WATCH: Memphis in May continues to prepare for BBQ contest, heatwave

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — It’ll be toasty and smokey in Midtown later this week as the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest gets underway.

The four-day competition begins Wednesday at Liberty Park because of construction downtown.

Monday, crews and barbecue teams were working to put the final touches on their cooking areas, preparing to complete the backdrop for the “Most Prestigious Barbecue Contest.”

“We started setting up yesterday,” said Jeff Culp, with the Firehouse 5 barbecue team. “We got our tent up. We got our coolers up. We’re starting to set up our kitchen. Still so much to do.”

The team comprised of Memphis Firefighters were building a bright red bar and waiting to get a power source to start unloading food and other supplies.

It’s just one of dozens of teams from more than 25 states and several different countries competing this year, including a team from Canada that’s returning after a three-year hiatus due to COVID.

RELATED: How Memphis in May BBQ teams are preparing for the incoming heatwave

“When COVID hit, we couldn’t get across the border, but we managed to get across this year,” said Kim Lodge, with Kill’Em & Grill’Em Que. “It’s been a real downer not being able to come here, and I don’t even think they had it the first year, and then they had a reduced one last year. So, we’re really looking forward to just having a really good time and hopefully winning something.”

Lodge’s team is returning to the contest at a new location in Memphis, with temperatures soaring above seasonal this week.

“We still have snow in places up where I come from, so it’s going to be really hard to get used to, but it’s fun,” Lodge said. “We got a tent. We got shade. As a Canadian and an outsider, and a tourist, I love being on the river. That’s an incredible sight down there, and a lot of my family and friends come because of that.”

“They go to Beale Street, they can take in downtown festivities, and they can go do whatever they’re going to do. It’s not the same here. It’s cleaner, it’s on pavement, but it’s not the same atmosphere as down there or the scenery,” Lodge said.

Those sentiments were shared by local teams, too.

“We do miss the river,” Culp said. “It’s kind of iconic you hanging out down on the river. It’s just a different location. I’m curious to see what it’s going to be when it’s 90-plus degrees on this black asphalt, and it’s cooked you for a couple of days, especially standing over this hot smoker for hours at a time.”

The teams told FOX13′s Carolyn Cerda they’ll work to stay hydrated by keeping plenty of bottled water on hand, and Memphis in May said medics will be on standby to respond to any heat-related issues.

The Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest runs from May 11 to 14.

All ages are welcome, and children under eight do not need a ticket. You can purchase tickets here.

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