The Bush BBQ Challenge is a fun and fiery showdown between community service club teams. Each team brings its own bush BBQ, recipes, and skills to compete in “bush-style” cooking heats. Teams will face the challenge of cooking with randomly selected meats and sides, showing their ability to adapt to rural settings.
Judging will be a mix of audience voting and expert assessment. Along the way, teams are encouraged to communicate their skills, swap ideas, and bring plenty of fun and laughs to the audience.
Date: Saturday, 22 November 2025
Food and Fire Safety Briefing: 8:45 AM
Setup Time: From 9:00 AM
Heats From: 10:00 AM – 2:30 PM
Venue: Maleny Showgrounds, Dairy Pavilion grounds.
Judging: Audience and Experts
Supplied by Farm Fest: Random selection of meats and sides.
Supplied by Teams: Bush BBQ, fuel, utensils, breads, condiments, spices.
Each heat will include two or more teams depending on entries.
Each heat runs for approximately 45 minutes.
At the start of each heat, teams will randomly select:
A colour for audience voting.
Two meats
One side
Team goal: Create the most desirable bush meal using their random selections, plus breads, condiments, and spices they provide.
Audience participation and interaction are key to the challenge’s success.
Teams consist of three members and compete in two heats.
Teams must attend safety briefing and sign waver to compete.
Teams are encouraged to bring one sign or banner promoting their service organisation.
Randomly supplied meats (no external meat permitted): sausage, chicken, beef mince, pork chop, lamb chop.
Randomly supplied sides: baked beans, potato salad, coleslaw, corn on the cob, chips.
Farm Fest supplies display plates for finished meals.
Teams must bring their own bush BBQ setup, fuel, and utensils suitable for bush or camp cooking.
All cooking must be done on team equipment. No electric cords permitted (battery-operated utensils allowed).
No fire on the ground is permitted.
No open flames permitted.
Teams may bring their own breads, condiments, and spices to complement their recipes.
Safe food handling practices must be followed at all times.
Most Visually Mouth-Watering Meal
Taste – 40%
Presentation – 20%
Teamwork & Cleanliness – 20%
Crowd Engagement – 20%
All equipment must be in good working condition.
Fire extinguishers or fire blankets (supplied by Maleny Farm Fest) must be at each cooking station.
No electric cords allowed.
Meat must remain in a cooler/esky until cooking.
Farm Fest supplies paper towels and cleaning materials.
Teams are responsible for keeping their area clean and safe.
Entries due 7th of November. Get in early.