General Rules and Governance
Purpose and scope
The Live Fire Cooking Association (LFCA) Competition Rules are established to provide a fair, safe and consistent framework for all LFCA-sanctioned events. These rules are intended to protect the integrity of competition, promote sportsmanship, support accurate and impartial judging, and create a professional experience for competitors, judges, organizers, volunteers, creators and event guests.
These rules apply to all individuals and entities participating in, working at, or representing an LFCA-sanctioned event, including organizers, LFCA representatives, judges, cooks, teams, volunteers, creators, sponsors and approved media. Event-specific organizers may issue additional procedures or requirements, but no local procedure may override LFCA competition rules unless expressly approved by LFCA.
The rules govern official competition categories, judging procedures, team conduct, site operations, food handling, safety standards, scoring, awards and points eligibility. By registering for, attending, participating in, or serving in any official role at an LFCA-sanctioned event, all parties agree to comply with these rules and with any official rulings or instructions issued by LFCA representatives.
LFCA reserves the right to interpret these rules and make decisions necessary to preserve fairness, safety and the orderly operation of its events.
Eligibility and membership requirements
Participation in LFCA-sanctioned events is limited to individuals and teams who meet the eligibility and membership requirements established by the Live Fire Cooking Association.
Competition Team Membership
Competition in LFCA-sanctioned events requires a current LFCA Competition Team Membership. This membership is issued per team, not per individual. Each team must register with a designated head cook, who serves as the team’s official representative for membership, event eligibility, points tracking, and qualification purposes.
Only teams with an active Competition Team Membership are eligible to compete in LFCA-sanctioned events and earn points toward Team of the Year standings and World Championship qualification.
Judge Membership
Individuals serving as judges at LFCA-sanctioned events must hold a current LFCA Judge Membership. Judge membership is required to participate in the official judging process at sanctioned events.
Judge members are eligible to judge LFCA-sanctioned events and are recognized as part of the official scoring process for the association.
Good Standing
All members must remain in good standing with LFCA in order to compete, judge, earn points, or receive qualification credit. LFCA reserves the right to deny, suspend, or revoke eligibility for failure to comply with LFCA rules, membership requirements, or the Code of Conduct.
Non-Transferability
Competition Team Memberships and Judge Memberships are non-transferable. A team membership applies only to the registered team listed with LFCA, and a judge membership applies only to the individual judge to whom it is issued.
Event Participation
Holding LFCA membership does not guarantee acceptance into any specific event. All members must also complete the event registration process and comply with event deadlines, capacity limits, and any approved event-specific addenda.
Organizers
All contests must have an official organizer who works directly with an LFCA Representative to ensure the contest is fair and abides by the rules and regulations. Organizers may not compete in their own contest.
LFCA reps
Contest Representatives are officially designated by the LFCA. They must be a current member. They are responsible for the coordination and implementation of all LFCA judging rules and regulations. Representatives have the final authority on scoring issues, rule interpretation and on-site disputes.
Registration and Event Operations
Entry and registration
In order for a contest to be sanctioned by the LFCA, it must have at least 10 registered teams. Teams will register directly with event organizers. Entry fees start at $250 per contest but may vary, depending on location and categories.
Check-in and site assignment
Teams are required to check in with the contest organizer or representative prior to setting up on site. Teams will be provided their site assignment and provided load-in and load-out details.
Cook’s meeting
At least one member from each team will be required to attend the cook’s meeting.
Event schedule and official time
The contest reps will share the official schedule and time clock during the team meeting. Schedules may vary from contest to contest.
Judge’s meeting
Each judge must attend the judge’s meeting at the contest in order to participate in the event.
Inspections
Contest organizers or representatives will inspect team equipment and ingredients before teams may start cooking to ensure it abides by the contest rules and to help answer any questions teams may have. Organizers and representatives reserve the right to inspect randomly at any other point during the contest and may issue warnings or disqualifications if rules are not being followed.
Team Setup and Equipment
Team space and footprint
LFCA-sanctioned events should allow at least 10’ x 20’ spaces for teams; however larger spaces are allowed.
Teams are responsible for supplying all ingredients, tools, and equipment (grills, tents and tables) needed to cook and present their entries. Equipment must not expand beyond their assigned space.
Allowed cookers and equipment
The LFCA sanctions two types of events: Open Fire and Live Fire. With each, a live fire is required. A live fire is a fire that is burning and doesn’t need an outside source like electricity or propane to stay alive.
Both disciplines demand skill, instinct, and respect for the flame. The LFCA celebrates and sanctions competitions in both styles, honoring the full spectrum of live fire craft.
Open Fire Competitions
Open Fire Cooking requires the use of wood or charcoal as the heat source, with no lids or covers on the grill. The food is fully exposed to the flame, smoke, and elements. There is a pure, unguarded connection between cook and fire.
Not Allowed:
- Grills with lids
- Propane or gas equipment
- Propane torches
- Electric cooking devices used to heat or cook food
Allowed:
- If a grill has a lid that is welded on, the grill can be used, but the lid must remain open.
