fighting pediatric brain cancer.
For more information and tickets, visit bentonvillebbqfestival.com.
Images courtesy of Wright’s Barbecue and Product Connections
