Crawford County Fair

Back Yard Cook-off

Rules and Regulations

This fun and friendly cook-off competition will give local back yard cooks a chance to showcase their talents and possibly win a trophy and some cash.

2006 Grand Cook-off Winner
Steve and Linda Blevins

General
1. The Crawford County Fair and/or the Cook-off Committee have the right to modify or expand these rules and regulations as they see fit. Decisions of the Judges and the Committee are final.

2. The Crawford County Fair Association and its officers or representatives are not responsible for any accidents, damage or theft of equipment, supplies or property belonging to the contestants of this competition.

3.Contestants must provide all needed equipment and supplies for this competition. Any type of grill or cooker (propane, charcoal, wood or electric) may be used in this competition. Absolutely no fires on the ground. Teams must have all equipment and supplies in place by 8:00 on the day of the competition. It will not be permissible to bring any item into the cooking area after the competition has started.

4.Teams will be required to prepare and submit samples of meat and 2 side dishes per category entered. Containers for entry submittal will be provided. For more information see Categories and Judging below.

5. Teams will be made up of one Chief Cook and up to 3 team members/assistants. No other persons will be allowed in the cooking area during the compition. The Chief Cook will be responsible for the conduct of the team.

6.Set up and meat inspection from 6:00AM until 7:45AM on the day of the competition. Meat must be raw, not frozen and not marinated in any way. After meat has been inspected, meat can be marinated, but absolutely no cooking can begin until 8:00AM. Judging will begin at 4:30PM. Winners will be announced as soon as possible after all categories have been judged.

7. There will be a Chief Cooks meeting in front of the Fair Office at 7:45AM. Cook-off competition will begin promptly at 8:00AM

8. Team sponsorships will be permitted but will not be required.

9. As a fundraiser for the Christmas for Kids, sample plates will be sold by the cook-off committee to the public for $5.00 each. It is the hope of the committee that all teams will offer samples to the public (after 5:00PM) who have purchased one of these plates. If your team decides not to participate in this fund raiser, we ask that you do not attempt to sell samples or give away samples to people who have not purchased these containers. Your cooperation will be appreciated.

Eligibility
1. All team members must be at least 14 years of age by 7/20/07. The Chief Cook must be at least 21 years of age by 7/20/07. All team members must be legal residents of Crawford or adjoining counties.

2. This competition is for amateur cooks only. Professional cooks, food stylists and other food specialists will be prohibited in this contest.

3.All teams must be registered and have all entry fees paid by 6:00PM on Friday, July 20, 2007. Entry blanks available at www.crawfordfair.com or at the Oblong Public Works office, 202 South Range St. in Oblong.

Entry Fees
1. A $10.00 space fee (20 x 20) will be charged to each team. (Only 1 team per space.)

2.A $5.00 per category fee will be charged to each team.

Categories
1 There will be 4 categories in this competition (Pork, Beef, Poultry and Teams Choice). Any type of main dish can be entered in the Teams Choice, for example; soup, stew or chowder, fish, etc., as well as pork, beef and poultry. Teams may enter 1 or all categories. Teams must enter at least 3 different categories to become eligible to win Grand Champion. If a team enters all 4 categories, the highest 3 category scores will be totaled to decide Grand Champion. Teams may also enter the same category as many times as they choose (each additional entry will be $5.00). Only the teams highest scoring entry in that given category will be used to determine Grand Champion.

Judging
1.Each category will have a panel of 4 judges.

2.Each entry will be independently evaluated by each judge and separately from all other entries.

3.Judges will score each entry on a range of 1 thru 9 with 9 being perfect and 1 being very poor.

4.Judges scores will be based on the following criteria:
Presentation / Appearance(is it arranged nicely,does it look appetizing, etc.)
Taste(spice, taste, smoke, taste, meat/spice combination, overall palate ; etc.)
Texture(is it moist or dry, tender or tough etc.)
Aroma(does it smell appetizing)
Side Dish #1 (compatibility with the main dish....tastetexture aroma etc.)
Side Dish #2 (compatibility with the main dish....tastetexture aroma etc.)
Overall (the overall impression….consider the creativity and effort put forth for the complete entry)

5. Special Notes: All side dishes must be prepared on site. Any pre-made or commercially packaged dishes (potato salad, macaroni salad, etc.) will be subject to disqualification. Chips, crackers, cheese and etc. used as a side dish reflects little effort and will be judged accordingly. Sauce will not be judged as a side dish, but may also be submitted as an accompaniment to the meat.

6. Each contestant must submit enough food for 4 judges to sample (1 dinner size serving should be appropriate). Containers will be provided for entry submittal.

7. Each team will be given an information card to be filled out and submitted with the entry for judging.

8. Entries are to be submitted for judging no earlier than 4:30PM and no later than 5:00PM with no exceptions.

9. Score sheets containing judges comments will be mailed to the Chief Cook approximately 1 week after the competition.

10. Field judges will be on duty throughout the competition to insure all rules are followed.

11. Teams are encouraged to decorate their sites with a theme and/or sponsor logo.
Judging for best decorated team area will be at 1:00PM.

12. In the event of any ties during this competition, the scores from
presentation/appearance, taste, texture and aroma will be tabulated to determine a winner. If a tie still exists, a coin toss will be used to determine a winner.

Awards
Prizes will be awarded per category as follows:
1. First place in each category will receive a trophy, $60.00 plus 50% of the total entry fee in that category.

2. Runner-up in each category will receive a trophy and $25.00.

3. Each team member will receive participation ribbons.

4. A Grand Champion trophy will be awarded to the team with the highest total score of their best 3 categories.

5. A plaque and $20.00 cash will be awarded to the team with the best decorated area.

Safety and Sanitation
1. Cooking conditions are subject to inspection by the CCF Cook-off Committee and the Crawford County Health Department at any time during the competition. Cleanliness of the cooks and the cooking space will be required at all times.

2. Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold. All meat and perishable food items must be kept on ice before cooking. Holding temperature must be 40 deg. F or less. After cooking, all foods must maintain a minimum temperature of 140 deg. F

3. Sanitization of all cooking and preparation areas shall be implemented with the use of a bleach/water solution (1 cup bleach, 1 gal. water). Each team must provide 3 separate containers for washing, rinsing and sanitation of utensils.

4. Absolutely no use of any tobacco products will be permitted in the cooking area.

5. Absolutely no pets will be permitted in the cooking area.

6. All team members will be required to wear shirts and shoes at all times while in the cooking area.

7. Each team must provide at least one 5 lb. type A B C fire extinguisher. This extinguisher must be kept in full view within the cooking area at all times.

8. Representatives of the Oblong Fire Department will be on hand from 6:00 AM until 8:00AM to inspect all cookers on the day of the competition. Cookers are not to be turned on or fired up until an inspection has been completed on each unit. NO OPEN FIRES ON THE GROUND.

Remember
1. This is a fun and friendly competition.

2. All contestants are expected to respect the rights of other teams. Please do not play loud music, use loud or profane language or infringe on another teams area.

3. Electrical outlets are limited (first come, first served) so enter early.

4. All equipment and supplies must be on site before 8:00AM.

After the Cook-off is Over

1. Team cooking area must be cleared by 10:00PM on the day of the competition. Absolutely no ashes, food or trash of any kind can be left in the cooking area. If your team fails to clean up completely, you will not be permitted to enter the contest next year. Trash cans and ash buckets will be provided.

.

For a printable version in PDF format click this link : Backyard Cook-Off , PDF Copy of Entry Form
To download Adobe Reader: Adobe