Bog Off Festival Draws Thousands

For the last 36 years the South Carolina town of Loris, just west of Myrtle Beach, hosts “The Great Loris Bog-Off”. Farlen Lewis, plant manager at Regal Cutting Tools says, “This started as a Chicken Bog cooking competition but has grown to be a great weeklong festival drawing 40,000 people.” He added, “On Saturday there’s a lot of entertainment ending with a concert and fireworks.”

Regal Cutting Tools is a sponsor of events and this year provided a Dining Tent, ensuring people had a comfortable place to enjoy samples of the various competitors bog.

Recipes are guarded family secrets but some previous winners have shared a few of their secrets. “Cook it slow and low,” says one, while another notes “Always use a cast iron pot.” The one secret ingredient that was truly a surprise was Polish Kielbasa combined with locally grown rice. Congratulations to all the winning cooks!
Chicken Bog Recipe
- 1 (3 lb) chicken, quartered
- 1 lb smoked link sausage
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1⁄2 cup butter
- 2 teaspoons seasoning salt
- 2 teaspoons house seasoning (4 parts Salt, 1 part Black Pepper, 1 part Garlic Powder)
- 1 teaspoon ground red pepper
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 bay leaves
- 8 cups water
- 3 cups raw white rice
Directions
- Slice the sausage into 1/2 inch pieces.
- In stockpot combine chicken, sausage, onion, butter, seasonings and bay leaves.
- Add the water, boil, cover and cook at low boil 40 minutes.
- Remove the chicken from the pot and let cool.
- Debone chicken, discard the bones and skin.
- Add the rice to the pot and bring to boil, stirring well. boil 10 minutes, reduce heat,
- Cover pot and simmer 10 minutes until rice is done.
- Remove bay leaves
- Return chicken to the pot.