cooking in an scba cookoff is it legal to prepare your entry at home and bring it with you?is it legal to include bacon in an anything butt dish i have never used bacon in my crab soup in a comp because of the title of the competition.i have seen several bacon wrapped dishes so it may be up to the organizer.thanks for any input.its freezing cold in the shop and im just goofing off.

Brad:

Many of the answers that you're looking for can best be answered by...it depends. Event organizers set the rules for ATB and ATB can mean no pork...no primary pork being cooked for competition...must be prepared and cooked on site...or just anything. This has always been the sore point with me, organizers make ATB mandatory but they don't set guidelines before the event...they just say Anything but...

Several events this year announced that entries had to be prepared onsite during the cooks meeting! Sheeez, if they put that in the application it would really help. I know several occasion where people won with items prepared at home or even store bought!

Since ATB is sponsored by the event, and SCBA only graciously provides assistance for judging, it's the event organizer that set the rules and passes out the information.

Hope I helped and didn't confuse the issue.

Seth

Seth hit the nail on the head. We prefer to opt out of the Friday evening events for some of these exact reasons.

Some events call it "Anything Goes". Seems to be a more fitting name to me.

Garland...don't get me wrong, I like ATB and the opportunity to cook something other than BBQ. It's a great tool for organizers to make $$$, have some fun, and offer additional prize money. What I don't like is the lack of information provided which leaves just about everything open to interpretation. Just tell me the rules of engagement and let the battle begin...I hate it when someone brings in a store bought cheese cake and beats my pimento cheese toast! LOL

Seth

You need to get into the habit of asking the organizers all of the questions about AB you can think of before you get there. As Seth said, in SCBA it is their call, and each event is a little different. I have been told several times that as long as it wasn't commercially made, it is OK to enter. Hence the Cakes and other fancy desserts that turn up. In the KCBS comps we have entered, your entry had to be cooked on-site using the same devise you are using for the Comp. Not even a hot plate or gas camp stove could be used.

Papajoe

In my one and only Anything But. I did ask the organizer what the rules would be and they were not sure so I asked a specific question and they answered it. In this case, we were asked top provide 500 portions and with what I wanted to do, on site prep was not feasible nor practical from a food safety perspective as hot as it was (97)

I do not compete in the contests that have a mandatory anything butt. I am usually there by my self and do not have time to fool with it. More power to those that do.

We don't mind the mandatory Anything Butt events as long as everything else is OK. But we don't participate if they want over 10 or 15 portions. 100, 200, 500, portions is rediculous for a chance to win $150.00, usually by popular choice.

Papajoe

I've cooked the ATB on site and cooked at home an brought it with me. Sometimes you can't get to a comp in time to do everything. I would like to see more rules though, either cook on site or anything goes.

Wow. I've heard about people cooking at home and bringing it in, and I've even
heard whispers about people buying desserts and turning them in....

Are there people out there who would trade in their integrity for a ribbon
and a couple hundred bucks?

What are you proud of if you do that?

It's a cooking contest. The whole point of having one is to do it on site.
Otherwise we could just mail our entries in and save a lot of work.

If you need a trophy or a little bit of money that bad, go ahead. You need it more
than me.

tandy does a great cheesecake and i am trying to include her in the contest part makes her feel good and all.we got beat by a cake in anderson cake and milk but that was a different format.just trying to find something she can do for friday nite several of the contests with dessert categories and i know they are not made there.and i like to cook bacon in my crab soup makes it delicious.but i have not included bacon in my soup but have been beat by bacon wrapped shrimp.oh well and the nanner pudding has to sit for a day to make it good i believe.maybe ill just stick to chicken wings.

Brad,

I understand you being skiddish about bacon in the crab bisque....and it really does add a signifigant component, especially to that dish.
ATB's are typically run and organized by the festival promoters in events that are sanctioned by the SCBA. During our preliminary meetings, SCBA Marshal's are sometimes asked by the festival to assist by providing judges or at least some of the judges. This was the case in Cayce during Smokin at the Speedway. Mark was very proactive, and had a mix of about half SCBA judges and half local celebrities. Experienced judges can assist the celebs by offering suggestions and advice.
In Anderson this year, the ATB was actually called Anything Goes, not Anything Butt. In fact, we had a box of ribs turned in which was perfectly allowable considering anything goes.
I think it is always wise for you to ask lots of questions upfront before you make a decision to enter the ATB or not enter. Using bacon as a compliment may sound like no biggie, but you never know. I would ask the event organizer upfront at each event since they are run differently, and not by SCBA standards.

I am going to get back on my soap box. It would be REALLY nice to know what items had been turned in for AB and where everyone placed. I think that Bold Branch entered 6 or 7 AB's at events this year and ALL we know is that we didn't win any of them. It would be a great help to know, how many other teams entered, what they entered, and where all of us placed.

Since this event almost always benefits the organizers way more than the cookers you would think they would give us a little consideration.There are judges associations all over the place, maybe we need to form a cookers association. (just kidding)

Papajoe

i asked brendon in conway he said it was fine to make the dish and bring it he also said put bacon in the soup.i am gonna let tandy make her cheesecake but i wont put bacon in the soup just for my own reasons.if tandy wins with her made at home cheesecake i wont feel bad at all.but i am gonna make a small pot of soup mainly to keep us warm and maybe the judges like it.but i am gonna concentrate on the money category butts will be on my mind and let the ribs fall where they may look forward to the judging format.got a case of scuppernog shine in yesterday its gonna be a large time.if you would like to have a homemade liquor contest since we all come from different areas that would be fun and warm. see yall friday goodluck to all