Taste, vote, enjoy: Fifth annual When Pigs Fly Indoor BBQ Bash returns

The When Pigs Fly Indoor BBQ Bash competition returns for its fifth year Saturday, Jan. 18, to the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau.

The annual barbecue competition will bring together first responders, community organizations and barbecue professionals to compete for the Heroes Cup and People’s Choice Award hosted by the local manufacturer of wood pellet grills Smokin Brothers Inc.

“Five years ago, they thought we were crazy when the idea of an indoor BBQ competition came to us,” Ryan Eftink, Smokin Brothers president said in a news release. “The event has since grown to become one of the premier wintertime BBQ events held in the Midwest. Attendees will enjoy great food, music and good company all in the warmth of the Show Me Center.”

Attendees will be able to view cooking demonstrations, meet well-known players in the barbecue circuit and enjoy live music on the side while sampling the variety of foods cooked by the teams.

2025 coach and team pairings

• Marine Corps League 1081, coached by defending coach champion Heath Riles BBQ;

• Avenue of Flags (Optimists), coached by Tim Scheer and Blues Hog/Gateway Drum Smokers;

• Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Office, coached by RJ's Smokehouse & Misty Banchero/Seattle Butchers Wife;

• SEMOVETS, coached by Sunny Lynn and Michelle O’Guin;

• Cape County Public Ambulance Lifesavers, coached by Bob Trudnak and Moe Cason;

• Smokin Embers (Fruitland, Gordonville, Jackson fire departments), coached by Josh Dewitt of JDQ BBQ and Jeremy Williams;

• Cape Girardeau Fire Department, coached by Team OBR/John David Wheeler;

• Defending Heroes champion Smokin Thighs and Saving Lives local nurses, coached by David Mixon of Myron Mixon Smokers and Megan Day of Burnt Finger BBQ;

Doors open at 10 a.m. Admission includes samples of all barbecue teams and voting in the People’s Choice Award. An awards ceremony will be at 4 p.m. Tickets may be purchased at the Smokin Brothers retail store at 1923 N. Kingshighway in Cape Girardeau, or by calling (573) 803-1816.

For more information, visit www.whenpigsflybbqbash.com.