Surpassing anything remotely close to your typical Hungry Man’s Meal, ravenous participants in Paraguay have broken the Guinness World Record for the largest one day open-air barbecue.
More than 30,000 people grilled their way into history on October 26th to devour 61,600 pounds (28,000 kilos) of meat over the course of 6 hours to create the world’s largest barbecue in the Mariano Roque Alonso township located on the outskirts of Asuncion.
To set a Guinness World Record, the entire bovine should be eaten in less than 8 hours. Bloated participants made short work of the feat in record timing, consuming an average of more than 2 pounds per person.
Volunteer barbecue masters built fires covering a massive area 197 feet (60 meters) wide by 328 feet (100 meters) long, about the size of a football field.
Known locally as “Todo bicho que camina va al asador,” the event name translates into English as “Every critter walking goes to the barbecue.”
Beef cattle are a mainstay of Paraguay’s economy, but the barbecue was held in solidarity for women victims of mistreatment and children who suffer from leukemia, with funds raised from the $3 entrance fee.
“All of the food that was there was eaten. It’s the largest quantity of meat that has been eaten at one event held on one day.” said the judge, Ralph Hannah.
“It’s an official record, a Guinness World Record, and Paraguay will be in the next edition.” he added.
In achieving the ‘Largest Barbecue in the World,’ the Paraguayan town shatters the previous record, an 8-hour eat-a-thon of 21,700 kilos that took place in Philadelphia in 1996.
