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NEW WORLD RECORD
Biggest
barbecue-world record set by Paraguay
Biggest barbecue-world record set by Uruguay
[April
14]MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay--Some 1,250 Uruguayan grillmeisters
sizzled up 26,400 pounds (12,000 kilograms) of beef Sunday,
setting the world record for the biggest barbecue.
Photo: Uruguayan cooks barbecue meat in
an attempt to break a record for the world's largest barbecue
in Montevideo, Sunday, April 13, 2008. (AP Photo/Marcelo Hernandez)
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photo
"I'm very proud to be Uruguayan. We
have the best beef and now we have the world's biggest barbecue,"
said one of the cooks.
The barbecue was so big that firefighters
were called in to light the grills and make sure the flames
did not get out of hand. It beat the previous record of 17,600
pounds (8,000 kilograms) of beef.
6 tons of charcoal and 1,500 metal barbecue stands
were used for this world record.The army was called in to
assist by setting up the grill and firefighters lit six tonnes
of charcoal.
Photo:People gather around Uruguayan cooks who
barbecue meat in an attempt to break a record for the world's
largest barbecue in Montevideo, April 13, 2008. (Reuters/INAC/Handout
Photo)
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photo)
Uruguay, a ranching and farming nation,
last year exported more than US$1 billion (euro630 million)
in beef — its chief export.
The load of meat cooked Sunday set off swirling
clouds of aromatic smoke, as 20,000 spectators devoured the
cuts quickly.
The organizer said the gargantuan cookout is held
to promote the country's image as a major cattle producer.
Photo:
Cooks grill 12,000kg of beef during The World's Biggest Barbecue
in Montevideo. Photo: AFP
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photo)
"Uruguay is very small, it's not known
for other events so we have to use these kinds of gimmicks
so people find out where Uruguay is and what it has to offer,"
said Fernando Perez Abella, vice president of the National
Meats Institute, or INAC in Spanish.
Beef exports raked in $817 million last
year for Uruguay, a laid-back country of some 3.2 million
people squeezed between larger neighbors Argentina and Brazil,
also major cattle producers.
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