World Food Championships Contest Rules, Regulations and Guidelines

1. The decision and interpretations of the E.A.T.™ Rules and Regulations are at the discretion of the World Food Championships (WFC) Contest Representatives at the contest. Their decisions and interpretations are final to the extent consistent with the rules.
2. Each team shall consist of a head cook and as many assistants as the head cook deems necessary. A team can compete in more than one E.A.T.™ sanctioned category as long as it states a different head cook in each category! Head cooks and/or assistant cooks may only cook for their designated team at the contest they are attending.
3. There is a MANDATORY Cook’s Meeting for all cooks.
4. Each team will be assigned a cooking space. Pits, cookers or any other equipment shall not exceed the boundaries of the team's assigned cooking space. All seasoning and cooking of products shall be done within the assigned cooking space.
5. Contestants shall provide all needed equipment, supplies and electricity (unless the Contest Organizer provides electricity). Contestants must adhere to all electrical, fire and other codes. Contestants must have a fire extinguisher with a current tag visible throughout the competition.
6. It is the responsibility of the contestant to see that the team's assigned cooking space is clean and orderly following the contest. All fires must be put out and all equipment removed from site. It is imperative that clean-up be thorough.
7. Fires shall be of wood, wood pellets, charcoal, gas or electric heat sources. Electrical accessories such as spits, augers, or forced draft are permitted. No open pits or holes are permitted. Fires shall not be built on the ground. LPG (Liquid Propane Gas) may be used but the final decision is up to the organizer of the event. All LPG products must have currently certified tanks and proper functioning thermo couplers. The use of Propane is 100% on the organizer and the ability of their local regulations and requirements. Check with Organizer before operating an LPG device on contest grounds.
8. All competition meats and ingredients are subject to inspection by the WFC Official Meat and Ingredients Inspector during the times established by the contest organizer. Once the competition meat has been inspected, it shall not leave the contest site. Cooking shall not begin until the competition meat has been inspected by the Official Meat Inspector. All competition meat shall start out raw. Competition meat not meeting this qualification shall be disqualified.
9. The following cleanliness and safety rules will apply:
   1. No use of any tobacco products while handling meat.
   2. Cleanliness of the cook, assistant cooks, cooking device(s) and the team's assigned cooking space is required.
   3. Shirt and shoes are required to be worn.
   4. Sanitizing of the work area should be implemented with the use of a bleach/water rinse (one cap/gallon of water). Each contestant will provide a separate container for washing, rinsing and sanitizing utensils.
10. First aid is not required to be provided by the contest, except at the election of the contest organizer.
11. Prior to cooking, meat must be maintained at 40° F or less.
12. After cooking, all meat: Must be held at 140° F or above OR Cooked meat shall be cooled as follows: Within 2 hours from 140° F to 70° F and within 4 hours from 70° F to 41° F or less.
13. Meat that is cooked, properly cooled, and later reheated for hot holding and serving shall be reheated so that all parts of the food reach a temperature of at least 165° F for a minimum of 15 seconds.
14. SOME CAUSES FOR DISQUALIFICATION & EVICTION of a team, its members and/or guests:
    1. A cook team is responsible jointly and severally for its head cook, its team members and its guests.
    2. Excessive use of alcoholic beverages or public intoxication with a disturbance.
    3. Serving alcoholic beverages to the general public.
    4. Use of illegal controlled substances.
    5. Foul, abusive, or unacceptable language or any language causing a disturbance.
    6. Fighting and/or disorderly conduct.
    7. Theft, dishonesty, cheating, use of prohibited meats, or any act involving moral turpitude.
    8. Violation of any of the E.A.T.™ BARBECUE Rules.
    9. Excessive or continued complaints from teams on any of the above rule infractions shall be considered grounds for immediate disqualification from the contest by WFC Representatives, Organizers and/or Security. In addition, any violation of the above rules shall be reported to the WFC Staff and Officials who may in addition to the above disqualification impose additional penalties upon the team, the head cook, and its members including but not limited to disqualification from competing in E.A.T.™ BARBECUE events for a period of time not to exceed five years. All complaints of disturbance or violation of quiet time shall be reported to the WFC reps, staff and officials.
15. CLARIFICATION: If the team does not turn in a product or is disqualified and not allowed to turn in or is late for turn in, that team's category is not accepted and not judged and receives no score. If a product is turned in and then penalized or disqualified for any reason, such as no bone in ribs, etc., it will be judged and will receive a one (1) or ones (1s) in all criteria depending on the rule violation.

