BC Home and Garden Show Media Party: BBQ Pulled Pork Mania

BC Home and Garden Show, 777 Pacific Boulevard Vancouver

BC Home and Garden Show

February 22 to 26, 2012

BC Place, 777 Pacific Boulevard  Vancouver

To launch this year’s BC Home and Garden Show, Tara Parker Tait PR hosted a media party featuring the mouthwatering BBQ from Memphis Blues BBQ Restaurant. Design Girl and I decided to check it out. You can imagine our joy to find a whole juicy suckling pig to greet us upon our arrival. It smelled incredible and was as tasty as it looked. I loved the crispy skin. It was actually so crunchy that Design Girl joked it was all she could hear while chomping on it.

Memphis Blues Suckling Pig, BC Home and Garden Show, 777 Pacific Boulevard Vancouver

Memphis Blues Suckling Pig, BC Home and Garden Show, 777 Pacific Boulevard Vancouver

Memphis Blues Suckling Pig, BC Home and Garden Show, 777 Pacific Boulevard Vancouver

Memphis Blues Suckling Pig, BC Home and Garden Show, 777 Pacific Boulevard Vancouver

I also loved the soft and moist cornbread served with the BBQ. It was sweet and spongy enough to soak up a good amount of BBQ sauce. And the tangy BBQ sauce was tasty, not too heavy and not spicy enough to scare me off. I’m still working on my aversion to spicy food.

Memphis Blues Cornbread, BC Home and Garden Show, 777 Pacific Boulevard Vancouver

Memphis Blues Cornbread, BC Home and Garden Show, 777 Pacific Boulevard Vancouver

Memphis Blues BBQ sauce, BC Home and Garden Show, 777 Pacific Boulevard Vancouver

Surprisingly, my favourite thing on my plate was that pan fried shrimp. It was so juicy and tender! You wouldn’t think that a BBQ Restaurant would be able to properly cook shrimp but Memphis Blues does it right.

Memphis Blues fried shrimp, BC Home and Garden Show, 777 Pacific Boulevard Vancouver

I also tried some BBQ flavoured Popchips which I’ll admit I’ve never heard of until this event. Apparently, they are a healthy alternative to potato chips and are touted as never fried or baked. Their name derives from the chip being ‘popped.’ I was curious enough to watch the video on their website. I can vouch for these chips as not being as greasy as traditional potato chips and the sweet and spicy BBQ flavour is definitely there. They didn’t quite hit the spot for me though. When I eat potato chips, I want to go all-out unhealthy!

Popchips, BC Home and Garden Show, 777 Pacific Boulevard Vancouver

Popchips, BC Home and Garden Show, 777 Pacific Boulevard Vancouver

Memphis Blues also competed in a Pulled Pork Cook-Off against, fan favourite, Re-up and Recipes to Riches winner, Robert Luft. Mijune of Follow me Foodie was one of the judges on panel.

Re-up, BBQ Pulled Pork cook-off, BC Home and Garden Show, 777 Pacific Boulevard Vancouver

The BBQ smelled amazing as each contestant cooked. I wish I was on the panel of judges!

Panel of judges, BBQ Pulled Pork cook-off, BC Home and Garden Show, 777 Pacific Boulevard Vancouver

Panel of judges, BBQ Pulled Pork cook-off, BC Home and Garden Show, 777 Pacific Boulevard Vancouver

Panel of judges, BBQ Pulled Pork cook-off, BC Home and Garden Show, 777 Pacific Boulevard Vancouver

After a heated competition that involved everything from pulled pork to chilli to mac and cheese, Robert Luft won 1st prize. I was secretly rooting for Re-up though!

Panel of judges, BBQ Pulled Pork cook-off, mac and cheese, BC Home and Garden Show, 777 Pacific Boulevard Vancouver

Panel of judges, BBQ Pulled Pork cook-off, mac and cheese, BC Home and Garden Show, 777 Pacific Boulevard Vancouver

Check out the BC Home and Garden show from February 22 to 26, 2012 inside the newly renovated BC Place Stadium. Event info here.