Cookout contest set at fair

It won?t be long before the sweet scent of grilled masterpieces will beckon to visitors at the Iowa State Fair this summer.

Aug. 16, the Grand Concourse will be home to the 48th annual Iowa Farm Bureau Cookout Contest featuring the best grillers in the state.

The search for a new champion began this summer when county Farm Bureaus hosted local contests to determine winners in several categories. Local finalists will compete for the state title at the fair.

?People take their grilling seriously and every year hundreds of grillers compete for a chance to show their skills at the state cookout contest,? said Iowa Farm Bureau cookout coordinator Denny Harding. ?It?s a great way for them to be creative with the high-quality meat products produced here in Iowa.?

Contestants will compete in six categories: beef; pork; lamb/goat; poultry; turkey; and combo/specialty.

Entries in the beef category will be limited to chuck or round primal cuts, including ground chuck or ground round. Combo recipes combine two or more meats from the five other categories. Specialty recipes may feature venison or any other Iowa domestically raised product. All wild game is excluded.

Creations will be judged on taste, appearance, originality and cost efficiency. Special recognition will go to contestants in showmanship, youth and team cooking categories. Youth grillers must be between the ages of 13 and 18 years, as of Aug. 1, 2011.

Farm Bureau or affiliated company employees are not eligible to compete.