BLUE GOOSE 2025 BACKYARD RIB COOKOFF

A contestant is any individual or group that will prepare and cook an entry or entries for the purpose of being judged. Contestant and all team members must be amateur competitors. The contest organizer may not cook in any category in this contest. Contestant will be  referred to as "Griller."

The interpretation of the rules and regulations are those of the contest organizer, and his or her decisions are final.

There will be no refund of entry fees. This is a rain, snow or shine event.

Each Griller will supply all of the equipment necessary for the preparation and cooking of their entry including a cooker. COOKER can ONLY be one of the following: Charcoal or wood (NO open/pit fires). The health and safety of contestants and event goers should be a primary consideration when selecting appropriate cooking fuels.

Each Griller is required to keep all equipment including cooker, canopy, etc. contained within the assigned space.

All Grillers are expected to maintain their cook sites in an orderly and clean manner and to use good sanitary practices during the preparation, cooking and judging process. The use of sanitary gloves is required at all times while handling food. Failure to use sanitary gloves may result in disqualification. Grillers are responsible for cleanup of their site once the competition has ended. All food safety rules and regulations must be adhered to at all times. A common sanitation/water supply will be provided for all teams use during this event.

Entries will be submitted in the containers supplied by event organizer at check-in by the Griller. NO GARNISH. Only the entry to be judged is allowed in the container. Each entry will be judged on APPEARANCE, TASTE/FLAVOR, TENDERNES, and TEXTURE. Meat may be sauced or un-sauced. Griller must submit for judging a minimum of 4 separate rib portions in containers supplied to Griller at check-in.

Each entry will be scored by 4 judges in the areas of APPEARANCE, TASTE/FLAVOR, TENDERNESS and TEXTURE. Scoring ranges from a low of 2 to a high of 9 in increments of 1 point for each category. Any entry that is disqualified as per SECTION 9 will receive a score of zero for all four categories from all judges at the table.

An entry can be disqualified by the event organizer only. An entry can be disqualified for any of the following reasons:

1. There is anything foreign other than meat/sauce in container submitted for judging
2. The entry is turned in after the officially designated time
3. Gloves are not used while handling food products
4. Not cooking the meat that was inspected
5. There is not a minimum of 4 separate and identifiable containers entered
6. There is evidence of blood such that the meat is uncooked

The event organizer brings all approved containers to the table. He/She announces the number of containers to be judged, opens each container and checks for rule violations as stated above. The containers will be passed around to the judges for sampling. The judge will then score each entry for APPEARANCE, TASTE/FLAVOR, TENDERNESS and TEXTURE. The event organizer makes sure that all scores for the containers are recorded in the proper place. This procedure is repeated for all containers. After each container has been scored the event organizer will return the container(s) to the designated area. The event organizer will then collect the judging slips.

Grillers will have the opportunity to win First (1st), Second (2nd), or Third (3rd) Place. THE GRAND CHAMPION Title will be the Griller with the most total points and be declared the 1st Place Trophy Winner. THE RESERVE GRAND Title will be the Griller with the next highest total points and will be declared the 2nd Place Trophy Winner. In the event of a tie, the next lowest rank will be omitted and the tied Grillers will be awarded the same rank. Prize monies will also be awarded.