Pigs, Picks & Pistons Backyard BBQ Competition

East River Fellowship
4470 NW 185th Ave, Portland, OR 97229
July 18, 2026

Event Overview

The Pigs, Picks & Pistons Backyard BBQ Competition is a Pacific Northwest BBQ Association (PNWBA) supported event taking place in Portland, Oregon on Saturday, July  18^th, 2026. The event is held on the grass, adjacent to the East River Fellowship Church, and as the event name implies, is part of a larger event that includes BBQ, live Bluegrass music and a Classic car show. 

The Picks will feature the Thunder Ridge Bluegrass Band, a Portland based group with thousands of followers. The traditional five-piece band is made up of banjo, guitar, mandolin, bass and fiddle. Guaranteed to steal your heart with hard driving vocal harmonies and instrumentals. They will be playing from 11am until 3pm.

The Pistons will include up to 50 Classic Cars from the 50s and 60s, displayed for the public to get an up close view. They will start setting up at 9am until the event ends at 3pm.

The Pigs is the BBQ Competition. Teams will prepare Chicken Thighs and Pork Spareribs for a panel of community-based BBQ judges, with the opportunity to sell leftover and extra competition meat to the attendees after turn-ins are completed. Additionally, there is a People’s Choice category, in which anything can be made and served to the public who will vote on their favorite dish.

Quick Facts

• Registration Deadline: July 11, 2026

• Prize Pool: $800

• Team Limit: 25 (waitlist available for potential increase)

• Categories: Pork Spareribs, Chicken Thighs, People’s Choice (optional)

Event Contacts

• Organizer: Matthew Manary, 503-544-7544, pigspickspistons@gmail.com

• PNWBA Backyard Event Rep: Dale Groetsema, 360-984-7571, dale@pnwba.com

• Head Judge: Jane Biehl, jane@pnwba.com

• • Table Captain – Karen and Eric Stral

Competition Schedule

Friday, July 17, 2026

·         Optional load-in with overnight security on-site (by prior arrangement with Organizer and Event Rep)

Saturday, March 14, 2026

·         6:30 am – 7:30 am Team Load In

·         7:00 am – 7:30 am Site Inspections

·         7:30 am – 8:00 am Cooks Meeting

·         11:00 am – 2:00 pm People’s Choice Sampling/Voting

·         12:00 pm – 12:30 pm Chicken turn-in

o   Sampling sales for Chicken begins

·         1:00 pm – 1:30 pm Rib turn-in

o   Sampling sales for Ribs begins

·         3:00 pm Awards Ceremony

·         4:00 pm Team Load Out

Prize Purse

The total prize purse for the event is $800

Overall Grand Champion - $125 + Trophy
Reserve Grand Champion - $75 + Ribbon

Each Meat Category (Chicken and Ribs)

1^st Place - $120 + Trophy
2^nd Place - $90 + Ribbon
3^rd Place - $60 + Ribbon
4^th Place - $30 + Ribbon

Sampling Guidelines

Sampling competition BBQ meats is a tradition at PNWBA events and provides an opportunity to interact with the public and earn additional income to offset competition costs. Sampling is optional but strongly encouraged for all teams.

For sampling, only small portions are allowed—one pork spare rib bone or one whole chicken thigh per sample. For People’s Choice, you are limited to no more than 3 ounces. Use the appropriate container to avoid going over that limit – such as 3 oz cups or small paper boats. Each team is responsible for managing sample size.

Health Department Compliance

• At least one team member must hold a current Oregon Food Handler card (https://www.orfoodhandlers.com/#/).

• All teams must adhere to Safe Food Handling practices, as defined by the Washington County Public Health Department. By committing to limit our sample sales to the size listed above, there is no requirement for a permit or an automatic inspection.

• Food being held for sampling must be kept at a safe temperature (140 degrees minimum) either in a warm smoker or a steam table powered by propane or electric. No Chafing dishes with Sterno cans are allowed.  Volunteers will be randomly checking your holding temperatures throughout the event.

• The PNWBA requirements for each competitor (listed below) comply with, and in some cases, exceed, most Food Safety requirements.

Payment Process

• Only approved paper tickets are accepted (no cash).

• Tickets cost $2 each; teams may set their own price with a maximum of three tickets per sample.

• Teams retain 75% of ticket sales, with 25% going to the event.

• Proceeds are paid directly by the East River Fellowship after the awards ceremony.

• If earnings exceed $600, a W-9 form may be required by the organizer.

• Be sure to bring a container to hold those sample tickets so they don’t blow away.

Team Requirements

• Review the Team Rules at the bottom of this page.

• New teams may visit the New Team Info page for helpful guidelines.

• We will be scheduling a Competition BBQ cooking demonstration, held about a week before the competition where experienced pitmasters will demonstrate the details on producing Competition Pork Spare Ribs and Chicken Thighs. Details on this event will be emailed to you as soon as they are finalized.

Site Inspection Checklist

• Competition Meats: Must be kept below 40°F, may be pre-trimmed, but cannot be brined, injected, or seasoned before inspection.

• Coolers: Sufficient ice required for safe storage.

• Fire Extinguisher: 2A40BC or 3A40BC rating (or larger), needle in green zone, with recent inspection tag (within the last year) or dated purchase receipt within the last year.

