http://www.odditycentral.com/pics/the-largest-barbecue-in-the-world.html#more-2196 That’s a lot of deliciously looking meat…yumm. Uruguay isn’t famous for a great many things, but thanks to the event that took place on April 3rd of this year, its beef will be a lot more famous all across the globe. over 1000 people got together to cook 12 metric tonnes of fried beef, over a 1 mile long grill set up by the military. Six tonnes of charcoal burned as 20,000 spectators screamed when the Guinness Book official announced a new record had been set. The previous barbecue record belonged to Mexico and was set in 2006, but the new one crushed by the 4 extra tonnes of meat used in Uruguay. I gotta say that Uruguayan beef sure looks tasty, I hope I get to try some of it at one point… ================ http://www.weareneverfull.com/newsflash-worlds-longest-bbq-record-broken-shockwaves-sent-throughout-the-world-and-sadness-throughout-the-veganveg-community/ We Are Never Full.com The Vegans were pissed and thought it was gross (and even staged a small protest) but Danny Girton, the Guinness World Records judge thought “it was all so beautiful”. Uruguay, the little country with a big heart (yup, just made that up), had it’s moment in the spotlight on Tuesday, April 14th when they won the Guinness Book of World Record’s previously held by Mexico from 2006 and by 4 tons. The old beef grilling record held by Mexico for grilling 17,600 pounds of beef was quickly smashed by Uruguay with their 26,400 pounds! That’s some load of beef! More than 20,000 beef-crazed fans were in Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay, to cheer on the more than 1250 grillers. The 1-mile long grill, set up by the Army and the 6 tons of charcoal, lit up by firefighters, brought excitement to the city. The leader of the INAC (National Meats Institute) believes ‘gimmics’ like this event can put Uruguay on the map. Does this event make you want to go find Uruguay on the map? (Here’s a hint: Look around Argentina and Brazil – if you don’t know where to locate these countries on a map, please stop reading our blog cause I’m frightened.) Beef is one one Uruguays biggest exports and they are one of the leaders of beef exporters in Latin America. It brought in about $817 million in revenue for the ‘little engine that could’ (yeah, made that cheesy gem up too). Maybe the vegans/veggies would have been happier to go to the Phillipines for the longest corn grill competition? According to my research (which wasn’t very extensive), in Feb. 2008, the Phillipines grilled 117,840 ears of corn on 2014 grills over 3 miles long!! Although it’s not meat, they had to use 7,000 grillers to keep up. In my mind, sounds like the corn won this one, huh? ================= http://www.worldrecordsacademy.org/food/biggest_barbecue_world_record_set_by_Uruguay_80198.htm World Records Academy web site NEW WORLD RECORD Biggest barbecue-world record set by Paraguay Biggest barbecue-world record set by Uruguay [April 14]MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay--Some 1,250 Uruguayan grillmeisters sizzled up 26,400 pounds (12,000 kilograms) of beef Sunday, setting the world record for the biggest barbecue. Photo: Uruguayan cooks barbecue meat in an attempt to break a record for the world's largest barbecue in Montevideo, Sunday, April 13, 2008. (AP Photo/Marcelo Hernandez) -enlarge photo "I'm very proud to be Uruguayan. We have the best beef and now we have the world's biggest barbecue," said one of the cooks. The barbecue was so big that firefighters were called in to light the grills and make sure the flames did not get out of hand. It beat the previous record of 17,600 pounds (8,000 kilograms) of beef. 6 tons of charcoal and 1,500 metal barbecue stands were used for this world record.The army was called in to assist by setting up the grill and firefighters lit six tonnes of charcoal. Photo:People gather around Uruguayan cooks who barbecue meat in an attempt to break a record for the world's largest barbecue in Montevideo, April 13, 2008. (Reuters/INAC/Handout Photo) (enlarge photo) Uruguay, a ranching and farming nation, last year exported more than US$1 billion (euro630 million) in beef — its chief export. The load of meat cooked Sunday set off swirling clouds of aromatic smoke, as 20,000 spectators devoured the cuts quickly. The organizer said the gargantuan cookout is held to promote the country's image as a major cattle producer. Photo: Cooks grill 12,000kg of beef during The World's Biggest Barbecue in Montevideo. Photo: AFP (enlarge photo) "Uruguay is very small, it's not known for other events so we have to use these kinds of gimmicks so people find out where Uruguay is and what it has to offer," said Fernando Perez Abella, vice president of the National Meats Institute, or INAC in Spanish. Beef exports raked in $817 million last year for Uruguay, a laid-back country of some 3.2 million people squeezed between larger neighbors Argentina and Brazil, also major cattle producers. ================ http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-11295 CNN iReport Twelve thousand kilos of bovine meat today went roasts to the grill in Montevideo in a same estate by about 1,250 spits, in an event that allowed Uruguay to mark a world-wide record and to promote itself like exporter of that product. The greatest bbq in the world" (INAC) was organized by the state National Institute of Meats and it took place in an ample outdoors used establishment habitually for agro-industrial exhibitions that are located in a residential zone of Montevideo. 20 thousand people had exhausted the entrances that were sold to participate in that event. Several authorities of government attended the event. The 12 thousand kilos of meat were placed in a metallic grill of thousand 500 meters that was controlled by thousand 252 cook and more than 600 volunteers. With " The Largest BBQ of the World" Uruguay broke the Record Guinness obtained by Mexico in 2006 with the baking of 8 thousand kilos of meat in thousand 290 meters of grill and with a participation of 2 thousand volunteers. The record was confirmed by American judge Danny Girton Jr. The bovine meat is the main heading of export of Uruguay and their main buyers are the European Union and the United States. =================== http://www.reuters.com/article/2008/04/15/us-uruguay-barbecue-idUSN1331282920080415 Reuters (Reuters) - More than a thousand barbecue fanatics in Uruguay grilled up 12 metric tonnes (26,400 lbs) of beef on Sunday, setting a new Guinness world record while promoting the country's succulent top export. Army personnel set up a grill nearly 1 mile long and firefighters lit six tonnes of charcoal to kick off the gargantuan cookout. Some 1,250 people grilled the beef and about 20,000 spectators cried with joy when a Guinness judge confirmed the barbecue record had been broken. "I'm very proud to be Uruguayan. We have the best beef and now we have the world's biggest barbecue," said one of the volunteer cooks, sporting an apron and chef's hat. The South American country bested a Mexican grilling record from 2006 by a resounding 4 tonnes. The barbecue was organized by the National Meats Institute, or INAC in Spanish, which tracks beef sales abroad. Beef exports raked in $817 million last year for Uruguay, a laid-back country of some 3.2 million people squeezed between larger neighbors Argentina and Brazil, also major cattle producers. "Uruguay is very small, it's not known for other events so we have to use these kinds of gimmicks so people find out where Uruguay is and what it has to offer," said INAC's vice president, Fernando Perez Abella. (Reporting by Conrado Hornos; writing by Hilary Burke, editing by Todd Eastham)