Bacon Off!
noon-4 p.m.
Sunday, June 17
(rain date: June 23)
East End Market
3201 Corrine Drive
baconofforlando.com
$30
After plenty of smack-talking tweets and sassy hashtags, C&S Brisket Bus and the Big Wheel Provisions are finally ready to throw down in a salty, smoky display of bacon swag at Orlando's first ever Bacon Off competition.
This Father's Day, the two food trucks will face off at noon to see which has the best original bacon, novelty bacon, bacon side and bacon product. The winner will get the title of Bacon Grand Champion and some serious porky bragging rights.
So far, they haven't been shy about antagonizing each other via Twitter. On May 13, Big Wheel tweeted: "Hey @CSBrisketBus, testing recipes for @BaconOffOrlando south of the border? RT @nytimes: Police Find 49 Bodies by Hghwy in Mexico." And on May 23, Brisket Bus tweeted: "Sure hope the @BigWheelTruck dials up their A game for @BaconOffOrlando. #therecanbeonlyone #baconswag."
"It's all good-natured," Chris Jaskulski, part-owner of C&S, insists. "I'm pretty positive that we're going to win, but I think Tony is pretty positive he's going to win too," he adds, laughing.
Tony Adams, owner of Big Wheel, says that he's actually "starting to sweat a little" from the pressure, but still feels confident with what they're bringing this Sunday. "We think what we're doing will definitely hold up pretty well," Adams says.
Competition spectators will get a bacon sampler platter with items from each truck and a free beer as part of the ticket price; the crowd will then vote to decide which truck served the best product in each category. And the meat madness doesn't end there: There'll also be a pig and brisket roast and buffet.
So regardless of who wins this mouthwatering competition, "It's going to be a good eating time altogether," Adams says. The Bacon Off is the first event to happen on the site of John Rife's soon-to-open East End Market in Audubon Park, planned as an indoor seven-day-a-week farmers market and food emporium. East End is anticipated to open in late 2012, but for now, we'll just call it pig heaven.
