Fire up your grills and bring your best backyard BBQ skills to the Carroll County 4-H & FFA Fair Backyard BBQ Cookoff! This exciting amateur competition invites individuals and teams (up to 4 members) to showcase their talent in a fun, family-friendly environment. Whether you’re a seasoned backyard pitmaster or just love to grill, this is your chance to compete for cash prizes, bragging rights, and top honors.
Competitors will battle it out in three classic BBQ categories—Chicken, Ribs, and Brisket—with entries judged on appearance, taste, tenderness, and texture. This is a blind judging contest, ensuring a fair and competitive playing field for all participants.
Each team will prepare their entries on-site using their own equipment within assigned 20x20 spaces. Safety and cleanliness are a top priority, with strict guidelines around sanitation, food handling, and equipment use. Please note: this is a smoke-and-flavor competition only—no sampling or selling of food is allowed, and alcohol is strictly prohibited on event grounds.
The day begins early with setup and meat inspections from 3:00 AM to 7:00 AM, followed by staggered turn-in times:
Winners will be announced at 5:00 PM, with cash prizes awarded for each category and overall champions:
Entry fee is $50 per Griller, with additional space available if needed. Competitors must be 16 years or older and compete as amateurs.
Join us for a full day of smoky flavors, friendly competition, and community fun at the fairgrounds. Do you have what it takes to be crowned Backyard BBQ Champion? Sign up and show us your skills!
Please fill out this form to sign up, and pay for your entry fee. Detailed rules of the competition can be found here.
For questions or more information, please contact Debbie Weishaar at debbieweishaar511@yahoo.com or manager@carrollcountyfair.com.