1. For the purposes of the E.A.T.™ Barbecue Rules and for this contest, Barbecue is defined as low and slow cooking of the categories listed below (2. a-g) on a device defined in Contest Rules, Regulations and Guidelines (Page 2, item 7). Parboiling, Sous- vide, and/or deep-frying competition meat is not allowed. If any of the banned processes are discovered before the team turns in, the team will receive zeros. If discovered after turn-in, the team will receive a one (1) in all criteria for that entry.
2. The auxiliary E.A.T.™ BARBECUE Categories for SmokeSlam are:
   1. POULTRY: For the purpose of this contest, poultry is defined as: chicken, turkey, goose, Rock Cornish hens, pheasant, squab or guinea fowl. Even though duck is a form of poultry, it will not be allowed in the poultry category. Similarly, “wings” will not be allowed in the poultry category.
   2. BEEF: For the purpose of this contest, beef is defined as the meat of full-grown cattle (2 years or more). Any cut of beef is acceptable.
   3. SEAFOOD: For the purpose of this contest, seafood is defined as any combination of edible aquatic protein (including shellfish) and may be sourced from both freshwater and/or salt water.
   4. DUCK: For the purpose of this contest, duck is its own category outside of the Poultry category.
   5. WINGS: For the purpose of this category, wings are defined as chicken wings and can be any piece of the wing or the whole wing. Wings is its own category outside of the poultry category.
   6. DESSERT: For the purpose of this category, dessert is defined as any sweet dish that traditionally completes a meal. Desserts can range across all varieties including, but not exclusive to: cookies, pies, cakes, biscuits, puddings, candies, gelatins, pastries, ice creams, etc.
   7. BACON: For the purpose of this category, bacon is a salt cured pork made from various cuts. Judges will be told that bacon turn-ins must not only contain bacon, but rather, feature and highlight bacon as the star of the dish.
3. The seven (7) auxiliary E.A.T.™ BARBECUE categories will be submitted for judging in the following order:
• Thursday, May 16, 2024
  • Cooks meeting at 12:00 PM
  • MBN at 1:00 PM
  • Judges at 2:00 PM
  • Bacon at 3:00 PM
  • Wings at 4:00 PM
  • Dessert at 5:00 PM
• Friday, May 17, 2024
  • Cooks meeting at 9:00 AM if needed.
  • Judges Meeting at 10:00 AM
  • Poultry at 11:30 AM
  • Beef at 1:00 PM
  • Duck at 2:30 PM
  • Seafood 4:00 PM
4. Any modification of turn-in times or the order the categories will be judged must be approved by WFC Officials in advance. The modified times or change in category order must be published in the cooks’ packet well in advance of the contest and be confirmed at the cooks’ meeting. An entry will be judged only at the time established by the contest organizer. The allowable turn-in time will be five (5) minutes before to five (5) minutes after the posted time with no tolerance. A late turn-in will not be accepted by a Rep and will receive a zero (0) in all criteria.
5. Entries will be submitted in an approved E.A.T.™ BARBECUE numbered container, provided by the contest organizer. The number must be on top of the container at turn-in. Containers will be delivered by teams to a designated turn-in area.
   1. 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. Marked entries or containers with the above-listed material will receive a one (1) in all criteria from all Judges and be disqualified.
   2. Entries must include an index card that includes: Turn-in Title and Brief Description. The turn-in title is simply the title of your dish, i.e, "Crispy Mango Habanero Glazed Chicken Wings." The brief description should include any flavor profiles that you want judges to consider when judging on Execution and Taste. For example, if you use the title of “Crispy Mango Habanero Glazed Chicken Wings”, you would want to provide a little more insight into what the judges may be tasting in your dish. For example, you may use this for a brief description: “Crispy chicken wings with a sweet and spicy finish.”
   3. Each contestant must submit at least five (5) portions of meat in an approved container. Poultry may be submitted chopped, pulled, sliced, or diced as the cook sees fit, as long as there is enough for five (5) judges. Boned beef, such as ribs, shall be turned in bone-in. Judges may not cut, slice, or shake apart to separate pieces. If there is not enough meat for each judge to sample, the shorted judge(s) will score a one (1) on all criteria, and the judges having samples will change the Appearance score to one as a penalty.
