Prepare to sample some of Charlotte's best barbecue. The Pig Pickin', a Carolina BBQ Festival event, will serve hungry Charlotteans on Sunday, Oct. 19 at Mac's Speedshop in South End.

Before the smokers run and the meat is marinated, I was invited to do a "dine around," where I chatted with the participating pitmasters and sampled everything you get to try at the one-day event.

Midwood Smokehouse's pig wings fall off the bone. | Photo by CLTtoday

Midwood Smokehouse

The afternoon started at Midwood Smokehouse in Plaza Midwood, where Executive Pitmaster Matthew Barry gave a tour of the kitchen, smoker, and chatted with us about the upcoming Pig Pickin', where he'll be making hundreds of pig wings with different flavors — think: Cheerwine or Tex-Mex.

Barry's pro tip: Taste the meat without the sauce, then try different sauces after.

Sweet Lew's uses North Carolina oysters for their Pig Pickin' plate. | Photo by CLTtoday

Sweet Lew's BBQ

Our second stop was at Sweet Lew's BBQ in Belmont, where Owner Lewis Donald brought out a platter of fried oysters with a hot honey drizzle.

"Oysters are part of what we do well in North Carolina," said Lewis.

Editor Maria, here. I can confidently say these were delicious, and I need several more platters for myself.

Mac's Speedshop

We finished the tasting at Mac's Speedshop in South End, where Pitmaster Charles Long brought out a tasting platter, meant to celebrate the heritage of "whole hog barbecue," something that is center-stage at the annual Carolina BBQ Festival.

"The hog for me is about bringing people together," explained Long. "It's about a sense of community and bringing people together."

Pig Pickin' details

Did any of this make you hungry? All these barbecue classics will be available at the Pig Pickin', along with brisket made by Jon G — tickets start at $25 + wear your best blue and black as the event is also an official Panthers watch party.