The Third Annual Downtown Mesa BBQ classic will come to Mesa Nov. 7-8, bringing two days of grilled meats, pitmaster competitions, live music and more.
The event, held at Main Street and MacDonald in downtown Mesa, is free to attend, with free parking downtown in the duration of the event.
The action kicks off on the first day with a dessert and appetizer throwdown. The second day features a Barbeque Championship Series-sanctioned four-meat competition featuring elite regional pitmasters as well as a separate kid-friendly BBQ showdown. All weekend, attendees can experience BBQ tastings, live music, local vendors, a beer garden, family activities and more, according to a press release.
Liz Hewat, Downtown Mesa Association business & community engagement manager, said this event brings out some of the best pitmasters in the entire southwest. Although they compete with each other, Hewat said the event is about community above all else for the pitmasters.
“The teams travel around and even though they are competing against each other, they are friends first,” Hewat said. “Every participant is eager to talk with the guests about technique. They all have great stories of going from their backyard smoker to some of the amazing rigs you will see at the event.”
According to Hewat, the smokers are fired up on Nov. 7 when grilling begins. The competition beings properly on Nov. 8, with trained judges grading four types of meat from each participant: pork, ribs, chicken and brisket. Event attendees can buy $2 tasting tickets each day to sample the dishes. They can also vote on the people’s choice favorite.
“Each meat is carefully prepared and turned in at assigned times. A very experienced and trained group of judges have the fortunate job to taste each submission,” Hewat said. “The judging is very specific and the judges all use the same guidelines to choose the best of each category.”
Hewat hopes that people who attend this event get to see the uniqueness of downtown and how much it has changed in recent years.
“If people haven’t been downtown lately, they are in for some big surprises. Nothing goes with BBQ like an iced cold beer and Downtown Mesa has more breweries within walking distance than any other city in Maricopa County,” Hewat said. “A stroll through downtown Mesa today is much different than it was even a couple of years ago. We love surprising people with everything we have to offer.”
After graduating from Arizona State University's Cronkite School in spring 2022, Connor Van Ligten spent a little over year as a reporter for WWL-TV in New Orleans before finding themselves back in Phoenix in October of 2023. Now back in the Valley and writing for the Mesa Independent and the Daily Independent, Connor is ready to tell meaningful stories and report on important civic issues facing Mesa. Connor is a big fan of the 49ers, Warriors, pro wrestling, anime, dogs and fighting video games.
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