A few months ago, while I was preparing to win the 2009 ID Spring Roll Eating Competition, I talked with a soft-spoken young man named Erik “The Red” Denmark, who is Seattle’s most preeminent competitive eater. Here’s a recap of his titles:

Erik “The Red” Denmark is the world-record holder in competitive spot-shrimp eating. He consumed nearly five pounds worth of the animal (fact: the largest shrimp in Puget Sound) in 12 minutes and competes in eating contests around the country. He’ll tackle any type of food (9.75 Native American fry breads in 8 minutes, 6 pounds of king salmon in 8 minutes, 4.7 pounds of ribs in 12 minutes), but his specialty is hot and spicy dishes. He’s known for his pepper eating (105 jalapeños in 8 minutes, 32 habanero peppers in 1 minute, both with no water during the competition or for five minutes after) and chicken wings (“I like ’em so covered with habeneros that they’re black”).

Tomorrow at Heaven nightclub in Pioneer Square, Erik “The Red” will win the world record in competitive bacon eating for Seattle. I talked to him over e-mail about it:

What’s the current record for bacon-eating? How far do you predict you’ll surpass this record? There really is not a sanctioned record; whatever I eat will be the record. In unsanctioned events, people have eaten 6 oz in 6 minutes and 5 lbs. precooked in 8 minutes, so I am definitely at least shooting to destroy those numbers. I want to put up at least 4 lbs. (cooked weight) in 10 minutes. Bacon loses about 60% of its density when cooked so 4 lbs. would equal around 10 lbs precooked weight.

What have you been doing to train for the bacon record? I have honestly been eating bacon every day for the past two weeks, sometimes up to two pounds a night, just to get my body acclimated. I have not done a full 10 minute practice but I have done several 2 minute sprints and never did I feel like I was struggling. I have put my body into a state of bacon dependence so this contest is actually going to be a treat for me, like blood for a vampire.

What are the challenges particular to bacon-eating that you anticipate? Bacon seems like a fairly simple food – thin stips of crisp meat. But sometimes it is the simplest foods that pose the greatest challenge because it removes all technique and it just comes down to raw power and repetition. Since bacon is dry and will not just slide down the throat, I intend to bring a bowl of Tabasco in order to dip handfuls of bacon in to lubricate swallowing, which will in turn require less drinking liquids. At some point the bacon grease will start to take its toll as well, this is why I have been acclimating my body so that when the heaviness starts to kick in the ill effects of bacon fat will be muted. I am hoping that I can maintain a fast and steady pace of about 1 lb. every 1:30 – 2 minutes which will definitely challenge my jaw strength and tolerance the most and should not really challenge my overall food capacity.

Good luck, Erik.

24 replies on “A Chat With Erik “The Red” Denmark on the Eve of His Attempt to Win the World Record for Competitive Bacon-Eating”

  3. Competitive eating of dead animals is disgusting and morally questionable for a number of reasons. Why does Slog promote this garbage? Christ, Paul, you’re better than this shit…

  4. Do you hate everyone who eats meat at chrity events? The eating is just an exhibition that is part of an event to raise money for childhood cancer patients and their families. I think you are missing the point and taking yourself to serious. This is just fun light-hearted entertainment, not a political statement.

  5. It’s in really poor taste that this is happening while over 500,000 people worldwide have been diagnosed with swine flu this year and there have been over 6,000 deaths. American pig meat companies (operating in the US and Mexico) have been identified as the causes of the H1N1 swine flu epidemic. Sad.

  7. You people are fucking MONSTERS. I’m going to go curl up on a radiator far far FAR away from you bacon-slaughtering beasts. You won’t have Baconcat to kick around anymore!!

  9. Bacon is one of the few things in life that you can never have too much of. In fact, the only other thing like that I can think of is chocolate.

    Or maybe lobster. That’s a close one.

  10. More than 36,000 people die every year from seasonal flu related symptoms. H1N1 is not being caused by American pig meat companies, do some research on the CDC website and you will be better educated. I can sympathesize with your gut reaction to want to just spread fear and hate when it comes to competitive eating and bacon but try to look beyond your gut reaction and you will see the fun and support of a worthy cause, you will feel enlightened.

  12. Tis true, my comment pertained more to the style rather than substance of the matter. To answer your question: i have no fucking clue.

  14. Paul Constant’s glorious, magnificent spring roll victory was the end of all eating contests. Nothing more can be accomplished in this field and it is wrong to even try.

  16. #10: Huh? Where do you think swine flu came from? It was incubated in industrial pig farms that grow pork/ham/bacon, where packed pigs had close contact with humans. Duh, you don’t GET swine flu from eating bacon, I’m talking about what causes swine flu epidemics.

    Swine flu is on TOP of the seasonal flu. It’s a different strain. There is a seasonal flu going on right now as well.

  17. “I have put my body into a state of bacon dependence so this contest is actually going to be a treat for me, like blood for a vampire.”

    this guy rules

  19. Bacon is great if you get the real stuff.

    The thin, red dyed number 2, steel rolled stuff on sale for $2.99 is not bacon.

    The thick, striated, more brownish stuff in the butchers section is real as is the packaged product that starts at $6 or more.

    As far as SLOG. Gormands all. GORMANDS!!

  20. I want to see a picture of this guy to go along with my imagination. Is he huge, like a football linebacker? or is he one of the tiny massive-eaters who outperform due to their superior technique?

  21. That the same paper which regularly targets fat people as objects of ridicule can glorify competitive eating–the most obvious physical manifestation of the American Sickness–is absurd. Besides, I thought the hipster fascination and fetishization of bacon peaked in 2007.

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