Houston Rodeo Cookoff
Bar-B-Que Contest, Wine Show, and Best Bites Competition
At the Houston Rodeo, you can find what is known as the World’s Championship Bar-B-Que Contest, or simply “The Cookoff”. This harmony of smoky aromas and flavors of Bar-B-Que goes from February 28th -March 1st.
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Beginning in 1974, it has drawn a massive number of contestants and attendees for the duration of the 3 day event. In 2007 alone The Cookoff drew 190,913 people which beat the previous record of 183,339 set in 2004.
Taking place at the southern parking lot at Reliant Stadium, this is a tailgater’s utopia. Over 250 teams compete for the championship title and there are a number of different categories where a winner (or winners) can be chosen. The categories are listed below along with the winners in each from 2007.
Bar-B-Que Categories and Winners from 2007:
Grand Champion Overall – Hot Knots (cooking team)
Champion Ribs – Hot Knots (cooking team)
Champion Chicken – Jasper County
Champion Brisket – Kilowatt Kookers 3
Go Texan Best Bar-B-Que – Jasper County
Most Colorful Team – Chevy Cookers 1 and 2
Cleanest Team Area – Holy Cow Cookers
Most Unique Pit – Fowl Feathered Cookers 1 2 3 4
Best Team Skit – Diageo Crown Royal
Go Texan More Colorful – Angelina County
Champion Recycling Team – Blowing Smoke
Go Texan Recylcing – Austin County
Trophies are awarded to the teams that made the best dishes in each category, including the overall winner that really wowed the judges.
The wine show is currently in its fifth year as a main attraction at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. It is known as the Rodeo Uncorked and showcases wines from across the world. These wines are presented for tasting and receive awards based on many different aspects of wine tasting. The awards are given at the Roundup and Best Bites Competition.
The Best Bites competition stages a culinary throw-down with regional restaurants and caterers presenting their top dishes. There are currently 57 restaurants from the region competing for the crowd’s favor, and only one will be named the “Best Bites” at the show.
