Johnathan Hatch will find out on Thursday if a splash of guava juice will return a national barbecue chicken title to Florida.

Hatch, 17, of Chiefland, will put his barbecuing skills up against nearly three dozen other teens from around the nation during Thursday's national 4-H contest in Louisville, Ky.

The only other times Florida contestants basted their way to the top were a first place finish in 1983 and a third place finish in 1988.

To advance to the 2005 national event, Hatch, an 11-year member of Levy County's Double Sink 4-H Club, won local and state contests earlier this year while subjecting his parents, sister, and grandparents to at least two barbecue chicken dinners a week as he perfected both his technique and his recipe.

Read more about the national barbecue 4-H contest in Louisville at http://www.gainesville.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051115/LOCAL/211150305/1078/news.