Southeast
Pitmasters from around the world swap tips and techniques at the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest
- 129 teams competed in this year’s World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest in Memphis, Tennessee.
- Teams comprised of people from Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Canada and Brazil come to Memphis to learn from and compete with mostly American teams in the “Super Bowl of Swine.”
- The leader of the Mexican-based team emphasized the unique cultural exchange that takes place as pitmasters exchange tips and techniques. His team’s motto is “el fuego nos une,” which means “the fire unites us.”
The smell of wood fire wafting on the breeze is the first sense that gets triggered at the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest in Memphis, where smoke is as essential an ingredient as salt.
For the teams that annually compete at the so-called Super Bowl of Swine, they’ve elevated backyard barbecue to fine dining under the sun, incorporating techniques passed on from generation to generation and creating a multi-cultural community united by food.
Held last weekend as part of the Memphis in May International Festival, the annual cooking contest has also connected people across borders as food culture, both online and in-person, has spread the word about the popular event for world-class pitmasters.
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A company called Sociedad Mexicana de Parrilleros has sent a team from Mexico to Memphis for 10 years to compete against mostly American teams and to learn from them as well.
“Each country has its own traditions and regions. But I think everything merges together right now,” said Juan Garza of the Mexican-based team. “And with globalization and all of this, different techniques are going across borders.”
Out of the 129 teams competing this year, there were teams comprised of people from New Zealand, Norway, Canada, Mexico and Brazil, each one bringing their own culinary traditions and blending them with Memphis’ food scene. In the past, teams made up of people from Argentina, Canada and Puerto Rico have also joined in.
Juventino Alanis of the Sociedad Mexicano de Parrillieros team prepares food for tasting at the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest on May 17, 2024, in Memphis, Tennessee. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Garza’s team prepared pork shoulder, but they were also making a beef brisket and tacos and giving away samples of their salsas and sauces. Coming to Memphis every year and returning with pig-shaped gold trophies has helped them expand their sales in Mexico and beyond.
Brent Little, of Memphis, and Bruno Panhoca, a pitmaster from São Paulo, met over Instagram when Panhoca was demonstrating how to cook Memphis-style ribs for his Brazilian followers. Little invited Panhoca and another Brazilian pitmaster Adriano Pedro to join The Pig Diamonds, a team that has been competing in the world championship contest since before 1980.
“The Memphis style is a style that you can taste all the flavors of the meat, the dry rubs, and you can put a sauce on it,” Panhoca said.
Besides competing in the whole hog competition, The Pig Diamonds excel at unique submissions for the ancillary categories like beef, chicken, wings, seafood and sauces. Last year, they made coxinha, a popular Brazilian chicken dish. This year they made a wagyu brisket beef wellington.
“Barbecue brings people together,” said Little. “The bonds that you make in Memphis in May are so deep.”
Immigrants have always been defining and changing American barbecue styles and traditions. The standard for Memphis ribs was created by the son of Greek immigrants, Charlie Vergos. His famous Rendezvous restaurant popularized dry-rubbed ribs seasoned with paprika and other spices based on his dad’s chili recipe and slathered in a vinegar wash.
Kenneth Richardson, head chef of the Memphis-based team When the Smoke Clears, said those Greek flavors and spices from Louisiana and other regions along the Mississippi River all combined to influence Memphis barbecue over the decades.
“We’ve got a really dynamic influence in our barbecue,” said Richardson. “It’s kind of hard to nail it unless you grew up in this region.”
Even though competition is stiff and teams often come within less than one point of each other, they often share techniques and ideas, creating relationships between teams run by well-known restaurant owners and hobbyists.
The Mexican team works under the mantra “El Fuego Nos Une,” which means the fire unites us, explained Garza. That’s good advice for any backyard griller looking to host a Memorial Day party with friends and family, he said.
“It’s about the time that you spend around the people that you care for and you love around the grill. That matters for us,” said Garza. “And that’s why we do what we do.”
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Lara Trump, President-elect Trump’s daughter-in-law, said Saturday she is removing herself from consideration for Florida Republican Marco Rubio’s seat in the U.S. Senate.
“After an incredible amount of thought, contemplation, and encouragement from so many, I have decided to remove my name from consideration for the United States Senate,” she wrote on X Saturday.
The president-elect has nominated Rubio to be secretary of state.
“I could not have been more honored to serve as RNC co-chair during the most high-stakes election of our lifetime and I’m truly humbled by the unbelievable support shown to me by the people of our country, and here in the great state of Florida,” Lara Trump added.
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Lara Trump, President-elect Trump’s daughter-in-law, said Saturday she is removing herself from consideration for Florida Republican Marco Rubio’s seat in the U.S. Senate. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
Trump, the wife of Eric Trump, the president-elect’s son, stepped down as co-chair of the Republican National Committee earlier this month.
” I have read so many of your kind messages and I cannot thank you enough,” Lara Trump said, adding she has a “big announcement that I’m excited to share in January.”
She said she remains “incredibly passionate about public service and (looks) forward to serving our country again sometime in the future. In the meantime, I wish Governor DeSantis the best of luck with this appointment.”
The president-elect had previously pressed DeSantis to name Lara as Rubio’s replacement, a source in his political orbit told Fox News Digital, but he later told reporters he didn’t necessarily expect him to select her.
