The first Raider Red Meats BBQ Cook-Off will be March 25-26 on the Texas Tech campus. Check-in and set-up begins at 6:30 a.m. on Friday morning, with a head cooks' meeting at 9 a.m. Saturday in the Livestock Arena at 18th Street and Indiana Avenue.

Judging will follow, with chicken at noon, ribs at 1 p.m. and brisket at 2 p.m. Awards will be announced by 5 p.m. at the Livestock Arena. The cook-off will be held in the S1 parking lot north of the soccer fields at Texas Tech Parkway and Marsha Sharp Freeway, west of University Medical Center.

Bradley Price, director of Red Raider Meats, said the event will ultimately become a fundraiser for the Department of Animal and Food Sciences. "This first event will just kick it all off "" let people know what to expect in years to come," Price said. "Subsequent events could raise funds for scholarships, research equipment or other departmental needs."

Participation as a cook-off contestant is open to the public. The entry fee is $125 per team and covers all three meat categories. The registration form is available online http://www.depts.ttu.edu/meatscience/orders/entryform.pdf . The inaugural event is sanctioned by the Lonestar Barbecue Society.

Written by Leslie Cranford

CONTACT: Brad Price, Director Raider Red Meats, Department of Animal and Food Sciences, Texas Tech University at (806) 742-2804 or www.raiderredmeats.com

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