Follow the smoke to Plant City for Pig Jam

On Nov. 20 in Plant City, top teams of devoted and elaborately equipped cooks will come from all over the Southeast to compete at the eighth annual Plant City Pig Jam State BBQ Championship. The event takes place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Randy L. Larson Softball Four-Plex, 1500 S. Park Road in Plant City.

There will be plenty of opportunities during the event to ask cooks about their pits, the wood they are burning, how they prepare their meat (many use rubs, mops and glazes), and the cooking temperatures they prefer. Though they are not likely to give out the recipe for their secret rub, cooks do enjoy talking about barbecue.

After they have had their fill of fixins, guests can check out some of the barbecue-related items such as rubs and sauces, books and videos, pins and paraphernalia relating to individual teams that will be for sale at the event. Kids will be entertained in the children's play area. And, none of the guests have to worry about missing football. Live telecasts of all football rivalries will be broadcast in the beer tent.

The Jason Young Band will perform live music from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., followed by the Candy Greene Band from 2 to 5 p.m.

In all, about 60 teams will be competing Nov. 20. Each team will consist of a chief cook and as many assistants as the chief cook deems necessary. The teams will be up against other barbecue cooks with different cooking experiences and styles.

Pig Jam guests will be able to sample some of the country's best barbecue ribs, pork, brisket and chicken. In addition to the good food, there will be a rock-climbing wall, moon walk and other activities and sno-cones, cookies, beer and refreshments will be available.

Admission is free, parking is $5 per vehicle.

Pig Jam is hosted by the Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce and is a Kansas City Barbecue Society (KCBS) sanctioned event.

For more information, contact the Chamber at 813-754-3707, or visit www.plantcity.org. Follow Pig Jam on Twitter at www.twitter.com/PlantCityPigJam, or become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PigJam.