We are accepting up to max 15 contestants to vie for the up to $4,500 in prize award money.
7th Annual Bourbon BBQ Festival Contestant Rules Saturday, June 14th, 2025
● Registration starts at 6am - you can arrive on Friday but meat inspection and setup cannot begin until 6am on Saturday, June 14th
● All meat will be inspected at registration, meat can be trimmed but no seasonings/injections/brines can be done in advance.
● No propane grilling will be allowed, charcoal or electric only permitted. ● Whisper quiet generators are allowed.
● Turn ins will be as follows: 12:00 pm Chicken, 12:30 pm Ribs, 1:00 pm Pork steak. There will be a 10-minute window for turn ins, 5 minutes before and 5 minutes after. ● All competitors will need to validate their clocks with the official clock which will validate the morning of the competition.
● Contestants shall provide all needed equipment.
● Meat shall not be sculptured, branded, or presented in a way to make it identifiable. ● Chicken includes Cornish game hens and kosher chicken.
● Pork ribs shall include the bone, country style ribs are prohibited. St. Louis or Baby Back cuts are recommended.
● Pork steak shall be one pork steak turned in and the judges will cut from the steak. ● Garnish is optional. If used, it is limited to chopped, sliced, shredded or whole leaves of fresh green lettuce, curly green kale, curly parsley, flat leaf parsley and/or cilantro. Prohibited garnishes are lettuce cores, kale stems and other vegetation, including but not limited to endive, red tipped lettuce. Prohibited garnish shall receive a score of 1 on appearance.
● Sauce is optional. If used it shall be applied directly to the meat and not be pooled or puddled in the container. No side sauces are permitted.
● The turn in container shall not be marked in any way to make the container unique or identifiable. Aluminum foil, toothpicks, skewers, foreign material, and/or stuffing are prohibited in the container.
● Except for the whole pork steak that will be turned in, chicken and ribs will need at least 6 pieces turned in for the judges. The six items must be separated from each other.
Contestants application here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1IZyoZjkiKNBnxQHY4lBxjob0wCFhxLaXLa89bwEMzYY/edit
Also check out other Festivals in Bourbon.
