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Husky Hog BBQ Food Truck Goes Up Against Country's Best in Online Contest

 Joey Woodel, owner of Husky Hog BBQ, serves up pulled-pork sandwiches and sweet spring corn from his food truck.
Joey Woodel, owner of Husky Hog BBQ, serves up pulled-pork sandwiches and sweet spring corn from his food truck.
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DNAinfo/Benjamin Woodard

CHICAGO — Husky Hog BBQ, the city's first licensed barbecue food truck, is taking on the country's best mobile barbecue establishments in an online contest.

Top industry trade magazine Mobile Cuisine selected Husky Hog out of 2,000 nominations for the contest, which will run through Friday. It's the only finalist from Chicago taking part in the online vote.

"It was awesome," said Husky Hog co-owner Lauren Woodel of when she heard the news. "It's really an honor to be this Chicago-based food truck that's doing barbecue — and we're up against food trucks in Nashville and Texas. I feel like we have a big responsibility; when you think of barbecue you don't usually think of Chicago."

Husky Hog is now competing against 14 other trucks from all around the country, such as Chickhoovenswine BBQ in Spring Hill, Kansas, and Qup BBQ in Phoenix, Arizona.

Woodel and husband Joe, of Rogers Park, launched their food truck last year.

Richard Myrick, editor-in-chief of Mobile Cuisine, said this was the first year he ran a competition of food trucks that barbecue onboard.

But, he said, "it seems as though it's going to be a big hit."

The contest winner is awarded with a profile story on Mobile Cuisine.

Even now, Husky Hog is thankful for exposure in the fledgling Chicago food truck industry.

"We've been on the road for 18 months and people come up to us on a daily basis to ask if we're legal," Lauren Woodel said. "This is a lively and thriving business. It's really great to bring this type of food to different neighborhoods."

Woodel said Husky Hog would also be featured on Food Network's Carnival Eats in August.

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