The president-elect has nominated Sen. Marco Rubio to be secretary of state. (Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING ON THE TRUMP TRANSITION
“That’s his choice,” the president-elect added.
Rubio’s senate replacement will be appointed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and will serve the remaining two years of Rubio’s term.
In 2026, the seat will be open for a full six-year term.
Lara Trump is married to President-elect Trump’s son, Eric Trump. (Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Lara Trump had previously said she was “seriously considering” the position, although she wasn’t sure it was right for her.
DeSantis previously said he would make an appointment by early January.
Lara Trump did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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Southeast
Florida driver hits student with her truck, covers license plate before fleeing, deputies say
A Florida woman was arrested after she allegedly struck a teenager who was crossing the road with her truck, covered her license plate and sped off.
Sarah Wright, 37, was arrested Thursday and charged with leaving the scene of a crash with injuries and driving with a suspended license.
The crash happened shortly before 4 p.m. at the intersection of Gage Avenue and Noah Street in Deltona, Florida, according to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.
The victim, a 16-year-old boy, was riding his scooter home from Pine Ridge High School when he was struck by a black Chevrolet Silverado as he was using the crosswalk, the sheriff’s office said.
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Sarah Wright, 37, is facing charges of leaving the scene of a crash with injuries and driving with a suspended license. (Flagler County Jail)
The teenager fell to the ground, resulting in a serious laceration to the back of his head as well as an arm injury, but he remained alert and conscious after the incident.
A witness reported that she was checking her mailbox nearby when she heard the crash. She told investigators that the suspect, later identified as Wright, exited her truck after the crash and checked on the boy before she went back to her vehicle and covered her license plate with paper and tape.
But the witness still managed to see the first character of her tag. A neighborhood Ring camera also captured the truck fleeing the scene.
A witness managed to see the first character on the truck’s tag and a neighborhood Ring camera captured the vehicle fleeing the scene. (Volusia County Sheriff’s Office)
The victim and the witness were also able to provide a detailed description of the suspect.
Officials were then able to locate a suspect vehicle captured on a nearby License Plate Reader camera within minutes.
Wright was found in Flagler County and taken into custody with assistance from Florida Highway Patrol and the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.
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Sarah Wright was booked into the Flagler County Jail on a $3,500 bond. (iStock)
She was booked into the Flagler County Jail on a $3,500 bond.
The teenage victim required staples for the laceration and treatment for his arm injury, but he is expected to make a full recovery.
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A child was hospitalized on Saturday after being hit by a drone that was part of an Orlando, Florida holiday drone show.
According to the Orlando Fire Department, a 7-year-old boy was transported to the hospital because of injuries sustained from the falling drones, FOX 35 in Orlando reported.
In a video posted online by X user MosquitoCoFl, hundreds of drones being used as part of an aerial light show appeared to be flying into position before several started falling from the sky before slamming to the ground.
A man could be heard saying to children nearby, “Oh no! I don’t believe they’re supposed to be falling.”
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Several drones malfunctioned during a drone show in Orlando, Florida on Saturday, sending the unmanned aerial objects crashing to the ground. (Credit – X/MosquitoCoFL)
Geese also appear on the water, flapping their wings to try and get out of the way of the chaotic scene.
City officials told the station the holiday drone show was permitted by the FAA.
Still, after one drone show went wrong, the city chose to cancel the second that night at 8 p.m. due to “technical difficulties.”
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Several drones malfunctioned during a drone show in Orlando, Florida on Saturday, sending the unmanned aerial objects crashing to the ground. (Credit – X/MosquitoCoFL)
The FAA told Fox News Digital it will investigate the cause of the drone show malfunction.
“Several small drones collided and fell into a crowd during a holiday drone show over [Eola] Lake in Orlando, Florida,” the FAA said. “The incident occurred around 6:45 p.m. local time on Saturday, December 21.”
According to the agency, drone arrays and light shows are subject to FAA regulations and typically require a waiver to a regulation that prohibits operating more than one drone at a time.
For each drone show application, the FAA looks at things like the software controlling the drones, procedures for setting up safe and restricted areas to keep people a safe distance from the show, procedures if drones fail, and procedures for when an aircraft gets too close to the show.
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Several drones malfunctioned during a drone show in Orlando, Florida on Saturday, sending the unmanned aerial objects crashing to the ground. (Credit – X/MosquitoCoFL)
Additionally, the FAA reviews how the operator will keep the drones inside a confined area using Geofencing, and whether the operator has an adequate number of people to run the show.
For the second year, the City of Orlando used Sky Elements Drones as its vendor to operate the drones, the station reported.
Sky Elements Drones did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on the matter.
In a statement to Fox 35, the vendor said, “Sky Elements Drones wants to extend our sincere hope for a full and speedy recovery to those impacted at our Lake Eola show in Orlando on Saturday, Dec. 21.
“The well-being of our audience is our utmost priority, and we regret any distress or inconvenience caused,” the company continued. “We are diligently working with the FAA and City of Orlando officials to determine the cause and are committed to establishing a clear picture of what transpired. Millions of people see our shows annually, and we are committed to maintaining the highest safety regulations set forth by the FAA.”
Read the full article from Here
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