Smithfield Sets World Record for Largest Grilling Lesson

Smithfield Foods brought together barbecue enthusiasts to set a Guinness World Record on April 27. Gathered at the Kansas City Chiefs’ Arrowhead Stadium, over 350 participants took part in the World's Largest Grilling Lesson. Led by world champion pitmaster Chris Lilly, Weber grillmaster Kevin Kolman and Kansas City Chiefs’ Defensive End Chris Jones, the record breaking crowd learned the tricks to cooking ribs and pork chops on a charcoal grill. 

“If I wasn’t playing football, I’d be grilling,” said Jones. A barbecue fan and self-proclaimed “home-champion griller,” Jones talked about his grilling preferences and the Chiefs. "We know Chris (Lilly) from the barbecue circuit so we came to support Chris and this event," said Paul Kirk, the Baron of Barbecue and Barbecue Hall of Famer. 

"This is our first time breaking a world record! We really wanted to kick of our summer grilling season in a big way. May is obviously National Grilling Month and we wanted to really inspire Americans to get out there and get grilling fresh pork." -  Emily Detwiler, Smithfield Director of Marketing

The event was the kickoff for Smithfield's summer grilling campaign, Get Grilling America. Overseen by a representative from the Guinness Book of World Records, the grilling lesson had to last at least 30 minutes, with a minimum of 250 people. Participants had to be focused on the event and prove they learned something by answering questions from the Guinness representative. 

Sponsors for the grilling lesson included Kingsford Charcoal and Weber Grills.