- Electric rotisseries or similar cooking attachments
- Electric accessories such as blenders
- Dutch ovens with lids
Live Fire Competitions
Live Fire Cooking shares the same commitment to wood and charcoal but allows the cook to close the grill lid, giving greater control over temperature, smoke, and airflow.
Not Allowed:
- Propane or gas equipment
- Pellet grills
- Propane torches
- Electric cooking devices used to heat or cook food
Allowed:
- Grills with lids that can be closed
- Electric rotisseries or similar cooking attachments
- Electric accessories such as blenders
Water and ice
It is up to each organizer to determine if they will provide water or ice. When it is not provided, teams are responsible for providing their own for food safety and sanitation.
Power
Power may or may not be provided by organizers. If it is not provided, teams may use portable generators in accordance with organizer guidelines for lighting, fans, to charge devices and for appliances like blenders. All Open Fire or Live Fire rules must still be followed.
Safety equipment requirements
Each team is required to have a current ABC-certified fire extinguisher on site. Organizers reserve the right to require additional fire and safety requirements in accordance with county and city ordinances.
Sanitation
Teams should maintain a clean site and use proper food handling procedures during preparation, cooking, and judging. Teams are responsible for cleaning their sites after the competition. Organizers are required to provide trash service and ash cans.
Competition Categories
Official categories
Each LFCA-sanctioned event is required to include a turn-in with an entrée that includes one protein, one vegetable and one starch.
Starch Definition: A starch may include rice, potatoes, pasta, bread, corn, legumes, or other carbohydrate-dense components traditionally served as part of a composed entrée.
Portion requirements
Teams should plan to prepare at least three presentation plates to serve three individual judges for each round. For instance, teams will serve three judges during round 1. Then, if they advance to round 2, they will serve three additional plates to three new judges.
Alcoholic beverages may not be served as part of the presentation. This is to ensure that judges are of sound mind to judge each entry. Providing an alcoholic beverage can result in a disqualification.
Optional ancillary categories
Organizers may include optional ancillary categories. The same Open Fire / Live Fire rules used in the entrée category shall apply to the ancillaries.
World Championship events may require teams to cook an entrée plus additional categories to calculate the overall score.
Soup: A liquid food served in a cup or bowl. It may contain bite-sized chunks of protein or vegetables; however, it cannot resemble a stew.
Appetizer: A single type of finger food that can be served hot or cold. Examples include a street taco, crostini, empanada, jalapeno popper or dip. Teams should not include a variety of appetizers.
Dessert: A sweet food that can be served hot or cold. It may include a sauce, topping or garnish.
People’s Choice: A sample of any type of food that will be served to the public. The public will judge its favorite dish to select a winner.
Kids Q: If an organizer wants to host a special Live Fire Kids Q, they should coordinate details with their rep.
Cooking Rules
The LFCA sanctions two types of events: Open Fire and Live Fire (see above for rules).
Meat / ingredient handling
Ingredients may be trimmed, chopped or minced prior to arriving at the contest; however, they cannot be seasoned, brined, cured, injected or flavored in any way until the cook clock begins.
On-site preparation rules
If a team plans to claim that a component was made from scratch, it must be prepped and cooked on site. This includes stocks, sauces, brines and doughs. Store bought sauces and breads may be used, but a team cannot pass them off as homemade.
Holding, reheating rules
Once food has finished cooking, it should be held at food-safe temperatures prior to presenting it to judges for all rounds of judging. Teams may not use electric warmers like holding ovens or crock pots.
Judging and Scoring
Judging criteria
Judges are members of the Live Fire Cooking Association and have been vetted by the LFCA. Each judge is required to attend the judge’s meeting at the event.
Because of the creativity involved with LFCA turn ins, all judging is presented to judges on site. There is no blind judging.
Judging Procedures
LFCA-sanctioned events require at least three judges for every six teams competing. Below is a breakdown of how groups can be setup.
- 10 teams = 2 groups of 5 / 2 teams from each group advances to finals
- 11 teams = 1 group of 5, 1 group of 6 / 2 teams from each group advance to finals
- 12 teams = 2 groups of 6 or 3 groups of 4 / 1-2 teams from each group advance to finals
- 13 teams = 2 groups of 4, 1 group of 5 / 1-2 teams from each group advance to finals
- 14 teams = 2 groups of 5, 1 group of 4 / 1-2 teams from each group advance to finals
- 15 teams = 3 groups of 5, 1-2 teams from each group advance to finals
Groups and ambassadors will be assigned randomly by the app at the Judge’s Meeting. The ambassador, reps and organizers are the only ones who will know which judges are associated with which teams.
When it’s time for judging, an ambassador will lead its group of judges to the first team. The team will present the dish and the judges will score the dish using the LFCA Cookoff Scoring App. They will not be allowed to move onto the next team until scoring is complete. Once all scores have been entered, the ambassador will take the judges to the next team. This will continue until all teams have been judged.