   4. Garnish is optional but will not be considered in the judges scoring process.

E.A.T™ Barbecue Auxiliary entries will be judged using a “blind judging” process. Entries will be submitted to the designated turn-in tent in an approved E.A.T.™ Barbecue numbered container provided by the contest organizer. The containers will be re-numbered by the WFC Contest Rep or authorized personnel before being presented to the judges.

1. Judging will be performed by a team of 5 persons at each judging table plus a table captain, all of whom are at least 18 years of age. WFC Reps will determine the optimum number of tables of judges needed to properly judge the contest based on final team registration. E.A.T.™officials will determine the best course of action should 5 persons per table be an issue and any event. Only Judges, Contest Reps and necessary support staff are allowed in the judging area during the judging process. No other activities are permitted in the judging area during the judging process.
2. Each entry will be judged on three key evaluation criteria: Execution, Appearance and Taste. The judges will give a score out of ten for each criterion, 1 being inedible, 10 being excellent.
3. The weighting for each criterion is as follows and in this order:
   1. Appearance – 15%
   2. Taste – 50%
   3. Execution – 35%
4. Each judge will first score all the samples for Appearance. Is it pleasing to the eye? Does it look appetizing? Do you want to take a big bite out of it right now? Or, does it appear to be swimming in too much sauce? Was it carelessly placed in the container? Although listed second, the criteria "Appearance" should be scored first based on the designated category.
5. Once all judges have logged their Appearance score, the Table Captain will present the turn-in container or platter to each judge who will remove a sample from the container or platter and place the sample on his or her judging plate. Judges shall not lick their fingers while taking these samples; paper towels, unscented wipes or moist towelettes will be provided by the contest organizer. Each judge will taste the entry and score for Taste. Is it pleasing to the taste buds? Does it make you want to eat more? Is there an appropriate balance of flavor?
6. Once all judges have logged their Taste score, they will move on to scoring the entry for Execution. “Execution” is scored specifically based on the category in which it belongs. For example, was this a properly cooked rib, does the meat pull off the bone with your teeth? Or, was the chicken dry? Judges will also take into account what you set out to accomplish with your turn-in. They will do this by comparing your Dish Title and Brief Description to what they are actually eating. For example, if your Dish Title is “Crispy Mango Habanero Glazed Chicken Wings,” Is the skin crispy? Can the judge taste the flavor of mango and habanero? If the answer to any of these questions is ‘no,’ the judges will likely score you low on Execution.
7. A score of one (1) is a penalty or disqualification and requires approval by a Contest Rep.
   1. Grounds for penalty/disqualification:
   2. Sculptured or branded meat, a marked turn-in container, foreign object in the container, incorrect meat (for Chicken and Ribs) = Judges will score a one (1) in Execution; a one (1) in Appearance; and a one (1) in Taste
   3. Insufficient amount of samples for judges to sample = The shorted judge(s) will score a one (1) in Execution; a one (1) in Appearance; and a one (1) in Taste. Once all samples have been scored by each judge, Table Captains will remove samples and score cards and reset for the next entry.
8. Scorecards will be delivered to the E.A.T™ Scoring Team. The lowest score will be thrown out for tables with four or more judges seated. Results will be tallied.
9. Weighting will be executed by the computerized scoring system and not by judges’ determination. Judges are not allowed to use decimal scores; they must use whole numbers. Each entry will receive at least five total scores, with the lowest judges score being dropped. If a tie occurs, the following totals will be compared in order, starting with #1, until the tie is broken:
   1. Higher sum of Taste scores (after dropping the lowest cumulative score set)
   2. Higher sum of weighted Taste and Execution scores (after dropping the lowest cumulative score set)
   3. Higher of the lowest cumulative scores (score set that was previously dropped)
   4. Higher Taste score from lowest cumulative score set
   5. Higher weighted Taste and Execution scores from the lowest cumulative score set
   6. Sum of cumulative scores, dropping lowest AND highest score set
   7. Sum of Taste scores (after dropping the lowest AND highest cumulative score set)
   8. Sum of weighted Taste and Execution scores (after dropping the lowest AND highest cumulative score set)
   9. Computer-generated random sequence (coin toss)
10. In the event of lost, destroyed or missing score cards the remaining score cards will be averaged in each category and those averages shall be used as the missing scores on replacement score cards. After there are five total score cards the normal procedure will be followed for dropping the low score. These correct scores will be the official scores for any and all E.A.T.™ purposes.
11. Total points per entry will determine the champion within each auxiliary category.