Pinehurst Barbecue Festival Reveals Pitmasters and Menus

Pinehurst Barbecue Festival revealed the lineup of pitmasters and programs for its fifth anniversary coming up Labor Day Weekend.

The three-day event Aug. 29-31 offers gourmet and reimagined barbecue, Q School, and the Christopher Prieto Pitmaster Invitational. Tarheel Festivals owns and operates the Pinehurst Barbecue Festival as well as the Smithfield Cup in Novcmber.

Here’s what you need to know first.

Ticket packages are here, AND … There’s a big VIP ticket giveaway.

Anyone who purchases 2025 Pinehurst Barbecue Festival tickets online will be entered into a drawing to win 4 lifetime tickets to the Christopher Prieto Pitmaster Invitational barbecue sampling. The winner will be announced Aug. 31.

Ticket quantities for the pitmaster invitational and other activities are limited – and are likely to sell out. Your chances of buying a ticket at the door are limited.

Keep reading for the Pinehurst Barbecue Festival’s events schedule – especially the Christopher Prieto Pitmaster Invitational.

Check back for updates after announcements with new information, entertainment, event map, and vendors. Follow Pinehurst Barbecue Festival on Instagram to keep up with the latest news.

Pinehurst Barbecue Festival 2025 Pitmaster Lineup

The Christopher Prieto Pitmaster Invitational is Pinehurst Barbecue Festival’s premiere event, featuring 7 North Carolina pitmasters and their unique barbecue samples.

Each event ticket includes one sample and one side from each pitmaster. Unless of course you spring for a “Pig Out” ticket which allows you to have two samples and sides from each pitmaster. Craft beer is available as well as products from North Carolina’s sauce and rub vendors. Entertainment plans coming soon.

Here are the 7 participating pitmasters and their menus:

• Christopher Prieto, Prime Barbecue – Knightdale: Beef brisket w/ sweet slaw.
• Adam Hughes, Old Colony Smokehouse – Edenton: Brisket burnt ends w/ cucumber salad.
• Ashley Christensen, AC Restaurant Group – Raleigh: Smoked blue crab & grits.
• Lewis Donald, Sweet Lew’s BBQ – Charlotte: Pork ribs w/ green bean chili crisp salad.
• Ron Simmons, Master Blend Family Farms – Kenansville: Mexican pulled pork tacos w/ cilantro lime slaw & cowboy baked beans.
• Matthew Register, Southern Smoke BBQ – Garland: Pork belly & chilled rice salad w/ charred okra & tomatoes.
• Benjie Ayala, Pinehurst Brewing Co. – Pinehurst: Smoked chicken wings w/ macaroni salad.

Visit the Christopher Prieto Pitmaster Invitational website for additional details about each participant as well as how to connect on Instagram and Facebook.

Pinehurst Barbecue Festival Event Schedule

High on the Hog Gourmet Pitmaster Dinner: Friday 6:30-8:30

Southern Smoke BBQ’s Matthew Register hosts the 2025 High on the Hog Dinner at Pinehurst Fair Barn. Guests eat from a menu curated by Matthew Register. Live entertainment, silent auction, and a newly added bourbon pull start the weekend right. Scroll down for menu and event details below.

Listen to the Low & Slow Barbecue Show interview for an update from Matthew Register in Garland … about 94 and 1/2 feet down Warren Street.

“Q” School Grilling Class: Saturday 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

Award-winning pitmaster Chris Prieto leads the “Q” School Grilling class at Pinehurst Arboretum under covered seating. Ticket-holders experience cooking and grilling demos from Prime BBQ’s founder and pitmaster in Knightdale. Learn about a wide range of meats cooked on a variety of grills. Enjoy a food sampling after the class.

Bourbon and Bites: Saturday, 5-7 p.m.

An “intimate evening” of whiskey and bourbon sampling, Bourbon and Bites participants sample five varieties of bourbon paired with small plates from the Pinehurst Resort culinary team. The Manor’s North & South Whiskey Bar hosts the event.

Barbecue Reimagined: Saturday 5:30-8 p.m.

Barbecue “Reimagined” is a gourmet food-tasting at BHAWK Distillery. Got to Be NC Award-winning chefs from across the state serve nontraditional and international barbecue dishes:

• Matt Hannon, Ashten’s in Southern Pines.
• Luke Owens, HOME Native Fine Diner and Julep Contemporary Kitchen in Greenville.
• Preeti Waas, Cheeni in Durham.
• Tie Whitaker, Buttermilks Boutique, LLC in Clayton.
• Benito Cantoran, personal chef.
• Meg Church, The Seven 27 Lounge in Pinehurst.
• Emily Harris, Ghost Chicken in Raleigh.
• Monica Fowler, Maisonette in Southern Pines.

Ticket holders get a complimentary tour of BHAWK Distillery.

Christopher Prieto Pitmaster Invitational 2025: Saturday, 12-4 p.m.

The pitmaster invitational is centerpiece of the Pinehurst Barbecue Festival. Tickets include one sample and side from the 7 pitmasters listed above. The “Pig Out” Sampling Tickets (limited quantity) offer 2 visits to each pitmaster, early admission, and access to the Pig Out Pavilion in the Villager Deli.

Early admission tickets gain entry at 11 a.m. before general admissions opens at noon. Craft beer is available. Vendors from across the state will exhibit. Expect entertainment announcements soon.

Get an idea about vendor and pitmaster locations in the 2024 event map. Check back for updates.

Pinehurst Barbecue Festival High on the Hog Dinner Menu

Southern Smoke BBQ pitmaster Matthew Register kicks off the festival’s events Friday with some of his best dishes. (He’s got plenty of other good ideas in his Southern Smoke cookbook.)

Here’s the planned menu:

• Smoked tomato gazpacho with shrimp ceviche.
• Smoked fish dip with fried saltines.
• Smoked North Carolina pork BBQ.
• New Orleans style shrimp.
• Smoked spare ribs.
• Smoked petite filet with collard chimichurri.
• Macaroni and cheese.
• Eastern N.C. cole slaw.
• Charred corn salad.
• Summer squash rice pudding.
• Sweet cornbread
• Cinnamon Toast Crunch bread pudding.

Pinehurst Barbecue Festival Sponsors

Pinehurst Barbecue Festival Presenting Sponsors in 2025 include US Foods, Our State, Pinehurst Resort, Pinehurst Southern Pines, Aberdeen Area Conventions & Visitor’s Bureau, and Lin Hutaff’s Pinehurst Realty Group.

Mr. “All Gas No Brakes” Ron Simmons and Master Blend Family Farms are our favorite meat sponsors. Other Pinehurst Barbecue Festival Sponsors we’ve featured on The Low & Slow Barbecue show include Sweet Lew’s BBQ and Doxie Guy BBQ.

Want to promote your business or brand at Pinehurst Barbecue Festival? Vendor Information is here.

Stay tuned for more details in the lead up to the festival.