What do you eat with burgoo? Some people like their burgoo plain, with no added ingredients. Others might put hot sauce, soda crackers or even dill pickles in their soup. Because it's such a hearty stew, one bowl of burgoo makes a complete meal, but of course you can always combine it with a sandwich or a piece of pie.

What is kettle service? As soon as the soup is ready, usually in the morning around 7:00 a.m., it is sold in larger quantities to persons who want to take it home to feed a whole family, or perhaps freeze it to eat during the cold winter months. It's steaming hot when it is ladled into containers, so if you want to buy a large supply, come prepared to handle a hot container (newspapers around the container, placed in a cardboard box, usually do the trick). Most people bring their own containers (gallon jugs, glass jars, etc.), but these can also be purchased at the kettle service table.

Important information about kettle service:

The hours for kettle service are limited. Kettle service starts around 7:00 am (the line may form earlier though) and ends when the available supply is exhausted. The soup makers reserve an estimated amount of soup to sell by the bowl to the lunch and dinner crowd, and this is why ketttle service stops even though you may still see some kettles with soup in them. If sales are brisk, kettle service can stop as early as 11 am. When/if kettle service is halted, then sales are made only in the food line (by the bowl). If your heart is set on having some soup to take home, then kettle service is your best bet. Sometimes, after the dinner crowd is served and IF there is still soup remaining, the soupmakers may re-open the kettle service.