BBQ Cook-Off Competition

Setup Friday, August 2^nd at 6:00 p.m. E.S.T.

Judging times will be: Chicken – 3:00 p.m.; Ribs – 3:30 p.m.; Pork – 4:00 p.m.; Brisket – 4:30 p.m.

Contestant area must be cleared out by 8:00 a.m. on Sunday, August 4^th

Contestant – A contestant is an individual or group with a smoker that will prepare and cook an entry or entries for the purpose of being judged. All contestants are equal.
Cooking Site – Each team will be given a cooking area of approximately 20 x 30. All equipment, including cooker, canopy, etc. shall remain within the confines of this area.
Set-Up – Contestants may begin set-up on Friday, August 2^nd at 6:00 p.m. E.S.T.
Meat Inspection – All meats must be inspected before cooking. Meats may not leave the contestant area until delivered to the judging table at set times. Delivery needs to be made no more than five (5) minutes before or five (5) minutes after your assigned time. All meats must be on ice or refrigeration before being cooked; holding temperature must be 40 degrees or less. After cooking, meat must be maintained at 140 degrees in a covered container. After inspection the meat may be marinated, salted, seasoned or cooked by the contestant.
Cleanliness & Sanitation – All teams are expected to maintain their cook sites in an orderly and sanitary manner using good sanitary practices during the preparation, cooking, judging and sales processes. All federal, state and local food safety rules and regulations must always be followed. All equipment must be removed by 8:00 a.m. on Sunday, August 4th. It is imperative for clean-up of site to be thorough; all trash must be placed in trash containers.
Meat Categories –

Judging – Each team will submit their entries in containers supplied by the event organizer. Portions of each meat will be prepared for 4 judges to evaluate for Appearance, Taste/Flavor, Tenderness and Texture. The scoring system is from 1 (Unacceptable) to a high of 9 (Excellent). The winners in the meat division will be determined by adding all the scores together in each of the four (4) categories. THE GRAND CHAMPION title will be the TEAM with the most total points. RESERVE GRAND CHAMPION will be the second highest total points. In the event of a tie, the next lowest highest and lowest scores will be dropped and the scores will be recalculated.
Turn-In Times – Judging times will be: Chicken – 3:00 p.m.; Ribs – 3:30 p.m.; Pork – 4:00 p.m.; Brisket – 4:30 p.m. Allowable turn-in times will be five minutes before to five minutes after these posted times with no exceptions. Results will be announced after the judges have completed their evaluations.
Food Sales – All teams may sell any food or drink item, except alcoholic beverages and ice cream, beginning at 10:30 a.m. the morning of the contest. All grillers may stay until all activities are over that evening which will be approximately 11:30 p.m. If you do not wish to stay for the duration, you will indicate such on your registration form.
Safety Rules –

No use of tobacco products while preparing or selling food.
Cleanliness of team members cooking space is required.
Each contestant will provide a separate container for washing, rinsing and sanitizing (1 cap of bleach/gallon of water) utensils.
The Buffalo Trace Health Department will be inspecting all cooking sites. Food vendors will be expected to pay them $50.00 for a food permit. This will be paid directly to the health inspector.
Teams must have a fire extinguisher available.
No pets will be allowed in the cooking area.
There will be no refund of entry fees for any reason.

Move Out – Contestant area must be cleared out by 8:00 a.m. on Sunday, August 4^th. All cook sites must be cleaned before moving out. Absolutely no ashes or trash are to be left on the sites.

BBQ Cook-Off Application (pdf download)

For more information, call or text: Chris Osgood (606) 301-3199 or Mark Massey (606) 776-5242