Lakeland – Swamp Boys BBQ

Come Eat With Swamp Boys!

Charity, Contests, Fundraising, General, Vending No Responses »

Jan 192022

Swamp Boys set up

This January 28 – 29, and then February 4-5, you can come eat world-class barbecue with Swamp Boys at 2 of the best events in the state.

The Lakeland Pigfest happens Friday, Jan. 28 from 5:00pm – 10:00pm, and again Saturday from 10:00am – 5:00pm. Parking is free and entry is $5, 12 and under are free. Buy Pig Bucks at the booth when you get there, then come find us. 20% of all of our sales will will go to help local charities.

Winter Haven’s Smoke on the Water is Friday and Saturday, Feb. 4 – 5. This is a major fundraiser for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Polk County, and 20% of our sales will be going back to the B&G Clubs. Admission on Friday is $10 and is more adult oriented with a party vibe. Saturday is for the family, with admission just $2 and kids 10 and under are free.

Insider tip for both events – come early. We cook all of our bbq fresh onsite, and we will run out before closing time. Also, we can package your food to-go, so you can enjoy it later. And check out this article from 3 years ago on How to Make the Most of a BBQ Contest as a Spectator.

Lakeland Pig Fest

Contests, General No Responses »

Jan 272013

This was our 10th year competing at the Lakeland Pig Fest, our first year was in Backyard and the next nine as a Pro. It is our largest vending gig and this year we set a Swamp Boys record. Between Friday afternoon and Saturday afternoon I cooked 120 racks of ribs and 150 pounds of pork, plus my contest meats. Add in the 4 bushels of corn and the Swamp Babes did a fantastic job moving all that food!

The competition side was disappointing for me as I did not get a single call. First time in several years that’s happened. I ended up 22nd out of 70 pro teams. It broke a string of 7 contests of finishing in the top 3. Lakeland has always been challenging for me for whatever reason. I think I might just look at it as a great vending chance from now on. On the plus side in the overall standings the Grand Champion, 3rd, 4th, and 6th place teams (out of 70) are all grads of Swamp Boys Q School. I was pretty excited about that!

What’s Happened?

Contests 2 Responses »

Apr 052010

So for 2009, I finished in the top 10 over 85% of the time. I finished in the top 5 68% of the time. I came in Grand or Reserve Champion in over 44% of the contests I entered. Those are numbers I’m pretty proud of, and they are what kept the Swamp Boys ranked as the #1 team in the country on the National BBQ Rankings for 67 weeks, including all of 2009. We’re talking out of over 4, 400 pro teams.

Jump forward to 2010. Here is a list of the contests I entered and where I finished overall:
Okeechobee 3rd/44
Lakeland 18th/73
Winter Haven 4th/46
Starke 5th/38
Haines City 12th/37
Clermont 14th/30
Dade City 10th/25

Granted, 3 of those above are good finishes. And historically the start of the season is my weakest stretch. But still, those others have me worried. In Haines City I did not get a call! It has been years since that has happened. Something is changing, now to figure out how to deal with it.