I spent last weekend on one of the Georgia Sea Islands. Our meeting was catered by a chef out of Savanah. Did a Southern cuisine. Shrimp and grits for breakfast, for example. Said he grew up in Mississippi. Said he was once part of a BBQ competition team. "We won the Memphis-in-May cookoff twice," he said.

Said he only did pork, never briskets. Just whole hog, butts and ribs. And he always injected his pork. Always. That's how he won, he said.

Said his rubs and injectibles were the intellectual property of the grandfather of one of his team mates. Old-time Mississippi concoction.

Won MIM twice!

It would be unusual to find a MIM team not injecting.

It is the only way they have to season the bites the judge may take.

They have to show the shoulders on the pit and the on site judge may select which shoulder and where from the shoulder the meat will be taken from.

Other sanctioning bodies allow the cook to pull the pork[ from as many butts as they wish],adjust the flavor with rub/sauce and display it in 9 inch styrofoam clamshell boxes for judging.

Keep in mind that in the old days the Memphis cookoff was a few cooks from in town and across the River in north Mississippi and west Memphis Arkansas.

The last 15 years has brought the zoo.

You can win overall and only cook one category,also.