Rules

The LPQue 2 is a contest that has been sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS). However, this contest is being sanctioned under the guidelines established for a Competitor Series program which allows the contest organizer to depart from the strict enforcement of KCBS rules. In the LPQue 2, the main departure from KCBS Rules is the allowing of approved cooking equipment to use propane gas during the contest. Beyond this, unless specifically communicated on this page, normal KCBS Rules for the 2010 competition season will apply.

General Contest Rules
It is the intent of this contest to showcase the ability of both gas and pellet BBQ equipment to produce high quality cooked BBQ meats and poultry. It is easy to follow established rules for pellet cookers because wood pellets are an allowed fuel type in a normal sanctioned KCBS contest. So at the LPQue 2, the rules for pellet fuel use will be the same as is allowed for any normal KCBS sanctioned contest. But in the spirit of this contest, pellet equipment must use wood pellets as the main source of cooking/holding heat.

For approved gas equipment, LP gas must be the main source of cooking/holding heat. And the gas must be connected and on all the time that the cooker is being used for cooking/holding. Wood and/or charcoal may be used for flavor purposes, but the amount used must be minimal. In the LPQue, the amount of charcoal was limited to 10 pounds and this will be the suggested guideline for the LPQue 2. Charcoal baskets such as those that are normally used in gas equipment in order to cook a sanctioned KCBS contest will not be allowed. Excessive use of charcoal and/or wood by a gas contestant may lead to disqualification.

If any contestant has a question about using pellets or gas, they should bring it up as part of the entry process and before they enter. At the contest, the interpretation of the rules for the LPQue 2 BBQ Championship will rest with the KCBS Reps who have been hired to run this part of the contest. Any decision that they make will be final.

Approved Cooking Equipment:
In regard to any cooking equipment, other than approved gas BBQ cooking equipment, normal KCBS rules will apply. In the LPQue all cooking was required to be done in the same pit or type of pit and this included the finishing of the meat product. For the LPQue 2, this requirement will not be a rule. The use of finishing equipment will be allowed for all contestants as long as that piece of equipment is allowed in a normal KCBS contest. Gas grills will not be allowed for any part of the contest.

Gas Cooking Equipment Guidelines:

Use of gas cooking equipment is for approved LP gas pits only. In this event, approved means that the cooking equipment must have electronic/safety ignition, is controlled by a thermostat, and has an automatic gas shutoff should the cooking flame go out. Pit approval is part of the entry acceptance procedure and a firm stance will be taken for the sake of having a safe contest. Pits using gas fire starters or pits that have been altered to use gas will not be allowed. The contest organizer reserves the right to exclude any pit using gas for any reason either before or during the contest. Gas pits not accepted as part of the entry approval process will not be allowed to be used during the contest.

Meat Inspection and Safe Handling:
It is very important that the contest meats be handled correctly for this contest. The KCBS has set forth very specific rules for how the meat can be handled before meat inspection. Most significantly none of the contest meats can be seasoned ahead of the contest. The KCBS does allow the meats to be trimmed ahead of time. However, it is strongly recommended that the meats presented for inspection for this contest be in the original packaging. Anything else will be more closely inspected and the cook questioned on when, how, etc. the meat was handled. See the "KCBS Meat Inspections Guide" provided by KCBS as part of the contest package guidelines sent to the LPQue 2 contest organizer.