July 6, 2021

Think Downtown Burger Battle but with pork.

That appears to be the idea behind downtown Sioux Falls’ newest food-related event, coming this September.

The Downtown Pork Showdown will feature pork dishes from participating restaurants and a public vote to determine the competition champion.

It’s sponsored, appropriately enough, by pork producer Smithfield Foods.

“Smithfield is excited to partner with DTSF on this fun community event,” Tolcha Mesele, Smithfield’s senior community development manager, said in a statement. “We look forward to supporting local businesses and partners who share our love of pork, and we can’t wait to see the creative recipes they will dream up throughout the competition.”

The competition will kick off the first Friday in September and run all month. Participating restaurants will be announced closer to the event.

“DTSF is thrilled to host the inaugural Downtown Pork Showdown with Smithfield Foods. People have been asking for another DTSF food competition. This new promotion will be a fun and engaging way for people to sample the culinary talent of downtown’s food scene,” said Joe Batcheller, DTSF president.