RULES

According to the National Taco Association

THE NEW (& IMPROVED) RULES

1) Some things in life can be negotiated. This set of rules is not one of them. However, things can always be interpreted in different ways, so Rule #1: The wording and interpretations of these NTA Rules and Regulations operate at the discretion of the NTA Representatives at the competition. Their decisions and interpretations are final, end of story.

2) Let’s try to keep the number of people on your team to around six. Exceptions, call us. Each team must designate a chief cook and name him or her on the contest entry form. A chief cook cannot operate more than one team in the same contest, on the same date. That screws with the odds, man. Chief cooks and team members can only cook for their designated team at the contest they are attending … or else.

3) Each team will be assigned a cooking space, usually a very small one. Grills, cookers, prep space, props, trailers, vehicles, tents, rocketships, or any other equipment (including generators) shall not exceed the boundaries of the team’s assigned cooking space. All seasoning and cooking shall be done either in a licensed professional kitchen or within the assigned cooking space. You can’t just cook on the street, that’s gross. Teams shall not share an assigned cooking space or cooking device unless payment in the form of tequila is exchanged between those teams.

4) Contestants shall provide all needed equipment and supplies. Contest representatives will provide electricity … up to a point. That stuff’s expensive, so check with the contest supervisor to see how much you’ll get. Contestants must adhere to all electrical, fire, and health codes. A fire extinguisher shall be within an arm’s reach and a fire’s spray at all times.

5) It is the responsibility of the head cook to see that the team’s assigned cooking space is clean and orderly following the contest. That’s a fancy way of saying, “pick up after yourself, we’re all adults here.” All fires must be put out, grease disposed of, and equipment removed. Any team’s assigned cooking space left in disarray or with loose trash, other than at trash containers, may disqualify the messy team from future participation at NTA-sanctioned events.

6) Fires may emanate from wood, wood pellets, charcoal, gas, electric, jumper cables, whatever you need. Even spits, augers, and forced draft doo-hickies are allowed. But please, no open pits or holes in the ground unless you get clearance from the contest organizer, you dig? You’re allowed to parboil and fry all you want. Since we’re talkin’ tacos, pretty much any method of cooking is fair game.

7) You are allowed to marinate meat in a licensed, professional kitchen, and bring it to the contest for cooking. Please, store it at sensibly cold temperatures during transport. You’re also allowed to marinate/pre-season after official meat inspection (usually about 1.5 hours prior to event start time). Once the competition meat has been inspected, it shall not leave the contest site.

9) The four (4) ATF Protein Categories:

CHICKEN: any cut

PORK: any cut

BEEF: any cut

SEAFOOD: any type

10) The four (4) ATF categories will be judged in the following order:

CHICKEN: 11 am

PORK: 12 pm

BEEF: 1 pm

SEAFOOD: 2 pm

Turn-in times may vary by contest. They will be established by the contest organizer and communicated at the Team Meeting, usually 2.5 hours prior to first turn-in. The allowable turn‐in time buffer is five (5) minutes before to five (5) minutes after the posted time. A late turn‐in will receive the lowest score possible, which is pretty low … like zero (0) low.

11) Garnish all you want. Since appearance counts for a big percentage of your score, this may help an otherwise ordinary taco get noticed. Consider the placement of each taco within the live area, the overall interior design of the box, and bribes. Since most NTA judges are independently wealthy, consider a sizeable bribe as garnish.

12) If sauce is used, it should be applied directly to the taco and not offered up in a dish of any sort. No side sauce containers will be permitted in the turn‐in container, unless part of the decorative garnishing arrangement. Sauce on the side can’t be functional is basically what we’re saying.

13) Entries must be submitted in an approved ATF numbered container, provided by the contest organizer. The number must be on top of the container at turn‐in (explained at the team meeting). The container shall not be marked or decorated in any way so as to make the container identifiable. Sure, the inside can be decorated to the hilt, but it cannot identify or make reference to your business or team name. Taco dividers must be used. Each taco must reside in a dedicated “live” area between the dividers. Foil, beer cans, toothpicks, skewers, flowers, plates, cash, foreign material, and/or some sort of stuffing are all allowed within the container. Competition boxes that do not fit these requirements will receive a low, low score.

15) Each contestant must submit six (6) tacos in the approved container. Judges may not cut, slice, or fuss with a taco before eating it. If there is not enough taco for each judge to sample, the shorted judge(s) will be pissed and dock all categories of your score.

Judges will score this way:

• Taste — 40% of your score

• Presentation — 40% of your score

• Texture — 20% of your score

The race to Grand Champion is cumulative. It’s in your best interest to enter all four categories and get at least some points on the board rather than miss out on an entire round of points.

16) Some more rules you must adhere to:

a. The use of tobacco products while handling tacos is not okay.

b. Everything, from the cook, to the assistant cooks, cooking device(s), and the assigned cooking space must be clean. If it’s not, NTA representatives may publically shame and disqualify you.

c. Shirt and shoes are required, just like McDonald’s.

d. Sanitize your work area with bleach, ammonia, dish soap … whatever it takes.

e. There will always be first aid at an NTA contest because we care.

f. Marinating ingredients must be maintained at 40° F or less.

g. After cooking, all meat must reach 140° F or above, and then (if applies) cooled no lower than 70° F within two hours or 41° F within four hours.

h. Meat that is cooked, properly cooled, and later reheated for hot holding and serving shall be reheated so that all parts of the food reach a temperature of at least 165° F for a minimum of 15 seconds. The Health Department loves this kind of stuff, so please adhere, ya hear?

17) Entry fees will not be refunded, unless you want to fight about it.