Tri-Rivers Fair Board
“Being the first year to bring this to Salina, I think there is a lot of opportunity for it,” Klara Mann, owner at operator of Salina Outdoors, said. “We have a lot of customers coming in who are wanting to do competitions, so this was a good opportunity to begin.”
Though the Salina Outdoors store will be closing in the Central Mall at the end of July, the business will be partnering with the Tri-Rivers Fair to host a Barbecue Cook-off on Saturday, Aug. 10 in the southwest parking lot of the Tony’s Pizza Event Center.
The competitor deadline to enter is Friday, Aug. 2, with registration information online at tririversfair.org. Competitor check-in times for the event are from 12-5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 9, with overnight camping options available; and 7 a.m.-12 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 10.
Entries will be judged starting at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 10 with the chicken category. Other categories for competition include ribs, pork butt and brisket, and each category will be judged on a schedule.
“Salina Outdoors welcomes you whether you are a pro or a beginner,” Mann said. “Enter in. And if you aren’t interested in cooking, come out and try the delicious barbecue.”
Sampling and the voting for People’s Choice will be open from 2-5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 10. Sampling tickets will be sold for five tickets for $5 or a bundle of 25 tickets for $20.
“I want to see our community come together and support each other on learning,” Mann said. “Even if you are a beginner, everyone has to start somewhere.”
The Grand Overall Champion of the Tri-Rivers Fair Barbecue Cook-off will win a Primo Grill retailed around $2,000 and spices donated by Salina Outdoors. The Reserve Grand Champion and the top three in each category will earn cash prizes, based on the number of entries. The People’s Choice winner will win a $200 gift card donated by Smoky River Meats.
Hosting a barbecue contest
“I have customers come in all the time asking about competitions,” Mann said. “They are fun and they are a good time, and Salina does none of them.”
Mann, and her husband, Jason, have considered coordinating barbecue contests through their business, Salina Outdoors. When Tri-Rivers Fairboard President Eric Blomquist approached them about helping launch a barbecue cook-off during the fair, the opportunity was a match.
Then Tri-Rivers Fair entertainment committee member Cain Fouard shared the plan for the barbecue contest, Salina Outdoors agreed.
Salina Outdoors offers different brands of grills and smokers for sale, as well as seasonings. Salina Outdoors inventory has expanded to include other outdoor amenities like patio furniture, AahSpas hot tubs and outdoor kitchen equipment.
“Salina Outdoors opened next to Pools Plus in the summer of 2021,” Mann said. “This was Jason’s hobby that turned into a store - it was a hobby we both enjoyed.”
The store moved to the Central Mall in October 2022. The recent closure of the Central Mall location is due to a search for a new storefront.
The plan for the Tri-Rivers Fair barbecue cook-off involves teams competing in chicken, ribs, pork butt and brisket categories.
“The quality of meat that you buy, some people don’t think that is important,” Mann said. “The more contests you go to, the more you learn what to do.”
Teams must register with a chief cook and as many assistants as the chief cook deems necessary. Each team will be assigned a cooking space for an entry fee of $150. The fee allows participants to compete in all four meat categories and the People’s Choice award.
Pits, cookers, props, trailers, motor homes, vehicles, tents, or any other equipment (including generators) shall not exceed the boundaries of the team's assigned cooking space.
The cooking space will be measured at 18’ X 20’ for each entry. A double stall can be reserved for an extra $25, making the space 36’x20’ approximately. Overnight camping is available for $50.
Electricity hook-ups are available in 34 of the spaces with both 220 volt and 110 volt outlets. The fee for electricity is $30. Contestants must adhere to all electrical, fire and other codes.
A fire extinguisher must be near all cooking devices.
Barbecue cooking devices cannot be gas or an electric heat sourced device, but rather must use fire from wood, wood pellets or charcoal. Propane or electric is permitted as fire starters, provided that the competition meat is not in or on the cooking device. Electrical accessories such as spits, augers, or forced draft are permitted. No open pits or holes are permitted, except at the election of the contest organizer. Fires shall not be built on the ground.
Parboiling, Sous-vide, and/or deep-frying competition meat is not allowed. If any of the banned processes are discovered before turn-in, the team will be scored a zero (0) in all criteria by all six judges for that entry. If discovered after turn-in, the team will be scored a one (1) in all criteria by all six judges for that entry.
Meat shall not be sculptured, branded, or presented in a way to make it identifiable. Rosettes of meat slices are not allowed. Violations of this rule will be scored a one (1) in all criteria by all six judges.
Entries will be submitted in a container provided by the contest organizer. Entry number must be on top of the container at turn-in. The container shall not be marked in any way so as to make the container unique or identifiable. Aluminum foil, toothpicks, skewers, foreign material, and/or stuffing are prohibited in the container.
Each contestant must submit at least six (6) portions of meat in an approved container. Chicken, pork, and brisket may be submitted chopped, pulled, sliced, or diced as the cook sees fit, as long as there is enough for six (6) judges. Ribs shall be turned in bone-in.
Judges may not cut, slice, or shake apart to separate pieces. Each judge will first score all the samples for appearance of the meat. The turn-in containers will then be passed around the table and each judge will place a sample from each of the containers in the appropriate box on the judging plate. Judges shall not lick their fingers while taking these samples; paper towels, non-scented wipes, or damp wash cloths are preferred.
Judges will then score each entry for taste and tenderness, before moving on to the next entry. Judges may not fraternize with teams on turn-in day until the conclusion of judging. The scoring system will be from 9 to 2, all whole numbers between two and nine may be used to score an entry, with 9 being excellent to 2 being inedible.
A score of one (1) is a penalty or disqualification and requires approval by a Contest Rep. Grounds for penalty/disqualification: All judges will give a one (1) in Appearance for prohibited garnish, pooled sauce, or less than 6 samples of meat. All judges will give a one (1) in all criteria for sculptured meat, a marked turn-in container, foreign object in the container, incorrect meat.
All judges not receiving a sample will give a one (1) in all criteria. Additional scoring information and disqualifications are located on the tririversfair.org website.
“A lot of competitions we’ve been to, they are huge and are a big deal,” Mann said. “The TriRivers Fair Barbecue Contest is an opportunity for backyard barbecue enthusiasts to try their hand here in Salina.”
The Tri-Rivers Fair Barbecue Cook-off is not sanctioned.