Get SPAM’d at Puyallup’s Washington State Fair
Sep 8, 2016, 5:51 PM | Updated: Oct 11, 2024, 9:58 am
Rachel Belle was a judge for the 2016 Great American SPAM Championship, where home cooks are judged on sweet and savory dishes featuring the iconic canned meat, SPAM. (Photo by CC Images, Der Hupe)
(Photo by CC Images, Der Hupe)
The Washington State Fair (AKA The Puyallup) is in full swing and most go for the rides, the carnival games and to indulge in anything and everything deep fried. But I go for the SPAM.
This year is the 20th Great American SPAM Championship, where home cooks are judged on sweet and savory dishes featuring the iconic canned meat.
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I had the honor of serving as a judge this year. I tasted Sweet & Sour Savory SPAM cream puffs, Chirozo SPAM & Sweet Potato Spanish Bites, Sweet & Sour SPAM Meatballs and Chipotle Ranch Bacon SPAM Street Tacos, as well as many, many other creations.
Each dish is judged on flavor, originality and visual appeal and I was surprised and impressed with the entries. Almost everything was completely homemade and nearly everything was delicious. Washington State Fair contest coordinator, Sue Horton, says it hasn’t always been so good. She recalls a particularly grim dish from a few years back.
“Oh my gosh, green JELL-O with SPAM chunks floating in it,” Horton recalled.
Judging SPAM
Mark Aucutt has been a fair judge the past seven years, but this was his first year judging this particular competition.
“Wow, I’d say my favorite was the SPAM baked beans. That really stood out to me. It visually looked really good too. That’s part of what we’re recognizing, as well as the ingredients and the creativity involved. I thought it hit on all bases.”
Holly Ball is a first year judge and she was initially a bit scared of the dishes.
“I’ve never had SPAM before. I’ve passed it in the store so many times and thought, ew, SPAM. It wasn’t bad! I was kind of impressed by some of these different choices out here.”
So does that mean she’ll be adding the canned ingredient to her shopping list?
“No!” she laughs. “I’m really one that likes fresh meat. But this was definitely fun.”
Bloated with sodium, but energized by the canned protein, a 1st place winner was finally announced. Brianne Waite, from Union, Wash. won for her Sweet & Spicy SPAM turnover. She had never cooked with the key ingredient before.
“Oh, I feel great,” Waite said. “It’s fun to have it be the first time I ever entered this competition to win. And we drove from an hour and a half away so that makes it a lot more worth it!”
“A sweet and spicy SPAM turnover,” she said of her dish. “Basically, I made a pineapple jelly with onions and added caramelized SPAM. A layer of cream cheese on both sides of the puff pastry and some provolone cheese.”
State champion Waite now goes on to nationals where she could win a $3,000 dollar prize package, including a trip to Hawaii.
