Princeville pork chop sandwich among final 16 in IHSA's search for the best in Illinois
PRINCEVILLE — Pork chop sandwiches have become quite the delicacy at the Princeville concession stand.
As part of the second annual IHSA Pork and Pigskins Championships, Princeville finds itself in the Savory 16, looking to take home bragging rights as having the state’s best food commonly synonymous with high school football.
The Peoria County school, located about 15 miles north of Peoria, was one of the top four vote-getters from each of the four regionals after surviving a two-day online vote that whittled down the original field of 58 to its final 16 participants.
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“I truly think we do a great job,” said Trudy Stoner, whose been a part of the grilling process for at least 25 years.
Stoner and the Princeville Lions Club get the meat from the Wyanet Locker, rub it with pork barbecue spice and grill them up at 540 degrees for 15 minutes. Dave Schaefer has been on the grill for five years, helping perfect that process.
Those grilling skills, however, aren’t limited to just home football games. Community events such as St. Jude fundraisers, Honor Flights and the annual Princeville Heritage Days have sought out the Lions Club’s services.
“People know about our product,” Stoner said. “We have pretty well established our name through the small communities in Peoria County.”
Now, the IHSA is utilizing in-person judges to grade the sandwiches until Oct. 21. Judges base their scores on five separate categories: aroma, presentation, flavor, juiciness and aftertaste.
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The divisions are aptly named after the pig breeds Berkshire, Duroc, Hampshire and Yorkshire.
Princeville is the Duroc division with El Paso-Gridley, Fieldcrest and Flanagan-Cornell. Other Journal Star-area schools still alive include Bureau Valley, Hall and Kewanee in the Berkshire division. Olympia is in the Hampshire division with reigning state champion Normal Community.
Adam Duvall is a Journal Star sports reporter. Email him at aduvall@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @AdamDuvall.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: IHSA Savory 16: Princeville pork chop sandwich one of Illinois' best
