You, too, can be a Moody Que!

This week we learned that a few of our 2018 members will not be able to return due to travel or schedule conflicts. Guess what – that means we have a few spots open, and we’re looking for a few good men and women!

BBQ teams are private parties – they have to be, by state health regulations. If you’re not on a team, you’re on the outside looking in. Being an invited guest to a team’s booth for an hour or two is all right, but by joining a team, you get four days of an otherworldly experience – a trip to Planet BBQ! The elaborate booths… that smell… the competition… the music and dancing… there’s nothing like it!

Why the Moody Ques?

We have a proven track record of success. Our main competition category is Pork Shoulder, and last year we finished 7th out of 57 teams, earning a trip on stage to pick up a trophy.

In addition to BBQ Fest, our cook team has won trophies in many regional competitions, beating some of the top names in BBQ in the process.

Of course, a big reason to join a BBQ team is the food, and in the Moody Ques booth you are going to eat well. In addition to competition pork shoulder, we serve traditional BBQ favorites like ribs, wings, and smoked sausage. For variety, we have some non-BBQ dishes too. Here’s a look at some of the food we served in 2018.

Make valuable connections that extend long past BBQ Fest. Lifelong friendships have been formed in the Moody Ques booth. One team member was offered a job as a result of connections who were in the Moody Ques’ area. We even had two team members who met in the booth, got engaged a year later, and got married.

The Moody Ques experience: The good thing about our team demographic is that we skew somewhat younger than many veteran teams, with average age in the 30s, although we have a range of ages from 20s to 60s. Although our primary focus has become competition cooking, we have not forgotten how to party.

The team member who selects our music for peak party hours (7-midnight Thursday and Friday) is the same person who selects the music for a popular Downtown Memphis cocktail lounge on the weekends. After dinner, the dancing begins.

Of course, there are libations to be had, with a full bar, kegs of beer, and treats like Jello shots and spiked gummy worms.

Impress your friends. Although it is a private party, team members can bring guests. Each team member gets a few wristbands to get guests in during peak hours (7 PM-midnight Thursday and Friday; wristbands aren’t required during non-peak hours).

In addition to our trophy-winning food, we offer river views. Although we are not on the river walk, we have a large two-story booth the size of a house, with views of the river on the second story.

You’ll want to make sure to show your friends the facade of our booth. We compete in Best Booth every year. Since the Moody Ques’ founding as a team in 2012, we have placed in the top 3 in Best Booth 5 times, and have outright won it twice.

2012 booth honoring The Philippines
Our 2014 booth was a replica of the “red devil” buses seen in Panama City, Panama.
Our 2018 booth paid homage to the Czech Republic. The facade was based on the famous Prague astronomical clock.

Unlike some teams, we don’t let sponsors kick us out of our own booth during prime time. Many teams have a “sponsor happy hour” or “sponsor night” on Thursday or Friday, when team members are asked not to bring guests and are expected to act as waiters/waitresses for the sponsors. We don’t do that. We have a sponsor lunch on Friday but that will be done well before the park gets busy.

Other stuff you might want to know:

  • Booth is completely safe and we use off-duty MPD for security
  • We have restrooms in the booth so you don’t have to go find the public ones
  • Convenient access: Our booth is only a short walk from the Georgia Avenue park entrance
  • Membership includes a T-shirt and a rubber wristband identifying you as a team member (2 of each for couples memberships)
  • Membership includes admission to the park during public hours Wednesday through Saturday of BBQ Fest
  • Membership includes a “Meat” & Greet in Downtown Memphis Saturday afternoon, April 13, so you can get to know your teammates before BBQ Fest
  • Membership includes an invite to hang out at our booth at the Southaven Springfest regional competition Saturday, April 27 (you have to pay to get in the festival)

What if you can’t cook? No problem at all. We have our cook team in place already. There are plenty of other ways to help out, including

  • Providing muscle during load-in and load-out
  • Helping with build and painting Sunday-Wednesday of BBQ Fest week
  • Bartending
  • Assisting during BBQ Fest – going on keg runs, getting ice, etc.
  • Bringing side dishes or non-BBQ dishes
  • Volunteering to help clean the booth Saturday morning for our 11 AM judging

Membership fees are $410 individual/$610 couple plus a $50 initiation fee. If you pay dues online there will be a nominal credit card fee added. To join at the couple rate you must be an established real-life couple.

Ready to sign up? Email us at moodyques@gmail.com, let us know of your interest, and tell us how you can help out from the list above. If you seem like a good fit, we’ll send you a link to sign up and pay.

Thanks for reading! We’d love to have you on the team!

RSVP for April 13 “Meat” & Greet

It’s official – the “Meat” & Greet is on for Saturday, April 13 3 to 7 PM at the Huttos’ condo on Riverside. Team members, exact address and info to get in will be emailed to you. Kris and the team are cooking award-winning BBQ, so we need a head count. Sign up here.

Dinner will be served about 5:30 PM, and of course, we will have beer. If you want to bring an appetizer, snacks, a side dish, or dessert, let us know when you RSVP.

Items to potentially be discussed include:

  • The cook team’s plan to get us back on the awards stage for shoulder! We like trophies and prize money.
  • Booth design for this year. The theme is Memphis and we are once again competing for Best Booth.
  • Ancillary cooking categories in which we will be competing
  • Feedback from YOU as to what went well last year and suggestions you have for how we can make 2019 even better
  • Team T-shirt design for 2019
  • Ways you can pitch in to help the team run like a well-oiled machine

This “Meat” & Greet is a great way for new team members to get to know their teammates prior to the hustle & bustle of BBQ Fest. We hope to see teammates, returning & new, there!

One more thing: We’re looking for a few good men and women! Due to out-of-town travel and personal issues, several members will not be returning this year. That means we have spots to add some new people. I’ll have a post later this week outlining the benefits of being on a Memphis in May BBQ team and the Moody Ques in particular later this week. In the meantime, start thinking about who you’d like to have as brothers and sisters in swine.

Thanks team! See you on the 13th!

Save the date – Saturday, April 13

Team members, please check your email. We are planning a team meet & greet for Saturday, April 13 and the location and time are in the email we just sent. If you didn’t get it email us at moodyques@gmail.com and we will get you the information. More to come concerning the discussion topics to be covered at the meet & greet, as well as food and beverage information.

We know that’s smack dab in the middle of festival season, so we understand if you can’t make it. However, we would love to see you and get your input as to what will go on with the Moody Ques at BBQ Fest this year! If membership hasn’t closed by April 13, you’re welcome to bring prospective members who are considering joining.

More details about this event coming soon! Also be on the lookout for info about Southaven Springfest.

And so it begins… BBQ Fest 2018

Our booth is open for business at BBQ Fest! This year's design mimics the Czech Republic's famous Prague astronomical clock.

Thanks to DSV for coming on board this year as main sponsor.

Of course, we only cook with the best, Royal Oak Charcoal.

2018 team T-shirts:

We also have koozies with the same design. Team members: See Misty, Jamie or Paul in the booth to get your koozie.

We had a pork shoulder taco bar along with Redneck caviar, cole slaw, Aaron's banana pudding, and Laura's brownies for Wednesday dinner.

Time to get back to the park! Best Booth judging is at 11 AM today.