Born over a mutual love of hot coals and cold beverages, The Usual Saucepects are a team of guys who’ve come together to make a splash every year at the World Championship of BBQ at Memphis in May. Our goal is to not only produce award-winning barbecue, but to throw the biggest party on the bluff for ourselves, our sponsors, and our guests.
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for the most up to date info on our events, sponsors, and promotional giveaways. For additional inquiries please use our contact form.
Don't let the façade fool ya... we are a competition cooking team first and foremost. We have multiple top finishes at Memphis in May, Hogs for the Cause (New Orleans collab with Hogdat Nation), and SCA sanctioned cookoffs. We make BBQ just like your momma would, if she knew half as much about this shit as we do.
Let's be honest. We've seen you walking by looking up with your jaw dragging. We get it. We work hard year round to plan the best party at Memphis in May. From the mad blues/rock chops of Patrick Dodd, to the booty-shakin beats from DJ Keyzer Sauce'.... we elevate. We couldn't do it without the incredible light & sound system from Nolan Audio Visual Solutions.
We love our sponsors. We love to show our sponsors how much we appreciate them. We rarely have openings because we provide an experience that can't be matched. That said, scroll down to our contact form to let us know if you'd like to partner with us. We're always down to chat over a cold beer.
Meat Smoker & Sack Dipper in Training
Sous-Smoker of Meats
Golf Ball Crusher Guy
He Looks Like that Stu Guy
He Looks Like That Scott Guy
Token Asian Female
Young Buck
Builder of Beverages
Silently Judging Your Smile
Runs & Drinks Faster Than You
Human Spider Monkey
Jukebox Junkie
Perpetually on the Disabled List
Chief Guest List Expander
Audiovisual Mad Scientist
Don' Do Nuffin'
Corrector of Wrongs
Sanitation Engineer & Overnight Security
Culinary Comedy Legend
Beverage Consumption Specialist
For the 2022 Festival the venue has changed to Tiger Lane. Tiger lane is located at 450 Early Maxwell Blvd, Memphis, TN 38104. We are booth number R-012. Make sure to commit that to memory as it is tough to get in touch with us at the booth during fest.
The Usual Saucepects booth is a private party reserved for invited guests only. Given the demand to get in, we are forced to strictly enforce this policy. To get in, you must contact a team member and either get a wristband or get on the guestlist before the event. Once the festival has started, you may also be walked in by a team member. Name dropping at the door will NOT get you into the booth. You will be told to call/text the team member to come walk you in.
We will have security stationed at our booth entrance starting late afternoon on Thursday and Friday. If you have a wristband, show it to them. If you are on the guestlist give them your name and they will provide you with your wristbands. If you are on the guestlist and arrive during the afternoon, come on in and give the bartenders your name to get your wristbands. The lack of security during the afternoon does NOT indicate the booth is open to uninvited guests, and they will be asked to leave.
We also have a limited ladies-only guestlist. To request addition to this guestlist, use our contact form.
NOTE: Your booth wristbands are good for the duration of the festival so do not remove it unless you don’t plan to come back. Once your name is crossed off the list, you may not be able to get another wristband.
It really depends on what you’re looking for. The booth is open to guests Thursday and Friday from noon till midnight, and Saturday after judging (around 2:30pm) until we close the booth down (around 8pm or so).
Generally speaking the crowds are thinner and more laid back during the day and the both tends to be packed at night after 5 or 6pm. Thursday and Friday evening are both quite crowded with the booth reaching capacity periodically. Come early, or be prepared to wait in line a bit.
On Thursday and Friday evening, we feature live DJ’s setting the mood for the booth. At their discretion they sometimes will take polite requests that fit the format being played that evening. In additional we traditionally have featured a live sunset concert on Friday before dinner.
Lunch is generally served around 1pm on Thursday/Friday. Dinner is served around 6pm on Thursday and will be served earlier (around 5pm) on Friday this year due to some expected crowd/capacity issues. Saturday we usually put out food once around 3 or 4pm. Meals are free for our guests and generally consist of typical BBQ fare: Pulled Pork, Baby back Ribs, Baked Beans, Slaw, etc. We also feature other surprise items like BBQ Jambalaya, BBQ Lasagna, smoked Beef Brisket, and other stuff when we feel froggy.
If you show up later and we don’t have food out, please be understanding. It’s impossible for the team to keep food stocked/fresh and out of the way during peak evening time.
You will have to buy a ticket to get into the festival at the gates (Usually $9 or 10 per day). These tickets can be purchased at the festival entrance from Memphis in May themselves. The wristband we provide will get you into our booth only. We have no control over festival access.
Everything in our booth will be free, compliments of the team and our sponsors. That includes meals and of course, open bar. It is, however, common practice to tip the bartenders when ordering drinks. Those tips will go toward helping offset the ~$45,000 this event costs us.
There will also be T Shirt / Koozie packs on sale at the bar for $20 if you decide you want one. There are a limited number so grab them early. We will be able to accept credit cards.
Please understand that there won’t be anywhere to store your bag/jacket/etc so please plan on only bringing what you can carry for the event.
Keep an eye on the weather for expected temps. Given our multi-level booth with deployable tenting/tarps, you will be under cover in the event of rain. In addition, our raised floor and sidewalk entry eliminates most any risk of having to walk in mud, so there is no need to wear mud boots like at Music-Fest.
Attire varies greatly from casual (shorts/t shirts) to fairly dressy (dresses/slacks/heels/etc). Generally speaking the daytime crowd is a little more casual, and the night crowd dresses up a bit. We will frequently update our Facebook and Twitter feeds with weather and park condition updates/photos in the event of inclement weather.
WE CREATE BEST OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUR BUSINESS.