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New for 2018

LOWER ENTRY FEE!

PLUS CASH bonuses possible for those feeding the public (either PC or leftover donation)!

4th Annual BBQ Championship

Saturday, September 15, 2018 – Oroville, CA

4th Annual Hot Q’s & Cold Brews BBQ Team Info

What pairs best with Feather Falls award winning beer?

Championship BBQ of course!

Think of it as a BEER-B-Q! This event is so much more than a BBQ contest, it\’s a Kansas City BBQ Society (KCBS) sanctioned four meat Championship Series event, a Jack Daniel\’s World Championship Invitational Barbecue (draw) an American Royal Invitational Qualifier, as well as a Team of the Year (ToY) event for KCBS.

Contest Basics

Contestants cook 4 meats:

• Chicken

• Pork Ribs

• Boston Pork Roast (Pork Shoulder/Boston Butt)

• Beef Brisket

Which may be cooked using heat sources of

• Wood

• Pellet

• Charcoal (Lump or Briquettes)

Entries are presented blindly to judges in (provided) 9\” x 9\” (Styrofoam to-go style) containers. They are judged on the following criteria:

• Appearance

• Tenderness

• Taste

The OFFICIAL rules for this contest can be found here (PDF). 

If you think you have what it takes to compete against the best BBQ teams, now is the time to show what you\’ve got for one of the largest prize purses offered for any open competition on the West Coast in 2018. If you have never competed before, reach out to us and we’ll do everything we can to help you get up to speed.

If you have any questions about these rules or how the contest works, please don\’t hesitate to contact us.

4th Annual Hot Q’s & Cold Brews BBQ Team Info
4th Annual Hot Q’s & Cold Brews BBQ Team Info
4th Annual Hot Q’s & Cold Brews BBQ Team Info
4th Annual Hot Q’s & Cold Brews BBQ Team Info

2015 Grand Champion
Big B\’s Down-N-Dirty BBQ
Pacifica, CA

4th Annual Hot Q’s & Cold Brews BBQ Team Info

2016 Grand Champion
Loot N\’ Booty BBQ
Scottsdale, AZ

4th Annual Hot Q’s & Cold Brews BBQ Team Info

2017 Grand Champion
MAR-B-QUE\’S BBQ
Banning, CA

4th Annual Hot Q’s & Cold Brews BBQ Team Info
4th Annual Hot Q’s & Cold Brews BBQ Team Info

Prizes

The 3rd Annual Hot Q\’s & Cold Brews BBQ is pleased to announce one of the LARGEST PRIZE POOLS of any open BBQ contest on the West Coast! This is OUR 3rd consecutive year with the highest prize pool available to teams in California!

At least $25,050 CASH payout in the KCBS State BBQ Championship!

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Prize payout details – 

KCBS 4 Meat Categories as follows:

1st place: $650.00 
2nd place: $600.00
3rd place: $550.00
4th place: $500.00 
5th place: $450.00
6th place: $400.00
7th place: $350.00
8th place: $300.00
9th place: $250.00
10th place: $200.00
11th place: $150.00
12th place: $150.00
13th place: $150.00
14th place: $150.00
15th place: $150.00

Total $5,000 per category x 4 = $20,000

Wildcard 1: $350
Wildcard 2: $350
Wildcard 3: $350

Total Wildcard* = $1,050

Grand Champion: $2,500
Reserve Champion: $1,500

Overall Category = $4,000 

Total Cash Amount: $25,050

A completed W-9 form is required for us to issue ANY contest payments. We will also have them on site so as not to delay payouts.

*Wildcards explained: After paying down 15 places in all 4 meats, if you have not taken home ANY $ your team name will go into a hat and we will draw 3 winners to get their entry fee back!

4th Annual Hot Q’s & Cold Brews BBQ Team Info

People\’s Choice

Each year this event brings out a few thousand people from the local area. People\’s Choice (PC) Teams will be able to vend to the public samples of their BBQ in trade for tasting tickets. PC Teams taste tickets are turned in and reimbursed at the end of the event. After the count of tickets is verified, we return a payback of 75% or $1.50 for every $2 face value ticket – at the end of the contest day/event (not days later) to the teams IN CASH! The other 25% goes directly to local non-profit organizations, which will be selling the tickets before and during the event. In past years, most PC teams made back their contest entry fee, and some a bit more.

Teams may begin serving (2-3 ounce) samples of their contest meats (in trade for tickets).  Teams can sell other non-comp items which have been cooked on their BBQ grill/smoker, but not sides (i.e. tacos, nachos, sliders, are ok) – sides of slaw or potato salad, even along side the aforementioned items are not acceptable. While we are not going to set your menu pricing, we do require that teams limit their menu items to no more than 3 tickets or $6 to the end customer, for any single item. If there are any questions, please don\’t hesitate to ask!

PC Teams will have the ability to sell non-food BBQ items (rubs, sauces, apparel, etc.) for no additional fee.

