General Info

• Camp sites and Pitmaster cook sites will be assigned at check-in
• No vehicles can remain on the parade field. After setup please move vehicles to main parking lot. If you are going to keep a vehicle in your camp site please be sure to keep all roads clear.
• Winning teams will be announced at the Saturday Evening Show

Judging Guidelines

1. This competition will use blind judging. All entries will be me made in numbered containers provided by council.
2. There are to be 6 judges
3. Judges must be at least 16 years of age
4. Judges may not be affiliated with any participating team
5. Judges should not fraternize with any competitor until after the judging is complete
6. Entries will be graded for appearance, taste and tenderness on a scale of 2 though 9 with 9 being the best and 2 being the worst.  A 1 can be issued in the case of any disqualification. Entries may get disqualified for the following reasons:
   1. Not enough meat in the entry for each judge. The Judge that does not get a sample can score a zero with the other judges issuing a 1 for appearance
   2. Any attempt to make the sample identifiable with the team
   3. Any foreign object. Meat and garnish are the only permitted contents in the box. (Any sauce must be applied to the meat and not in a container)
   4. No bones in the ribs
7. Points given will be weighted according this scale:
   1. Appearance:    0.50
   2. Tenderness:     1.50
   3. Taste:                2.25
8. Judges will first score each sample for appearance
9. After judging for appearance judges will take a sample from the container and place it on the judging plate. The judges will then judge the entry on taste and tenderness
10.  Lowest score will be tossed
11. Results will be tallied. I there is a tie in one of the categories the scores will be broken down by the highest cumulative scores in taste then tenderness then appearance. If it is still tied the highest of the discarded low scores will break the tie. If still tied, there will be a coin toss by the judges.
12. Total points of each entry will determine the winner of each meat category

Participant Rules

1. Each Team will be assigned a cooking area. Pits, cookers, coolers, shelters, generators and other equipment must remain inside the boundaries of the assigned space.
2. All teams must have a fire extinguisher near all cooking devices.
3. All food handling safety measures must be exercised.  Meats should be handled with gloves and all standard prep and cook area sanitation must be followed.
4. Each team is responsible for the cleanup of their cooking area.
5. All teams must provide all of their own equipment, supplies and electricity
6. Cooking must be done on wood, pellets or charcoal. No electric or gas cooking except for sauces. Electric and propane can be used as fire starters
   1. Electric accessories such as spits and force drafts are permitted
7. All meats must be inspected by the official meat inspectors.
   1. Meats must be kept at 40 degrees prior to inspection
   2. No prep or cooking can be done prior to inspections. Inspectors will come to each site Friday evening. For those arriving Saturday meats can be inspected upon arrival. All competition meats must start raw. No pre-seasoned meats are allowed.
8. No markings that can identify the team can be made to the competition meats or presentation containers.
9. The four categories are:
   1. Chicken. This includes Cornish hens and kosher chicken
   2. Pork ribs: Ribs shall include the bone. These can include Baby back, St. Louis and spare ribs. Country ribs are not permitted.
   3. Pork: This can include Boston But, Picnic, whole shoulder weighing at least 5 lbs. Pork should be cooked whole, bone in or out and should not be separated during the cooking process
   4. Beef Brisket: This can include the entire cut, the flat or the point. Corning is not permitted.
10. After cooking meats need to be maintained at 140 degrees or be cooled as follows:
    1. Within 2 hours from 140 to 70
    2. Within 4 hours from 70 to 41 degrees
    3. Food that is cooled can be reheated to 165 degrees briefly prior to serving
11. Judging will occur in the following order:
    1. 12:30 Chicken
    2. 1:30 Ribs
    3. 2:30 Pork
    4. 3:30 Brisket
12. Results of the judging will be announced at the Saturday Evening Campfire