2019 Cherokee Strip Cook-off tasting on Saturday

The 2019 Cherokee Strip Cook-off this weekend marks the 33rd year for this fun, food-centric weekend full of entertainment and competition.

Tasting for the cook-off will be held from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Saturday on the banks of Lake Ponca. The cook-off is a State Championship and sanctioned by KCBS. Those attending will have an opportunity to taste some of the best barbeque available cooked by professional cooks.

Activities include musical entertainment, and a People’s Choice award given to the crowd-selected favorite BBQ and Chili.

This year’s raffle is a pellet fired Fast Eddy’s Smoker by Cookshack, valued at $1,815

Admission to the event is free, and tasting kits will be sold in advance for $5. They are $7 at the event. They can be purchased from a Professionals Today member or the Chamber of Commerce. Each tasting kit will include two ballots to vote for your favorite BBQ and Chili teams. The top three winners receive cash prizes.

The Cherokee Strip Cook-off is now a OKBS Cleaver Team of the Year Event.

The event organizers, Professionals Today, (a local women’s service organization) have donated more than $430,000 to Hospice of North Central Oklahoma from proceeds of this event. Hospice of North Central Oklahoma  offers medical and emotional support to terminally ill patients and their families. Their services are individualized to meet family and patient needs and range from social services to 24-hour emergency care. The non-profit support includes all of Kay, Grant, Noble, and Osage Counties.