2024 Halal BBQ Pitmasters Dessert Competition

Deadline to sign-up: April 21, 2024 or once the cap of 10 teams is reached. 

Your payment will register you for the 2024 Halal BBQ Pitmasters Dessert Competition. Please make sure to include your contact information including phone number and email address. You will be added to a WhatsApp group for all the teams.

Please review the rules and timeline for the competition below. By paying for the registration, you will be signed up for the competition, and you agree to the abide by the rules. Any teams that fail to follow the rules may be disqualified.  We anticipate providing a canopy, 1/2 table (3 feet) with a table cover, and one chair for each team. Otherwise, teams must bring their own supplies. 

We make full efforts to ensure anyone who is interested in participating can do so regardless of religious beliefs, race/ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, etc. 

In addition to hanging out at America’s premiere Halal BBQ Competition, you can show off your baking/dessert skills in our Dessert Championship! 

The registration fee is $40 to participate in the Dessert Championship.  If this fee is not affordable for you, please email us at halalpitmasters@gmail.com and we will waive the entry fees with no questions asked (and we will maintain your anonymity). The funds from entry fees will be used to cover overhead, and any excess funds will be given to charity. 

1. Overall structure. 
1. Each team must bring 200 bite size self-serve portions. Please also have 10 extra samples just for judges. Please label desserts with possible allergens. 
2. No sales will be allowed 
3. Maximum size for teams will be 3 people. Any additional team members will need to purchase/donate tickets to the event. The total number of teams will be capped at 10. 
4. We plan to provide a canopy, 1 table with table cover, and one chair for each team. Teams must bring all other necessary supplies including serving utensils and plates/cups.
5. All desserts must be cooked at home. Garnishing and plating can be done on-site but no live cooking will be allowed. 
6. Ingredients must be halal (avoid vanilla with alcohol, etc)
7. Each team is responsible for the setup of their team site. Every site will be left clean when the contest is over. 
8. Awards/trophies will be given to the top 5. 
2. Judging. The dessert competition will not be blinded. Each judge will walk around to each team’s area. Teams will have a chance to present ONE dessert to the judges. The below 4 categories - flavor, creativity, complexity, and aesthetics - will be judged on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being best. The weighted sum of each category will determine the final score. Flavor is worth 40% wile all other categories are worth 20%.

• Flavor - 40%. Each judge will receive one sample of dessert.  A 10  would be "the best dessert flavor I've ever eaten. I want more!" and 1 would be "inedible."
• Creativity -20%. Is the dessert a novel idea the judges have never seen before?  A 10 would be "something completely unique," and a 1 would be "been there, done that."
• Complexity - 20%. How difficult was the dish to execute? Are all components homemade? Were any special techniques used at home? A 10 would be "extremely difficult to execute," and a 1 would be "anyone can do this."
• Aesthetics - 20% Does the dessert look appetizing? Does the appearance make someone eager to taste it? A 10  would be "Wow," and a 1  would be "rather not eat it based on appearance."

Tentative timeline

1. Dessert teams arrive at 12:30 PM
2. Judging starts at 1:30 pm
3. Guests can start sampling at 2:00 PM
4. 3:30-4:00 PM winners announced