Contest Leftover Donation

For those not inclined to play in our People’s Choice contest, we will now take a que from our neighboring event, by asking non-PC teams for (a voluntary) leftover donation of ONE full pan (or TWO half pans) of portioned, ready to serve contest leftovers, after turn ins. This will then be sold \”bake sale\” style by local non-profits. Teams who choose this option will be rewarded with additional gifts that we have been told will be something special. Leave it to Feather Falls to come up with even more goodies!

4th Annual Hot Q’s & Cold Brews BBQ Team Info

2017 People\’s Choice
Rollin\’ Smoke BBQ
Elk Grove, CA

New for 2018 –

More rewards for those participating in EITHER our People\’s Choice OR our Contest Leftover Programs. While we hope most teams will continue to participate in this part of the event… we are going to turn up the heat with some FURTHER CASH REWARDS for those that do. We plan to raffle off some more CASH to those who participate and help us feed the hungry public as well as help make some dough for our local non-profits.  Actual prize amount will depend on the number of entrants in various classes. We will outline this further before the contest.

4th Annual Hot Q’s & Cold Brews BBQ Team Info

2015 & 2016 People\’s Choice
Pork Daddy\’s BBQ
Sacramento, CA

4th Annual Hot Q’s & Cold Brews BBQ Team Info
4th Annual Hot Q’s & Cold Brews BBQ Team Info
4th Annual Hot Q’s & Cold Brews BBQ Team Info
4th Annual Hot Q’s & Cold Brews BBQ Team Info

Award Winning
Brewery On site!

4th Annual Hot Q’s & Cold Brews BBQ Team Info

Goodie/Swag Bags

While we can\’t guarantee what Feather Falls Casino will be giving out in their gift bags this year, we can tell you that past years have been epic, maybe even legendary. Nothing is off the table. In the past, this has included very generous match play coupons, great food discounts, free & discounted event shirts, aprons and even customized team gear. All come as part of your entry into this event.

Slot Tournament & More!

In 2017 we added a Cook & Judge Slot Tournament on Friday evening where about 30 lucky BBQ folks battled it out in a test of reel spinning skills which paid out $500 in cash (for no additional entry fee!). While we can\’t promise we\’ll bring this back in 2018, this is the type of thing that makes this event even more special. Priority will be given based on order of BBQ contest entry. 

Feedback from past contestants

We are humbled by the feedback that this event has brought fun back to BBQ contests. Here are some of their words:

  • Great competition!
  • This was another great location. I cannot wait for next year\’s event.
  • Great contest
  • We had a great time!
  • A first-class event all the way
  • What a great event.
  • Congratulations on an outstanding 2nd Annual Hot Q\’s & Cold Brews BBQ Championship. From our arrival to departure, everything was perfect: an amazing venue, large sites, convenient utilities, nice SWAG, great staff from Feather Falls, and you made sure we were taken care of -definitely planning on being back next year.
  • Just wanted to let you know that we had a wonderful time last weekend. The contest was, of course, perfection. The casino/hotel experience was top rate.
  • Another top-notch contest!
  • Nice contest, I will be back.

Where in the world is this event?

For those coming from other areas of the West Coast:

Hot Q\’s & Cold Brews is being held at Feather Falls Casino, Brewing, & Lodge –

3 Alverda Dr, Oroville, CA 95966 – click on the address to open in Google Maps

Which is approximately:

350 miles North of Bakersfield, CA

250 miles South of Medford, OR

130 miles West of Reno, NV

and 70 miles North of Sacramento, CA

4th Annual Hot Q’s & Cold Brews BBQ Team Info

Where is this event in relation to Feather Falls Casino?

Looking at the map below, Hot Q\’s & Cold Brews will primarily be in the parking lot (as shaded) directly below the indicated pin. The casino proper is at and surrounding the pin. please also note the general parking structure just above the casino building on the map (to the left of the pin). We will likely be using additional areas for public parking, and are planning to have shuttles running to and from the remote parking areas throughout the day. Teams and judges will be sent detailed instructions prior to the event.

Returning and Expanding from 2017 – 

Better RV options! Just steps away from our judging tent, is the #2 rated KOA in the entire country.  Teams will now be able to reserve a KOA space as their team site.  These sites will offer teams 50 amp service, cable, wifi, year-round pool access, 60\’+ deep LEVEL pull thru spaces as well as 24/7 shuttle service to the front door of the casino. Those interested in this option will get 2 nights (Fri/Sat) at the RV park FOR THE SAME PRICE as a regular contest space. Talk about a free upgrade! We have a VERY limited number of these spaces available, and teams will select their desired space from the available sites when entering the contest. Additional nights (Thursday or Sunday) are available at reasonable rates. One caveat, teams will not be able to participate in People\’s Choice from the RV park. And yes, the photo in the background is of the actual KOA park.

Here are just some of the awards the KOA has gotten already in 2017 –

Founders Award – KOA\’s highest service award, presented to KOA owners that achieve world class service scores from their camping guests.

President\’s Award – Awarded to KOAs that meet exceptional quality standards and are recognized by their guests for outstanding service.

Here\’s the KOA website for more info – http://koa.com/campgrounds/oroville/

and the KOA Site map – https://koa.com/content/campgrounds/oroville/sitemap/05441.gif

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