General Rules and Regulations:
1.) ALL competitors will attend a BBQ Contestant meeting at 5:30pm Friday November 1, 2024 inside the Depot prior to the beginning of the competition, where they will receive all plates, name badges and complete Check-In.
2.) ALL entries MUST be RAW upon entering the cook-off grounds and being inspected by a committee member during the contestant meeting.
3.) ALL cooking MUST be done from scratch. Ingredients such as onions, etc. may be cut or chopped in advance but must not be mixed prior to inspection.
4.) Once entries have passed inspection and you have received a number, ingredients may not leave the cook-off area.
5.) This is an amatuer cooking contest and it is intended that no further distinction be made.
6.) Until cooking begins, all meat must be held at a food safe temperature, lower than 40 degrees Fahrenheit, and not show any signs of spoilage. After cooking, meat must be maintained at a minimum temperature of 140 degrees Fahrenheit.
7.) All entries must be turned in to the designated area ( table inside the Depot Doors) by 5:00pm and contestants will remain on the festival grounds until awards are announced at 6:30pm. Doors to judging area will be locked by 5:15pm
8.) Only 1 cooking team per pit.
9.) Team members must wear name tags at all times in the cooking area. Name tags can either have the members registered name or the team name itself to be able to identify.
10.) Entry teams may have as many team members as they want. However, for the purpose of publicity or for awards presentation, only (2) two team members will be considered “official” team members.
11.) Contestants are required to bring all ingredients and equipment needed including but not limited to: pit, tables, coolers, serving utensils etc:
12.)Brisket shall be sliced for presentation of the judges. Each judge (3 judges) will receive (2) slices. 1 point half and 1 flat half.
13.)Spare Pork Ribs - 6 individual BONE IN Pork Ribs will be turned in for Judging.
14.) Cast Iron Cobbler contest- 3 dessert portions turned in for judging.
15.) Fires are not to be built on the ground. Holes or pits will not be allowed except when approved by the contest committee. Fires may be of wood, pellets, charcoal. Electric or gas grills/pits ARE NOT permitted.
16.)You may cook the Brisket and Pork Ribs in any manner that you feel will deliver a competitive product in the time allowed, provided that safe food handling guidelines are followed.
17.)The Cast Iron cobbler dish must be cooked in a cast iron on the pit during the contest times. Must contain a minimum of one cup of seasonal fruit.
18.) The Sabine Freestate Festival will provide covered plates for entries prior to judging turn in.
19.) Sabine Freestate Festival Committee Members may randomly walk through the cooking area and inspect at any time.
20.) The Sabine Freestate Festival and the Village of Florien are not responsible for any damaged or stolen property during the event.
21.)The Sabine Freestate Festival and the Village of Florien are not responsible for injuries incurred on site during the event.
22.) Fires may be lit prior to cooking times.
23.) DIP/SAUCE ***PLEASE PAY CLOSE ATTENTION!!!***:
DURING PREPARATION: You may COOK with sauce/dip.
AT TURN-IN FOR JUDGING: DO NOT add sauce, dip, marinade, sop or juice to meat or container once the meat is prepared for turn in. DO NOT add any additional spices, dip or sauce to meats once prepared for turn in. Aluminum foil will be provided when cooks sign in for their team meat trays. Use this foil ONLY. Meat is to be placed on the foil for turn-in. DO NOT fold foil over meat or mark the foil in any manner. NO GARNISHING OR MARKERS ALLOWED. YOU WILL BE DISQUALIFIED IF YOU ADD ANYTHING TO THE PROVIDED PLATE OTHER THAN THE MEAT BEING JUDGED!
25.) Teams, Participants and Contestants in the Backyard Cook-Off are responsible for the CLEAN UP of their area immediately following the contest. Each team is responsible for keeping the contest area clean and policed before leaving event (no ashes, hot or cold, shall not be left on site).
26.)EQUIPMENT SET-UP / STAGING: Up to two (2) vehicles are permitted in the contest area for set up purposes only on Friday afternoon and before the competition begins on Saturday morning. After set up, all vehicles, driven, towed and any others must be moved to festival parking area. Enclosed Trailers must be removed from cooking site, unless your cooker is permanently attached.
27.)Each cooking team will be required to have a fire extinguisher (A,B,C) in full view at all times.
28.)Cleanliness of all team members, cookers and the cooking area is mandatory. Proper hand washing and the use of disposable food safe gloves shall be used at all times when handling food products, raw or cooked. Gloves should be changed often, especially when working with different products and when handling ready to eat foods after handling raw foods. All applicable local health department rules and regulations must be complied with. The health department inspector is regarded as a member of the contest committee.
29.)All applicable local fire department rules and regulations must be complied with. The fire department inspector/fire marshal is regarded as a member of the contest committee.
30.)Contestants are NOT allowed to sell food, drinks, or other items from their team space.
31.)Clothing, including, but not limited to, shirts and shoes must be worn in all food preparation areas, while handling any food.
32.)No pets or small animals are allowed in the cooking area.
Certified Service Animals will be allowed in contest areas.
33.)Sabine Freestate Festival Committee personnel reserve the right to amend these rules and regulations as situations warrant. Intent to circumvent these rules or amendments will not be tolerated.
34.)The excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages will be grounds for disqualification. Under NO circumstances are alcoholic beverages to be sold or offered in any form to the general public.
35.)Competing cooks are not allowed to judge and judges are not allowed to cook. Judges must not be associated with any cooking team or team member in any way that would cast suspicion upon the integrity of the judging process. These rules are intended to be fair and equitable to each and every contestant.
36.)All entries will be scored on a scale of 1 through 10 in each of the judging criteria, with 10 being the best.
37.)Generators are allowed as there is no electricity available for cook-off spaces
38.) Winner will receive a $100 prize per Meat category and a plaque to be presented at the awards presentation at 6:30pm on Saturday.
39.) The winner of the castiron cobbler contest will receive a portion of the entry fees into this category in a 50/50 split the pot style prize.
40.) All entry fees are NON-REFUNDABLE.
41.) Any team members found not in compliance with the rules and regulations are subject to immediate disqualification by the Sabine Freestate Festival Committee.
42.) All decisions of the judges will be final.
Scoring Procedures
Each team will provide a minimum of (3) three portions for judging in a contest container provided.
The judges voting sheet will consist of the following scoring opportunities:
On a scale of 0 (disqualified), 1 (inedible) to 10 (excellent)
1. Aroma
2. Appearance**
3. Taste
4. Tenderness/Texture
The combined total score from the three judges will determine the winner.
**Appearance of the meat only
CAUSES FOR DISQUALIFICATION
• Failure to comply with the rules and regulations established in this document.
• Excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages by a team, its members and/or guests. Under no circumstances are alcoholic beverages to be distributed to the public by contestants and/or guests.
• Use of controlled substances by a team, its members, and/or guests.
• Foul, abusive, or unacceptable language by a team, its members, and/or guests.
• Fighting and/or disorderly conduct.
• Health Department has the authority to remove any contestant.
