Roadkill Cook-Off 2023
Yes…I said Roadkill Cook-Off
This cook-off is part of an annual festival in the small mountain town of Marlinton, West Virginia. Regional “chefs” prepare their best roadkill dishes in hopes of winning the cook-off. But, to be clear, the meat used in their dishes is not supposed to be actual roadkill. The rules state that…“the dish must be at least 25% of an animal commonly found dead on the road. However, it is preferred if you do NOT actually take your animals from the road.” I have had this event on my blog mission, wish list for quite some time. So, it was with much excitement that Carol and I traveled deep into the Appalachian mountains to experience Marlinton’s Roadkill Cook-Off 2023.
Roadkill Sampling
To be honest, I think my expectations might have been too high for the cook-off. Ideally, I wanted to experience some real culinary challenges like opossum, raccoon, squirrel on a stick, or buzzard meat. However, I think the limitations of feeding hundreds of people at a festival affected how the chefs approached their dishes. By that, I mean that most of the meats were in soups/stews to add more bulk to their dish. It’s kind of hard to appreciate the groundhog when it’s mixed with noodles/beans, veggies, and some spices. The exception was a couple different burger options made with bear or deer. For the record, my animal tasted list included deer, bear, wild turkey, rabbit, squirrel, and groundhog. One vendor claimed the topping was buzzard snot. But, I was pretty sure it was coleslaw.
After you have thoroughly sampled all the offers once or twice, you were asked to give your ticket to your choice for winner. Carol and I both agreed that the jackalope chowder was the best. Sadly, this chowder finished second. The grand champion was basically a venison slider with dill pickle. Oh well.
It’s a Festival Too
The Roadkill Cook-off was the big draw, but the festival had much more to offer. The vendors and exhibitors filled up 8th Street, going the length of Marlinton. Naturally, what rural festival would be complete without a Roadkill Queen’s Court and chain saw art.
As you would expect, Carol did not miss the opportunity to blow money on more clothes. The lady selling all things alpaca recognized Carol as an obvious fashion whale. The purchases soon followed. For myself, I preferred more cerebral pursuits in cryptozoology. One vendor was happy to discuss the hunt for Bigfoot and Mothman with me.
All these great attractions aside, I had two tents that I found most interesting. First, I was shocked that the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals had a tent at the Roadkill festival in West Virginia. I respect their courage. However, they festival goers pretty much ignored them. By contrast, the other interesting tent (sadly not ignored) was a West Virginia militia recruitment tent. The heavily armed, MAGA hat gentlemen was happy to discuss guns, politics or the purpose of his group. Wisely, due to the armaments, I was afraid to take his picture. So, I substituted this picture of the Bigfoot cookie that I purchased.
Wrap It Up
Please allow me two final, but related, topics before I depart…
One, remember to always pay attention to points of interest along your path of travel. On the way to the cook-off, we went through Richmond, WV. The mascot of the Richmond high school is the lumberjack. Therefore, proudly adorning the top of their football scoreboard is the lumberjack version (Bunyan) of my beloved Muffler Men. I would have gotten a close picture, but I didn’t want to pay the $8 to get into the JV football game.
Also, I have done the West Virginia Roadkill Cook-off 2023…what now? Well, I don’t know when it’s going to happen, but I have my sights set. I have never tasted Rocky Mountain oysters. Sooner or later, I am going to make it to Bozeman, Montana for their festival on that subject. But, that’s a blog mission for another day. Anyway, for now, it was a great experience for Carol and me at the Roadkill festival. I recommend it to all my open minded, food loving friends. Have a wonderful day. PT
I hope you have enjoyed “Roadkill Cook-Off 2023” on Traveling with PugsleyTonks
County Fairs, the basis of all festivals…https://travelingwithpt.com/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/
If you want to plan your trip to the next Roadkill Cook-off https://radseason.com/event/roadkill-festival-marlinton-west-virginia/