• Dish Wash Station: Three basins for washing, rinsing, sanitizing; dish soap and bleach.  This can be a shared situation where one or more teams make use of the station. You also can bypass the requirement by bringing sufficient additional cooking utensils so you can swap them out after an hour or two of use or if you accidentally contaminate a utensil.  Another tip is to use disposable cutting boards. You can get them on-line via Amazon or Google for a list of suppliers. They generally cost about $1.50 each in packs of 30.

• Hand Wash Station: Minimum 5-gallon insulated container with spigot and a catch bucket for wastewater and trash can for paper towels. This can also be shared with more than one team. We will have one Hand Wash Station set up in a central location for those who need it.

• Sanitizing Station: Bleach bucket with sanitizing solution and clean cloth rag. 1 tablespoon unscented bleach per gallon of cool water is the safe and correct ratio.

• Digital Thermometer: Required for food safety.

Registration & Fees

• Entry Fee: $100 (non-refundable)

• Refund Policy: If the event is canceled by the organizer, a $90 refund is issued; the $10 processing fee is non-refundable.

• Full payment is due at registration. Cancellations prior July 11, 2026 receive full credit for a future event.

Site Information

• Site Size: 10 feet wide by 20 feet deep (larger canopies accommodated, but no vehicle parking at cook site). Let us know if you need a larger space so we can plan for and accommodate your needs.

• Sites are set up in a ball field, which can be grass and/or well packed and flat dirt. In windy conditions, teams may need to set up entirely on grass for canopy security; smokers must be on a protective mat. Please secure your canopy and equipment from being affected by the wind.

• Provided utilities include potable water, trash, ash, grease, and grey water disposal. Electrical power is not available, so teams needing power should bring a quiet generator. Ice is not available on site.

Location & Accommodations

• Venue: East River Fellowship, 4470 NW 185^th Ave, Portland, Oregon

• Parking: Nearby the cook site; detailed maps will be sent upon registration on where to drive on the venue grounds to reach the cook site and parking.

• Lodging: Ample hotel and camping options are available in and around the Portland/Hillsboro area.

People’s Choice Competition

Separate from the BBQ Competition, this optional event allows you to express your creative and culinary talents with whatever you want to cook, however you want to cook it. No restrictions on heat source or cooking methods - deep fry, sous vide, pan fry, propane, electric, whatever you want.  Showcase your favorite family recipe. It can be traditional BBQ or something entirely different.

For attendees purchasing paper tickets, they will receive 1 People’s Choice voting ticket for every 5 Sample tickets they buy. Sell them samples - setting the price as you want (maximum of 3 tickets per sample), make it 3 ounces or less, and encourage them to vote for you by leaving their voting ticket in a container (separate from the Sample tickets) you have brought with you to collect those votes.

Sampling, and voting for People’s Choice begins at 11am. Voting officially ends at 2pm but you can continue to sell beyond that point or, if sales go well, you might run out before then.  Volunteers may be coming by during the sampling period to count up the sample tickets and the votes so the final count, starting at 2pm is not so large a task. It all depends on how fast things are selling. Keep in mind that voting for you could very well be because of your BBQ you are sampling as well as your People’s Choice offering. So talk it up with everyone that comes to your cook site.

The winner of the People’s Choice will be announced at the Awards Ceremony scheduled for 3pm.  The winner will receive an impressive custom trophy designed and manufactured by Bearded Boy Design.

Pacific Northwest BBQ Association Backyard BBQ Team Rules

General Rules

• A cook may not compete or assist on more than one team per event.

• Only charcoal, wood, or wood pellets are permitted as heat sources. (exception for People’s Choice where you can use any heat source you want)

• Cooking devices cannot be shared between teams; however, dish washing stations and similar equipment may be shared. Each cook site must have its own fire extinguisher.

• Teams are responsible for keeping their cook site clean and disposing of garbage into bins designated by the venue.

• PNWBA membership is not required to compete.

• Minimum age to compete is 14; participants under 18 require parent/guardian approval.

• Excessive intoxication will result in immediate disqualification.

• Unsportsmanlike behavior or harassment will result in immediate disqualification or ban from PNWBA events.

• The PNWBA Event Representative has the final authority on scoring, rule interpretation, and disputes.

Pork Ribs Rules

• Only Pork Spareribs, St Louis Style are allowed. No Beef Ribs or Country Style Ribs.

• Ribs must be bone-in, cut to one bone per piece; minimum of eight ribs per turn-in required.

• No garnish; only aluminum foil provided by the event is allowed. The lid must fully close.

• No sculpting or foreign objects permitted.

• Saucing is optional, no pooling of sauce or sauce containers in the box.

• Ribs may be pre-trimmed but not seasoned or cooked before event arrival and setup.

• Turn-in windows are generally 30 minutes

Chicken Thigh Rules

• Only bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs are allowed.

• Minimum of six whole pieces must be turned in.

• No garnish; only foil provided by the event is allowed.

• Saucing is permitted, no pooling or sauce containers in the box.

• No foreign objects (e.g., bacon-wrapped thighs, tooth picks).

• Chicken may be pre-trimmed but not seasoned or cooked before arrival and setup at the event.