General KCBS Disqualification Rules

[TBoneJack]

Here are the KCBS disqualification rules as I understand them. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong anywhere.

I edited this post for spelling and grammar corrections, but I'm not sure if I found them all.

In the appearance category, an entry is assumed to be legal and must be scored by all judges before any judge or Table Captain (TC) is allowed to speak up to question the legality of the entry.

No Certified Judge (CBJ), Master Judge, or TC has the authority to disqualify (DQ) an entry for any reason. Only a KCBS representative (rep) has DQ authority. If an entry is suspected to be illegal by judges and/or TC, the rules state that the TC must summon a KCBS rep for an official, final ruling.

According to my 2017 KCBS Official Judges Certification Manual, here are all the ways an entry can be DQ'ed, and the extent of the DQ:

Illegal Garnish

See the KCBS web site for legal / illegal garnish types. Even the KCBS rep that taught my CBJ class seemed annoyed at having to deal with garnish violations, because of their potential complexity. He said he once had to send cell phone pics of garnish in to KCBS headquarters for a real-time legality decision.

When a garnish violation occurs, the KCBS rep will instruct all judges to change their score for appearance to 1 (DQ). The judges will then proceed to score the entry for taste and tenderness.

Notice that the entry is not completely disqualified; it is disqualified only in the appearance category.

Sauce Violations

Sauce violations include pooled sauce in the turn-in box, and/or chunks in sauce that are larger than about one-eighth inch cubed.

When a sauce violation occurs, the KCBS rep will instruct all judges to change their score for appearance to 1 (DQ). The judges will then proceed to score the entry for taste and tenderness.

Notice that the entry is not completely disqualified; it is disqualified only in the appearance category.

Sculpted Meat

Sculpted meat includes meat that is shaped in an identifiable form (for example, rosette, animal, number, letter, logo, etc). The intent here is to prevent judges from being able to identify which team cooked the meat.

When a sculpted meat violation occurs, the KCBS rep will instruct all judges to change their score for appearance to 1 (DQ), and to write 1 (DQ) for taste and tenderness as well.

This entry is DQ'ed in all categories.

Less than 6 Samples in Box

If a judge is shorted a sample of meat, the KCBS rep will instruct that judge to score a 1 (DQ) in all categories.

The KCBS rep will instruct all judges to change their score for appearance to 1 (DQ). The judges with samples will then proceed to score the meat for taste and tenderness.

Marking and Foreign Objects

This category of violations includes any mark on the box, or any object in the box, that could allow a judge to identify which team cooked the meat. This includes foil, toothpicks, skewers, pickles, etc.

When such a violation occurs, the KCBS rep will instruct all judges to change their score for appearance to a 1 (DQ), and to write 1 (DQ) for the taste and tenderness as well.

This entry is DQ'ed in all categories.

Rib Meat not Attached to Bone

It is an egregious violation to turn in any rib meat that is not attached to bone, but I'm not sure of the extent of the DQ. I'm going to guess it will be a total DQ (score of 1 in all categories), but my manual doesn't say for sure.

[Jerod Broussard]

I'd be sooooooooooooo tempted to do the following in my chicken box:

1. Turn in clover from what ever area I am in for garnish

2. Solid pool of sauce to float most of the clover

3. Sculpt my initials with the meat

4. Star made of toothpicks somewhere in the mix.

I deboned some thighs this week and was thinking how horrible it would have been to be doing them for a competition.

That is some stinkin' work, just for the chicken!!

I still say I need to do at least one comp to say I did one.

[RonB]

Go for it Jerod Broussard.

[MBMorgan]

Don't forget your avatar photo glued firmly to the top of the box.

[Tomcat]

Roger that man...kinda crazy rules agreed.

[CandySueQ]

I've thought of laying a nice bed of pellets below the meat...extruding chicken through a press to make fowl pellets...

[Jerod Broussard]

Fowl pellets ruled a foul. Too funny!

[Tomcat]

Try mixin' em with whole peppercorn and grind em up for the judges! Too funny.

[Huskee]

It's kinda like disqualifying a vocalist from a competition for wearing illegal shoes or a disqualifying haircut. BBQ comps should be about the focus of the competition- the meat. It should NOT be about the garnish and pooled sauce. #gimmeabreak

[Jerod Broussard]

It's kinda like disqualifying a vocalist from a competition for wearing illegal shoes or a disqualifying haircut. BBQ comps should be about the focus of the competition- the meat. It should NOT be about the garnish and pooled sauce. #gimmeabreak

It's like Harry Soo saying they can't dock a brisket for no smoke ring, but yet he knows he won't win without a smoke ring.

[Lost in China]

This is what happens when you have a good idea like a BBQ competition, and control freaks get ahold of the governance. Ridiculous rules galore to satisfy their need for control.

[Jlock]

Jerod Broussard , come on down to Pensacola this weekend and you are welcome to help me or I bet even CandySueQ at Smokin' In The Square. I know I'd be more than happy to turn chicken over to someone else!

[Jerod Broussard]

Not that I could make it anyway, but working 12hr days 6 days/week knocks that off the schedule immediately.

[Jlock]

Damn....guess I'm stuck scraping chicken fat again.

[CandySueQ]

Why? Jlock, I scraped skin once and decided that there had to be a better way!

[TBoneJack]

Warning: long post, but I promise, it makes a point. You may or may not agree with my point, but please remember it is not my intent to offend anyone...

Years ago, when my son was playing youth baseball, I was a coach, and was eventually invited to be a member of the baseball board at our local park.

And as you'd expect, the baseball board was comprised of mostly very competitive men who played the game in their youth, and some beyond. But the board adopted a very interesting (and effective) policy long before I was asked to join: that the board must contain at least one mother, even if she happened to know nothing about sports. In fact, that was kinda preferred. And we actually had multiple women on our baseball board.

The intent was for the mother(s) to keep us ultra-competitive men from doing stupid things, like scheduling tee-ball makeup games at 8:30 on a school night. The women had as much authority and voting power as any other board member, and were continually encouraged to speak up and put us Neanderthal men in our place. And they did. And it worked.

KCBS could learn a lot from this. Because in terms of garnish, they are totally missing the forest for the trees (and parsley). They need some sort of checks and balances to help keep them grounded.

KCBS rules clearly state, and the Master Judge test includes questions that 100% confirm, the following:

• Garnish is to be judged in the appearance phase for legality only; not for appearance. Repeat: not for appearance.

Yet I've been told many times by people who seem to be "in the know" that despite the clear rules-language to the contrary, KCBS judges routinely take garnish into consideration for appearance, and scores will be impacted if there is no garnish. But why?????????

One KCBS rep I spoke with said it's a burden that cooks have unnecessarily placed upon themselves. And since the cooks do it, judges have come to expect it. And over time, this has morphed into an expectation that takes lots of time and adds cooking hassle, any of which is too much since it is not even required and is not even supposed to be rewarded.

KCBS should eliminate this long-standing problem by simply eliminating the allowance of garnish, as other BBQ sanctioning organizations have done. Then, and only then, can they be taken seriously when they say "It's all about the meat".

Question: How did the US Tax Code grow to become over 11,000 pages in length?
Answer: One freaking page at a time, because it just got out of hand.

[Jlock]

I judged the Sam's Tour Event last month. Had a brisket turn-in with no garnish. I gave it a 9. The meat was perfect looking. I was probably in the minority.