Brisket Sandwich-Eating Contest Comes to Austin With Joey Chestnut

A barbecue-eating competition (yes) will take place during Formula 1 Pirelli 2019 United States Grand Prix (aka F1) in Austin next month. The H-E-B True Texas BBQ Challenge will happen on Saturday, November 2 at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) out in far southeast Austin.

The contest will involve eating as many chopped brisket sandwiches as possible in ten minutes. Said-barbecue sandwiches will be provided by H-E-B’s barbecue branch True Texas BBQ. The winner will receive a check for $5,000.

”Barbecue is one of the most iconic foods in the United States,” said a rep for Major League Eating (MLE), the competitive eating organization that is co-hosting the event. “Collectively, we chose brisket because it is a true Texas staple.”

Competing in this first-ever brisket sandwich-eating competition is current world champion Joey Chestnut. Then there’s Juan Neave, who is considered the first-ranked competitive eater in Texas and number 20 overall. There will be 11 other competitors.

The goal is to break two world records, one for attendance at an MLE event and the other for the quantity of brisket sandwiches to be eaten within ten minutes. Currently, the latter is held by Bob Schoudt, who ate 34.75 sandwiches in ten minutes in July 2008 during the Cherokee Casino World BBQ Eating Championship in Oklahoma.

Chestnut won and set the then-world records for eating pulled pork sliders during the Myrtle Beach Wold BBQ Eating Championship hosted by MLE in 2007 and 2008 in South Carolina. He devoured 45 sandwiches in 10 minutes both years.

The Austin brisket-eating competition will take place at Turns 6 and 12 within COTA at 6 p.m. Those who want to attend the contest will have to purchase tickets to F1. Available single-day tickets for that Saturday range between $175 to $300 (plus the ability to attend the P!nk concert that evening), and three-day general admission tickets are $195.

• H-E-B True Texas BBQ Challenge [Major League Eating]
• All Coverage of Circuit of The Americas [EATX]
• All Coverage of H-E-B [EATX]