KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Barbecue and grilling fanatics gathered outside Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City before the Chiefs NFL Draft party to set a Guinness World Record on April 27. With more than 336 finishing the Largest Grilling Lesson, Guinness confirmed the record as part of the Smithfield Brand "Get Grilling America" campaign.
World Champion pitmaster Chris Lilly and Weber grillmaster Kevin Kolman conducted the grilling lesson by demonstrating two recipes featuring Smithfield Prime Back Ribs and Roasted Garlic & Herb Marinated Fresh Pork Chops.
Lilly answered several questions during the session including an in-depth answer on what to look for in ribs.
“It’s color and marbling,” Lilly said. “You want reddish pink color instead of a pinkish red color. Reddish pink has more water and moisture attention. A really pale pink is going to dry out so color is very important with your selection. Marbling is the fat striations you have throughout the meat. More marbling, more fat, more flavor.”
Kolman also gave out a few tips on what people should be doing if they are new to grilling.
“I think we need to get past what’s better and focus on cooking," he said. “Sometimes it’s good to get your craft, know your grill and then say, ‘hey you know what I’ll move into charcoal.’ I like the best of both worlds.”
Guinness World Records judicator, Phillip Robertson, was on hand to guarantee participants met the requirements to set the record for the Largest Grilling Lesson. To set the record, Smithfield needed at least 250 participants to take part in the lesson at a single venue for a minimum of 30 minutes using the same equipment and cooking two separate ingredients.
“We need a set of criteria where people could compete, and somebody else could attempt later on,” Robertson said.
Emily Detwiler, Smithfield Foods director of fresh pork marketing for the Smithfield brand, also discussed why this was the perfect place to kick off its summer events and display some new product.
“It’s Kansas City. It’s the heart of barbecue country,” she said. “We’ve got about 400 Smithfield employees in the area. We love barbecue and all the pitmasters around here.”
