Barbecue grillers are sharpening their skewers and seasoning their firewood in anticipation of Murphy’s first Backyard BBQ Cook-off. The non-sanctioned competition Saturday, May 10, in Central Park replaces Tunes, Tails and Ales festival that was discontinued because of cost.
The event will be open to the public from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and will include live music, vendors and other features to entertain the whole family.
Cooks will begin their grilling on Friday with two categories: the Brisket Battle and a People’s Choice competition, where contestants can showcase their BBQ creations, including — but not limited to — brisket, pork, ribs and chicken.
Competitors will vie for the champion title and more than $1,000 in prize money.
The entry fee is $50 and registration must be completed by Saturday, March 1, and can be done on murphytx.org.
Cooks must be 18 years of age and up to four team members must be declared at the time of registration.
Spaces will be assigned in order of registration and all teams must have a temporary city of Murphy health permit as well as a food handlers certificate from the Texas Department of State Health Services.
All entries will be cooked on-site. The preparation and completion of meats and other dishes in competition MUST be done within the confines of the cook-off site and during the time limits designated by the Backyard BBQ Competition. All competition meat will be inspected by a health inspector from the Bureau Veritas Group.
All ingredients including marinades and seasonings must be provided by the competitors.
Competition meat may NOT be removed from the store packaging prior to the event. All meat and ancillary products (with the exception of marinades and seasonings) must remain sealed until approval from the Cook-off Committee. No marinade, seasoning, brining, etc. can be done off-site.
Each team must supply all the equipment necessary for the preparation and cooking of their entry including a cooker/grill, wood or wood pellets, charcoal, and utensils. Teams will have eighteen hours to prepare and cook their dishes. Cooking
will commence on Friday at 5 p.m. and end on Saturday at 11 a.m. Late submissions will not be judged.
Barbecue pits can be any commercial or homemade, trailered or un-trailered, pit or smoker normally used for competitive barbecue. The pit should be of a permanent design and backyard cookers may be any portable unit designed for recreational cooking. Pits may not be shared and only one entry is allowed per pit.
Additional rules and details are on the Murphy city website under Parks & Recreation – Community Events.

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