A new year signals the return of barbeque festivals to Central Florida’s Polk County. You’ll find several opportunities to experience mouthwatering barbeque at popular annual competitions such as the Lakeland PigFest, Smoke on the Water and Ribs on the Ridge; which are coming up in January and February. Bring your appetite, as many of the competing teams will be selling their barbeque specialties for your enjoyment.
The 19th Annual Lakeland PigFest takes place on Friday evening and Saturday, January 30 – 31, 2015, at the Tiger Town Sports Complex in Lakeland. This festival is the area’s largest barbeque competition of the year. Admission is free but attendees must exchange cash for “Pig Bucks”, the official currency of the Lakeland PigFest, to purchase food. More than 150 teams are expected to compete, for a weekend of good eating, good friends and good tunes; to benefit Lakeland-area charities. Professional teams travel from all over the U.S. to compete in four categories: Ribs, Chicken, Pork and Brisket. Lakeland PigFest is a Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) sanctioned event and the KCBS is the largest international organization of barbeque enthusiasts.
The 11th Annual Budweiser Smoke on the Water BBQ Competition returns to Winter Haven on Saturday, February 7, 2015, from 10 am to 5:30 pm. More than 80 teams from across the country are expected to compete in this event, a qualifier for both the Jack Daniel’s World Championship Invitational Barbecue and the Florida BBQ Association Triple Crown. Nominal fees for admission and parking benefit theCitrus Center Boys & Girls Clubs of Winter Haven, Lake Wales and Haines City. Barbeque will be available for purchase and attendees can also enjoy three stages full of entertainment, and water ski shows on Lake Cannon, over the course of the day.
The 7th Annual Ribs on the Ridge takes place at Lake Eva Park in Haines City on Friday evening, February 27 and Saturday, February 28, 2015. This growing event has been the Florida BBQ Association’s largest competition for the last four years and is a Jack Daniel’s Qualifier in 2015. Approximately 100 teams are expected to compete and the festival will have entertainment, food and craft vendors and fun activities for the whole family.
After taking a break over the summer, BBQ festivals resume in the fall with Mulberry’s Fine Swine at the Pit in October, and the When Pigs fly South BBQ Festival on the SUN ‘n FUN campus in November.
If you can’t make it to one of these several festivals, never fear. You can feed your barbeque habit all year long in Polk County, as our area offers numerous barbeque restaurants. Well known, popular establishments that fired up in the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s include Peebles Bar-B-Q, Jimbo’s Pit Bar B-Q, and Schack’s Bar-B-Que, respectively. Brock’s Smoke Hut has been recognized by National Barbecue News as one of the “Best of the Best Barbecue Restaurants in America.” Sonny’s Real Pit Bar-B-Q and Woody’s Bar-B-Q are familiar names with several locations spread across the Polk County. This round-up barely scratches the surface of BBQ options so check out these Central Florida dining options to see details on the many additional restaurants available in the area.
Source: sunnycentralflorida.com