2024 - Annual SMOKE-Topia BBQ Cookoff

If you joined us for our first SMOKE-Topia BBQ competition last year, you'll remember it was the event of the summer! And when something is THAT fun, you have to do it again...so here we go! It's time for talented pitmasters, grill aficionados and culinary daredevils to showcase their skills in this thrilling gastronomic showdown once again! And although many of the competitors are newbies to this type of competition, yet masters of their own backyard BBQ, everyone will work to demonstrate their mastery of flavours, fitness in smoke-infused techniques, and an unwavering dedication to perfect presentation while hopefully captivating the judges taste buds along the way!

And although the competition will feel "familiar" in format, we are adding a new piece to this one...a KIDS competition! 

Here are the details if you decide to join us:

Date:     

• Saturday, June 29th and
• Sunday, June 30th

Event 1 - The Adults Competition: 

• Teams of cooks vie for the title of “Hub Town SMOKE-Topia Champions”.  
• Who can cook the best chicken, pork ribs, pork butt and/or brisket over slow burning wood (including pellets) or charcoal, based on judges scores.

Participants: 12 spots available.

Set Up:  

• Between 7am - 11am on Saturday, June 29th
• includes a 10x10 ft. cooking space - tents allowed (not provided) and cannot be larger than this size, and must be anchored down with sand bags or concrete blocks
• must bring ground covering or plywood to go under BBQs
• Competition for BEST THEMED COOKING SPACE
• NOTE: there may be space for a travel trailer so your team mates can have a space to sleep - ask us!

Meats - FOUR Cateogories (and yes you can enter all of them if you want)

• Chicken
• Pork ribs 
• Pork butt  
• Brisket

Event 2 - The Kids JUNIOR Competition (6-12 yrs old):

• Junior cooks (with the help of an adult BBQ coach) vie for the title of “Hub Town Junior SMOKE-Topia Champion”.  
• Who can cook the best Burgardt's HOT DOGS over slow burning wood (including pellets) or charcoal, based on judges scores.

Participants: 12 spots available - and MUST be accompanied by an adult. 

NOTE: Junior competitors with adults already in the Smoketopia BBQ Cookoff, will have first access to the Junior competition.

Cooking: Between 3pm Saturday, June 29th and 3pm Sunday, June 30th (someone must always be onsite with the food as it's cooking)

Cost: 

Chicken Category:     $45/team & includes your meat from Burgardt's Butcher Shop

Pork Ribs Category:  $45/team & includes your meat from Burgardt's Butcher Shop

Pork Butt Category:  $65/team & includes your meat  from Burgardt's Butcher Shop

Brisket Category:       $125/team & includes your meat from Burgardt's Butcher Shop

Junior Category:        $40/team & includes hot dogs from Burgardt's Butcher Shop

Prizes: TBD

Want to know more? Keep reading to know exactly how this exciting event will go down...

Although Hub Town’s SMOKE-TOPIA BBQ Competition is not an official KCBS competition, it will follow most of their official rules and regulations for ease and overall safety. If you have any questions at all, please reach out to Mark & Lisa at 403-993-2614

The Judging Panel will include at least 6 judges and will be “blind judging only” but will include comments from the judges.

Adult Judging is based on:

1. Appearance

2. Tenderness, and

3. Taste

The Judging Panel for the junior competition will include at least 4 judges and will be “blind judging only” but will include comments from the judges.

Junior Judging is based on:

1. Appearance

2. Creativity, and

3. Taste

Entries will only be submitted in a numbered container provided by the Event Organizer.

The container will then be re-numbered By Event Organizer staff before being presented to the judges.

1) Judges may not fraternize with teams on turn-in day until conclusion of judging.

2) Judging will be done by a team of 6 persons, at least 18 yrs. of age. Only Judges, Contest Reps, Event Organizers, and necessary support staff are allowed in the judging area during the judging process. No other activities are permitted in the judging area during the process.

3) Each judge will first score all samples for appearance of the meat. The turn-in containers will then be passed around the table, and each judge will place a sample from each of the containers in the appropriate box on their judging plate. Judges shall not lick their fingers while taking these samples; paper towels, unscented wipes or damp wash cloths will be provided. Each judge will then score each entry for taste and tenderness before moving on to the next entry.

4) The scoring system is from 9 to 2 using whole numbers only with the following designation: 9 – excellent, 8 – very good, 7 – above average, 6 – average, 5 – below average, 4 – poor, 3 – bad, and 2 – inedible.

