Entry Fee is $150 per team

​

1. Team Eligibility & Composition

Team Structure: Teams must consist of exactly two members. No substitutions or additions are allowed after the 

Saturday morning meeting.

 

Prohibited Help: No outside assistance from spectators or non-registered cooks is permitted during preparation, 

cooking, or presentation.

 

2. Schedule of Events

 

Day 1: Saturday (Ribs)

8:00 AM: Team meeting & meat distribution

5 PM: Ribs turn-in window closes

5:15 PM: Public prize distribution of 1/2 rack of ribs

5:30 PM: Announcement of top 3 finalists

5:30 AM: Finalist meeting & meat distribution for Sunday. Finalists can season meat but cannot start actually cooking until Sunday morning after 8 AM.

 

Day 2: Sunday (Surprise Meat & Side)

3:00 PM: Meat & Side turn-in window closes

3:30 PM: Grand Prize award ceremony 

4:00 PM: Public prize distribution of meat

 

3. Ingredient Control & Preparation Limits

Event-Provided Meat: Teams must exclusively use meat provided by OWD event organizer. No outside proteins allowed.

Identical Preparation: All three pieces of meat and side dishes must be seasoned, prepped, and cooked completely identically.

Saturday Ribs: Each team receives exactly three identical racks of ribs at 9:00 AM.

Sunday Meat: Each team receives exactly three identical meats at 5:30 PM on Saturday evening.

Sunday Side Dish: Teams must supply their own ingredients for their choice of one side dish.

On-Site Side Preparation: All side dishes must be prepared, assembled, and cooked entirely on-site. 

Bringing pre-cooked elements or pre-made side dishes is strictly prohibited.

 

4. Required Team Equipment & Supplies

Teams are responsible for bringing all necessary gear to operate their site safely and independently. 

The event organizers do not provide cooking or preparation gear. 

 

Teams must bring—

Pits & Grills: Natural flame with wood or briquettes only. No commercial grills.

Fuel Source: All necessary wood or briquettes.

Safety Gear: At least one fully charged, easily accessible fire extinguisher per site.

Food Safety Items: Meat thermometers, sanitizing wipes, and sufficient food-safe gloves for all handling.

Prep Tools: Cutting boards, knives, injection tools, and seasoning shakers.

Power & Water: Heavy-duty extension cords or quiet generators if electricity is needed, plus personal wash 

basins/water as required.

Side Ingredients: All raw ingredients, cookware, and utensils required to prepare the Sunday side dish.

 

5. Cooking, Site Safety & Containers

Pits & Fuel: Teams may use non-commercial grills. Wood and briquettes only; propane and electric 

elements are strictly prohibited.

Sanitation: Cooking areas must remain clean. Teams must use food-safe gloves when handling raw and cooked proteins.

Temperature Standards: All cooked proteins must reach USDA safe internal temperatures before being presented or raffled.

Turn-In Containers: The OWD event provides all official turn-in containers. Teams are prohibited from using personal boxes or applying any unique identifying markers to the containers.

 

6. Submission Guidelines & Late Disqualifications

Turn-In Windows: The turn-in window closes precisely at 5:00 PM on Saturday and 3:00 PM on Sunday.

Late Disqualification: Any team failing to present their container to the turn-in table before the exact closing minute is automatically disqualified from judging for that day. No exceptions are made for traffic, fire management, or preparation delays.

 

7. Raffle & Public Distribution

Raffle: At turn-in time, the OWD staff randomly selects a half rack (on Saturday) or meat (on Sunday) from the team’s prep station for giveaway after winners have been announced.

Raffle Quantities: The remaining three racks of ribs per team (Saturday) and three meats per team (Sunday) must be neatly sliced or portioned and handed over to event staff for immediate raffle distribution. Ribs must be cut in half racks (or four servings per team) and meats must be as evenly divided in half as possible (or two servings per team). This provides a total of six meats (four ribs and two meats) per team available to the OWD event. 

 

8. Post-Event Clean-Up Expectations

Teams are required to return their assigned cooking space to its original condition before departing the venue. Failure to meet these clean-up standards may result in a ban from future OWD events.

 

Ash & Briquette Disposal: All hot briquettes and ash must be fully extinguished with water and disposed of only in designated, event-provided metal ash bins. Dumping ash on grass or in standard trash cans is strictly prohibited.

Grease Management: Teams must collect and seal all cooking grease. Never dump grease on the ground, into public drains, or into standard trash bags.

Trash & Debris: All plastic wrap, raw meat packaging, food scraps, and general waste must be bagged and placed in event dumpsters.

Site Inspection: A team member must remain at the site until an OWD event official inspects and clears the space.

 

9. Judging Criteria, Tie-Breakers & Awards

Blind Judging: Submissions are scored anonymously on a scale of 1 to 10 by a panel of judges.

Scoring Categories: Scoring is based on Appearance/Color, Texture/Tenderness, and Flavor/Taste Profile.

Sunday Side Dish: The side dish is judged alongside the meat and accounts for 25% of the overall Sunday score.

Tie-Breaker Rule: In the event of a total score tie between teams, the team with the highest flavor score will be declared the winner.

Grand Prize: The overall champion team receives a custom-crafted and engraved knife by master bladesmith George Navarro of Black Widow Knives (a $500 value) 

 

10. Liability Waiver & Participant Consent

By signing below, the participating team members acknowledge and agree to the following terms—

Assumption of Risk: Participants assume all risks associated with competing, including but not limited to burns, cuts, foodborne illness, property damage, and severe weather.

 

Release of Liability: Participants release OWD Event Organizers, hosts, sponsors, and property owners from any and all liability, claims, or financial demands arising from injuries or property damage sustained during the event.

Food Safety Responsibility: Participants guarantee all food distributed to the public via raffle meets safe, fully-cooked consumption standards.

Media Release: Participants grant OWD the right to use event photography and video footage for future promo purposes.

​

APPLICATION FORM IS AVAILABLE ON

TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2026 at HIGH NOON!

The application is only available to the first ten (10) teams to sign up.

​