FLETCHER – The Whole Hog Cookoff is coming to the 2024 N.C. Mountain State Fair on Saturday, Sept. 7, with meat from the competition and on-site monetary donations going to MANNA FoodBank to help feed the hungry.
Pitmasters will be throwing down their best low-and-slow techniques to showcase their culinary skills and create great tasting barbecue. Cooking begins around 5 a.m. and contestants present their entries to the judges at 5 p.m. Awards will be announced immediately following the judging at 6 p.m. on the Leon Jacobs Piano Stage.
The cookoff, which features cooking teams from across the Carolinas, is sanctioned by the N.C. Pork Council and sponsored by Mariner Finance and Heritage Finance Co., Inc. Looper Farms, of Granite Falls, is supplying the hogs for the competition.
“We deeply appreciate this partnership with the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services for this barbecue competition,” says Micah Chrisman, director of marketing and communications at MANNA FoodBank, “The food donations from this event are coming at a time when MANNA is serving over 158,000 people a month on average, our highest numbers in our 41-year history. Every contribution is vital in serving our neighbors in need.”
Come and check out the cook-off near the Ninja Warrior Course and the Black Mountain Adventure Zone. Look for the yellow Got to Be NC Agriculture tent. MANNA FoodBank and Got to Be NC staff will be on-site to share information about how you can help support the MANNA FoodBank.
The 2024 N.C Mountain State Fair runs Sept. 6-15 at the WNC Agricultural Center in Fletcher, celebrating its 30th anniversary with new entertainment and an expanded Got to Be NC Pavilion featuring 22 new outdoor vendors. From thrilling rides and mountain music to heritage crafts and livestock shows, the Mountain State Fair will showcase western North Carolina agriculture, including the people and products that make agriculture the state’s top industry. For more information, go to https://www.wncagcenter.org/p/mountainstatefair.