5) A score of 1 – (one) is a disqualification and requires approval by a Contest Rep. with grounds for disqualification: All judges will give a 1 – (one) in 

Appearance for

- prohibited garnish,

- pooled sauce, or

- less than 6 samples of meat.

All Judges will give a 1 – (one) in all criteria for

- sculptured meat,

- a marked turn-in container,

- foreign object in the container, or

- incorrect meat.

6) All judges not receiving a sample will give a 1 – (one) in all criteria.

7) The weighting factors for the point system as:

- Appearance - .5600,

- Tenderness – 1.1428,

- Taste – 2.2972

8) The low score will be thrown out and results will then be tallied. If there is a tie in one of the categories, it will be broken by the computer, as follows:

a. The scores will be compared (counting all five judges) for the highest cumulative scores in taste, then tenderness, then appearance. If still tied, then the low score, which was thrown out earlier, will be compared and the higher of the low scores will break the tie. If still tied, then a computer-generated coin toss will be used.

b. In the event of lost, destroyed, or missing score cards, the remaining score cards will be averaged in each Category and those averages shall be used as the missing scores on replacement score cards. After there are six total score cards, the normal procedure will be followed for dropping the low score.

9) Total points per entry will determine the champion within each meat category.

10) Cumulative points for the three categories (chicken, ribs & Pork) will determine the Champion. 2024

11) Points for the separate category of beef brisket, will determine the 2024 brisket champion.

 Rules: 

1) The decision and interpretation of these Rules & Regulations are at the discretion of the Event Organizer for this contest, and will be final to the extent consistent with these rules.

2) Each team shall consist of a Chief Cook and as many assistants as the Chief Cook deems necessary. Chief cooks and/or assistant cooks may only cook for their designated team at this contest.

3) Each team will be assigned a cooking space.

a. Pits, cookers, props, trailers, motor homes, vehicles, tents, or any other equipment (including generators) shall not exceed the boundaries of the team’s assigned cooking space,

b. All seasoning and cooking of product shall be done within the assigned cooking space (not prior to the event).

c. Teams shall not share an assigned cooking space or cooking device.

4) Contestants shall provide all needed equipment, supplies, and electricity, unless arranged for in advance. Contestants must adhere to all electrical, fire, and other safety/health codes. Each team must bring an approved fire extinguisher to be kept near all cooking devices.

5) It is the responsibility of the contestant to see that the team’s assigned cooking space is clean and orderly following the contest.

a. All fires must be put out,

b. All equipment must be removed from site,

c. It is imperative that clean-up of the team’s assigned space is thorough. Any team’s assigned cooking space left in disarray or with loose trash, other than at trash containers, will disqualify the team from future participation in this event.

6) Fires shall be of wood, wood pellets, or charcoal. Gas and electric heat sources are not permitted for cooking or holding. Propane or electric is permitted as fire starters, provided the competition meat is not in/on the cooking device. Electrical accessories such as spits, augers, or forced draft are permitted. No open pits or holes are permitted, and no fires shall be built on the ground for any reason.

7) All competition meats shall be inspected by the approved event organizer but not prior to the day before judging. Once the competition meat has been inspected, it shall not leave the contest site. Cooking shall not begin until the competition meat has been properly inspected.

a. All competition meat shall start out raw.

b. No pre-seasoned or injected meat is allowed.

c. Competition meat not meeting these qualifications shall be disqualified, not allowed to be turned in, not judged, and receives no score.

8) Barbeque for the purposes of this event is cooking all meats (chicken, pork and pork ribs, and/or beef brisket) only in a cooking device defined in 6) above.

a. Parboiling, Sous-vide and/or deep-frying competition meat is not allowed. If any of the banned processes are discovered before team turn-ins, the team will receive zeros. If discovered after turn-in, the team will receive 1 – (ones) in all criteria for that entry.

9) Meat shall not be sculpted, branded, or presented in a way to make it identifiable to the judges. Rosettes of meat slices are not allowed. Violations of this rule will receive a 1 – (one) on all criteria by all judges.

10) 

Category 1 for this year’s Hub Town BBQ Challenge is:

- Chicken: Bone in or Bone out,

Category 2 for this year’s Hub Town BBQ Challenge is:

- Pork Ribs: Ribs shall include the bone. Country style ribs are prohibited.

Category 3 for this year’s Hub Town BBQ Challenge is:

- Pork (Butt): Bone in or Bone Out.

