2010 Heroes BBQ Cook-Off Rules and Regulations
North Shreveport Business Association (NSBA) welcomes you to our Heroes Barbecue Cook-Off.
General Rules: All teams will compete under the same set of rules and will be eligible to win in any category. Barbecue is defined by the sponsors as chicken, beef, or pork prepared on wood, charcoal or gas and basted. Both grilling and smoking methods of cookery may be used. No open pits or holes permitted. Fires may not be built on ground. All competition meat is provided by the Heroes BBQ Cook-Off and paid for by the Teams or Team Sponsors.
Location: The contest will be held on the Louisiana Technical College campus located at 2010 North Market Street, Shreveport, Louisiana. Booths will be located in front of Building E.
Awards:
Grand Champion: Will be chosen from the total points received in each category and a trophy award will be given. In the event of a tie for Grand Champion, brisket will be the first tiebreaker, followed by ribs, and then chicken.
Brisket Category: First, Second, and Third place winners will be announced and a trophy awarded.
Pork Ribs Category: First, Second, and Third place winners will be announced and a trophy awarded.
Chicken Category: First, Second, and Third place winners will be announced and a trophy awarded.
People’s Choice Award: A trophy award will be presented to the team that receives the most votes from ticket holders during the competition. Each ticket holder shall have one (1) vote and may vote by placing their ticket in the appropriate ballot box for the team of their choice. The team with the largest number of votes will win.
Best Decorated Booth: A trophy award will be presented to the team with the best decorated booth voted by a group of anonymous judges. We encourage each team to decorate their booth.
Award presentations will begin at 12:30 P.M.
Teams: Each team will consist of one Chief Cook and up to three assistant cooks. Each team shall designate their Chief Cook. The Chief Cook will be responsible for attending the cook’s meeting and submitting entries to be judged. Teams will be provided up to four (4) event aprons.
Categories: The categories for judging will consist of Beef Brisket, Pork Ribs, and Chicken. All BBQ must be prepared in the competition area. A team may prepare additional food if they choose. A prize will be awarded to the team with the best side dish selected by an anonymous judging committee. Food requiring refrigeration and with mayonnaise are prohibited.
Cook’s Meeting: The Chief Cook shall attend the Cook’s meeting at 5:30 P.M. on Tuesday, September 21, 2010 at Louisiana Technical College, 2010 North Market, Shreveport, LA, Building E. All meat may be picked up on Wednesday, September 22, 2010 between the hours of 7:30 A.M. and 4:30 P.M., or on Thursday, September 23, 2010 after 7:30 A.M. at Louisiana Technical College’s cafeteria in Building E.
Cooking Temperatures: Chicken must be cooked to a safe minimum internal temperature of 165° as measured using a food thermometer. Check the internal temperature in the inner most part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast. All other meats should be cooked to an internal temperature of at least 165°. Entries submitted under-cooked (as determined by the Head Judge) will be automatically disqualified.
Preparation: All food shall be prepared on site. No finished product shall be brought into the event. Random inspections may be performed to ensure that meat is not prepared prior to the official start of the competition. Each team is responsible for observing required temperature control and good hygienic practices. Meat must be maintained at a temperature below 40 degrees Fahrenheit prior to cooking, and at or above 165 degrees Fahrenheit after cooking.
Minimum amounts to be prepared:
Beef Brisket: Two (2) Briskets (10 – 12 lbs. each)
Pork Ribs: Six (6) Slabs St. Louis
Chicken: Six (6) Whole Chickens or Twelve (12) half, fully jointed chickens to include breast, wing, thigh, and drumstick
Space: Each team will be assigned a cooking space. The space will be 15’ x 25’. Pits, cookers, props, trailers, vehicles, tents or any other equipment, including generators, shall not exceed the boundaries of the team’s assigned cooking space. It is the Chief Cook’s responsibility to keep all tents, tables, grills, decorations, etc. in the designated space provided.
Equipment and Supplies: Teams shall provide all needed equipment and supplies to prepare and serve the food. Teams must adhere to all electrical, fire and other codes. A fire extinguisher shall be near all cooking devices. Water and electricity will not be available to each booth. Water will be available through a shared, centrally located spigot. NSBA will provide small plates, napkins, plastic cutlery, buns and cold drinks for ticket holders. NO GENERATORS MAY BE USED AFTER 8:00 A.M. ON THE DAY OF THE EVENT.
