# Australian Barbecue Competition Rules

These rules have been localized for Australian competition standards, drawing primarily from the **Australasian Barbecue Alliance (ABA)** guidelines.

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## 1. General Setup & Entry

* **Equipment & Fuel**: 
  * Cooking units must be fueled exclusively by wood, lump charcoal, or wood pellets.
  * Pellet smokers (which plug in to power the feed auger/fan) are permitted in the main competition.
  * Gas or electric assist is permitted **for ignition only** (e.g., using a gas torch or electric starter to light charcoal). Gas-only or electric-only cooking is strictly prohibited.
* **BYO Smoker**: 
  * Teams must bring their own cooking units (smokers, grills, or pits). No cooking equipment will be provided on-site by the club or organizers.
* **Pre-Cooking Rule**: 
  * All competition meat must start raw, unseasoned, and unmarinated.
  * Trimming, injecting, and seasoning must be done on-site *after* passing the official meat inspection. No pre-prep is allowed at home.
* **BYO Meat**: 
  * Teams must supply their own competition meat (Pork and Beef Brisket).
  * All meat must be brought to the venue raw and unseasoned, and must pass the official meat inspection before any preparation begins.
* **Fuel & Safety**: 
  * Each team station must be equipped with a working fire extinguisher, food-grade prep surfaces, clean handwashing/sanitising stations, and accurate meat thermometers.

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## 2. Competition Categories

* **Pork**: Pork shoulder, neck (Scotch fillet), Boston butt, or ribs. Served shredded, chopped, or sliced. Ribs must tenderly pull away from the bone with a clean bite, without falling apart completely into mush (overcooked).
* **Beef Brisket**: Full packer, flat, or point brisket. Judged on bark formation, smoke ring, tenderness, and moisture retention.

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## 3. Turn-In Guidelines & Blind Judging

* **Numbered Containers**: Teams are issued identical, unlabeled clamshell containers (standard styrofoam or compostable boxes) at registration to ensure 100% blind scoring. Foil boxes are not used.
* **Turn-In Window**: A strict 10-minute window (5 minutes before to 5 minutes after the designated category turn-in time). Submissions outside this window are disqualified.
* **The No-Garnish Rule**: 
  * **Absolutely no garnish of any kind is permitted in the turn-in box.** (No green lettuce, curly parsley, cilantro/coriander, kale, or other greenery). The box must contain only the meat and any cooked-on sauce or glaze.
  * No foreign objects (e.g., toothpicks, skewers, foil, twine, or markers) are allowed.
* **Sauces & Glazes**: Sauce/glaze is allowed, but it must be applied directly to the meat. There must be no pooling or loose sauce in the bottom of the box.

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## 4. Scoring Matrix (ABA 60-Point Scale)

Entries are evaluated by independent judges scoring each category out of 60 points total:

| Criteria | Max Points | Weight | What Judges Look For |
|---|---|---|---|
| **Taste / Flavor** | 30 Points | 50.00% | Depth of smoke, balance of rub/sauce, meat richness without being overly salty, sweet, or acrid. |
| **Texture / Tenderness** | 20 Points | 33.33% | Correct bite and pull; not dry, tough, or mushy/overcooked. |
| **Appearance / Presentation** | 10 Points | 16.67% | Color, bark formation, clean slicing, and appealing presentation of the meat itself in the box (without garnish to hide behind). |

### Tie-Breaker Protocol
In the event of a tie in any protein category, the winner is determined by counting back and comparing scores in this priority order:
1. Highest **Taste / Flavor** score.
2. Highest **Texture / Tenderness** score.
3. Highest **Appearance / Presentation** score.

### Finality of Decisions
* **All judges' decisions are final.** Scoring is conducted blindly and independently by the designated judging panel. No appeals, disputes, or score reviews will be entered into once the results are certified.

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## 5. Typical Schedule Template

* **06:00 AM**: Meat inspection, station assignments, and pits lit.
* **03:00 PM**: Turn-in for **Pork**.
* **05:00 PM**: Turn-in for **Beef Brisket**.
* **06:30 PM**: Tallying, awards presentation, and public tasting.