Kingaroy BaconFest 2022: All the porktastic action from state’s ultimate pig-out
From epic eating and cooking competitions to quirky stalls and recipes, BaconFest drew foodies from across the state to celebrate all things bacon this weekend. See photos and video from the event here:
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The smoke-off contests, masterclasses and dozens of unique-styled bacon treats are the typical drawcards of SunPork’s BaconFest, but this year’s buzz was all about the bacon eating competition that saw pork lovers go head to head in a massive chow down.
The two-day food drew thousands of people from all over Queensland for two days of live music, cooking demonstrations, food trucks and more to celebrate the region’s pork industry.
Huge crowds gathered to watch the battle for glory in the bacon eating competition, with one fearless teenager not deterred by the challenge.
In what could be labelled as the biggest surprise of the day, 16-year-old Denmark national Naja Lauritzen beat out seven men twice her size in the last heat of the day.
The win took her straight to finals, and saw her the only female winner of the day.
After deciding to enter the competition just minutes before it started, Naja was excited to win the round that saw contestants hold their hands behind their backs while they scoffed down 200g of bacon.
The 16-year-old, who is in Australia to visit her grandmother, said she decided on a whim to have a crack.
“It was just a spontaneous decision (to enter), I can’t believe I won,” she said.
The weekend also included legends of the barbecue industry going head to head in smoke-offs held Saturday and Sunday.
The 2019 smoke-off champions ‘Signature Smoke’, made up of husband-and-wife duo Sonia and Steve, said they were nervous to take on the challenge again.
“We didn’t think we would win in 2019, so we just see this as an omen,” Mrs Cattell said.
Barbecue veteran Cassie Strohmeyer, from team ‘Smoke on the Water’, has been part of the industry for seven years and said it was a tight-knit community.
“Everyone helps everyone. If someone’s left equipment behind, someone else will let them borrow theirs and we all help each other out,” she said.
She said her partner Shane takes on the role of ‘dish b-tch’ while she meat preps, and then they start the process of cooking the evening before to ensure it’s ready for testing on competition day.
The event proved to be a huge success and included other memorable moments like cooking demonstrations by celebrity chefs Miguel Maestre and Matt Golinski, and an intense cook-off between My Kitchen Rules legends Steph and Dan.
Visitors had plenty of options when it came to swine-themed snacks, with people walking around with potato spirals, pork rolls, bacon ice cream, dried crackling and more.
Check to see if we snapped your face on the sizzling day in our huge event gallery below:
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