Pork Sandwiches = State Fair Staple

Sights, smells and sounds surround the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds for two weeks, every September. This year you could hear things like - “Get your corndogs here,” “Come taste the turkey legs,” and “HAWGZILLA!”

The Oklahoma State Fair may just be a place to enjoy the carnival, view livestock and spend time with family. But for the average food specialist, it is so much more. The okPORK Chop Shop is a stop for many of those “foodies,” especially the pork loving ones.

Porkchop sandwiches, pulled pork sandwiches, pork burgers and of course the famous Hawgzilla were featured at the Chop Shop this year. The Hawgzilla was again crowned a “crowd favorite.” This mammoth meal included a pork chop, pulled pork and a pork burger between two buns and sold for $15.

Just like last year, if a Hawgzilla was sold, the bell rang and the screams “HAWGZILLA” could be heard from just about anywhere.

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“The Hawgzilla is always a hit,” said Lloyd Hawkins, okPORK community outreach specialist. “We had a goal to sell more Hawgzillas than last year and we did just that!”

A new feature to the was a new pop-up tent with professional images of the sandwiches and motorcycle rentals. This also helped draw traffic to the Chop Shop because let’s be honest, who doesn’t love pork and bikes?   

Running the booth successfully would not be possible without the help of many great volunteers. A huge thank you goes out to everyone who gave their time to come to OKC and spend time in the sandwich booth during the long two weeks.

“We love volunteering for the okPORK Chop Shop at the Oklahoma State Fair. The staff members are great and professional,” said Phil Oliphant, okPORK board member. “It is such a great opportunity for us to meet people and educate them about pork and answer their questions about the Oklahoma Pork Council.”

okPORK enjoys the opportunity to interact with the public during the Oklahoma State Fair. They were able to host a radio remote from the shop and serve the public with great products, all in which made it another successful year. See you in 2019!