Potjie competition

It is that time of the year again when we when the serious foodie people in and around Hogsback get out their big black pots and start collecting their secret ingredients for the Spring Potjiekos Competition that takes place during the Azalea Celebration. This year it will be held over the weekend of the 29th to 30th of October, with the cookoff on the Saturday morning at the Edge

The Potjiekos competition is one of the highlights of our #spring #hogsbackcelebrations weekend and the competitors always take it extremely seriously! In 2019 we had a record number of potjiekos entrees competing for the coveted trophy and prizes. We even had a few chefs from our neighbouring towns giving the locals a run for their potjie! Estie and Benji from Ginger & Co were the judges and they were suitably impressed with the standard on offer!

This year we are hoping to have even more food fundi’s, closet chefs, braai masters and Hogsback pot-stars participating!

Potjies will be cooked from 10 onward, with judging taking place at 13h00 when the public can partake in the tasting fun.  As there will only be a limited number of tickets for the potjie meal, get there early!!

To enter the competition contact Jenn Whyle (084 873 1288)

Rules

•  All the potjies must be prepared from scratch on the day of the competition. Prior marinating for tenderising of meat or fish will be allowed.
• All entries must be cooked in a traditional cast-iron Dutch pot or potjie.
•  Potjies must be cooked over coals. There will be one big fire to draw coals from.
• The entry can be made from any ingredient or combination thereof like lamb, pork, venison, fish, chicken, etc. Please notify us if you are using nuts or shellfish due to the serious nature of these allergies.
•  With the exception of sautéing onions/spices and the browning of the meat at the start of making your potjie, you may not remove ingredients from the pot and may not stir the pot once you start adding your ingredients as this is what makes your entry a potjie and not a stew. This does not stop you from tasting your potjie.
•  The entry fee is the ingredients in your potjie

Judging criteria

• Judges will visit all the cooking sites while the parties are being prepared between 9am and 1pm. 
• The judges will be scoring the cooking area on the general spirit in the team originality preparation techniques and general impressions.
• More specifically: Potjies  will be judged on the following criteria:
  • Aroma
  • Colour
  • Taste 
  • Texture 
  • Ingredients
  • Presentation to judges and 
  • overall potjie-ness
•  The cutoff time for plating and presenting your food for judging is 1pm

To enter the competition contact Jenn Whyle (084 873 1288)

Frequently asked questions

How must does it cost to enter the competition?

• The entry fee is the ingredients in your potjie

How long do we have to cook our potjie?

• From 9 until 1am when you have to be ready to present to the judges. (4 hours)

May we precook some of our ingredients?

• No, everything has to be made from scratch on the day, but you can tenderise your meat or ingredients beforehand.

Do I have to make my own coals on the day?

• There will be one big fire to draw coals from.

Do we have to bring our own potjie?

• Yes

Who get’s to eat the potjies?

• Everyone who buy potjie meal tickets for R100. The number of meal tickets depends on the number of potjies on the day, so get there early to buy your ticket

Memories from previous potjie competitions

To see what went down at previous potjie competitions see our photo galleries:https://www.instagram.com/p/CVaY7erq1jU/embed/?cr=1&v=14&wp=648&rd=https%3A%2F%2Fvisithogsback.co.za&rp=%2Fsite%2Fpotjie-competition-2021%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A3728.1999999284744%2C%22ls%22%3A3211.5%2C%22le%22%3A3213.1999999284744%7D

• Potjie Competition 2019
• Potjie competition 2018
• Potjie competition 2017
• Potjie competition 2016
• Potjie competition 2015
• Potjie competition 2012