To “even the playing field” between all contestants, the following rules have been developed.

 1. There are FOUR MEAT CATEGORIES for the BBQ cook-off:

• Chicken - This may include Cornish game hens and kosher chicken
• Pork Ribs - The bone must be included. Country-style ribs are prohibited.
• Pork - This is defined as Boston Butt, Picnic, and/or whole-shoulder... anthing that isn't a rib
• Beef Brisket - May be either whole brisket or point. Corned Beef is prohibited.

2. All Teams are required to enter in all meat categories and must submit entries during the times given in # 9 below.  The Official Meat Inspector (OMI) will inspect all competition meats prior to cooking.  Competition meat for each Team must be inspected by the OMI before cooking can begin.

• All competition BBQ meat must be raw prior to competition
• Pre-seasoning or marinating of any competition BBQ meats prior to inspection is prohibited.
• Par boiling or deep-frying of any competition BBQ meats before or during competition is prohibited.

3. Only wood, wood pellets, or charcoal are permitted for cooking fires.  Gas and electric grills are strictly prohibited for competition.  Propane may only be used to start a fire and only if competition meat is not in or on the cooking device.  Electrical accessories such spits, augers, and forced draft are allowed. Cooking fires in or on the ground are prohibited.  If your cooking device(s) needs a roof, IT MUST BE METAL BY ORDER OF THE COUNTY of HAWAII FIRE CHIEF. No exceptions!

4. The criteria for judging are: (1) Appearance (2) Tenderness/Texture (3) Taste.  Taste carries the greatest weight in judging.

5. Each Team must submit a minimum of six (6) SEPARATE and visibly identifiable portions of meat in ONE container (See #6); there must be enough in the container for six judges.  Ribs must be submitted with the meat on the bone and the RIBS MUST BE SEPARATED (individual ribs).  Chicken, pork, and brisket may be submitted sliced, chopped, pulled, or diced as the Team Captain sees fit.

6. Entries in each category will be submitted in an approved Hilo Bay BBQ Cook-off container, which will be provided.  These containers will have a number assigned by Hilo Bay BBQ Cook-off officials.  Except for this number, marking the container in a way to make it uniquely identifiable to the Team is prohibited.  Toothpicks, skewers, stuffing, or other foreign materials within the container are also prohibited and may result in disqualification in the Appearance criteria.  However, a single layer of aluminum foil may used to line the inside bottom of the container to keep the entry warm.

7. Garnishes and sauce are optional and should not be excessive (should not distract from or cover the meat).  “Home grown” garnish must be free of dirt, insects and other pests.  Sauces must be directly applied to the meat and not pooled or puddled in the container.  Side-sauce cups or containers are not permitted in the turn-in container.  Chunky sauce is allowed but should not be larger than a fine dice.

8. Marking, branding, or presenting the competition meat in a way to make it uniquely identifiable to the Team is prohibited.

9. Judging begins at 12:00pm (NOON), July 4. Entries will be submitted only at the times given below:

1. Chicken: Noon
2. Pork Ribs: 12:30pm
3. Pork: 1:00pm
4. Beef Brisket: 1:30pm

Entries for each category must submitted no more than 5 minutes before or more than 5 minutes after the designated time.

Failure to submit an entry in a category during the designated time will result in disqualification for that category.  Under-cooked pork or chicken in any portion of an entry is an automatic disqualification in that category.

10. Each Team is solely responsible for complying with all applicable rules and regulations defined by State of Hawaii Department of Health regarding storing, handling, preparing and serving (selling or giving) food for this event.  Any Team ruled by State of Hawaii Department of Health officials to be in noncompliance will be disqualified from all competition.  Officials from the State of Hawaii Department of Health reserve the right and may conduct inspections without warning.

Applications for a temporary food permit can be made at the State of Hawaii, Hawaii District Health Office/Hilo 1582 Kamehameha Ave, Hilo, HI 96720.  We strongly advise you to complete this application at least two weeks before compeition.

Each Team is also solely responsible for complying with all applicable rules and regulations defined by the County of Hawaii Fire Department.

1. Entries must include fish or seafood.  Tofu, mushrooms, or other substitutes are not allowed.  You may select fish or seafood from any one or combination of the following:

• Ono, Snapper, Ahi, Lobster, Crab, Surimi (imitation crab), Octopus, Squid, Opihi, Prawns, Broadbill Swordfish, or pondraised Crawfish.  Hokkigai (clams) are not allowed.

