Billing Information

4th Annual Suds and Swine BBQ Festival
in Laurinburg, NC.

Backyard / Local Competition

On Site Judging

1^st - $400 & prize

2^nd - 200 & prize

3rd - $100 & prize

Local teams must check-in by 5:30.  The Cooks Meeting for the Backyard Competition will take place at approximately 6:00 pm on Friday night.  The pork butts will be distributed at 7:00.  Judging will take place at 9:30 Saturday morning.  Cooking teams MUST stay on the grounds and with their grills for the duration of the competition.  

Suds and Swine
Backyard Contest 2026
RULES AND REGULATIONS

1.  CONTESTANT - A contestant is any individual or group (up to 4), that will prepare and cook an entry or entries for the purpose of being judged. Contestant and all team members must be amateur competitors. The contest organizer may not cook in any category in this contest. Contestant will be referred to as “Griller.”

2.  INTERPRETATION of RULES - The interpretation of the rules and regulations are those of the contest organizer and his or her decisions are final.

3. ENTRY FEES – There will be no entry fee. 

4.  EQUIPMENT – Each Griller will supply all of the equipment necessary for the preparation and cooking of their entry including a cooker. COOKER can ONLY be one of the following: Charcoal or wood (NOopen/pit fires), Pellet fed, or Propane. The health and safety of contestants and event goers should be a primary consideration when selecting appropriate cooking fuels.

5.   MEAT INSPECTION – Pork Butts will be provided to Grillers by the event organizers. Prior to cooking, all meat  that is resting in preparation for cooking must be covered at all times. All meats must be cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees F. After cooking, all meat must be maintained at a minimum temperature of 140 degrees F in a covered container until turned in for judging. All contest    meat, once inspected, may not leave the Griller’s site until turned in for judging. The pork butt may be marinated, salted, seasoned prior to being cooked by the Griller.

6.   CONTESTANT’S SITE – Each Griller is required to keep all equipment including cooker, canopy, etc. contained within assigned space.

7.    CLEANLINESS AND SANITATION – All Grillers are expected to maintain their cook sites in an orderly and clean manner and to use good sanitary practices during the preparation, cooking and judging process. The use of sanitary gloves is always required while handling food. Failure to use sanitarygloves may result in disqualification. Grillers are responsible for cleanup of their site once thecompetition has ended. All food safety rules and regulations must be always adhered to. A sanitation/water supply will be provided for all teams use during this event.  Note: All trash should be disposed of in the provided dumpster after conclusion of the event.

8.   BOSTON BUTT – weighing a minimum of 8 lbs. or more must be cooked as a single piece of meat.

9.   JUDGING – Entries will be submitted in the containers supplied by event organizer at check-in by theGriller. NO GARNISH. Only the entry to be judged is allowed in the container. Each entry will be judgedon 1. APPEARANCE 2. TASTE/FLAVOR 3.TENDERNESS/ TEXTURE. Meat may be lightly sauced or un-sauced. A minimum of six (6) separate and identifiable portions per category in containers supplied to Griller at check-in must be submitted for judging.

10.  SCORING – Each entry will be scored by six (6) judges in the areas of APPEARANCE, TASTE/FLAVOR, TENDERNESS and TEXTURE. Scoring ranges from a low of 2 to a high of 9 in increments of 1 point for each category. THE JUDGE’S SCORE WITH THE LOWEST CUMULATIVE TOTAL WILL BE DROPPED. Any entry that is disqualified as per SECTION 11 will receive a score of zero for all four categories from all judges at the table. 

• Scores are assigned to three distinct categories: Appearance, Taste, and Tenderness. These categories hold different weights in the overall scoring process. The weighted values for each category are as follows:

         • Appearance: Weighted at 0.56
         • Taste: Weighted at 2.2973
         • Tenderness: Weighted at 1.1428

• When combining scores from each category, a judge’s perfect score of 9-9-9 in Appearance, Taste, and Tenderness respectively results in a total of 36 points. This nuanced scoring system allows judges to evaluate and appreciate the diverse elements that contribute to an exceptional barbecue entry in competitions loosely based on KCBS competitive rules.
  
  
• The judging will consist of 6 judges. The "drop score" concept means that the lowest score among the 6 judges is disregarded, and the total score is determined based on the top 5 scores. For example, if 5 judges give scores of  8-8-8 and one judge gives a score of 7-8-7 the 7-8-7 score is dropped. The resulting score would be 160. 
  
  
•  if 5 judges give a perfect 9-9-9, the resulting score would be a perfect 180. Achieving a "perfect perfect" indicates that all 6 judges awarded a score of 9-9-9.
  
  
• In the evaluation of entries, Taste holds paramount importance. Understanding the scoring system is crucial; for instance, a 5-9-9 and a 9-9-7 collectively yield a higher score than a 9-8-9. This emphasizes the significance of Taste in competition BBQ, as it contributes significantly to the overall score.
  
  

11.  DISQUALIFICATION – An entry can be disqualified by the event organizer only. An entry can bedisqualified for any of the following reasons:

• There is anything foreign other than meat/sauce in container submitted for judging.
• The entry is turned in after the officially designated time.
• Gloves are not used while handling food products.
• Not cooking the meat that was provided.
• There is not a minimum of six (6) separate and identifiable containers for each category entered.
• There is evidence of blood such that the meat is uncooked.
  
