World Champion Squirrel Cookoff Coming Back to Springdale

The AGFC has once again teamed up with Ozark personality Joe Wilson to put on the nuttiest celebration of outdoor adventure and cooking, and there’s still time to get your team together and join in the fun. The World Champion Squirrel Cookoff will be held Saturday, Sept. 12, at the J.B. and Johnelle Hunt Family Ozark Highlands Nature Center at 3400 N. 40th St. in Springdale.

The center, owned and operated by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, has hosted the event since its post-COVID reboot in 2023.

“It’s just a natural fit for us to partner with Joe, who started the cook off in 2012 and always held it right here in northwest Arkansas,” JJ Gladden, assistant chief of the AGFC’s Education Division, said. “The AGFC has had cooking classes and events for as long as I can remember to teach people how to prepare the fish and wild game they come home with. When Joe was looking for a new home for his event after COVID, we knew it was a great opportunity to partner with our newest nature center in Northwest Arkansas.”

Teams will set up for their day on Friday afternoon before the event. Final setup will wrap up at 7 a.m. Saturday morning, and teams will draw their entry number. Before cooking begins at 9 a.m., officials will verify teams are using all-natural, no-preservatives-added, free-range limb chicken.

“You probably aren’t going to see a whole lot of food handouts in that first hour or two because the teams are focused on getting their entry off to a good start, but I’ve seen some venison chorizo breakfast burritos and ‘some-kinda-critter sausage’ and biscuits set out for early guests,” Wilson said. “At about 11 you really start to see some of the teams serving up extras once they have their entries organized.”

In addition to the food handed out by the teams, Wilson always puts on a spread of outdoors-inspired offerings with the help of vendors and friends in the cooking industry.

“I always try to have something for everyone to enjoy while they’re here celebrating America’s most underrated protein,” Wilson said. “Some people aren’t quite brave enough to give squirrel a try, so I have much tamer dishes available. You know, rabbit, alligator, wild boar; you know, normal foods.”

He may be joking about those dishes being “normal,” but Wilson’s not kidding about serving up some side dishes that taste great and make fantastic conversation starters. One of last year’s featured dishes from event organizers was tacos made from fried silver carp, and it was a hit with those stepping up to the plate for a taste.

“We’ll also have a variety of outdoor education courses during the event for people to enjoy and learn,” Gladden said. “Our new cave experience trailer will be on-site for people to try and our K-9 Unit will have a demonstration at 10 to show people how these special dogs help game wardens track down poachers as well as assist other law enforcement agencies in tracking, search-and-rescue and evidence recovery. Plus we’ll have a ton of ‘squirrely’ activities for the kids waiting inside the building if people need a chance to cool off.”

The event also is the home of the World’s Hottest Squirrel Eating Contest as well as the annual World Champion Squirrel Skinning Contest. Contestants for either of these afternoon events can sign up on-site.

Visit www.facebook.com/squirrelcookoff for a complete list of rules, event updates and instructions to nab one of the few remaining cooking team spots.

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CUTLINES:

SERVING TRAY
Cooking teams have plenty of samples to share at the World Champion Squirrel Cook Off. AGFC photo.

PREPARING MEAT
All dishes must use wild-harvested squirrels as their base protein, and smart teams use squirrel in side dishes, too. AGFC photo.

CUTTING DOUGH
Everything from empanadas to ice cream have been featured with squirrel as the star of the show. AGFC photo.

EATING
World-famous side events at the cook off include the World Champion Squirrel Skinning Contest and the World’s Hottest Squirrel Eating Contest. AGFC photo.