Smithfield Announces “Hog Wild Throwdown” Swee

SMITHFIELD, Va., Dec. 27, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Smithfield is thrilled to announce Christine McKinnon of Minnetonka, Minn. as the grand prize winner of the Hog Wild Throwdown sweepstakes. McKinnon was selected randomly out of 58,344 total sweepstakes entries to drive home the “ultimate pig-rig,” a brand new Ford F-150 XL pickup truck, $2,000 cash, and a $500 gift card to Jerry’s Foods.

From May through September, Smithfield invited pork fans nationwide to grill, vote and play for the chance to win thousands of prizes. All grilling season long, Smithfield encouraged barbecue lovers to submit their most original and creative Smithfield fresh pork recipes, for the opportunity to throw down at the American Royal World Series of Barbecue ^® .

In addition to entering the contest, barbecue enthusiasts could also vote for their favorite recipe submissions to enter the Smithfield Hog Wild Throwdown sweepstakes. The more votes submitted increased participants’ chances of winning. Fans were also able to play daily instant win games to take home one of 6,740 total prizes, including Smithfield, Kingsford, and Anheuser-Busch grilling coupons, gift cards, coolers, aprons, and more.

“I entered the Smithfield Hog Wild Throwdown sweepstakes almost daily – there were so many great fresh pork grilling recipes submitted from people all over the country, so it was inspiring to check back each day and vote for my favorites,” said McKinnon. “I was in complete disbelief that I won – my first road trip in my new Ford F-150 will be to go visit my family in Wisconsin for the holidays!”

“It was exciting to see fans vote and find recipe inspiration from all of our Hog Wild Throwdown recipe entries,” said Emily Detwiler, senior brand manager of fresh pork for Smithfield Foods. “We’re delighted to award Christine with a brand new Ford F-150. We hope it continues to drive her inspiration to get grilling with fresh pork!”

For more inspiration, cooking tips, and fresh pork recipes, visit  www.Smithfield.com .

About Smithfield A leading provider of high-quality pork products, Smithfield was founded in 1936 in Smithfield, Virginia. From hand-trimmed ribs, loins and bacon and slow-smoked holiday hams to marinated tenderloins, Smithfield brings artistry, authenticity and a commitment to heritage, flavor, and handcrafted excellence to everything it produces. With a vast product portfolio including smoked meats, hams, bacon, sausage, ribs, and a wide variety of fresh pork cuts, the company services retail, foodservice, and deli channels across the United States and 30 countries abroad. All of Smithfield's products meet the highest quality and safety standards in the industry. To learn more about how Flavor Hails from Smithfield, please visit www.Smithfield.com , www.Twitter.com/SmithfieldBrand , and www.Facebook.com/CookingWithSmithfield . Smithfield is a brand of Smithfield Foods.

About Smithfield Foods Smithfield Foods is a $14 billion global food company and the world's largest pork processor and hog producer. In the United States, the company is also the leader in numerous packaged meats categories with popular brands including Smithfield®, Eckrich®, Nathan's Famous®, Farmland®, Armour®, Cook's®, John Morrell®, Gwaltney®, Kretschmar®, Margherita®, Curly's®, Carando®, Healthy Ones®, Krakus®, Morliny® and Berlinki®. Smithfield Foods is committed to providing good food in a responsible way and maintains robust animal care, community involvement, employee safety, environmental and food safety and quality programs. For more information, visit www.smithfieldfoods.com .

Media Contacts: Hunter PR for Smithfield Morgan Calef mcalef@hunterpr.com (212) 679-6600