Trip Report - Virginia Pork Festival 2007 w/Pics

On Wednesday, June 13, 2007 - I took a trip out to Emporia, Va (from Virginia Beach) for my first Virginia Pork Festival.


One of the main entrances to the festival


They had the smokers all lined up


Time for me to start tasting


This was actually one of the best things I had all day - and it really didn't have anything to do with pork


All the sweet and unsweet tea you can drink!


Just looking through the pines toward the lake


Ok, finally time to taste some pork


Not too bad but really nothing to go crazy over


Off to try some red eye gravy for the first time


I liked this better than the ham biscuit, I guess the red eye gravy helped


This sounded interesting - I was off to taste


That's where they made it


This was good - kinda spicy but not too much, just enough to make your nose run a little bit


Was it really a burger?


Just another name for a sausage patty - it was average


I had never had them before and didn't know what they were - boy was I in for a surprise


I followed suit by putting some vinegar and Texas Pete on top but still didn't really like too much. I ate about 1/4 of what was in the bowl then threw the rest in the trash - Guess I'm just not big on pig intestins


I then headed over to a stand that I was more familiar with


Yea, this was definitely more my style


That's a lot of pork chops


These sounded pretty good - is was about time to try something other than pork for a change


And they were very good - topped with some cinnamon and sugar


Took a break to watch these guys play around for a bit


I could of watched these guys all day


I decided to pass on the pigs feet and BLT's but just figured I'd capture a pic anyway


One of the main reasons why I was here!


It was chopped a little finer than I usually like but it was still very good. It was a little different, not your typical NC style but I would had definitely gone back for seconds it I wasn't starting to get full.


Now you can't really have BBQ without hushpuppies or baked beans now can you?


The hushpuppies were pretty good but can't say the same for the beans


They tasted like they were right out of the can - maybe they were?


Ok, back to the pork


The smoke was in the air


Added some of the house sauce - which was very good


Don't know why they just didn't call it Brunswick Stew?


Either way it was pretty good - I would have taken a larger portion if I wasn't getting so full


Overlooking the lake towards one of the many groves of pine trees


I couldn't miss out on the butts!


They had just taken some out of one of these smokers/cookers


Just some extra meat that was stuck to the grill


One of my favs - it was served just how I like, all chopped up! It took me about a 1/2 hour just to eat this little plate - I was so full but couldn't let it go to waste


Took a break before heading for dessert


Defintely an nice park to have such a festival


Next year I'll know to bring a chair so that I don't have to sit on a pine tree stump


Ok, now time for dessert


Very refreshing


Had to visit the pigs once more before I left - I guess they felt like I did.

Overall it was a very good festival. I definitely make plans to return next year as well. The ticket was $25 and that included entrance into the festival and all the food and beverages you can consume. The beverages were not limited to just tea, but also bottled water, sodas, and even beer and other adult beverages as well. You can't really beat that deal now can you?

That last pork chop with the house sauce looked the best.

And I loved the pic of the cuddling piggies. So cute!

Nice job, looks like a real fun day. Those little pork chops on the hoof better not take to many naps, the next one might be the big one.

I might be a little concerned about the stew being served by the Humane Society. Especially since they did not seem to have many customers.

John

Looks to me like the Holland Ruritan Club doesn't know a biscuit from a roll... Thanks for the great report!!

Sounds to me like you ate or sampled a lot. Very nice job.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

THANKS for that post! Awesome pics. Great comments.
Hope you didn't clog the ole veins too badly!

quote:

Originally posted by pogophiles

Looks to me like the Holland Ruritan Club doesn't know a biscuit from a roll... Thanks for the great report!!

That seems to be a problem down in certain parts of Virginia. I'm not going to mention any names but some well known establishments serve "biscuits" that to many people seem to really be rolls. At the place I'm thinking of they're not quite as roll-like as what was pictured above but they're close enough.

Hep

Great photos...thanks for sharing!

sb man, Thanks for the photo update. Looks like you had a great day. In trips I made there in the past I learned that you have to pace yourself and that it was so much more enjoyable if the weather was nice. Thanks again.

Aw man you don't like Chitlins???

Just kiddin ya, looks like a great festival, a great way to sample many things at once.

I will have to give you a A for effort, at least you tried them!

I want to get to that grate where the BBQ Boston pork butts were cooked. Look at that crusty stuff on the grill. Now -that- is debris at its finest.
Those pigs looked great. I bet they would be even better looking with some sauce on them....

mark