Category 4 for this year’s Hub Town BBQ Challenge is:

- Beef brisket.

Junior Category for this year's Hub Town BBQ Challenge is:

- Hot Dogs.

11) Judging turn-in times:

Junior Competition: 

• Sunday, June 29th at 5:00pm

Adult Competitions:

• Sunday, June 29th, 2024 (tentative times – subject to change, but we will notify you, if so):

a) Chicken 3:00 PM,

b) Pork Ribs 3:30 PM

c) Pork Butt 4:00PM

d) Beef Brisket 4:30PM

e) AWARDS AT 6PM

12) Garnish is optional.

If used, garnishes are limited to:

- curly parsley, shredded, or whole leaves of fresh green lettuce, flat leaf parsley, cilantro

PROHIBITED GARNISHES are lettuce cores and other vegetation, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO: endive, and red tipped lettuce. PROHIBITED garnish in a turn-in container shall receive a score of 1 – (one) on Appearance.

13) Sauce is optional.

If used, it shall be applied directly to the meat and shall not be pooled or puddle in the container. No side sauce containers will be permitted in the turn-in container. Sauce violations shall receive a score of 1 – (one) on Appearance.

14) Entries will be submitted in an approved Event numbered container, provided by the event organizer. The number must be visible on top of the container at turn-in.

15) The container shall not be marked in any way to make the container unique or identifiable.

NOTE: Aluminum foil, toothpicks, skewers, foreign material, and/or stuffing are prohibited in the container. Marked entries or containers with the above listed material will receive a 1 – (one) in all criteria from all Judges.

16) Each contestant must submit at least six (6) portions of meat in an approved, numbered container:

a. Pork Butt may be submitted chopped, pulled, sliced, or diced as the cook sees fit, as long as there is enough for six (6) judges.

b. Chicken may also be submitted chopped, pulled, sliced, or diced as the cook sees fit, as long as there is enough for six (6) judges.

c. Ribs shall be turned in bone-in. Judges may not cut, slice, or shake apart to separate pieces. If there is not enough meat for each judge to sample, the shorted judge(s) will score a 1 (one) on all criteria, and the judges having samples will change the Appearance score to 1 (one).

d. Brisket may be submitted sliced only.

e. Hot Dogs may be submitted in any form of slicing or dicing as preferred by the team. 

17) The following cleanliness and safety rules will apply:

a) No use of any tobacco products while handling meat.

b) Cleanliness of the cook, assistant cooks, cooking device(s), and team’s assigned cooking space is required.

c) Shirt and shoes are required to be worn.

d) Sanitizing of work area should be implemented with the use of a bleach/water rinse (one cup/gallon of water). Each contestant will provide a separate container for washing, rinsing, and sanitizing of utensils.

e) Prior to cooking, meat must be maintained at 40 F degrees or less.

f) After cooking, all meat: Must be held at 140 F or above OR cooked meat shall be cooled as follows: Within 2 hours from 140F to 70F and within 4 hours from 70F to 41F or less.

g) Meat that is cooked, properly cooled, and later reheated for hot holding and serving shall be reheated so that all parts of the food reach a temperature of at least 165F for a minimum of 15 seconds.

18) There will be no refund of entry fees for any reason, except at the discretion of the Event Organizer.  If you have ANY questions or concerns complying with the above Event Rules and Regulations, speak with event organizer before registering.

Please read the following prior to entering the competition:

A cook team is responsible jointly and severally for its head cook, its team members, and its guests to adhere to the following rules and regulations:

a) Excessive use of alcoholic beverages or public intoxication with a disturbance.

b) Consuming or serving of non-Hub Town alcohol beverages on premise.

c) Use of illegal controlled substances on premise.

d) Foul, abusive, or unacceptable language or any language causing a disturbance.

e) Excessive noise, including but not limited to that generated from speakers, such as radios, public address systems or amplifying equipment, will not be allowed during quiet time from 11:00 PM on contest nights until 7:00 AM (if your team is in the cook area overnight)

f) Fighting and/or disorderly conduct.

g) Theft, dishonesty, cheating, use of prohibited meats, or any act involving moral turpitude.

h) Use of gas or other auxiliary heat sources inside the cooking device.

i) Excessive or continued complaints from teams on any of the above rule infractions shall be considered grounds for immediate disqualification from the contest by Event Organizers and/or Event Security.

EVENT ORGANIZER: Hub Town Brewing

Mark & Lisa Watts

Phone: 403-993-2614 / 403-826-6864