UNADILLA, Ga. — The Mayor of Unadilla is squealing with joy lately. Myron Mixon is a household name if you love barbecue, and he just won another major award.
This past weekend, Mixon won his fifth world BBQ title in Memphis and now with a lot of years left in his career, some are calling him the GOAT (greatest of all time). He says he doesn't disagree.
"We had already won the one in 01, 04, 07 and the last time in 2016, and this win was just as special," said Mixon.
Going to Memphis in May is like the Super Bowl, the Daytona 500, the World Series of barbecue. Mixon still wears the golden ring from the very first year he took home the title.
This go-round had Central Georgia written all over it when he cooked up two hogs and presented the meat to the judges.
"One weighed 151 lbs., the other one weighed 154 lbs., and as a matter of fact these came from M&T Meats over in Hawkinsville," he said proudly.
He pulled all of it off on a new grill he just developed called a 'gravity feed hog cooker.'
"Trying out these new cookers and winning the World Championships...that's pretty amazing," said Mixon.
Four days after the win he was at his barbecue base camp in Unadilla training guys to open up his third BBQ restaurant in New Jersey.
He never slows down and he's got so much hardware, including the Memphis in May towers, that he could open up a trophy shop.
He is the winningest man in his calling, so he doesn't mind when people nickname him the GOAT.
According to his website, he has 200 Grand Championships and 11 National Championships.
"If that's what you go by -- and that's the stats -- I've won more barbecue contests than anyone else," he said.
Myron's wife, Faye, joined her husband of 21 years on the stage as at Memphis in May
"I wasn't there in 16, but I was there for the other three," she recalled.
Faye says there is a reason for all of his success, which includes a barbecue business that sells everything from cookers to cookbooks.
"He's very humble, but he's very competitive," she said.
Don't bet on him resting on his laurels. Mixon is high on the hog now with his latest win and he's fine with getting a little piggy when it comes to more titles.
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