KIDS QUE CONTEST 2026 sponsored by Two Drummers Smokehouse/Two Drummers Butcher & BBQ Provisions
Kids Que competition is an opportunity for kids, 5 to 11 and 12 to 16 years of age, to take center stage in their very own competition! Kids Que teams will submit a minimum of 6 individual portions – enough product for 6 judges to each have their own sample for judging.
Age 12-16 – Jonah and Micah Artz(K-Town Pit Que), Matthew Walter, Addison Blackwell(2BQ), Kaleigh and Victoria(Rough Cut Q)
Age 5-11 – Madeline Halle(Buckeye Blue Smoke BBQ), Greta Hall and Justin Sebastiani(Castleton ‘Q), Brynlee Bowman(Bowman’s Butt & BBQ), CJ Blackwell(2BQ), David and Bannen Huffman(Blue Dogs), Piper Stallings(Ham Squad), Jameson Boutaugh(Bailout Barbecue), Alton Miller(Piggy & Swine BBQ), Mac Clark(Half Chicken Man), John Heidenberg(Pancho & Lefty), Cooper Yagel(Leaning Jowler BBQ), Max, Jake and Milo(Rough Cut Q-Ties), Elijah and Sampson(Rough Cut Q)
The entry will be “kebabs” which may be prepared in any way.
Each entry MUST INCLUDE at least one protein and may include vegetables, fruit and/or cheese. The kebabs must be prepared on site on the grill/smoker (charcoal, wood, pellets or gas).
Be creative – think of new ways to present kebabs like cajun kebab, breakfast kebab, tacos on a stick, or any other combo you can imagine!
There will be a KCBS judge visiting each kids cooking site from 2:00 – 2:20 pm on Saturday March 28th to observe the kids cooking and ask some simple food safety/prep related questions of each cook. (Kids will be provided the questions that will be asked at the cooks meeting-see below for questions.) This judge will score the cooks on the site visit but will not score the turn ins as they will have already seen the entry. This judges score will be added to the scores given to the turn in item.
QUESTIONS FROM ON SITE JUDGE TO COOKS
Introduce yourself and ask their name.
Ask what their entry is and how it was prepared.
Ask why they chose their entry.
Ask was there a particular sauce or seasoning they chose for the entry.
Ask what else they like to cook and why.
Ask what is their favorite BBQ item to eat.
Scoring Low High
Engagement/Interest in talking 1 2 3 4 5
Understanding what they cooked 1 2 3 4 5
Showed ability to explain their entry 1 2 3 4 5
Showed good skills of any aspects of their cook 1 2 3 4 5
(knife, fire, gloves, clean site, etc)
We will use the HONOR SYSTEM – adults may help with fire and knife work, kids must do everything else such as prep, cook, plate and turn in.
Cooks Meeting – MANDATORY attendance by cook AND supervising adult at one of the two times listed: Friday 3/27th@4:00 pm OR Saturday 3/28th@10:00 am
Turn-Ins – will take place on Saturday, March 28, 2026. Turn-in will be at the KCBS turn in tent at 2:30 pm. There is a 10 minute window for turn-ins 2:30 pm – 2:40 pm.
Awards – will be at approximately 4:30 pm on Saturday March 28, 2026. Exact time will be given at cooks meeting.
Entry Fee – FREE! – thanks to Jon and Jason Wade for their continued support!
To Enter – see directions to register at the end of this information. Please read all information carefully as you will have to acknowledge that you have read and understand all the information prior to completing registration.
CONTEST INFORMATION
Cooks are to provide their own turn in item , cooking equipment and utensils, rubs, seasonings, etc.
Cooking may be done using charcoal, wood, pellets or gas.
There will not be a meat/item inspection.
Kids may cook in their supervising adult’s team site if the adult is competing in the KCBS contest.
If the supervising adult is not a competing team, a campsite which will be shared by other Kids Que competitors, will be provided. This site will have power and water to be shared by all cooks. You will be notified of where this area is located and when you may set up your cooking area.
Kids Que teams may cook at their privately owned Bethpage Camp-Resort site if requested.
Teams MUST use their own tray, plate, platter or container suitable for holding 6 kebabs; however, there cannot be any marking or any identifiable team information on turn-in items, as this will be grounds for disqualification.
Judging criteria is as follows: Appearance, Taste, Creativity and On Site Visit.
Kids Que will be a blind judging event. At the cooks meeting, each Kids Que team will be given a number to place on their turn in tray, plate, or platter suitable for holding 6 kebabs. This number will be changed before judging to create the blind judging.
Ties will be broken by following method –
1st tie breaker -Taste score compared between tied teams
2nd tie breaker if needed -Creativity score compared between remaining tied teams
3rd tie breaker if needed – Judges preference
Pay outs will be dependent upon number of entries AND how many cooks are in each age bracket. There will be two age brackets – 5 to 11 and 12 to 16.
Rules for Kids Que
- The supervising adult should allow the child to make their own decisions; however, they can coach verbally. Remember that this should be fun for the child and allowing the child to make their own decisions is part of the experience.
- A supervising adult must be present with the child during the entire cooking competition and may help with cutting, preparing or maintaining the heat source, or anything deemed dangerous. The supervising adult may also assist with checking the final temperature of the protein to ensure food is cooked to a safe temperature for consumption.
- Entries may contain toothpicks or skewers to hold food items together. NO GLASS allowed in submissions.
- Garnish – Garnish on the bottom and/or around entry is not required but may be used if desired. If it is used, any form of greenery is acceptable. Garnish should not cover over the entry in any way to prevent viewing of the entry by the judges.
- Kids Que entries will be judged on Appearance, Taste and Creativity. The order of tie breakers is Taste, Creativity and Judges Preference.
- All entries should be fully assembled for judging.
- Each entry must contain a minimum of 6 individual kebabs, enough product for 6 judges to have their own sample for judging.
- Kids Que entries may be cooked on any grill or smoker using wood, charcoal, pellets or gas.
- The child must do the preparation, cooking, and presentation. This means that the child should be able to put his/her own item on the grill/smoker, turn his/her own item on the grill/smoker, remove the item from the grill/smoker, and do all garnishing (if garnish is being used).
- Kids Que participants are permitted to cook and prepare turn-ins at their supervising adult contest site. There will be a shared site provided for cooking if supervising adult is not a competing team. Cooking at privately owned Bethpage Camp-Resort site is allowed if requested.
REASONS for disqualification of entry:
1. A mark or identifier on the turn-in tray, plate or platter.
2. Entry turned in after the turn-in window has expired.
3. Not meeting the required number of pieces or portions.
4. Any turn-in determined to be raw.
5. A foreign object found in the box. (Glass, piece of foil, plastic, etc.)
TO ENTER KIDS QUE CONTEST
Send an email to bbqgivesback@gmail.com and include cooks name(s) and age(s), supervising adult’s name and team name(if competing in KCBS contest) and phone number.
You will be contacted via email regarding acknowledgement of Kids Que rules and information as well as additional details.
Thank you for your interest!