1.) Rib Presentation: Minimum of 6 ribs. Ribs can be stacked. Ribs must be bone-in, and no garnish is allowed in the turn-in box. No mixing of Spare ribs, St. Louis Ribs and Baby Back Ribs in the box. NO COUNTRY STYLE RIBS

​

2.) Box Contents: Only the ribs and foil provided by the RCOA Representative or Promoter should be in the turn-in box. Foil is required in the box. No foreign objects or additional items are allowed. No sculpting of the ribs in the box. Lid on the box must close. 

​

3.) Saucing: Cooks have the option to sauce their ribs, but there should be no pooling of sauce in the turn-in box. Also, no sauce containers are allowed in the box.

​

4.) Turn-In Time: Ribs must be turned in within the designated 30-minute time frame.

​

5.) Pre-Trimming: Cooks are allowed to pre-trim their meat before arriving at the contest, and the meat doesn't have to be in the original packaging.

​

6.) Seasoning and Injection: No seasoning or injecting ribs before arriving at the contest. Any cook caught pre seasoning or injecting their ribs before arriving at the contest will be disqualified from the contest and possibly banned from the Rib Cook Off Association.

​

7.) Judging: Non-certified judges will evaluate the ribs. Judging will follow the double-blind method. Criteria: Appearance, Taste (with decimal rating), and Tenderness (with decimal rating).

​

8.) On-Site Cooking: Ribs must be cooked on-site during the contest. You can start cooking as soon as you get on site.

​

9.) Meat Inspection: Meat inspection is left up to the discretion of the promoter.

​

10.) Cooking Equipment: Each cook (contestant or entry) must provide their own pit for cooking. Only one entry is allowed per team, and teams may share cook sites.

​

11.) Fire Source: Any fire source is considered legal for cooking ribs.

​

12.) Alcohol Use: Excessive use of alcohol during the contest will result in disqualification.

​

13.) Membership Requirement: To receive points, cooks must be a member of the Rib Cook Off Association before the contest turn-ins. However, membership is not required before cooking in an event.

​

14.) Minimum Age: The minimum age for cooks is 14 years old, with a guardian signing a liability waiver on their behalf.

​

15.) Disqualification Policies: Any fighting or cheating by cooks will result in immediate disqualification.

​

16.) Rib Types: Spare ribs, St. Louis Style and Baby Back Ribs are allowed in the contest. Beef ribs are not allowed unless the promoter chooses to include them. NO COUNTRY STYLE RIBS

​

17.) Event Format: Promoters can choose to have a single or double Rib Cook Off contest. Promoters have flexibility in determining turn-in times.

​

18.) Payouts and awards will be provided and announced by the promoter

​

19.) Championship Invitations: All rib winners are automatically invited to compete in the Rib Cook Off Association Championship in Oklahoma City on January 1 of the following year.

​

20.) Season Duration: The Rib Cook Off Association season runs from January 2nd through November 30th in 2024. Starting in 2025 and future seasons, the season will start on December 1st and run through November 30th.

​

21.) Cleanliness: Cooks are responsible for keeping their cooking site clean and ensuring that trash is emptied

​

22.) Final Scoring Call: The Rib Cook Off Association representative (RCOA) has the final call on scoring matters.