  

12.  TURN-IN TIMES – per competition item as follows:
    •  Boston Butt – 9:30 AM EST

13.   JUDGING PROCEDURE – The event organizer brings all approved containers to the table. He/Sheannounces the number of containers to be judged, opens each container, and checks for rule violationsas stated above. The containers will be passed around to the judges for sampling. The judge will thenscore each entry for APPEARANCE, TASTE/FLAVOR, TENDERNESS and TEXTURE. The event organizer makes sure that all scores for the containers are recorded in the proper place. This procedure is repeated for all containers. After each container has been scored the event organizer will return thecontainer(s) to the designated area. The event organizer will then collect the judging slips.

14.   WINNERS – Grillers will have the opportunity to win First (1^st), Second (2^nd), or Third (3^rd) Place. The winners in each category will be determined by adding all the scores together for the following divisions – (A) BOSTON BUTT. In the event of a tie, the next lowest rank will be omitted, and the tied Grillers will beawarded the same rank. Prize monies will also be awarded.

15.  GRILLERS may not sell any food items. Backyard teams are expected to chop the leftover meat and place into pans provided by the organizers. This meat will then be sold to the community for fundraising purposes.

16.  Grease – Grease buckets will be provided for all teams.  Teams are required to collect their grease in the buckets and provide the bucket to the event organizers for proper disposal.

17.  Sale - Once the competition is judged, teams will be required to provide all of the remainder of their cooked product to the event organizers for chopping and sale. 

2026 Official Rules and Regulations
Whole Hog Sanctioned Competition

On Site Judging

1^st -   $800 & prize

2^nd - $500 & prize

3rd - $300 & prize

1. All cooking spaces will be numbered and pre-assigned by the Contest Director. No changes will be allowed.  Space is very limited, sign up early.
2. A Contest official will direct you to your site. Each team is required to be checked in no later than 5:30 p.m. on Friday, April 17^th, 2026
3. Teams will be permitted to begin setting up their equipment any time after 12:00 noon, April 18, 2026. Neither the Suds & Swine BBQ Festival Committee nor the City of Laurinburg shall be responsible for any cookers or equipment brought to the grounds before this time. 
4. Each cooking space will be limited to a 20’ x 24’ area.  For each 20’ x 24’ area one pig must be cooked. 
5. Chief Cook’s meeting will begin at 6:00 p.m., Friday evening April 17^th, and will be led by our Head Judge, location will be announced upon registration.  Attendance is mandatory.
6. Each cooking team shall have one person designated as Chief Cook. The Chief Cook shall be the only person permitted to present the pig during the judging process.
7. The Contest will provide a 125-135 lb. Pig. Pigs will be distributed on Friday, April 17th, 2026 between 7:00 pm and 8:00 pm and the contest will officially begin at that time.
8.  All pigs must be cooked in an above ground cooker. Should a gas cooker be used, it must meet the safety standards such as proper regulator, tanks must be secured to prevent accidentally being overturned and any other requirements the Festival Director deems for safety precautions.  Cook Teams must display a Fire Extinguisher
9. The USE OF GASOLINE FOR ANY REASON IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED.
10. Cooking teams are requested to keep their cooking area free of trash. Please use the trash containers provided at various locations. Each team is responsible for site cleanup at the end of the contest.  Please pay special attention to the containment of grease, as you will be cooking on a paved surface!!
11. All cooking teams are requested to be discrete with any alcoholic beverages consumed on the contest premises. Law Enforcement Officers will be present.  
12. All cooking teams are requested to respect the rights of others in attendance for the contest and event, with special emphasis from each team member relating to loud music, loud or profane language or infringement on adjoining sites with any equipment, cookers, cars, campers, vans, pickups, etc. Curfew for quiet time will be midnight. Security will be provided throughout the evening.
13. Food, beverages, and entertainment will be available on Friday night and Saturday.
14. Gloves are not mandatory, but a basin of water and soap is mandatory for cleanliness purposes.
15. A Contest official will be assigned to accompany the judges while the pigs are being judged. The staff person will collect score sheets. The score sheets will contain no information that will in any manner identify the cooks or sponsors. The Festival staff or secured CPA, not the judges, will total and grand total the score sheets.
16. Pigs should not be sauced inside or out.  Those pigs that have been sauced will be disqualified.  (Please refer to the Core Rules).
17. No external heat source may be used other than the grill.  Some examples might include but are not limited to, heat guns and torches.  Those using external heat sources will be disqualified.    
18. Injecting pigs will not be allowed.  Some examples might include but are not limited to, sauce and product drippings.  Those injecting pigs will be disqualified.  
19. Following the judging for On Site Judging, all pigs, except for the ribs, must be chopped and turned in not sauced, and ready for packaging to the Event Tent.
20. In the event of a tie, Contest Staff will refer back to the judging sheets and the winner will be awarded by the highest points in category, meat taste, if still a tie, then skin crispiness,  then moisture.
21. Contest officials maintain the decision to distribute or mail the score sheets, following the announcement of winners.   Score Sheets will be given or mailed to the Chief Cooks. 
22. Contest winners will be announced at approximately 10:30 on Saturday, April 18^th, 2026. (or as soon as judging is completed and results are calculated).
23. All checks for product quality and showmanship will be given to the Chief Cook the day  of the Contest. Prizes will be presented to the Chief Cook on Saturday, April 18^th, 2026.
24. Each team will receive six complimentary BBQ sandwich tickets.
25. All cookers and equipment must be removed no later than 5:00 p.m., April 18^th, 2025. unless special permission is granted.   The Town of Laurinburg shall not be responsible for any cookers or equipment left on the premises after 5:00 p.m., April 18^th, 2026.

Whole Hog Barbecue Series Rules