Smithfield Congratulates Tuffy Stone and Cool Smoke on Their Historic Victory at the 2016 Jack Daniel’s Championship Barbecue Invitational

LYNCHBURG, Tenn., Oct. 26, 2016 -- Smithfield is proud to announce that pitmaster Tuffy Stone and his Cool Smoke Barbeque team took home the Grand Champion title at the 2016 Jack Daniel’s Championship Barbecue Invitational. Commonly referred to as “The Jack,” this event is among the toughest and most prestigious on the competition barbecue circuit. While that fact alone would make this win exceptional, Cool Smoke made history this year by being the first team to ever win back-to-back titles at The Jack as well as being the only team to win the competition three times. Cool Smoke took home the Grand Championship prize in 2013 and 2015 before winning it again this year. Stone cooked Smithfield pork products for a fourth-place finish in the Pork category, helping to propel him to an above 700-point finish and the Grand Champion title.

Smithfield congratulates the winners at 2016 Jack Daniel’s Championship Barbecue Invitational

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f205b675-90da-425a-93d8-5a14dbb2d728

In addition to Cool Smoke, there were three other Smithfield-sponsored teams competing at the Jack Daniel's Championship Barbecue Invitational this year. Husband and wife team Darren and Sherry Warth of Iowa’s Smokey D’s finished 6^th overall, including a 5^th place trophy for their Smithfield Pork. Tim and Terri Scheer of Shake n’ Bake BBQ out of New Haven, Mo. hit their first appearance at the Jack Daniel’s Invitational hard with three top-10 calls in Pork, Ribs, and Brisket and a 7^th place overall placement out of 96 competitors. Another first timer to The Jack, Sterling Ball of Big Poppa Smokers from Coachella, Ca. got a second place Pork call and finished 25^th overall.

Proud to be the official Pork and Ribs sponsor of the 2016 Jack Daniel’s Championship Barbecue Invitational, Smithfield provided 1^st place winners of both the Ribs and Pork categories with an extra $1,000 and a custom commemorative barrelhead. Additionally, Smithfield provided Pork Butts and Ribs for all of the International teams cooking, as well as for the “Butt Bowling” contest unique to The Jack, in which Pork Butts are used to knock down as many bowling pins as possible.

Each of these winning pitmasters will compete with nearly 600 barbecue teams at the Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue® presented by Smithfield in Kansas City October 28-30. Smithfield will have a large presence at the American Royal with consumer-facing activations, a tribute to the Past Champions of the American Royal, and the exciting conclusion of the Smithfield Hog Wild Throwdown. At the Smithfield Hog Wild Throwdown finale, the finalists will go through a three-round, single-elimination tournament. Following each round of competition, one “Pitmaster Pro” and one “Backyard Barbecuer” will be eliminated while the remaining contestants move on. Each round, contestants will be tasked to develop a unique grilling recipe featuring a different Smithfield fresh pork cut. The “Grand Champion” winner will receive a brand new 2016 Ford F-150 XL pickup truck and $2,000 in cash.

About Smithfield
A leading provider of high-quality pork products, Smithfield was founded in 1936 in Smithfield, Virginia. From hand-trimmed ribs, loins and 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 $14 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.

Media Contact:

Green Olive Media for Smithfield
Cecelia Strong
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(917) 371-6247