Open Fire World Championship
Welcome to the 48th Annual Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest at Liberty Park in Memphis, Tennessee. This year introduces the inaugural Open Fire World Championship, featuring 15 elite live fire cooking teams from around the world. Five teams qualified from the 2025 Texas Open Fire Meat Up, one team from the 2025 World Food Championships, and nine will be selected from applicants.
Awards & Prize Purse:
1st Place: Trophy + $3,000
2nd Place: Trophy + $1,500
3rd Place: Trophy + $1,000
4th Place: Trophy + $50
Competition Day Schedule:
Thursday, May 14, 2026
Round 1 — Preliminary Judging:
• 12:00 PM — Team 1
• 12:20 PM — Team 2
• 12:40 PM — Team 3
• 1:00 PM — Team 4
• 1:20 PM — Team 5
Finals – Approximately 4:00 PM (one hour after finalist announcements):
• 4:00 PM — Team 1
• 4:20 PM — Team 2
• 4:40 PM — Team 3
Team Load-In: Tuesday, May 12, 2026 (7:00 AM–6:00 PM)
Team Load-In: Wednesday, May 13, 2026 (7:00 AM-10 AM)
Team Load-Out: To Be Announced by Memphis in May
Wednesday, May 13, 2026:
• 11:00 AM — Cook’s Meeting
• 12:00 PM — Teams may begin cooking
Thursday, May 14, 2026:
• 12:00 PM — Preliminary Judging Begins
• ~3:00 PM — Finalists Announced
• Finals Judging begins one hour after finalist notification
Friday, May 15, 2026 7:00 PM — Winners announced on the Main Stage
Please review the complete Open Fire Rules and Guidelines listed below.
