Welcome to the Hartford Rib Off, a two-day charity event, including SCA and KCBS sanctioned BBQ contests in the state of Connecticut in 2021
Friday is an SCA Contest, being held at the Hartford Rib Off Kick Off Party, October 15, 2021.
Saturday is a KCBS Master Series Contest, being held at the 11th Hartford Rib Off Main Event, October 16, 2021. Cook teams have the option of competing in either just the SCA Contest, just the KCBS contest, or both the KCBS and SCA contests.
The Hartford Rib Off will follow SCA rules for Friday and KCBS rules for Saturday. You may compete in SCA Friday, October 15 only, in KCBS Saturday, October 16 only; or in both contests, SCA Friday, October 15, and KCBS Saturday, October 16.
There will be SCA and KBCS Representatives at the Hartford Rib Off. They will be available to answer questions and will also be making certain that everyone – organizers, cook teams, and judges – follows the SCA rules and KCBS rules.
Friday night is an SCA Contest with 2 judged meats (steak and Ancillary meat *TBA) and 1 people’s choice selection (*TBA, same as Ancillary meat). Your SCA Contest steaks will be provided to you by the event organizers. Pit Masters/Cook Teams are responsible for supplying the remaining proteins they will be judged on in the contest.
Saturday is a KCBS Master Series Contest with 4 judged meats (ribs, chicken, brisket, and pork) and 2 people’s choice selection (ribs, pulled pork). Pit Masters/Cook Teams are responsible for supplying the proteins they will be judged on for the KCBS contest.
People’s Choice Contest: Teams choosing to participate in the People’s Choice contest must participate on both Friday and Saturday. The people’s choice contest will be capped at 15 teams, first come first served. Those 15 teams will receive a 15% discount on their entry fee and will receive a bump up of 1 space size. All people’s choice competitors will be grouped in the same general area. The people’s choice contest will take place on Friday night for 1 hour only [time TBD] and on Saturday for 2 one-hour blocks only [times TBD], not throughout the entire event. Voting for each day will be completely separate via token, and winners will be announced at the same time as the contest winners. The people’s choice contest is an integral part of our event, and we encourage teams to participate. The event will provide the protein for the people’s choice contest. The prize for the people’s choice first place winner on Friday is $400, with additional prizes for placers. The prize for the first place people’s choice winners on Saturday is $400, with additional prizes for placers.
Details about the permitted contest meats are located in the Cook Team packet and the KCBS rules.
Your competition meat will be inspected prior to any preparation for entry into the contest. The inspection will be performed by the SCA and KCBS Reps. Meat inspection guidelines can be reviewed here.
The grand prize is a cash purse TBD. Many winners, regardless of place, will also receive a trophy.
The SCA and KCBS reps will hold a cooks meeting at the venue.
With the exception of spaces for teams only participating in the SCA Contest, each standard team space will be 20′ x 30′ and will be marked, abutting one another. You may request a larger space, either 20′ x 40′ or 20′ x 50′, for an additional cost. These costs are detailed on the Cook Team Application. Teams only participating in the SCA Contest will be 10’ x 15’.
Every cook team participating in the people’s choice contest must complete a temporary food vendor permit for the City of Hartford. This will be emailed to you, but you can also access it here:Temporary Food Vendor Application
Each team will receive up to 6 access-only passes for the event. This grants access to the venue, but does not entitle bearer to food or drink. Up to 4 event passes will be made available for purchase to each team, at a 50% discount, and must be purchased in advance. No team event passes will be sold on the day of the event. Please contact us to purchase.
Please fill out the application below to register for the Hartford Rib Off. Once your application is received, you will be contacted via email.
*If you plan to compete in ONLY the Friday SCA Contest, please click here to register on the SCA website*