Smithfield Celebrates the Sport of BBQ and Award-Winning Pitmasters at 2017 American Royal World Series of Barbecue®

KANSAS CITY, Mo., Aug. 29, 2017 -- Smithfield is celebrating its passion for barbecue at the 38^th American Royal World Series of Barbecue^® this Labor Day weekend with free fresh pork rib samples, giveaways, grilling demonstrations, and more. Throughout the competition, which takes place August 31 through September 3, more than 80 of the participating teams will be Smithfield pitmasters or members of Smithfield’s Committed Cooks program. These teams will be competing with quality, hand-trimmed Smithfield Fresh Pork products. A few of those competing include World Champion pitmasters Tuffy Stone, Melissa Cookston, Jeff Stehney, Sterling Ball, Ernest Servantes, and 2016 American Royal Open Grand Champion Darren Warth. Smithfield is also proud that Stehney and Cookston will both be inducted into the 2017 class of the Barbecue Hall of Fame on Saturday, September 2.

“This is one of the toughest barbecue competitions in the world, and it was such an honor to take home the title of Grand Champion of the Open Competition last year for the second time,” said Darren Warth of Iowa’s Smokey D’s BBQ. “In 2016, I won over the judges using Smithfield Fresh Pork, so my goal is to do it again this year!”

In addition to providing Smithfield Fresh Pork Butts and Ribs for dozens of competitors and hundreds of volunteers, the contenders of the Celebrity Cook-Off – which takes place Thursday, August 31 from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Kansas Speedway – will be facing off with Smithfield Prime Boneless Fresh Pork Loins. On Saturday, September 2 from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., event attendees can also visit the Smithfield booth (Space #310) to check out live grilling demos from some of the world’s top pitmasters including Melissa Cookston and Ernest Servantes, and to enjoy giveaways and free samples of Smithfield Prime St. Louis Style Spareribs prepared by Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que.

To get locals excited for this year’s festivities, Smithfield and the American Royal commissioned a billboard featuring the “world’s largest rack of ribs” on Interstate 35. Event attendees will be able to get a close up look and capture their own “ribdiculous” selfie, as the billboard will be on-site at the Kansas Speedway for the weekend.

“Smithfield is committed to investing in competition barbecue, and it feels great to be back once again at the American Royal with so many amazing pitmasters cooking with Smithfield Fresh Pork because they know the quality is what they need to win,” said Emily Detwiler, director of fresh pork marketing for Smithfield Foods. “From serving up ribs to cheering for the world’s top competitors, we’re thrilled to be a part of the action and to connect with people that love barbecue as much as we do.”

For a full calendar of events and more information on the American Royal, visit www.AmericanRoyal.com. For more grilling tips and recipe inspiration, visit www.SmithfieldGetGrilling.com.

About Smithfield
A leading provider of high-quality pork products, Smithfield was founded in 1936 in Smithfield, Virginia, establishing the town as the “Ham Capital of the World.” From hand-trimmed bacon and slow-smoked holiday hams to marinated tenderloins, Smithfield brings artistry, authenticity and a commitment to heritage, flavor, and handcrafted excellence to everything it produces. With a vast product portfolio including smoked meats, hams, bacon, sausage, ribs, and a wide variety of fresh pork cuts, the company services retail, foodservice, and deli channels across the United States and 30 countries abroad. All of Smithfield’s products meet the highest quality and safety standards in the industry. To learn more about how Flavor Hails from Smithfield, please visit www.Smithfield.com, www.Twitter.com/SmithfieldBrand, and www.Facebook.com/CookingWithSmithfield. Smithfield is a brand of Smithfield Foods.

About Smithfield Foods
Smithfield Foods is a $15 billion global food company and the world's largest pork processor and hog producer. In the United States, the company is also the leader in numerous packaged meats categories with popular brands including Smithfield®, Eckrich®, Nathan's Famous®, Farmland®, Armour®, John Morrell®, Cook's®, Kretschmar®, Gwaltney®, Curly's®, Margherita®, Carando®, Healthy Ones®, Krakus®, Morliny®, and Berlinki®. Smithfield Foods is committed to providing good food in a responsible way and maintains robust animal care, community involvement, employee safety, environmental and food safety and quality programs. For more information, visit www.smithfieldfoods.com.

About American Royal Association
Woven through the history of Kansas City since 1899, the American Royal provides opportunities for youth and adults from around the country to compete in our Livestock Show, ProRodeo, Horse Shows, and the World Series of Barbecue®. These events allow the American Royal, a 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit organization, to give over $1 million annually for youth scholarships and support agriculture education programs. In 2016, over 90,000 attendees attended American Royal events generating over $60 million of economic impact. To learn more about the American Royal visit AmericanRoyal.com.

Media Contacts:

Hunter PR for Smithfield
Tiffany Daggett
[email protected] 
(212) 679-6600

Smithfield
Taylor Davis
[email protected] 
(816) 243-2822

American Royal Association
Tami Parr
[email protected]
(816) 569-4047