Dear Belterra Community Members,

Get ready to fire up your smokers and show off your barbecue skills! We are thrilled to announce the first annual Belterra BBQ Showdown, a community event where flavor meets competition in a friendly and delicious showdown. This is your chance to prove your mastery over the pit and claim the title of the Belterra BBQ Champion!

Event Details:

• Date: May 18th, 2024
• Start Time: Start at your own leisure to assure ample time to finish all meats. 
• Turn-in Time: Turn-in time starts on Saturday 2:30 PM and each entry will be submitted to the judges 30 minutes apart in unmarked, identical styrofoam boxes and must be garnished for appearance. Meats will be entered in the order of: chicken, pork ribs, brisket.
• Location: Each Team will set up and cook in their own subdivisions within the Belterra Community. The “Turn-in” and “Judging” tents will be located at the Belterra Rec Center. 
• Entry Fee: Donations for trophies and donating/loaning any of the supplies needed would be helpful but not required.
• Items needed for judging:
  • 1 popup tent with at least 3 walls
  • Large trash cans with trash bags
  • Styrofoam boxes
• Trophies needed:
  • Chicken
  • Porks Ribs
  • Brisket
  • Grand Champion

Whether you’re a pitmaster or a casual meat smoking enthusiast, we invite you to join us for a day filled with great food, fun, and community spirit. Here’s what you need to know:

How to Sign Up:

• Complete the registration form with your details, including your team name, team captain (contact person and the best means to reach them), the subdivision you represent and the category/categories you wish to enter. If you would like to volunteer for judging, setup/teardown and cleanup or if you can donate/supply any of the things listed above, please list that as well. 

How to Prepare for Entry:

• Prepare Your Best BBQ Dish: Whether it’s ribs, brisket or chicken, make sure it’s something that will wow the judges and your fellow community members. There will be 6 judges tasting your entries so make sure you enter enough for all 6 judges to sample each meat category you have entered. The judges will be instructed to score each box from 1 to 10 on color, aroma, taste, tenderness, appearance and overall impression. 10 being the best, 9 being excellent, 8 very good, 7 above average, 6 average, 5 below average, 4 poor, 3 bad, and 2 inedible. A 1 is given in rare instances for a marked turn-in container, foreign object in the container, incorrect meat or if a judge doesn’t receive a sample to judge because not enough pieces were in the box.The team with the highest score in each category wins that category and the team with the highest overall score is named Grand Champion!

Categories:

• Best Pork Ribs
• Best Brisket
• Best Chicken (bone-in, skin-on thighs)

Prizes:

Winners in each category will receive a trophy, bragging rights for a year, and local media recognition. Plus, the Grand Champion will be featured in the Belterra Subdivisions newsletter. Winners will be announced at 4:30 pm at the Rec. Center Pavilion immediately following the last judging.

Why Participate?

This cookoff isn’t just about the competition; it’s a celebration of our community’s spirit, diversity, and shared love for good food. It’s a chance to meet your neighbors, enjoy delicious barbecue, and have a fantastic time outdoors. While you’re cooking, take a walk/drive/ride to the other teams setups and give them a visit. In the words of Emeril Lagasse “Let’s kick it up a notch”. Show off your culinary creations and make an appetizer, side or something unique to share with those that come by to visit. I am always down to try a good cocktail. 

A few great quotes from the famous Anthony Bourdain….

• “You learn a lot about someone when you share a meal together.”
• “Barbecue may not be the road to world peace, but it’s a start.”
• “Even on the Serengeti, it ain’t a barbecue if there ain’t some kind of beer.”

Volunteer Opportunities:

Not a pitmaster? No problem! We’re also looking for volunteers to help with the event and also need a panel of judges. This will be a blind judging!

Volunteer spots are as follows: 

• 6 Judges (duties will include judging all aspects of all entries and appointing a winner in each category and a grand champion blindly)
• Turn-in officials (duties will include: receiving entries at a table, assign numbers/tickets to entries, deliver entries to judges tent)
• Setup/teardown and Cleanup crew: (duties will include: setting up all equipment for the turn-in and judges tents. Tearing down any tables, chairs, equipment and/or tents used at the judging and turn-in tents. Also cleaning up any trash around the judging area to assure we leave it better than we found it)

Ready to sign up? Don’t wait too long! We want to get this event locked in before the Texas heat starts setting in. Grab your apron, prep your recipes, and join us for an unforgettable day of smoking, chilling, and community building.

For any questions or to volunteer, please contact us here.

Let’s make the Belterra BBQ Showdown a smoking success. We can’t wait to see what culinary creations you bring to the table! 

Warm regards,

Chirs Dierschke – The Views Smoke Squad
Event Organizer