A Sunday, June 5, event at Ole Shakey’s may very well be a first for Asheville (although this writer was reluctant to confirm or refute that information through any type of online search). The event’s creator, Charlie Hodge, calls this celebration of artisan jerky The Great American Jerk Off. “We’ll be having a professional jerk-off and an amateur jerk-off competition,” he says, noting that among the professionals involved are some of Asheville’s more well-respected culinary businesses: The Bull and Beggar, Buxton Hall Barbecue, Cucina 24, Local Provisions, Sovereign Remedies and Table will all be competing.
“When I moved out to Asheville a long time ago … I really loved the way people were preserving and capturing and keeping food,” Hodge explains. “I consider jerky a part of this region. So jerky at Ole Shakey’s just makes sense.”
The event will run 4-8 p.m. Sunday, June 5. A $3 wristband will allow guests to sample jerky from all participating chefs, both professional and amateur. Attendees will also have the opportunity to vote for their three favorite dried meat (or non meat — vegetarian and vegan entries are allowed as well) treats, which will determine the winner of the people’s choice competition. A panel of judges — The Circle — will also be awarding prizes. Live music and drink specials will be part of the event, which is only for ages 21 and older.
Hodge hopes this will prove to be the first of many future Jerk Offs. “Right now we’re just having fun,” he says. “We’ll be more articulate [about rules, guidelines] and getting the word out in the future . I just want to get this one down and see how it flows.”
He adds, “It’s just going to be a fun Sunday afternoon at Shakey’s. It’s a very friendly jerk off, with all the meat you can handle. That’s our tag line.”
Awful pun. Especially since the Mtn X LTE section will reflect eating meat is evil- cue the PETA types. And as usual, no fact checking will occur.