The Statesboro Music Festival will bring the heat with its first-ever barbecue competition where students and locals can compete alongside professionals in the Battle of the BoroQue.

The Battle has two categories: a Backyard category for locals and a professional barbeque competition with Memphis Barbecue Network and Georgia Barbecue Association. The competition will start tomorrow at 6 p.m. at the Kiwanis Ogeechee Fairgrounds and will end on Saturday.

“We want to add something to the festival every year to make it even more of a festival atmosphere. My job was to bring less music, more everything else,” Jonathan Judy, director of entertainment for Statesboro Music Festival, said.

Statesboro’s jelly and condiment manufacturing company, Braswell’s, is presenting Battle of the BoroQue and will feature a “Best Barbecue Sauce” category.

The professional barbecue competitors will be able to compete “American Idol-style,” and the winner will receive a production line with Braswell’s, Chris McMahon, marketing director of Braswell’s Food Company, said.

The Backyard competition will include community organizations, clubs and other student organizations. The competitors can bring any kind of grill or pull-behind smoker, Judy said.

Claxton Chicken will donate meat for the Backyard competition, Judy said.

Amateurs and patrons will get the chance to see how professional competitors prepare the meat and begin the barbecuing process. In this demonstration the public will see what steps it takes to prepare the meat ahead of time, like marinating and rubbing on the seasonings, Judy said.

“In a Boston Butt competition style, you get to see that barbecue is really an injection of different things,” Judy said.

All competitors will fire up the grills early Saturday morning and have until noon to cook their barbecue, which will be showcased in another trailer throughout the festival.

The public will be able to taste the Backyard competitor’s barbecue by their grills throughout the day. Only a few onlookers will be able to taste the professional barbecue during the caravan procession, Judy said.

The vision for the barbecue competition was created by the Music Festival Committee, which consists of about 10-15 local business leaders and GSU students.

Lehman Franklin, event director, said, the Statesboro Music Festival will have a lot of different elements so the entire Statesboro community can play a part.