Get Ready for the 2010 Lakeland Pig Festival – A KCBS Sanctioned Competition Event

Each January, the Lakeland Pig Festival puts on the 2nd of Central Florida’s big time KCBS sanctioned BBQ Competitions (with the Plant City Pig Jam taking place earlier in November).  Folks – if you have not done so, be sure to mark your calendars for Friday and Saturday, January 29-30, 2010 at Tiger Town for the annual Lakeland Pig Festival.  I can smell the BBQ smokers getting up and running now!

2010 marks the 14th anniversary for this event and the Lakeland Junior League serving its 6th year as the main organizer. More than 35,000 people attended the Lakeland Pig Festival in 2009, a number that’s expected to grow for this year.

Just so you know it’s coming – the Lakeland Pig Festival organizers have scheduled some preliminary kick-off events – ones you’ll surely want to check out!

To keep everyone in the Christmas spirit, the Junior League – Pig Fest organizers will enter a float again in the Lakeland Christmas Parade.  They’re also working on a 5k on January 9th, aptly named “The Hog Hustle,”  which will take place around Lake Hollingsworth. Folks can register for “The Hog Hustle” on active.com in the next couple of weeks.

Prizes, Prizes, and More Prizes!  Something Everyone Loves

We are also raffling off a grill valued at $1000.00. It’s been donated by Bubba Grills.  Bubba Grills is the team that Jamie Oliver cooked with at the 2009 Lakeland Pig Festival.  Jamie Oliver at the Lakeland Pig Festival … very cool.  There’s a good article from the Lakeland Ledger on his appearance last year.

Oh – and something else.  The Pig Festival organizers have also arranged to give away a pig chop block valued at $300.00 – a generous donation by the Pop a Top BBQ team.

Tickets for the grill are 1 for $10.00 or 3 for $25.00. Tickets for the chop block are 1 for $2.00 or 3 for $5.00. In addition, the Junior League will be selling parking passes to the lot beside the Hangar for those who want convenient access to all of the BBQ action. Passes are $20.00 per day.

Gates open at 10 a.m. today, and even though they stay open until 5 p.m., you won’t want to arrive much after noon if you want to sample a variety of vendors. Most run out long before the gates close.

And of course, don’t forget to buy your Pig Bucks, as you’ll need them to purchase food from vendors at the event.

All money collected will go to support the Lakeland Junior League and their selected local charity organizations.

2010 Lakeland Pig Festival BBQ Competition Specifics

KCBS is “the largest international organization of barbecue enthusiasts” and has sanctioned the Lakeland Pig Festival since its first contest in 1997. Professional teams travel from all over the U.S. to compete in four categories: Ribs, Chicken, Pork and Brisket.

Teams come to the Lakeland Pig Festival event camaraderie and the Florida sunshine (what could be better than Florida in January?). There’s also $10,000 in prize money to be given out – so that does tend to spark a little bit of interest! Over 200 teams from 17 states have competed in Lakeland since 1997. Many return year after year.

Official rules for the Pro Competition, as well as all other competitions may be found here.

Judging the 2010 Lakeland Pig Festival Competition Event

Judges also travel great distances to participate in the Lakeland Pig Festival. Judging for every pro contest has been 100% by KCBS trained and certified judges. Since 1997, over 200 people from throughout the U.S. have completed the Judging School.  For a cool article on what KCBS judging is all about – check out White Trash BBQ’s take on Judging Barbecue.

The competitive spirit kicks off with Judging School on Thursday night, January 28th. This gives anyone that is interested in judging KCBS competitions the opportunity to become certified to judge these events. If you are interested in Judging School, please contact Linda James (lpipping@aol.com).

Lakeland Pig Festival Backyard Team Event

The Backyard teams compete in the same four categories of Ribs, Chicken, Pork and Brisket. The difference is that the backyard group is composed of local teams, competing for bragging rights, ribbons and trophies.

The backyard contest also follows KCBS rules and regulations, and it continues to be one of the largest of all the KCBS backyard competitions in the country.

Many members of the backyard teams attend Judging School to learn what the judges are looking for in taste, tenderness/texture and presentation. When they feel they’re ready, many go on to compete in the pro competition.

The Lakeland Pig Festival first’s Kids-Q-Cooking Contest was held in 2003. The contest follows all the KCBS rules and regulations. The kids receive prizes, trophies and ribbons plus they get to keep the grill.

Lakeland Pig Festival Ancillary Events

One of the coolest parts of any BBQ competition is the ancillary cook-off portion.  This year, the Lakeland Pig Festival will continue this tradition by allowing teams to take part in an Anything Butt and Dessert event.   Having judged some of these in the past, I can tell you that they bring up some of the best grub available!  Definitely ask about judging one of these if you’re interested.

Changes in This Year’s Band Format

There has been a change to the band format, with local bands performing on the main stage.

Bitter Edge (www.bitteredge.com) will be performing at 6:00 pm followed by Damon Fowler (www.damonfowler.com) at 9:00 pm.

Want to Know More About the 2010 Lakeland Pig Festival?

For more information on the 2010 Lakeland Pig Festival, visit the Lakeland Junior League website , phone them at (863)682-2112, or send an email to: pigfest@jlgl.org.

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