2. Fish or seafood may be cooked or raw.  Use good judgement; not all fish/seafood is good (or healthy) raw.

3. Entries will be judged on Appearance, Tenderness/Texture, and Taste.

4. Each submitted entry must be enough for at least six judges to sample.  Entry submission time will be posted on this website approximately one week before competition.

Each Team solely responsible for obtaining permits from the State of Hawaii Department of Health to serve (selling or giving) food to the public and to follow all State Health Department’s rules regarding this.  Be prepared; follow their rules.  The State Health Department may inspect your setup at any time without warning. If they shut you down, you are disqualified from all competition.

Applications for a temporary food permit can be made at the State of Hawaii, Hawaii District Health Office/Hilo 1582 Kamehameha Ave, Hilo, HI 96720.  We strongly advise you to complete this application at least two weeks before competition.

The following do not apply to “People’s Choice” chili contest.

1. “Chili” is defined as any kind of meat (beef, chicken, pork, venison, lamb) or combination thereof, cooked with red or green chili peppers or both, various spices and other ingredients.  Pasta, saltines, tofu, rice and other fillers are not permitted ingredients.

2. Beans in the chili are allowed.  However, there should be more meat than beans in your entry.

3. This is not a stew contest. Your chili entry should be thick and hearty, not thin and soupy.

4. Meat (listed above) may not be pre-cooked in any way prior to the official start of the chili category. Items allowed to be precooked are beans, canned or bottled tomatoes, tomato sauce, canned or bottled peppers, pepper sauce, beverages, broth and grinding and/or mixing of spices.  Meat may be treated, pre-cut or ground.  All meat(s) must be cooked during the competition time.  All other ingredients must be chopped or prepared during the preparation period.

5. The cooking period will be a minimum of 3 hours to a maximum of 4 hours.  Cooking during the entire cooking period is at the sole discretion of the Team.  The exact starting and ending of the cooking period and time for entry submissions to be announced on the www.hilobaybbq.com website.

6. Teams are responsible for supplying all of their own cooking utensils, supplies, etc.

7. Each Team must submit a minimum of 16 oz. of competition chili in a container that will be provided and numbered by Hilo Bay BBQ Cook-off officials.

8. Each Team is responsible to deliver their containers, which must be filled to the bottom of the cup’s rim, to the judging area at the official time for judging.  This time will be posted on the website.

9. The criteria for judging chili will be:

•     Color and aroma
•     Tenderness/Texture
•     Taste

Taste is the most important, followed by Tenderness/Texture, and then Appearance.  Use common sense.  The chili category is not about how extremely hot/spicy/painful you can make your chili.  If the judges cannot taste the other ingredients because the pepper/spice is too overwhelming, this will likely count against you.

Each Team solely responsible for obtaining permits from the State of Hawaii Department of Health to serve (selling or giving) food to the public and to follow all State Health Department’s rules regarding this.  Be prepared; follow their rules.  The State Health Department may inspect your setup at any time without warning.  If they shut you down, you are disqualified from all competition.

Applications for a temporary food permit can be made at the State of Hawaii, Hawaii District Health Office/Hilo 1582 Kamehameha Ave, Hilo, HI 96720.  We strongly advise you to complete this application at least two weeks before competition.

The "People's Choice" chili contest is completely optional.  It does not count toward Grand Champion.

The bottom line: it's a popularity contest determined solely by the general public.

The general public will purchase tasting kits.  Each kit will include one ballot.  Any person with a tasting kit may sample chili from any or all teams that have chosen to enter this contest.  The person holding a ballot will cast his or her vote for the team he/she thinks has the best chili.

The proceeds of the sale of tasting kits goes toward a cash prize for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place.  The amount of the cash prize depends on the number of tasting kits sold.  There will not be any trophies.

Applications for a temporary food permit can be made at the State of Hawaii, Hawaii District Health Office/Hilo at 1582 Kamehameha Ave.  We strongly advise you to complete this application at least two weeks before competition.

Use Common Sense:

• This is a community/family event.  Please show aloha at all times.
• This is an outdoor and overnight event.  Each Team is responsible to be prepared for weather changes along the bay front.
• All contestants are required to compete in all categories: Poke, Chili, Chicken, Pork Ribs, Pork, and Beef Brisket.  The “People’s Choice” chili contest is optional; it does not count towards overall points for Grand Champion.

1. TEAM MEMBERS - Each Team may have a maximum of five (5) Team Members.  Each Team must have a designated Team Captain at least 21 years of age who will be responsible for the entire Team following the rules and regulations of the Hilo Bay BBQ Cook-off.

2. SERVING FOOD - Hawaii State Law defines serving food as giving or selling food to the general public.  Teams are not required to serve food to the general public.  However, we strongly recommend that Teams serving food to the general public offer food related to the competition categories or barbecue in general. The general public will expect it.

