Carnivore’s Corner Steak Cookoff & Barbecue Contest

A mandatory cooks meeting will be held on Thursday at 6:00 p.m for Barbecue teams and on Saturday at 9:00 a.m. for Steak-Off cooks.

Teams may cook with any type of wood and/or charcoal. Other flammables (propane, compressed or liquid gas, etc.) may be used within the cooker ONLY to START the INITIAL fire. No type of flammable may be used within the cooker once the meat is on the cooker. Flammables may be used outside/ away from the cooker to make coals. All contestants MUST adhere to all electrical, fire, and other city, county, state or federal codes. A working fire extinguisher must be present. Electrical devices may be used within the cooker as long as they DO NOT generate heat. Approved devices include rotisseries, fans and delivery systems for approved fuels (e.g. Traeger grills). Electric smokers, holding ovens or any other devices with heat producing electric coils are not allowed.

Each team must comply with all applicable rules/regulations of the Tate County Health Department.
NO MEAT/ENTRY/PRODUCT MAY BE SOLD.

Meat for the contest may be fresh or frozen. Meat may not be pre-cooked, sauced, spiced, injected, marinated, cured in any way, or otherwise pre-treated prior to meat inspection. Meat must be maintained at a temperature below 40°F prior to cooking and at/above 155°F after cooking. Teams may NOT remove competition meat from the site after inspection.

Each contestant competing must supply ALL meat (except for Steak-Off), cooking ingredients, individual cooking devices, utensils, preparation tables, etc. All competition entries must be prepared and cooked on site at the Five Star City Fest Barbecue Contest and Steak-Off. (2) ribeye steaks will be supplied to each Steak-Off entrant.

No live animals/pets (dogs, pigs, etc.) are allowed in the cooking area.

Official barbecue Meat Categories are PULLED PORK and PORK RIBS. Meat prepared to compete in these categories MUST be inspected by the contest’s meat inspector for compliance with the entry requirements stated above. NO GARNISH allowed in the blind boxes. a. A PULLED PORK entry (shoulder or Boston butt) is defined as the portion of the hog containing the arm bone, shank bone, and a portion of the blade bone. The pork ham, considered to be a shoulder entry, contains the hind leg bone. Boston butt or picnic shoulders are considered a valid entry for this patio competition. The blind box must contain enough pulled pork to give bite size samples to 6 judges and all pieces must fit inside the closed container (9”x9”) provided. A PORK RIB entry is defined as the portion of the hog containing the ribs, and classified as a spare rib or loin rib portion. Country style ribs and rib tips are not a valid entry. The blind box must contain at least 6 sections of ribs and all pieces must fit inside the closed container (9”x9”) provided.

Sample containers (9”x9” clam shell box) and sauce cups with lids are provided by the contest officials. No other containers are allowed for sample turn in. Each team is responsible for delivering their sample entries to a designated location announced at the cooks meeting.


The barbecue contest will be only ONE round of BLIND judging with the GRAND CHAMPION determined by the highest cumulative score of the two official meat categories. Each team’s entries will be subjectively judged independently based on Appearance of Entry, Tenderness of Entry, Flavor, and Overall Impression.

A STEAK entry will be one of the two ribeye steaks provided by the contest committee. The steak must be turned in whole, not cut or sliced in any way. A 9” x 9” will be supplied for turn-in. The silver disk must be placed underneath the steak before turn-in.

The steak entries will also be subjectively judged independently on Appearance of Entry, Doneness of Entry, Tenderness of Entry, Flavor of Entry, and Overall Impression. For this contest, the perfect doneness will be a warm pink center.

It is the responsibility of each team to keep the contest area clean. All fires must be put out and all equipment, garbage, etc., removed from site. Failure to clean up will result in disqualification from next year’s contest.

The chief cook is responsible for the conduct of his team and guests. Any disturbances or altercations as a result of team members, guests or individuals in the team area are grounds for disqualification and expulsion from future contests.

Each Barbecue team will receive six team member wristbands that will have free access to the festival grounds. Additional team wristbands may be purchased for a fee a $10.00 per extra wristband if additional team members are needed for the contest. It will be the decision of the contest committee as to whether or not this additional request will be granted.

Each Steak-off cook will receive two wristbands that will have free access to the festival grounds. Additional team wristbands may be purchased for a fee a $10.00 per extra wristband if additional team members are needed for the contest. It will be the decision of the contest committee as to whether or not this additional request will be granted.

The teams may purchase additional guest wristbands for a fee of $10.00 per extra wristband. Only team wristbands (not guest wristbands) will be allowed to stay in the contest area after the 11:00 pm quiet time of Friday, May 7th.

Applications submitted are not guaranteed entrance. Accepted applicants will be contacted with information regarding the judging process, registration and parking.

Decisions of the Barbecue Chair and judges are final. Violations of rules/regulations of the contest will result in disqualification, expulsion from grounds and/or both.

NO Campers will be allowed inside the BBQ area. NO Exceptions! We will have an area for campers neat the BBQ area. Space is limited.