Team claims haircut is secret to winning barbecue cook-off
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Some teams at the annual World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest feel they have the winning recipe, but for one team, their secret is not just in the sauce.
The best of the best grill masters are going head to head at the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest.
There’s prize money up for grabs as well as bragging rights. And as you would imagine there are undisclosed recipes, never to be divulged.
However, for some, they are ready to share what they feel has been part of their secret sauce.
Charlotte Mosby better known as “Charlie,” is a hairdresser at Hair we Go Hair Studio. However, during this time of year, she is trading in the comforts of the air-conditioned salon as she packs up her tools of the trade.
Day One of Memphis In May Barbecue Cooking Contest
“I bring with me clippers and trimmers. I also bring all of the different guards for each one,” she said. “I carry about 50 different combs with me, it just depends. We recycle.”
She has it all packed in her gray wagon, as she hits the trail, you might say, making her rounds at the cooking contest.
But not as a good grill master, instead Charlie is offering up a good haircut, which ironically has turned into good luck for those competing, like Nick Woolfolk with Barbecue Republic.
Charlie first got started with a single haircut, in 2019.
“Mr. Jack Woods, he said ‘hey if you’re coming down here, bring your stuff with you,'” said Charlie.
After that first cut, something happened.
“On that Saturday night, he walked the stage. So his claim was I was his good luck charm, so I had to do it every single year,” Charlie said.
That she has done, with her cooking contest clientele continuing to expand year after year.
“It grew and grew and grew and now I have probably a good 10 people that walk the stage every year,” she said.
The day set aside is known as ‘Winning Haircut Wednesday.’
If you ask Nick, her buzz cuts are certainly all the buzz.
📧 Sign up for WREG newsletters and have the latest top stories sent right to your inbox.
📡 See more breaking news, local news and weather from WREG.com for Memphis and the Mid-South.
“A little superstition, a little luck don’t hurt anybody. And it usually equals to getting on that stage,” said Woolfolk.
Charlie starts early and ends late. She says last year she began her haircuts around 6:30 a.m. and did not finish until 7 p.m.
Each haircut is also free of charge. But what the skilled stylist has received are stage shout-outs.
A shout-out Woolfolk is all too prepared to give, as he foresees the moment his team, Barbecue Republic, takes to the stage.
“Thank you to the hair magician,” he said
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com.
