Contestants fire up grills at 1a.m. for Iowa State Fair Cookout Contest

Date:2025-08-13 00:43:23 Category:US Views:2 Comment:0

DES MOINES, Iowa — The 61st annual Cookout Contest at the Iowa State Fair is underway and contestants fired up their grills long before sunrise.

The Iowa Farm Bureau organizes the Cookout Contest on the first Tuesday of the Iowa State Fair. Organizers say this competition allows backyard chefs to show off their culinary skills, win cash prizes, and celebrate real meat raised by Iowa farmers.

Since 1964, more than 2,400 Iowans have competed in the cookoff on the Grand Concourse.

Iowa State Fairgoers react to number 2 national ranking

Contestants are chosen in two ways. First, winners at local cookout contests held by county Farm Bureaus receive an automatic bid to the state event. However, those interested in competing can also sign up online for a chance to backfill open competition spots.

This year, more than 50 contestants are participating in categories including beef, pork, lamb, turkey, and chicken. There is also a youth division for children ages 13 to 17.

More than half of the contestants this year are first-time participants, including Rural Rumps BBQ from Eastern Iowa.

Kaden Weber and Tyler Cock met in high school and decided to start barbecuing together with friends. This hobby later grew into a business.

“We just started one day and progressively got better,” said Cock. “Now here we are doing some competitions and getting some awards.”

The pair qualified for the Cookout Contest by winning two local county contests.

They’re making their award-winning pork ribs, mac and cheese, coleslaw, and cornbread for this competition.

Weber and Cock decided to get an early start by showing up at the fairgrounds at 1 a.m. Weber said they wanted to take their time with setting up to ensure there weren’t many crowds.

About one-third of Iowa’s counties are represented in the contest, and that includes Boone County with Tall & Meaty BBQ.

Logan Kahler and his friends are cooking ground lamb over the top chili, which is a method where the chili ingredients are slow-cooked beneath seasoned ground lamb. This lamb cooks above the chili, dripping flavorful juices into the chili. Once the lamb is cooked through, it’s broken up and stirred into the chili.

Iowa State Fair’s butter cow on the moo-ve, to be displayed at the Smithsonian American Art Museum

Kahler said it’s his second year participating in the contest. Last year, they won an award in the showmanship category. He said the goal for his crew is to just have fun.

“Something I can’t explain very well is the barbecue culture,” he said. “It’s less of a competition and more of like a companionship.”

Nearly $4,700 in cash prizes will be awarded, and one person will be crowned the Grand Champion. One Marshalltown chef is among the over 50 contestants vying for that title.

Bruce “Bubba” Campbell is known in Marshalltown for his barbecue. He retired Bubba’s Burnt Ends BBQ a couple of years ago after having many years of vending for the community.

This is Campbell’s fifth time competing in the Cookout Contest, and he’s been awarded many times for his food. However, last year, he was disappointed in the dish he created, so this year he’s back for redemption.

Campbell is making smoked grilled turkey meatloaf glazed with an Old Fashioned cocktail.

“It’s always wonderful [to participate]. We’re a fair family, I’ve been coming here since I was a kid,” he said.

The competition typically ends around noon after judges are done deliberating. Governor Kim Reynolds and the Iowa Farm Bureau President Brent Johnson will be in attendance as the winners are announced.