Inaugural Frt Christmas Bluegrass & Backyard BBQ Festival March 24, 2018 T qualify as a Backyard team, the team culd nt have wn a cash prize in a previus BBQ cntest r been cmpensated as a prfessinal BBQ restaurant r caterer. This is targeted fr: The lcal backyard BBQ enthusiast. The persn whse friends and family tell them they create fantastic ribs and chicken at hme. The persn ready t take it t the next level. Categries Chicken and Prk Ribs Spirit Award Registratin and fees There will be a maximum f 15 teams cmpeting. Registratin is n a first cme, first serve basis. Any registratins beynd that will be placed n a waiting list. Additinal teams may be added in the event that a team drps ut. January 17, 2018 Registratin pens March 15 th Final registratin day Entry Fee is $75 per team, which cvers liability insurance. Fee is payable t Frt Christmas Histrical Sciety and mailed t Frt Christmas Histrical Park 1300 N. Frt Christmas Rd. Christmas, FL 32709. Cme rain r shine, we will make every effrt t have the Frt Christmas Backyard BBQ Cntest. Pay Outs Overall Grand Champin-$400 (must enter bth categries)
Reserve Bluegrass and Backyard BBQ Overall Champin $250 (must enter bth categries) Overall Prk Ribs: 1 st $150 and 2 nd $75 Overall Chicken: 1 st $150 and 2 nd $75 Team with Mst Spirit: Medals Set Up Teams may set up the day befre the cntest, March 23 at nn, but will need t leave the premises by 7 p.m. that evening. Upn arrival, teams must reprt t the registratin tent t receive their space assignment. Gates will pen at 6am n March 24 th. Vehicle Parking Each team will be given tw parking passes t park n the field behind the baseball diamnd. All vehicles must be parked by 9 a.m. the day f cmpetitin. Once parked, yu will nt be allwed t leave this area until 6 p.m. due t pedestrian traffic inside the histrical areas. All ther vehicles may park in the field acrss frm Frt Christmas Park s main entrance. Schedule f Events (subject t change) Friday, March 23 rd Nn 7 p.m. Team set up (ptinal) Saturday, March 24th 6 a.m. Gates pen and team set up. 7 a.m. Check In and Registratin pens. Pick up chicken and ribs. 8 a.m. BBQ team captain meeting at ck ff area. 9 a.m. All vehicles must be remved frm the cmpetitin area; baseball field parking will clse. 9 a.m. Bluegrass Music 10 a.m. BBQ cmpetitrs must be in place with cking underway 12:30 p.m. BBQ Judges Meeting 1 p.m. Chicken Turn In 2 p.m. Rib Turn In 3 p.m. Hg Callin Cntest at Main Stage 3:30 p.m. BBQ Awards at Main Stage 3:45 6 p.m. Bluegrass Music
Cntest Rules and Regulatins (This is nt a sanctined event) CONTESTANTS A cntestant is any individual r grup that makes up a team. Teams are t prepare and ck an entry r entries fr the purpse f being judged accrding t the rules f the Frt Christmas Bluegrass and Backyard BBQ Festival. Each team will have a captain and up t three assistants. All teams must have at least ne cntestant present at the Captain s meeting n the day f the cntest. ENTRY PROCESS If yu have previusly wn a cash prize r been cmpensated as a prfessinal BBQ restaurant r caterer, please d nt register fr this cntest. This is fr backyard BBQ enthusiast nly. All teams may register beginning January 15, 2018. Registratin deadline is March 15 th. Limited t nly 15 spaces first cme, first served. Registratin will nt be cnfirmed until payment f $75 and entry frms are received by the March 15 th deadline. Entries and payment (check r cash nly) may be mailed t Frt Christmas Histrical Park at 1300 N. Frt Christmas Rd., Christmas, FL 32709 r paid in persn at the same address. Registratins received after the 15 spaces have been secured will be put n a reserve list and will be entered int the cntest if anther team drps ut. If a reservist team is nt able t cmpete, their payment will be returned. Only ne entry per team is allwed t register in each categry.
EQUIPMENT and APPROVED COOKERS Each team will supply all f the equipment necessary fr the preparatin and cking f their entry, including a cker, wd and charcal. N team may share a cker r grill with any ther team. There will be access t running water, but nt at team site. Each team must have a class ABC r class K fire extinguisher, at their site, at all times. Wd r charcal nly hmemade r cmmercially manufactured will be allwed t be used in the cntest. Prpane may be used t start the cking fire, but must be remved frm the area nce cking starts. MEAT All meats will be prvided by the Frt Christmas Histrical Sciety. Yu may pick up meet at 7 a.m. n Saturday, March 24 th at the registratin tent after yu have checked in. CONTESTANT S SITE Backyard teams will receive 10 X 20 cmpetitin spaces. Tents, tables and cvers are t be prvided by the teams, if they s chse. All equipment must be cntained within this space. If additinal space is required, the team shuld cntact the cntest rganizer and make satisfactry arrangements. Frt Christmas Park will prvide garbage cans and bags. BEHAVIOR Every team, including members and guests, are expected and required t exhibit prper and curteus behavir at all times. If behavir is deemed t crss the line, the team will be given a warning. A secnd infractin will disqualify the team frm cmpetitin and may lead t dismissal frm the grunds. N alchl, pets r lewd language will be permitted. CLEANLINESS AND SANITATION All teams are expected t maintain their ck sites in an rderly, clean manner and t use gd sanitary practices during the preparatin, cking and judging prcess. The use f sanitary glves is required at all times while handling the fd. Failure t use sanitary glves may result in disqualificatin. Additinally, teams are required t have a running water system fr cleanup. Under state guidelines, this can include a cler with a sput and a bucket t catch the water as it falls. Please bring these items with yu fr use at yur cking site. Teams are respnsible fr cleanup f their site nce the cmpetitin has ended. All federal, state and lcal fd safety rules and regulatins must be adhered t at all times. At the cnclusin f the event, yu are required t clean yur team area befre departing r accepting any prizes.