Teams serving food (selling or giving) are solely responsible for obtaining all required permits from the State of Hawaii Department of Health and complying with all related rules and regulations. This includes the “People’s Choice” chili contest.

• Teams serving food must present permits at check-in before being allowed to serve food.  No exceptions.
• Any Team ruled by Dept. of Health officials to be in non-compliance will be disqualified from all competition.
• Any Team selling food without having paid the appropriate entry fee that includes selling food will be disqualified from all competition.

3. CHECK-IN - Check-in time for competition is NO LATER THAN 9:00am, July 3.  All Team spaces are assigned.  Do not begin setup until you have checked in and have been assigned a space.

4. COMPETITION SPACE - Each Team will be assigned a 25ft by 35ft cooking space at check-in.  The size of the space may change before check-in.

• All Team equipment and supplies must fit within the boundaries of the assigned space.  No exceptions.
• Each Team will prepare and cook all foods within its assigned space.  No exceptions.
• Each Team will provide all of its own equipment and supplies.
• Any roof for a cooking device must be metal by order of the Fire Marshall.  Absolutely no exceptions.
• Each Team is required to have a fire extinguisher within the assigned space at all times and is required to comply with fire and safety codes as defined by the County of Hawaii.
• Team members should refrain entering the assigned cooking space of another Team during competition unless invited.

5. ADDITIONAL SAFETY - The following additional safety, cleanliness, and common sense rules will apply at all times:

• The use of any tobacco products while handling or cooking food is strictly prohibited.
• All Team members must wear shirts and shoes at all times in the cooking area.
• Each Team is responsible for having a first-aid kit within the assigned space.  Be prepared!

6. QUIET TIME - Quiet time will be strictly enforced during the following times:

• 11:00pm July 3 to 7:00am July 4

No loud music, talking, yelling, fireworks, or motor vehicles.  Quiet means quiet.  No loud anything.

7. CLEAN UP/CHECK OUT - The Hilo Bay BBQ Cook-off officially ends at the conclusion of the awards ceremony.  Each Team is responsible for thoroughly cleaning its assigned space before leaving the contest site (check out).  Failure to clean the assigned space could result in fines assessed to the Team Captain and/or Team Registrant by the County of Hawaii.

8. GENERAL CONDUCT - Engaging in any of the following conduct is grounds for disqualification and ejection from the competition site:

1. Willful noncompliance with the rules and regulations set by Hilo Bay BBQ Cook-off officials or prevailing county, state, and federal laws.
2. Use or distribution of illegal substances.
3. Serving (selling or giving) alcoholic beverages to the general public or providing alcoholic beverages to a minor.
4. Serving (selling or giving) food to the general public without a permit from the Hawaii State Department of Health.
5. Foul, abusive, or threatening language to Hilo Bay BBQ Cook-off officials, other Teams, or the general public.
6. Fighting and/or violent conduct.
7. Excessive and/or repeated loud noise generated during Quiet Time (see #6 above).
8. Excessive, repeated and/or abusive complaints from any Team or Team member toward any Hilo Bay BBQ Cook-off official regarding any of the rules herein.

9. DISQUALIFICATION - Disqualification of any Team from any competition category - or the competition as a whole - is at the sole discretion of Hilo Bay BBQ Cook-off officials whose decisions are final.

10. ENTRY FEES - Entry fees are non-refundable.

This ain't no joke, This ain't no lie... this applies to everyone!

• Your cooker must have either (1) a metal roof, OR (2) no roof at all.
  AND...
  You must have a fire extinguisher in your cooking space at all times.
  The Fire Dept. will be there to make sure you comply with both of these... garans ballbarans! 
  If the Fire Dept. shuts you down, you're out of the competition.
   
• You must have a "temporary food booth" permit from the State Dept. of Health to serve food to the public.
  "Serve" means give or sell.  This includes the "People's Choice Chili Contest."  If the Health Dept. shuts you down, you're out of the competition.
   
• Everything you use - cookers, tables, ice chests, chairs - must fit within a 25' by 35' foot space.
  Do NOT park your vehicle next to your space.  The Fire Dept. will not allow it... and they will check...
  

We're not against pets... some of the Cook-off officials own and love their pets...
        BUT
This is what the Hawaii County Code says:

"Section 4-29. Leash required for public places.
No person shall bring or permit any dog in any County park, public school ground, or airport unless it is held under control by a suitable leash, not more than six feet long; provided, however, that dogs even under control by a suitable leash shall not be allowed in any County beach park."