Neighbor News
Johnsonville Announces Local Tongsman Contest Finalist
Brent Little of Memphis was named a finalists in the Johnsonville Tongsman Contest. He will compete in a live cook-off event Dec. 4.
This fall, Johnsonville sought out the best Tongsmen in the South through its Titanium Tongsman Contest. When the contest ended Oct. 31, Brent Little of Memphis was named one of two Tongsman finalists and will compete in a live cook-off event with Johnsonville before the Saturday, Dec. 4 SEC Championship football game in Atlanta.
Little will be paired with seven-time world BBQ champion and restaurateur Melissa Cookston in the 30-minute contest against finalist Angelia Howard of Nashville, with the winner being crowned the Top Titanium Tongsman.
Tongsman contest judges include John Cooper – the Johnsonville 2020 Tailgate Pro winner – and celebrity grilling enthusiasts Willie Robertson, Justin Martin and Lee Ann Whippen.
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Little’s recipe, the Memphis Style Hasselback Sausage Bacon Burger, features Johnsonville’s smoked rope sausage and sausage strips. He was awarded $1,000 and tickets to the 2021 SEC Championship football game.
The grand prize Tongsman winner will receive a new Pit Boss grill, a year’s supply of Johnsonville sausage, grilling accessories and swag and a custom set of titanium tongs.
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When the contest began this fall, people of all skill levels were asked to share a photo or video to Instagram or Twitter, showing off how they made room on the grill for sausage. Favorite sausage recipes, humorous tong skills and a variety of grilled sausages were among the entries submitted.
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About the Local Finalist:
Brent Little (@engineerofque): Brent grew up in North Carolina loving to grill. Moving to Memphis in 2013, Brent joined Pig Diamonds BBQ, one of the oldest teams that competes at the Memphis World Championship BBQ Cooking Contest. He’s honed his BBQ skills and in May 2021 became the head chef for Pig Diamonds BBQ, leading the team to 11th place in the whole-hog category during the annual competition. It was there that Brent competed against Melissa Cookston, who took third in that competition. Now the two will partner Dec. 4 for the Titanium Tongsman title.
Wisconsin-based Johnsonville is the No. 1 national sausage brand, selling and serving more than 70 different varieties of sausage across 45+ countries and in more than 140 U.S. professional, semi-pro and college sports stadiums. Founded in 1945 by the late Ralph F. and Alice Stayer, Johnsonville remains a family-owned company of obsessed sausage-makers that employs and develops approximately 3,000 members globally. For more information about Johnsonville, please visit Johnsonville.com or join us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.