Florida Guide > Dining
Florida Barbecue Contests
When it comes to dining out, we' re spoiled for choice here in Central Florida. Famous chains offer us a plethora of locations where we can gorge ourselves on meat, fish, salads of the highest order and anything else that takes our fancy.
Many vacation homes provide a BBQ and spending an afternoon sipping a relaxing drink while the grill produces your meal and the kids play in the pool under a blue sky is many peoples idea of heaven. And so it should be.
But, for a change, if you can drag the youngsters out of the pool, try a properly organised BBQ Contest. I wouldn' t dare knock anyone' s ability to grill on a BBQ but the difference between your average Joe and a true professional contestant is like comparing MacDonald' s to Paula Deen, Jamie Oliver or Egon Ronay. I' m not knocking MacDonald' s, I' m a Big Mac fan, but you get my drift.
The Florida Bar-B-Que Association hold numerous ' Sanctioned Barbecue Contests' throughout the year with teams from all over the USA coming to compete and show off their skills with age old secret recipes. Contest such as Southern Smokers, Cowboys Pig Out, Smokin Pigfest, Ribs on the Ridge, Foggy Bottom BBQ Bash, Smoke in The Swamp and Pig on The Pond to name just a few are held to the delight of locals and visitors alike.
So what is a ' Sanctioned Barbecue Contests' ? It' s where a bunch of professional enthusiasts come together to cook lots of delicious food and pray to the Gods of BBQ that their efforts pay off by winning a coveted award. Then you, Joe Public, get to pay ' Pig Bucks' to sample the delicious and mouthwatering samples on offer.
Not only will you have thirty or more of the best teams America has to offer competing against each other to provide the best food available in Florida at that given moment, you will also be entertained with live music and enough activities to keep the kids happy. The local community also benefits financially as do chosen charities.
Trophies won at previous events are proudly displayed at the team' s table, giving you an indication what their culinary strengths are. Take your time wandering around, try something from a variety of competitors, decide which one you enjoy most and take a box home with you for supper. If you have any room left after sampling so many that is!
Dry rubbed ribs, mild or spicy coated ribs, chicken wings, pulled pork and brisket that melt in your mouth are the things that dreams are made of. I' m fairly easy going and not difficult to please when it comes to food, but when I tried my first perfectly cooked dry rubbed rib and award winning brisket, it was enough for me to close my eyes and savour the moment.
The contests are licensed so non-drivers can have the best of both worlds. These contests are a fun day out for all ages and you may be surprised at how many local contests take place. A check on the Florida Bar-B-Que Association website will give you all the information you need of when and where contests will be held. There' s usually several a month all over Florida and Central Florida certainly gets its' fare share, so check the calendar to see if there' s anything being held locally during your visit.
Until you' ve tried the best that the American bar-b-que' s finest has to offer, you haven' t lived!
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