Potatoes, onions and beef tri-tip came under fire Wednesday when the Umatilla County Fair invited locals to the Backyard Grilling Competition.

The fair has hosted cook-offs in the past, but Gay Newman, cook-off supervisor and fair board member, said they chose three Umatilla County products this year in honor of the county’s sesquicentennial celebration.

We tried to do all local products to support Umatilla County, he said. We’re also going to have some fun, get some recipes and see some new ideas.

Eleven teams faced off in three competitions as well as for an overall title.

A five-member panel of judges scored each dish based on aroma, appearance, texture, taste and overall dish. The cooks received their ingredients at 10 a.m. The first competition turn-in, onion, was due at 1:30 p.m.

Some of them wanted to start immediately, some wanted to wait before they began cooking. Everyone has their own secrets, Newman said. Everyone’s just having a good time, and that’s what it’s all about.

Because traditional cook-offs focus on cuts of meat, the first two ingredients posed an extra challenge for the competitors.

I think it’s cool. It’s different, Joe Arguello said while grilling onion.

Arguello represented Pendleton the Beef 52s, which also included Jace Arguello and Wayne Willard.

I’ve never had to do onions, so it’s something to see what I can do, Joe Arguello said. We’re out here with friends and family having fun.

Jeff and Denise Marks, Team Conestoga, also supported the variety in the challenge.

I think this is fabulous. This gives us the opportunity to show what we do with these all the time but a lot of people don’t get to see, Denise Marks said. We’ve had tri-tip down for years. I’d say the potato is the hardest. Simple is definitely the best.

Nearby, Kelley Powell, also of Hermiston, put together kabobs for one of her dishes.

I’m putting things on here I like. I’m just hoping other people will like the same things, she said. I’m having a great time, soaking up the sun, grateful for the breeze. I like to make memories, and this is a memory maker.

Powell was a first-time competitor after her neighbor, Traci Mize, also a first-timer, asked her to join a team. When some registered teams could not make the competition, Mize and Powell split into two teams.

We’re competing against each other, but it’s a friendly competition, Powell said. If she wins, I’ll be happy for her.

Mize did win one top prize in the competition. The Hermiston woman took first-place in the tri-tip category with her back to basics inspired team name: Flintstones.

The other winners were Watts Farms in potato and Grillin’ N Chillin’ in onion.

Teams received $300 for first place, $200 for second and $100 for third in each category. The overall champions, Hermiston-based duo Grillin’ N Chillin’, also took home a Traeger grill.