The 2012 Lakeland Pigfest judges applications are now live, and I got mine in right away! This KCBS sanctioned event is one of only a handful hosted here in Florida, so it’s a goal of many cook teams and judges to get on board!
The event itself will be held at the Tiger Town Sports Complex in Lakeland, Florida on Friday, January 27, 2012 and Saturday, January 28, 2012.
Awesome night time shot of the 2011 Lakeland Pigfest event taken by my good buddy Wilfred Reinke (AKA… “The Ogre!”) - who made it all the way down from Canada!
See the rest of the excellent photos he took of this event over on the Oshawalaser.com blog!
All judges must be KCBS certified. If you are, and live in the area or will be visiting Central Florida during the latter part of January, I strongly encourage you to get your application in early! They’ve created an online process, so it couldn’t be easier. Personally, I am very excited and sure hope my name gets called to judge! By the way, I believe they’ll be offering a KCBS judging class if you are not currently certified but want to be!
About the Lakeland Pigfest
The Lakeland Pigfest has been a national favorite now for some time and got its start back in 1994, when a small group of local business folks decided to host a KCBS BBQ event styled after one they visited in North Carolina.
In 1996, Governor Lawton Chiles signed a request for the formal sanctioning of the Lakeland Pig Festival as a Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) State Championship, and on March 21, 1997 the Lakeland Pig Festival was born.
Here’s a video that explains a bit more about the Lakeland Pigfest and what it’s all about…
Keep it Simple… Make it Good
In the beginning, the goals of the Lakeland Pig Festival were pretty simple:
- Raise money for local charitable organizations
- Create an relaxing event for all walks of life
- Eat some world-class BBQ
As with any new contest, there were several years of trial and error trying to find the perfect “recipe” for success. During these early years, the contest was held in March or April; however, in 2000 a decision was made to move the contest to late-January. Each successive year has brought more contestants and greater attendance. But the true reason behind the success of the Lakeland Pigfest is the dedication of community volunteers.
Growing Interest in the Kids
In 2004, a Kids-Q Contest was added, and immediately became a permanent part of the event. This part of the Pigfest is a favorite for participants, their families, and spectators alike. The kids receive “red carpet” treatment, get to cook some chicken and steak, and are all paraded out for the judging to a musical fanfare!
“Children’s participation in the Kids-Q event will help ensure that barbecuing — America’s favorite pastime — will never become a lost art.”
What better way could there be to promote grilling and BBQ? It’s a cool part of this event for sure.
Community Impact
The Lakeland Pig Festival is proud to support a variety of charitable interests throughout our community, and to date we have given over $650,000 back to the community over our 15-year history. Together with the Junior League of Greater Lakeland and Girls, Inc., we strive to increase the quality of life in our community and welcome your support on our never ending endeavor. Read more about the impact Lakeland Pigfest has had on the local Lakeland community!
Lakeland Pigfest is a Must Attend Event!
In 2008, Pigfest was expanded to include Friday evening activities. With the addition of live music and entertainment, fun food competition, and BBQ vending, the event continues to be a great success. Teams come from all around the nation, and include BBQ favorites old and new like Jack’s Old South, Pellet Envy, Cool Smoke, Chix Swine & Bovine BBQ, Swamp Boys BBQ, Team Unknown, and Whiskey Bent BBQ – just to name a few!
Great Weather and Cash, Baby!
What draws these folks in? Well, January in Florida, duh! Oh – and the prize money ain’t shabby! Here’ s a breakdown of the cash awarded to folks at this year’s Lakeland Pigfest event:
Kingsford Professional Division Awards Prize Money
- Grand Champion – $2,500
- Reserve Grand Champion – $1,500
- Category Prizes – $500 for 1st place down to $100 for 5th place.
Trophies will be awarded for 1st-5th place in all four meat categories, and ribbons will be awarded for 6th-10th place in all four meat categories.
