Register Your 2023 Backyard BBQ Contest

This form is used to submit and register Backyard contests to the MN BBQ Society website calendar.

Registration: Registration will collect all the necessary information to post your contest (Contest name/description/dates/logo). When registering, enter the  Event email address (where event communications should be sent), and the Event Organizer's name.

Optional: Team Of The Year Contest: If you would like your contest to be considered for MN TOY (Team of the Year), please be sure to indicate that during registration. The Society will determine if your contest meets the criteria for TOY. If it does, your contest will be advertised and counted as a TOY event for the year.

Contest Cancellations: If your contest is cancelled, please return to this event page and cancel your contest registration. This will indicate to the Society to update and remove your contest from the website calendar.

Backyard TOY (Team of the Year) Contest Criteria:

All KCBS sanctioned backyard contests will be included in the TOY contest. Organizers must still submit their event to MBS. Contests that are not KCBS sanctioned are still eligible to participate in the TOY contest but must meet the following requirements:

• For a contest to be considered for backyard TOY, the contest must be submitted to the MBS for consideration two months before the contest date.

• Contest must be able to accommodate 15 or more teams

• Contest must have 12 teams compete

• Contest must have both pork ribs (spare or baby back) and chicken (must allow cooks choice of cut that is consistent with KCBS) 

• Only ribs and chicken will count towards Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion, additional categories are permitted but will not be included for overall standings.

• Contest must use either KCBS scoring or Minnesota BBQ Society scoring system

• Organizers must provide teams name, Head Cook KCBS number and if no KCBS number their MBS number in their reporting of results of the contest 
  

• Organizer is responsible for submitting scores to MBS.  Scoring must be turned in within one week after the contest. If scores are not submitted the results may not be considered for team of the year. If using KCBS scoring, confirm information has been sent to the TOY committee.

• Blind judging is required.

• Teams shall be given pre-numbered turn-in boxes.  Teams shall be responsible for bringing their boxes to a table for judging.

• A cooks meeting shall be conducted the morning of the contest.  Rules and requirements for teams shall be discussed and teams will be held responsible for following the contest rules.

• It is strongly encouraged that an organizer offer rules and expectations of their contest prior to teams signing up. This will allow teams to understand the details of each contest and allow for sufficient time to ask the organizer questions.

• It is suggested that Team of the Year contests use 50% or more KCBS trained judges.  The Minnesota BBQ Society can assist in recruiting judges if needed.  If 50% trained judges are not available the Minnesota BBQ Society Judges Training Guide should be provided and discussed prior to beginning judging at the contest.

• A 2022 TOY contest will be included for 2023 as long as the name and contest date are consistent and all TOY requirements continue to be met as well as a new application is completed.  If two contests are held on the same date, the contest with more TOY tenure will have priority for TOY.

• Unless granted approval by the MBS board, there shall only be one TOY contest per date.

• Organizer should be a member of the MBS and in good standing.

• First time TOY contests will be offered an organizer mentor.  The mentor can assist and advise the organizer to ensure TOY requirements are understood and followed. 

• Backyard TOY contests should consist of, to the best of the organizer’s ability, teams with a KCBS defined backyard status.  https://mms.kcbs.us/members/secure/filearchive/filelist.php?fac=5826&rpd=EV

• Contests outside of MN: MBS will consider contests from other states for TOY if they anticipate 50% or more of the competition's competitors will be MBS members. It is the responsibility of the organizer to provide their state's BBQ society or any governing body notice that they are seeking to be approved for team of the year by MN BBQ Society.