Jerky & Leather

Registration Ends: Monday, Sept. 5, 11:59pm
Entry Drop Off: Saturday, Sept. 10, 10am-12pm
Winners Announced: Sunday, Sept. 11, 12pm

Ingredients List Due: Wednesday, Sept. 7, 11:59pm

Winners will be announced on the Fair Main Stage and on the DC State Fair website.

DC Gateway Pavilion
St. Elizabeth’s East
2700 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. SE
Washington, DC, 20032

 

Awards Given 

Blue, red, and white ribbons will be awarded in the following category:

  • Meat (Restructured)

  • Meat (Whole muscle)

  • Fruit or vegetable leather (Restructured)

  • Fruit or vegetable jerky (Whole item)

Judging Criteria

APPEARANCE: 250 Points. 

  • Appearance includes uniformity of casing or surface appearance and lack of obvious defects - 100 Points. 

  • Color will be judged on the variation of external and internal color after processing - 150 Points.

AROMA/EDIBILITY/FLAVOR: 750 Points. 

  • Aroma – 75 Points. There shall be a desirable cured aroma; objectionable odors will be downgraded. 

  • Texture/Mouth Feel – 200 Points. Mouth feel and appropriate moisture content will be extremely important in the judging of this product. A product with excessive moisture will be downgraded. 

  • Edibility – 100 Points. Product shall be shelf stable and require no refrigeration. A desirable appearance, pleasing aroma, desirable mouth feel and flavor, along with a pleasant aftertaste that will stimulate continued or further consumption of this product, shall upgrade this product. 

  • Flavor – 300 Points. A suitably full-bodied flavor is appropriate. Flavor may vary at the discretion of the entrant. 

  • Pleasant Aftertaste – 75 Points. A pleasant aftertaste is necessary.

Contest Rules

  • You may enter up to two entries in each category. 

  • Each entry must be prepared by the contestant, however the item the entry is prepared from (meat, fruit, vegetable) does not need to be grown by the contestant, nor need to be grown in the District. 

  • All entries must be accompanied by a complete list of ingredients. Amounts of ingredients or processes used to make the product need not be included.

  • Restructured entries must be ground/pureed and formed

    • Production: To be eligible for this class, meat jerkies must be ground and formed from a single meat (beef, pork, poultry, or other game animal). 

    • Fruit or vegetable entries may be a combination of multiple fruits and/or vegetables.

  • Whole muscle/item entries must come from a whole cut of meat or whole fruit/vegetable, but may be sliced, or cut.

  • Products may be seasoned according to the discretion of the contestant. Topical spices or incorporated flavorings are allowed, but are not required. 

  • This product must have been thermally processed so that it does not require refrigeration and is ready to eat.

YOU CANNOT ENTER IF

  • Your batch contains any of the following: uncooked cream, Jell-O/gelatin, raw eggs, or other products that are high risk for spoilage. 

  • You are a food professional including a licensed baker/caterer; oversee/supervise the preparation of food in a restaurant, bakery, carryout, grocery, deli, cafeteria, food truck, or anyplace where food is prepared and sold; own a food making/baking business; or a professional food writer who writes recipes for pay.

The DC State Fair organizers are not accountable for lost items, so we recommend either using a disposable container or bag. Entries and containers will not be returned to you.