Scoring scale
Entries will be given a score of 8, 9 or 10 on Presentation, Appearance, Technique and Flavor. They will also receive a score of 8.00-10.00 (with two decimal precision) for Overall Impression.
Presentation
- The team’s oral presentation that explains the dish
- How well does the team explain what the judges are about to taste
- Garnish is optional, but can be considered in scoring presentation
- Professionalism
Appearance
- How appetizing does the dish look
- Did each judge get the required elements (protein, vegetable, starch)
- Use this score to judge appearance of the dish, not the garnish
Technique
- The technique the team used to cook their dishes, consider difficulty
- Execution of cooking technique
- Doneness, tenderness
Flavor
- Subjective, but flavor is King!
- How does the dish taste
- Do rubs or sauces complement the dish or are they overpowering
- Is there a balance of sweet, salty and savory, or is it under or over seasoned
Overall Impression
- This is he final opportunity to define scoring
- How was the entire experience from the presentation of the dish to how it tastes
- Does the flavor and overall execution match what was described in the presentation
Weighted scoring
The scores above will be multiplied by the following percentages to determine the final score.
- Presentation: 15%
- Appearance:15%
- Technique: 20%
- Flavor: 30%
- Overall Impression: 20% (scored to two decimal places)
Scoring procedures
Judges are required to use the LFCA app to enter their scores for each team. They will not be allowed to change their scores after they have been entered. If an entry error was made, the judge must notify the ambassador immediately. The ambassador must then contact the contest rep.
Judging Structure and Turn-In Procedure
Round 1
Every team will be placed in a group and judged during round one. Teams will have 20 minutes to make their live presentation, at which point they must:
- Present and explain their dishes
- Describe cooking techniques and components
- Answer judge questions
- Maintain a clean and professional site
- Have all team members present and prepared
Final Round
One to two teams from each group will advance to the finals. The top teams will be notified and provided an hour to prepare for the final round. The final round follows the same formatting as round 1.
Example Timeline
Turn-in times may vary from competition to competition, but below is a recommended timeline.
Day 1
- 7 am: Teams setup
- 11 am: Cook’s meeting
- Noon: Begin cooking
Day 2
- 11 am: Judge’s meeting
- Noon: Round 1 judging begins; each team gets 20 minutes
- 2 pm: Finalists Announced
- 3 pm: Final Round of judging
- 5:30 pm: Awards
Tie Breaker Procedures
In the event of a tie, the following tie-breaker system will be used in this order:
- Highest Flavor Score: The team with the higher total Flavor score will advance or place higher.
- Highest Technique Score: If still tied, the team with the higher Technique score will advance.
- Highest Overall Impression Score: Using the two-decimal scoring system, the team with the higher Overall Impression score will advance.
- Judges’ Majority Vote (Silent Ballot): Each judge will privately cast a vote. Majority vote wins.
- Final Tie-Breaker: Coin Toss Conducted by Live Fire Cooking Association Representative.
Awards and Points
Award recommendations
The prize purse will vary from contest to contest. Below are recommended prize purse amounts for contests with at least 10 teams.
- 1st Place: Trophy + $750
- 2nd Place: Trophy + $500
- 3rd Place: Trophy + $250
Championship qualifications
In order for a contest to be a qualifier for the World Championships or the Texas Open Fire Meat Up, it must have minimum of 10 teams.
Team of the Year
LFCA competitors will earn points based on their performance in each competition. The top 3 teams will earn points based on their place: 1st = 10 points, 2nd = 8 points, 3rd = 6 points. Plus, each team will earn 1 point for competing.
The team with the most points at the end of the points chase calendar will be recognized as the LFCA Team of the Year during the Texas Open Fire Meat Up.
The Team of the Year calendar runs from approximately Nov. 1 – Oct. 31. The Texas Open Fire Meat Up will be the last event of the calendar year.
Code of Conduct
We want every LFCA event to be a place where cooks, judges, and spectators alike feel welcome and have a great time. To keep it that way, we ask everyone to show up with the same respect for the fire that brought you here.
Keep it fun. Keep it clean. Trash talk belongs on the pit, not toward your fellow competitors, judges, or event staff. Unsportsmanlike behavior, excessive profanity, and disrespectful conduct toward others won’t be tolerated.
Know your limits. Alcohol may be part of the culture, but excessive consumption that affects your conduct or safety is grounds for removal. Serving or providing alcohol to the public or minors at any LFCA event is strictly prohibited.
No fighting. Ever. Physical altercations of any kind will result in immediate removal from the event and potential suspension from future LFCA competitions.
The bottom line. We’re all here because we love this. Treat it and each other accordingly. LFCA reserves the right to remove anyone from an event whose behavior compromises the safety or spirit of the competition.
Disqualifications
A team may be disqualified from a competition if they fail to comply with the LFCA rules or organizer expressed state, country or city regulations.
In an LFCA contest rep or organizer believes a team has violated the rules or regulations, they will notify the LFCA founders who will review the accusations and make a determination.