Setup Time: Teams may set up after 4:00 P.M. on Thursday, September 23, 2010. All vehicles and trailers not inside the cooking space must be moved from the area by 8:30 A.M. Friday, September 24, 2010. Trailers may not be parked in the adjoining parking lot. Trailer parking will be provided behind Building E.
Signage: Each team will be provided a sign with the Team Name and Sponsor Name. These signs will be displayed across the front of each booth where it will be clearly visible to the public.
Sanitation: Teams are to prepare and cook in as sanitary a manner as possible. Each team shall have a container with a bleach/water rinse (one teaspoon of bleach per gallon of water), or its equivalent, to use for sanitizing. No tobacco products are to be used while handling food. Shirt and shoes are required to be worn.
Trash: A dumpster will be provided and will be located on the south end of the parking lot. Each team is responsible for cleanup and trash disposal of their area after the event is over. DO NOT PLACE COALS IN THE DUMPSTER! A metal barrel will be provided for the disposal of coals. It is the responsibility of each team to ensure that the cooking area is kept clean and that the area is cleaned and policed following the contest. It is imperative that our cleanup be thorough. Any area left in disarray or with loose or bundled trash and garbage WILL DISQUALIFY THE TEAM FROM FUTURE PARTICIPATION.
Wristbands: Ticket holders will receive a wristband that allows access to the event. Only those wearing wristbands are to be served. No “To Go” containers will be allowed.
Judging: Judging will be performed as a “Blind Taste Test”. The secret, double number system will be used to ensure confidentiality. The system requires that two (2) tickets bearing the same number be utilized, one firmly attached to the judging tray in a manner which hides the number and the other ticket easily removed by the Chief Cook for retention.
Judges will critique each entry on Aroma, Color, Texture, Taste, and Overall. Please review the attached Judge’s Sheet.
Judging Quantities: The following amounts shall be turned in for judging:
Beef Brisket – Submit the entry in the container provided by NSBA. Need to submit 7 identifiable portions (1/4” – 3/8” thick) which must fit into the single container supplied by NSBA.
Ribs – Submit the entry in the container provided by NSBA. Need to submit 7 identifiable cut portions on the bone.
Chicken – Submit the entry in the container provided by NSBA. Need to submit 7 identifiable portions. May submit any portion or part of the chicken on or off the bone as long as the 7 portions submitted fit into the single container supplied by NSBA. May submit a mixture of white and dark meat.
Garnishes are not allowed in the turn-in containers for judging. No aluminum foil allowed in the container. No toothpicks, skewers, foreign material or stuffing permitted. No identifying marks or brands on the meat or container.
Sauce is optional. If used for judging, it shall be applied directly to the meat and not be pooled or puddled in the turn-in container. No side sauce containers will be permitted in the turn-in container.
Marked containers may be disqualified at the Head Judge’s discretion. Cooks are responsible for ensuring that the containers they receive remain clean and undamaged.
Turn-In Times: Before judging, each Chief Cook will receive a styrofoam “turn in container” for each separate category. Entries shall be brought to the Receiving Tent to be provided to the judges. No markings of any kind (toothpicks, wrappings, etc.) will be allowed in the turn-in containers. Do not remove any tickets from a container until you are asked to do so in the receiving tent by a judge’s assistant.
Chicken: 10:00 A.M.
Ribs: 10:45 A.M.
Brisket: 11:15 A.M.
A turn-in window of five (5) minutes before and five (5) minutes after the above set times will be recognized.
Post Event: The end of the event will be at 1:30 P.M. on Friday, September 24, 2010. Each team is responsible for leaving their cooking area clean and orderly following the event. All trash is to be removed to the centrally located dumpster provided by NSBA or LTC. All items shall be removed and areas cleaned by 5:00 P.M. Friday, September 24, 2010.
The North Shreveport Business Association (NSBA) reserves the right to disqualify an entire Team or an individual team member for any activity or actions that is determined by the NSBA to be deceitful, dangerous, illegal, or in violation of any rules as listed. Some examples are as follows:
- Foul, abusive or unacceptable language or behavior by a team member or guest.
- Excessive noise from a radio or generator.
- Consistent excessive number of people in the Team’s competition space that could cause a safety problem.
Violation of Rules and Regulations of the Contest may result in disqualification, expulsion from the grounds and/or disqualification from future participation. Be sure to READ and KEEP these rules for future reference. If you have questions, please contact us by e-mail at info@shreveportnorth.org.