JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Inaugural Jacksonville BBQ Festival is coming to TIAA Bank Field this weekend and kicked off Friday night.
Nearly a dozen of the top BBQ Pitmasters in the nation are part of the festival with chefs coming from places like St. Louis, Texas and Memphis. The Pitmasters feature the 2021 World Champion Pork Shoulder Slider as well as a James Beard Award nominee.
"We have folks from St. Louis, Memphis, New York, Texas, Kansas City and they're all here as noted chefs to cook an incredible array of food," said Chief Happiness Officer of the Jacksonville BBQ Festival Brian Wahby, "we have pork, we have beef, we have turkey, we have chicken."
Festival organizers expect that more than 30,000 pounds of meat will be cooked over the next three days of the festival. In addition to the food, there will also be live music, cocktails, beer and cooking demonstrations.
"To be honest there isn't really true Texas BBQ in Jacksonville," said Esaul Ramos, Pitmaster of 2M Smokehouse in San Antonio, Texas, "I'll say that flat out because it's the truth, so why not come to a festival where we're offering that. We're doing Texas-style beef ribs down here, we have Texas-style brisket down here. You have Memphis, you have Kansas City, you have everything you need here."
The festival dates are:
Friday, December 10: 5 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Saturday, December 11: 11 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Sunday, December 12: 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.
There is no price of admission, but festival-goers can buy food and drinks as they walk around or buy a VIP access ticket for 2.5 hours of unlimited food and drinks.
For more information or questions about the festival visit: bbqfestjax.com.