`MAN WITH THE PIG' A $10,000 WINNER

"Where's the man with the pig?"

When Ray Alan Gill and his barbecue smoker arrive in a town, people seek him out.

"They know me as the man with the pig, and they know me for my barbecued ribs," says Gill, who is a member of a new cooking craze which has swept the U.S. in recent years that of the professional barbecuer.

The name, "Gill" is a familiar one on the professional circuit.

"My dad, Red Gill, helped start the `Memphis in May' barbecuecooking contest," said Gill. "He also founded Razorback Sauce & Seasoning manufacturing at Blytheville."

The younger Gill, also of Blytheville, Ark., was in Cape Girardeau this week to visit with David Knight, founder and owner of Ole Hickory Pits in downtown Cape Girardeau.

"We use Ole Hickory Pit barbecue pits," said Gill. "We have two of them, a large one and a smaller unit."

Gill had good news for Knight this week.

"We won a big contest over the Labor Day weekend," said Gill. "We picked up first prize at the Richmond World Invitation Rib Championships."

First prize meant a check for $10,000.

Gill, a former tool-and-dye worker who gave up his profession six years ago to hit the barbecue contest trail, has no regrets.

"I helped my dad in various smaller contests," said Gill. "We participated in Memphis in May a dozen years. Then I took in a couple of the bigger money shows, and decided this is for me.

"I never turned back," he said. "Cooking barbecue has been good for me. Things were kind of tough the first couple of years, but, once we built up a following, things got better. Even if you don't win a contest, you can still come away from a contest with a profit, by selling barbecue while you're there."

Contestants in the big shows set up food concession operations wherever they go, selling their barbecue to the public. "We only have to prepare about five or six pounds for the contest," he said. "But we sell a lot of barbecue."

Young Gill came up with his trademark "Booger Red," a small porker he carries with him to all cooking contests three years ago.

"Booger Red is a Doushire hog," he said. "I started taking him with me about three or four years ago. I keep the pig until he gets too large to carry with us. The last Booger Red weighed more than 400 pounds when we quit taking him to shows."

The present Booger Red is only a small porker now.

"He is a big public relation plus for us," said Gill. "Everywhere we go, people want to know where the man with the pig is. Children love the little fellow, and the news media seeks us out."

Cooking in barbecue contests is a Gill family affair.

"In fact, we had two teams cooking over the Labor Day weekend," he said. "My wife, Glenda, and daughter, Ginger, accompanied my father to the `Best in the West' contest at Reno, Nev. They finished fourth there, and sold a lot of barbecue.

"The Nevada contest was a big one which attracted a lot of people," said Gill, who put together a special crew for his Richmond contest.

"I've participated in the Richmond contest five years," he said. "This contest is by invitation only, and I really wanted to participate in it. A year ago, I got beat out for the championship by only a few points. I really wanted to get back there this year. I'm glad I did."

Another member of the Gill family also participates in barbecue cookery.

"I have a son Heath who lives in Florida," he said. "Any time I participate there, he helps. And we participate in four to five contests a year in Florida.

Gill, a native of Arkansas, lived in Florida 11 years.

"We'll be cooking at Jacksonsville during an early November contest," said Gill. "Heath will be there to help me."