MEAT CATEGORIES The fllwing categries will be judged at the Frt Christmas Bluegrass and Backyard BBQ Festival: Chicken: The team must ck chicken in halves as prvided. Prk Ribs: Ribs must be cked as prvided. N chpped, pulled, sliced rib meat lse in bx. QUANTITY Teams must prvide the fllwing amunts fr judging: 1 chicken half per judge and 3 rib bnes per judge. JUDGING Blind judging nly. Entries will be submitted in an apprved cntainer (prvided by the cntest), with NO garnish r decratin f any kind. Only the entry t be judged (and a cup f sauce, if included by the teams) is allwed in the cntainer. Marking f any kind will disqualify the entry. Each entry will be judged n APPEARANCE, TASTE/FLAVOR and TENDERNESS/TEXTURE. Meat must be un-sauced. SCORING Each entry will be scred by three judges in the areas f APPERANCE, TASTE/FLAVOR, and TENDERNESS/TEXTURE. Scring ranges frm a lw f 5.0 t a high f 10.0 in increments f 0.5 pints fr each categry. Any entry that is disqualified (see belw), will receive a scre f zer fr all three categries frm all judges. DISQUALIFICATION An entry can be disqualified by the Frt Christmas Backyard BBQ and Bluegrass representative nly. An entry can be disqualified fr any f the fllwing reasns: There is evidence f marking r sculpting. Marking is defined as: any handwritten r mechanically made mark inside r utside the turn-in bx that identifies the submitting team t any judge. Sculpting is defined as: the carving, decrating, frming r shaping f a meat entry cntained in a turn-in bx that identifies the submitting team t any judge. There is anything in the bx ther than the meat and sauce (may be in a cup). There are nt three chicken halves r nine ribs prvided fr judges. There is evidence f bld such that the meat is uncked. The entry is turned in after the fficially designated time. Glves are nt used while handling fd prducts. Nt cking the meat that was prvided by Frt Christmas. Selling any fd r beverages t the public. JUDGING PROCEDURE Team captain brings entry in prvided bx t turn-in table. At check in table, a representative f the Frt Christmas Bluegrass and Backyard BBQ Festival will pen the bx and examine t be sure that the entry qualifies. Entry is then taken t the judging area. Each entry bx will be judged by every judge at the table. Judging will nt begin
until all samples fr that table are n the table (unpened). After judging f the categry is cmpleted, a representative f the Frt Christmas Bluegrass and Backyard BBQ Festival will then cllect the screcards and turn them int the screkeeper fr tallying. WINNERS The winners in each meat categry will be determined by adding all the scres tgether and the team with the mst pints will be the categry champin. Next highest scre is the categry runner-up and s n. The GRAND CHAMPION will be the team with the highest verall scre (all categries added tgether); the RESERVE CHAMPION will be the team with the secnd highest verall scre. T qualify fr either the GRAND CHAMPION r the RESERVE CHAMPION a team must submit entries in bth categries. In the event f a tie in a categry, a tie-breaking prcedure will be implemented using first the TASTE/FLAVOR scre as the tie-breaker, then the TEXTURE/TENDERNESS scre. TURN IN TIMES Each categry turn in time allws fr a 10-minute windw (five minutes befre and five minutes after the time as suggested belw): Chicken: 1 p.m. Ribs: 2 p.m. The cntest rganizer may revise the times but a ne hur time frame between categry turn-in times will be maintained. Any changes t turn in times will be made public at the team captain meeting. LOAD IN PROCEDURES Lad-In time starts at nn n March 23, 2018 if yu wuld like t set up yur tent n Friday (this is ptinal). Please check in at the Frt Christmas Visitr Center, n Friday, t receive nly yur space lcatin. The fficial teams check in will be at 7 a.m. n Saturday, March 24 th at the registratin desk. One team representative must reprt t the registratin desk that mrning regardless if yur space was set up n Friday. Fr thse that received their team spt n Friday, the park gates will pen at 6am Saturday if yu wish t get yur fire started prir t 7 a.m. INTERPRETATION OF RULES The interpretatin f the rules and regulatins are thse f the Frt Christmas Bluegrass and Backyard BBQ Festival representative at the cntest and his r her decisins are final.