Inaugural Campfire Cookout bringing tasty competition to Rotorua

Black Label Barbecue cooking up a storm. Photo / Supplied

Tasty barbecue food, competition and camaraderie - join New Zealand's top barbecue teams as they battle it out for points, cash and prizes.

Boost Events is presenting the inaugural Rotorua Campfire Cookout, with the public able to get in on the action on Saturday, August 28.

This family-friendly event is about revisiting the nostalgic vibes of school camps, connecting with our kai and celebrating the camaraderie that comes with cooking and camping.

Organiser Alia Branson says she and her husband Shaun have a barbecue competition team and have been competing since 2018.

"It's a pretty cool community of people who get together in different venues to compete, and we thought it was about time Rotorua had one."

Team Black Label Barbecue - Alia and Shaun Branson. Photo / Supplied

She says it is modelled off American barbecue, predominantly with charcoal or woodfire rather than gas.

Alia says participants get crazily creative with their food ideas and aim to do something people might not expect.

On Saturday, August 28, the SCA Steak Cookoff, chicken wings and cheese toastie, and Kids Campfire cookoff is open to the public to view from 11am to 5.30pm.

The public will be able to chat to the teams, buy fire-related food from the vendors and find out what the barbecue community is all about.

On the Sunday, the NZBA Ribs Competition is being held but is not open to the public.

Alia says she loves connecting people with food, and thinks the more in touch with food we are, the better we feel about what we are eating.

"The community of people that compete have a lot of fun together and I think it would be cool to see more people in Rotorua join.

"Hopefully, this event is a really cool, fun family afternoon, and Okataina is such a beautiful location.

"I don't think many of us go out there very often so this is a great excuse to check out another spot in our region."

She says there is still time if you want to register a team, and there's more than $4500 in cash prizes along with trophies to win.

Alia says about 25 teams have registered so far, with some travelling up from the South Island.

There are a few local teams, including some new ones, she says.

Whether you're new to the competitive cooking world or a regular feature in the barbecue community, we have a category that's right for you.

Alia says along with the rest of New Zealand, they are monitoring Covid alert levels and will make event plans in line with government regulations. Any updates to the event will be published on their website and Facebook page.

Full event details and competitor registration at www.cookout.co.nz.

The details
- What: Rotorua Campfire Cookout
- When: Saturday, August 28, 11am to 5pm
- Where: Okataina Outdoor Education Centre
- Free (cash needed for food vendors)