A Governor’s Award Trophy is awarded to the Highest Overall Scoring Team from Florida in the Kingsford Professional Division.
Want More Info?
No problem! The Lakeland Pigfest organizers have set up a great information page! Check it out and you should be able to get hold of anyone connected with the event area you need.
Planning on attending the 2012 Lakeland Pigfest?
Let me know! I live here locally, and it would be great to meet as many of my readers and fellow BBQ folks as possible! Guaranteed good times, and heck – maybe I’ll even spring for a frosty beverage or two!
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Just in time for Fall, we have a cool twist to add into the Smokin’ with the Dutchess BBQ recipes archive… Smoked Butternut Squash Soup!
That’s right! Folks, I’ve never tried smoked butternut squash, or even smoked squash of any kind, but I am betting that it is a winner! Give this latest recipe from Hanneke Eerden a shot. If you do and find that you like it, please leave a comment here to share your thoughts!
Smoked Butternut Squash Soup
Smoking meat, that’s what I’ve done so far… but smoking vegetables like squash? Hey, why not! People smoke vegetables all the time! Well, in truth… squash is a fruit, as it contains seeds and is the ripened ovary of a flowering plant! Anyway… let’s get to it!
It took some time to decide what kind of wood chunks I would like to use, or should use. But I couldn’t find a definite answer and in the end I decided to go for plum wood. Randomly picked, no better reason than that it was the first bag in the box with wood chunks. Sometimes making choices can be a lot easier if you just go with the flow!
Some weeks ago, this recipe crossed my mind and it wouldn’t go away. I just wanted to wait for the weather to change into Fall-like weather. Lucky for me, you never have to wait that long in the Netherlands for that! And on a sunny but chilly Saturday it was time to get started! Time to smoke those vegetables… ehm fruit!
The ingredients
- 1 small butternut squash
- Olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon dried sage
- ¼ teaspoon granulated garlic
- ½ teaspoon maple syrup
- A few drops of lemon juice
- ¼ cup white wine
- 1 – 2 cups chicken stock (I know, that sounds inaccurate but please read on…)
- Heavy cream
Putting it all together…
I took out my Weber grill and prepared it for smoking. In the meantime, I cut one and a half butternut in half, scraped the seeds out, put it in a large tray and drizzled the halves with a bit of olive oil.
I smoked the squash for almost 3 hours. The amount of squash was too much for just soup, but I had another recipe that I had to make for next week, so now I could make two dishes in one shot!
Back to the soup. When the squash is tender, remove it from your grill or smoker. Let it cool a bit if it’s too hot to handle, then scoop out the flesh and put it in a blender.
Add the dried sage, the granulated garlic and the maple syrup, along with the wine and some lemon juice. Blend until smooth.
Now it’s time to add the chicken stock. The amount depends on how thick (or not) you want the soup. I like my soup thick, to the point where you can almost use a fork to eat it, but I realize that’s very personal! And that’s why the amount of chicken stock can vary as mentioned in the ingredient list. Blend again until you have the consistency you want.
Pour the soup in a pan and heat until it simmers. Then, season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle the soup into bowls, and add some heavy cream. Oooh smell that smoky flavor!
This soup is a winner, a home run! Everything you could ever want on a chilly day: smoky butternut squash soup! The plum wood was great, but now I want to try other flavors too, of course! No doubt your Thanksgiving will be a tasty one when you serve this!
Bon Appetit! And be sure to check out the BBQ recipes in the Smokin’ with the Dutchess series!
About the Author
Hanneke Eerden is from the Netherlands, and she loves to cook, bake and grill. Cooking has been a passion of hers for a long time. She bought a Weber One Touch Silver kettle grill in the summer of 2009, and from that moment on a new passion in cooking, outdoor cooking, began. You can find more of Hanneke’s grilling and BBQ Smoking creations in our BBQ Recipes archive. You can also check out her other cooking and baking adventures on her main blog, The Dutchess Cooks.
Hanneke ~The Dutchess
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