The Giant Barbecue Battle has gone virtual for 2020

                                                                                                                  

The Giant Barbecue Battle has shifted gears into a virtual festival for 2020.  Normally held on Pennsylvania Ave in Washington, D.C., the Kansas City Barbeque Society has been able to work with the organizer to help turn this into a fully virtual event with games, entertainment, demos and, of course, a barbeque competition. 
 
The Kansas City Barbeque Society is sanctioning multiple categories, including chicken, beef brisket, pork ribs presented by Smithfield Foods, and turkey.  KCBS rules will apply.  The turkey category is the next stop in the 2020 Turkey Smoke Series, presented by the National Turkey Federation.
 
All four categories are open to the public in the United States and are free to compete.  The competition entry period runs from June 1-June 21.  Contestants can enter as many categories as they desire, but to be eligible to compete for the Overall Champion title, they must enter all 4 categories.  To register to compete, visit https://bbqindc.com/contests/.  Official rules are available https://bbqindc.com/bbq-competition/national-bbq-championship-rules/. If you have questions, please reach out to contest@kcbs.us.
 
The judging for the Giant Barbecue Battle will be in two rounds.  The first round takes place throughout the month of June by KCBS Certified Barbeque Judges. If you are interested in judging, register at https://mms.kcbs.us/members/evr_pool.php?eid=43209599 and click “Apply Now” to be entered into the judging pool.  You must be a member in good standing, so be sure to renew your membership at www.kcbs.us or call the office at 1-800-963-5227.  Note that if you register to compete, you may not judge and judges are not allowed to compete
 
The top 10 finalists in each category from round 1 will be presented to the Giant BBQ Battle Judging Committee consisting of celebrity BBQ pitmasters, professional chefs and industry experts.  Winners will be selected at the conclusion of the contest.
 
The prize structure for each category is as follows: 1st Place-$1,000 Giant shopping spree; 2nd Place-$250 Giant shopping spree; 3rd Place-$100 Giant shopping spree; 4th Place-$50 Giant shopping spree; 5th Place-Autographed copy of a BBQ pitmaster cookbook.  All winners including 6th Place will receive a trophy.  Teams competing in all four KCBS categories will qualify to become the Overall Champion with a grand prize of an additional $1,500 Giant shopping spree and the title of the Giant National Barbecue Champion, Washington, DC. 
 
KCBS is also partnering with the Giant Barbecue Battle and the D.C. Parks and Recreation to bring together a Junior Chef competition.  Kids in the United States between 13-17 years old can enter between now and June 21 at https://bbqindc.com/junior-chef-competition/.  Teens can compete in one of the following categories: chicken, beef, vegetarian, pork ribs presented by Smithfield Foods, or turkey presented by the National Turkey Federation.
 
More information and rules can be found at https://bbqindc.com/bbq-competition/national-bbq-championship-rules/.  Remember to enter to compete or judge before the June 21 deadline.