The Kids Q Contest is back again at the 29th annual Canadian Festival of Chili and Barbecue on the Father’s Day weekend.
Certified judges sample the cooking of the kid contestants which can be up to age 15.
June 18 and 19 are filled with cooking competitions during the festival which returns to the Cascades Casino parking lot.
Organizers say this is the largest barbecue contest in Western Canada and have offered up more than $15,000 in cash and prizes.
Day one is the BC Chili Championships and the rules are strict. It’s Texas style which means only meat and sauce. There’s points deducted if the judges can see anything in the sauce, such as chopped vegetables.
The top three from this event compete at provincials and can earn the right to put their chili against the best in the world in a Texas competition.
There’s also a homestyle chili contest in which other ingredients (beans, etc) are allowed.
As well Saturday features the Best Darn Burger Championships and the Chefs Challenge (teams are given a mystery protein. In the past this has included muskox and kangaroo). The 2016 challenge is northern surf and turf – arctic char and bison sirloin.
The other competitions Saturday are Kids Q in which kids cook under parental supervision, and the Canadian Steak Cook-off Championship which earns the winner the right to compete in Texas.
Sunday is all about barbecue and this event is the provincial championships.
Teams can cook pork shoulder, beef brisket, chicken and pork ribs, doing the cooking on-site for hours.
The competition is sanctioned by The Pacific Northwest Barbecue Association and is recognized by The Kansas City Barbecue Society. Winners can qualify to cook at the Jack Daniels Invitational Barbecue in Lynchburg Tennessee, the American Royal in Kansas City and The World Food Championships in Orlando Florida.
Competitions run noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and noon to 2 p.m. Sunday.
Admission is a donation to the Burn Fund which gets a person a wristband. They can then wander the site and sample foods prepared by the teams (while supplies last).
The event is held in memory of founder Dave Veljacic, a firefighter, and over the past few years has brought in more than $35,000 for the Burn Fund.
Get all the rules for the kids’ contest as well as the other competitions at ccbbqs.com.